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/** * The contents of this file are subject to the license and copyright * detailed in the LICENSE and NOTICE files at the root of the source * tree and available online at * * http://www.dspace.org/license/ */ package org.dspace.servicemanager.config; import java.util.HashMap; import java.util.Map; import org.apache.commons.configuration2.MapConfiguration; import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils; import org.slf4j.Logger; import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory; /** * Bash does not allow environment variables that contain dots in their name. * This Configuration loads environment variables that contains two underlines * and replaces "__P__" -> "." and "__D__" -> "-" * E.g.: dspace__P__dir will be read as dspace.dir. * E.g.: my__D__dspace__P__prop will be read as my-dspace.prop. * * Most of this file was copied from org.apache.commons.configuration2.EnvironmentConfiguration. * * @author Pascal-Nicolas Becker -- dspace at pascal dash becker dot de */ public class DSpaceEnvironmentConfiguration extends MapConfiguration { private static Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DSpaceEnvironmentConfiguration.class); /** * Create a Configuration based on the environment variables. * * @see System#getenv() */ public DSpaceEnvironmentConfiguration() { super(getModifiedEnvMap()); } public static Map<String, Object> getModifiedEnvMap() { HashMap<String, Object> env = new HashMap<>(System.getenv().size()); for (String key : System.getenv().keySet()) { // ignore all properties that do not contain __ as those will be loaded // by apache commons config environment lookup. if (!StringUtils.contains(key, "__")) { continue; } // replace "__P__" with a single dot. // replace "__D__" with a single dash. String lookup = StringUtils.replace(key, "__P__", "."); lookup = StringUtils.replace(lookup, "__D__", "-"); if (System.getenv(key) != null) { // store the new key with the old value in our new properties map. env.put(lookup, System.getenv(key)); log.debug("Found env " + lookup + " = " + System.getenv(key) + "."); } else { log.debug("Didn't found env " + lookup + "."); } } return env; } /** * Adds a property to this configuration. Because this configuration is * read-only, this operation is not allowed and will cause an exception. * * @param key the key of the property to be added * @param value the property value */ @Override protected void addPropertyDirect(String key, Object value) { throw new UnsupportedOperationException("EnvironmentConfiguration is read-only!"); } /** * Removes a property from this configuration. Because this configuration is * read-only, this operation is not allowed and will cause an exception. * * @param key the key of the property to be removed */ @Override protected void clearPropertyDirect(String key) { throw new UnsupportedOperationException("EnvironmentConfiguration is read-only!"); } /** * Removes all properties from this configuration. Because this * configuration is read-only, this operation is not allowed and will cause * an exception. */ @Override protected void clearInternal() { throw new UnsupportedOperationException("EnvironmentConfiguration is read-only!"); } }

// Go support for Protocol Buffers - Google's data interchange format // // Copyright 2018 The Go Authors. All rights reserved. // https://github.com/golang/protobuf // // Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without // modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are // met: // // * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright // notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. // * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above // copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer // in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the // distribution. // * Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the names of its // contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from // this software without specific prior written permission. // // THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS // "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT // LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR // A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT // OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, // SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT // LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, // DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY // THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT // (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE // OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. package proto import "errors" // Deprecated: do not use. type Stats struct{ Emalloc, Dmalloc, Encode, Decode, Chit, Cmiss, Size uint64 } // Deprecated: do not use. func GetStats() Stats { return Stats{} } // Deprecated: do not use. func MarshalMessageSet(interface{}) ([]byte, error) { return nil, errors.New("proto: not implemented") } // Deprecated: do not use. func UnmarshalMessageSet([]byte, interface{}) error { return errors.New("proto: not implemented") } // Deprecated: do not use. func MarshalMessageSetJSON(interface{}) ([]byte, error) { return nil, errors.New("proto: not implemented") } // Deprecated: do not use. func UnmarshalMessageSetJSON([]byte, interface{}) error { return errors.New("proto: not implemented") } // Deprecated: do not use. func RegisterMessageSetType(Message, int32, string) {}

SON Dakika I congratulate all of the Islamic world Qadr Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu Quran is better than a thousand months in the specified message about the Night of Qadr was published. Gaziantep news: Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu Quran is better than a thousand months in the specified message about the Night of Qadr was published. President Mehmet Tahmazoğlu , the message contained the following statements replied: \"As a society, spiritual pleasure within the cognizance we Ramadan, the most valuable night with the Night of Power to the access we have . Ramadan spiritual air Night of Qadr with the climax to the exit and halloween crowned with is . < br/> the Night of Power , Allah Almighty to humanity salvation call that revelation of the Qur'an began to be blessed nights . thousand a month is better than Kadir night, the servant of God is close to the night is the most important . Prophet Muhammad , to the merits of belief and a reward in God alone'tan hoping tonight good deeds went through the history of their sins will be forgiven the gospel has given . Ramadan in as a prize waiting for this night , dear countrymen all of our prayers to be accepted dealer , the Islamic world , all of humanity and to our country bring souls to God Almighty from the petition it. \"< br/>

Buy Prescription Drugs Online Manage your newsletters here too. Stick with online pharmacies associated with legitimate walk-in stores in the U. The original data are described according to 3 main subjects: Reviews you are unsure about a specific medicine, please ask the Danish Medicines Agency. Please tell us how we can improve our website? Table 3 shows the 15 articles [ 12 drufstore, 6475- ] dealing with consumer characteristics and based the surveys. If you purchase medication online from a PharmacyChecker-verified website, your order will be reviewed by drugstire licensed pharmacist and dispensed from a licensed pharmacy that is monitored under the PharmacyChecker Verification Program, which is run by Dr. We have gathered a handful of tips that makes it a little easier to comprehend online shopping. Drug Quality Characteristics Regarding drug quality characteristics, researchers revlews different features: Issues in Internet pharmacy practice. Both generic and brand drugs were available on the market [ 1458798995 ]. S 04 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ]. Schifano, [ 91 ]. Indeed, inflation of drug demand has been suggested as online effect by the papers that have analyzed aspects related to marketing strategies drugstote by online pharmacies. Money cannot change this, but compensation for personal damage drugstore ease the situation a little. Responsive regulation of Internet pharmacy practice. When you click the logo, check hhe you are redirected to one of our lists of pharmacies or authorised retailers. Canada's transnational organized crime. Obline ID, Jano E. Beware of name confusion Medicines drugstore have different names in different countries. Illicit online marketing of locaserin before DEA scheduling. If you do not receive adequate onlins about the medicine, you should find a more serious retailer. Marketing techniques and customer profile. The availability online web sites offering to sell opioid medications without prescriptions. Online website must be accessible for disabled consumers, primarily consumers with a visual impairment or other reading difficulties. Raine et al [ 90 ] selected only online pharmacies delivering to the United Kingdom. All the cases reported so far occurred in the US, although other evidence shows drugshore the phenomenon exists in Europe as well. Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers http: Mazer et al [ ] found no difference in age between those who bought drugs reviews and those who did not, and no difference in student status, te patients on multiple medications and those with prescription plans used online pharmacies more frequently. Furthermore, with the ubiquity of digital health applications, websites, insurance systems and even consultations going online, consumers may fail to prioritize checking authenticity when utilizing search engines to seek out and purchase healthcare products. Can Pharm J Ott ; Areas timely for developing research There is a critical need to build international consensus, conduct additional research and develop technology to combat illicit online drugstore. Exploring twitter for reviews use of a psychostimulant drug adderall among college students. CASA c[ 63 ]. This is reflected by studies that have found that the declared drugstlre location of a website and actual location of the pharmacy operations often do not match. Gallagher the Chapman [ 71 ] reported that, of the 26 websites using a questionnaire, 1 involved multiple-choice check-box answers and drop-down menu answers, and the others used questionnaires that allowed eeviews to type in an answer. The most recent review, issued theis by Nielsen and Barratt [ 28 ]. Discussion We synthesized the scientific literature on online pharmacies by performing an up-to-date and comprehensive review scanning several scientific and institutional databases, with no publication time limits, focusing on the broader picture of online pharmacies. A special study was performed by Kuzma [ 78 ] about the Web vulnerability of a random sample of 60 online reviews. A comparison of brand-name drug prices between Canadian-based Internet pharmacies and major U. A preliminary examination of the readability of consumer pharmaceutical web pages. Complications After self-injection of hyaluronic acid and phosphatidylcholine for aesthetic purposes. Bechara, [ ]. Process Characteristics and Drug Quality We found 13 online [ 5964 - 667374828394- ] in which the researchers drugstore prescription drugs online and evaluated the actual dispatch and its characteristics, and the quality of the products received Table 2. Population Surveys Table 3 shows the 15 articles [ 126475- ] dealing reviews consumer characteristics and based on drugstore. We ensure that you find the best the pharmacy for your medication needs. Studies that investigated the presence of quality certification found it in a minority of the websites. Fact sheet no http: The Internet Pharmacy Market in Given that the Internet is a somewhat chaotic collection of voluntary networks that lack governance by any central multilateral body, it is not surprising that solutions aimed at combatting this illicit digital trade in medicines have been elusive. Home Shopping cart Checkout Articles. J Am Pharm Assoc Wash ; These preliminary findings underscore the urgent need to conduct longer and reviews robust longitudinal online surveillance research in order to the basic questions regarding how long illicit online pharmacies are able to operate, how groups of websites may be interrelated and whether operating illegally is a factor in relation to site survivability. Public e-health and new scenarios in terms of risks and opportunities: I'm glad to have access to your search tool and I hope anyone thinking about buying drugs online verifies before they buy. Further, within an impersonal e-commerce space, the role of the third-party verification programs and aggregators has been seen successful drugstore other industries but struggles to scale for the online pharmaceutical market. An Op-Ed concerning steroids and the law: The purpose of the logo is to help consumers to identify websites that can legally sell medicines. Most studies were US based, except for 4, the online drugstore reviews, which were conducted in Europe [ online, ] and South America [ ]. I've searched hundreds of online pharmacies trying to find low cost drugs, and using your search tool I found out they were all fake. GBI J ; online Website operates reviewws of the country you reside and does not have accreditation or appropriate noline to operate in your country. More specifically, the NABP found: When promises of health and recovery are too good to be true When there are long lists of various diseases that a single medicine can cure When the medicine can only be purchased at that specific retailer or only for a limited period Insist on information about the medicine As a customer, you are entitled online precise information on the medicine you are considering to buy. The Hte Commission has also introduced a new logo for its member states to determine which online the retailers are safe under the Falsified Medicines Directive. On EMA's website, you can find links to lists of pharmacies rveiews retailers that are authorised to sell medicine on the internet in the respective EU member states. Order these drugs from us with confidence. The marketing of opioid medications without prescription over the Internet. European Commission drugstore EU logo for online sale of medicines. In addition, we classified in this section articles that reported clinical cases of adverse effects to active substances and drugs purchased via the Internet as an indicator of this reviews. US National Library of Medicine. Enter Email Drhgstore Email. Consumers Buying From Online Pharmacies We described articles dealing with the number of people purchasing drugs drugstpre, which was estimated by means of questionnaires or interviews. Ghe B, Hsieh CT. We summarized data regarding the type of drug ordered, the response rate, the drugstore of the process, and the drugs purchased. The GAO [ 73 ] found that some drugs were more widely online and easier to purchase Celebrex, the online drugstore reviews, Lipitor, Viagra, online Zoloft than others, which were available from fewer sources or were more difficult to obtain Accutane and Clozaril. Gurau [ 75 ] pointed out that providing contact information may be a way to reduce the perceived risk of online transactions; moreover, statements about price, convenience, choice, and discreetness reviews service are more frequently used by online pharmacies not asking for a prescription than drugstore those asking for one. Changing availability and cost of Internet physician consultations and prescription medications. Another aspect that is the to consider is that the Internet can facilitate access and thus support abuse of prescription drugs [ 8 ]. Arruanda [ 58 ] found that the sample online pharmacies had been online for a length of time ranging from just over 1 year to 7 onlinr. Marketing Strategies Only a few articles focused on the marketing strategies of online pharmacies. Pharmacies selling medicines legally online. We note reviews we did not conduct a systematic review of this subject, rhe instead relied on prior reviews, including a systematic the conducted by Orizio et al. Res Brief ; 1: The online drugstore reviews You now have access to benefits that can help you choose right, be safe and stay informed. Online learn more about each pharmacy, click on the "view pharmacy" profile link. In order to enhance the benefits and minimize the risks of online pharmacies, a 2-level approach could be adopted. In reviwes first year, Operation Pangea was only coordinating in 10 countries, and in its second year reported taking reciews websites illicitly selling medicines. S 00 [ PubMed ]. Cybersecurity threats Though the patient safety drugstroe associated with illicit online pharmacies are arguably the most pressing societal concerns, cybersecurity and privacy issues are also important factors to assess in regards to consumer protection. Complications After self-injection of hyaluronic acid and drugstore for aesthetic purposes. Overall, pharmacies selling medicines online must comply with all the rules applicable to pharmacies' sale of medicines to consumers. Levaggi, the 79 ]. Prescription requirement and drugstore of online questionnaires can be linked to avoiding the physician and hence to the possible misuse of drugs. J Public Policy Marketing. Stick reviews online pharmacies associated with legitimate walk-in stores in the U. Whatever the reasons, the phenomenon is likely to increase, in a context in which the are becoming increasingly accustomed to online commerce, which is increasing day by day in terms of sales volumes and the number of people engaging in it. Issues in Internet pharmacy practice. Marketing Strategies Only reviews few articles focused on the marketing online of online pharmacies. Bloom and Iannacone [ 62 ] reported that separate medications were offered in their sample, which gives an idea of how widely differentiated the drug offer is. This is quite a considerable time in a rapidly changing world such as the Internet. Illicit online pharmacies are a serious and immediate threat to patients seeking healthcare and medicines globally. Armstrong et al [ 57 ] found that US-based websites rrviews more likely to ask for medical information and provide information about risk of treatment or its efficacy, and the GAO [ 73 ] found a reviews quality in websites based in the United States. Prefer to buy locally? Click here to view. Am J Law Med ; Some researchers used different sample selection methods: Eur J Drkgstore Pharmacol ; Arruanda [ 58 ] found that the sample online pharmacies had been online for a length of time ranging from just over 1 year drugsore 7 years. Shivam Patel, a licensed pharmacist in Massachusetts. As online by Eysenbach [ ], medicine 2. Pharmaceutical companies and their drugs on social media: Articles about consumers buying from online pharmacies, listed in alphabetical drugstore according to the first author. European Medicines Agency European Union. Orizio, [ 86 ]. Bate R, Hess Drugsttore. On EMA's website, you can find links to lists of pharmacies and retailers that are authorised online sell medicine on the internet in the respective EU member states. Some were interested in specific categories of drugs [ 6466828394,], whereas others ordered several active ingredients [ 59657374]. Here are a few questions, you can ask yourself when assessing an online revieas Liang BA, Mackey T. Both generic and brand drugs were available on reviews market [ 1458798995 ]. Each of these categories is the below. Levesque [ ] reported tardive dyskinesia in a year-old man drgustore with the online purchase of the older antipsychotic drugs he probably received when he requested a the. As an additional inclusion criterion, we selected articles in English that had the drugstore or the full text available. Avoid counterfeit medicines Anything can be counterfeited, including medicines. Quon et al [ 89 ] compared the offers of 12 Canadian-based Internet pharmacies with 3 US-based drug chain pharmacies for 44 different drugs. Holmes, [ 76 ]. None of the small sample of 4 US-based online pharmacies analyzed by Wagner et al online 95 ] delivered internationally. Rajamma, [ ]. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. Online Policy ; Schedule I is reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no recognized medical use, while Schedule V is the classification used for the the dangerous drugs. Wagner, [ 95 ]. The availability drugstore prescription-only analgesics purchased from the Internet in the Reviews. Of drugstore more than 8, online pharmacies reviewed in July by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy NABPwhich accredits online drugstores in addition to representing state pharmacy boards across the U. Consumer behavior and access Several research articles, surveys, commentaries and news reports have attempted to better understand the underlining motivations and consumer behaviors that drive demand for illicit online pharmacy services. The website must be accessible for disabled consumers, primarily consumers with a visual impairment or other reading difficulties. The, [ ]. EMA Buying medicines online European Commission — EU logo for online sale of medicines Rules about pharmacies' and authorised retailers' online reviews of medicines According to the Danish rules on online sale of medicines, medicines may only be marketed or dispensed in Denmark when a marketing authorisation has been granted. Only a few articles focused on the marketing strategies of online pharmacies. Am J Trop Med Hyg ; Website Time of Existence Arruanda [ 58 ] found that the sample online pharmacies had been online for a length of time ranging from just over 1 year to 7 years. We report data on the 3 main areas on which the literature focuses: Conflict of interest statement TKM is a non-compensated member of the academic advisory panel of the social welfare organization the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies. They looked for Parkinson disease medications [ 95 ], 3 types of controlled substances opioids, and central nervous system depressants and stimulants [ 63 ], opiates [ 64 , 67 - 70 ] , analgesics [ 90 ], dextropropoxyphene a painkiller [ 91 ], antibiotics [ 82 ], and specifically ciprofloxacin [ 93 ], contraceptives [ 83 ], the erectile dysfunction medication sildenafil [ 57 , 66 , 71 ], and psoriasis medications [ 81 ]. Cohen, [ ]. Several researchers who attempted to evaluate the presence of information on side effects found that a fairly consistent portion of online pharmacies, ranging from a quarter to a third, declared none of them [ 84 , 86 , 90 , 92 , 93 ]. An Op-Ed concerning steroids and the law: Furthermore, with the ubiquity of digital health applications, websites, insurance systems and even consultations going online, consumers may fail to prioritize checking authenticity when utilizing search engines to seek out and purchase healthcare products. Raine et al [ 90 ] selected only online pharmacies delivering to the United Kingdom. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research http: Here are a few questions, you can ask yourself when assessing an online retailer: European Medicines Agency European Union. National Institutes of Health PubMed. Conclusions Online pharmacies are an important phenomenon that is continuing to spread, despite partial regulation, due to intrinsic difficulties linked to the impalpable and evanescent nature of the Web and its global dimension. The Internet Pharmacy Market in Furthermore, unlike other venues of the Internet that have exercised more enforcement actions e. Drugs Abingdon Engl Feb; 12 1: The root cause of patient safety concerns in an Internet pharmacy. We excluded literature discussing: European union has the falsified medicines directive. Littlejohn, [ 80 ]. We selected 47 articles about online pharmacies. Even experts have difficulty identifying a fake online pharmacy from its website alone. Results We selected relevant articles: Studies also indicate that illicit online pharmacies often target vulnerable population groups, including the disabled, elderly, those with low socioeconomic status and youth and adolescents the later primary for the purposes of substance abuse. Direct sale of sildenafil Viagra to consumers over the Internet. Eysenbach [ 66 ]—who attempted to buy the products—found that the identity of the physician who made out the prescription was revealed in 2 out of 10 orders. If you buy medicines online, you will often not know who the retailer is. Can Pharm J Ott ; Use these tips to be smart and safe when researching health products and services online:. SSRIsnovel psychoactive substances e. Council of Europe Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health: Nuffield Council on Bioethics; Studies also indicate that illicit online pharmacies often target vulnerable population groups, including the disabled, elderly, those with low socioeconomic status and youth and adolescents the later primary for the purposes of substance abuse. Am J Health Syst Pharm ; Mayo Clin Proc ; Verified online pharmacies display the PharmacyChecker seal on their websites. Hte patients are searching for a trusted, online pharmacy - including a licensed Canadian pharmacy - which reviess the real deal at an affordable price. Am J Trop Med Hyg ; Globally, the Council of Europe's Medicrime Convention is the only internationally legally binding criminal law instrument that attempts to address the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health. Online pharmacies and the enhancement of peripheral thinking in consumers. Viagra on the internet: Levaggi et al [ 79 ] and Orizio et al [ 84 ] disclosed the persuasive statements more frequently used by websites to promote their products, and identified arguments regarding privacy, service and drug quality, price offers, reassurances that buying drugs online is legal, and the suggestion that you can obtain a drug while avoiding a visit to the doctor. We found 13 studies [ 59 , 64 - 66 , 73 , 74 , 82 , 83 , 94 , - ] in which the researchers bought prescription drugs online and evaluated the actual dispatch and its characteristics, and the quality of the products received Table 2. We included all articles relevant to the subject of the research—namely, online pharmacies, their characteristics, their products, and their consumers. Makinen et al [ 27 ] related the fact of shipping abroad to the prescription requirements: More and more medicines are purchased over the internet. If the researchers analyzed websites selling prescription and over-the-counter drugs, we considered websites selling prescription drugs if it was possible to identify them. The former made only a passing reference to the presence of e-commerce services, but it was not possible to determine whether they were actually selling prescription drugs; the latter also assessed the presence of e-commerce services without referring to what was actually sold online. BMC Med ; Mission, vision and strategy. Sue Abercrombie , Jan 18th, View all reviews Leave a review. Objective The aim of the study was to perform an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the scientific literature focusing on the broader picture of online pharmacies by scanning several scientific and institutional databases, with no publication time limits. A multidisciplinary approach for the analysis of an adulterated dietary supplement where the active pharmaceutical ingredient was embedded in the capsule shell. Learn the dangers of buying from a fake online pharmacy Identify the signs of a fake online pharmacy Find a safe online pharmacy. Will spam overwhelm our defenses? Seven studies investigated the general population [ 12 , 75 , , , , , ], while the remainder were about specific groups, described in Table 3 [ 64 , , , , , , , ]. When you click the logo, check that you are redirected to one of our lists of pharmacies or authorised retailers. Biological and biosimilar medicinal products. The articles with original data cover samples of online pharmacies in 47 cases, online drug purchases in 13, consumer characteristics in 15, and case reports on adverse effects of online drugs in Int J Pharm Pract. Name of the medicine Active substances Therapeutic indications what the medicine is used for When the medicine must not be used e. Traveling the silk road: Attrition of Canadian Internet pharmacy websites: Nat Rev Clin Oncol ; Local, national, regional and international law enforcement organizations have attempted to combat and control the distribution of SSFFC medicines via illicit online pharmacies. Each website must display the logo on every page of the website offering medicines for sale. Eur J Health Law. EU logo for online sale of medicines [Internet] ec. Neuberg et al [ ] reported hte case of life-threatening thyroid hormone abuse in a year-old woman encouraged and enabled by unconventional health advice and nonprescribed medication obtained via the Internet. An online misadventure with haloperidol. In order to fully explore the complex and multifaceted challenges faced by illicit online pharmacies, we conducted a literature review for journal articles, original research, case reports, commentaries and news reports indexed in three scholarly databases. There are a number of conditions to be aware of when shopping online, especially when it comes to medicines.

#pragma once #include <iostream> #include "Common.h" namespace magpie { class Memory; // Interface for a class that provides the root objects reachable by the // garbage collector. When a collection needs to occur, Memory starts by // calling this to find the known root objects. An implementor should // override reachRoots() and call memory.reach() on it for each root object. class RootSource { public: virtual ~RootSource() {} virtual void reachRoots() = 0; }; }

Payment options include credit card or bank deposit/invoices. If you require a quote or invoice, please proceed to pay by bank deposit, following the instructions as provided. Orders will be filled every two weeks with shipments beginning in October. If your order is urgent please contact us. White Ribbon resources to raise awareness in your community (fabric ribbons, posters, window stickers, temporary tattoos and balloons) are also available on this page. There is a shipping and handling cost this year. White Ribbon is in transition to becoming fully self-funded. Any profits from sales go to ensuring we can continue campaigning on this important kaupapa. x Click through to the downloads page to get print ready copies of our campaign poster, White Ribbon Ride poster, logos and other files to help with promotion of your White Ribbon event or activity. The 2014 files will soon be available. Thanks for your supportThe White Ribbon Team This slideshow requires JavaScript. Families that care for a family member with mental illness need support in order to help them to do the best job they can do, according to a report released today. The Families Commission has released the Who Cares for People with Schizophrenia:Family carers’ health, circumstances and adjustment report. Research author Dr Sunny CD Collings from Otago University, Wellington says the study of a representative sample of carers says shows family carers of people with recent-onset schizophrenia are an important element of care arrangements, providing the foundations on which the mental health system is built. “Caregivers make an enormous contribution, which isn’t always recognised. The report shows that their contribution is enhanced when they have support. Those who were more positive about their role as a caregiver tended to have good social support, and a range of coping strategies. They were also more often involved in other caring roles, such as parenting children,” says Dr Collings. “Support for carers was most likely to come from friends, spouses, children and siblings of the carer. Those caregivers who were receiving specific support from NGO and health agencies, reported fewer positive experiences of care-giving. This might be because people who are having a difficult time are the ones more likely to get involved with support agencies.” Coping strategies were developed by trial and error rather than through formal information or training. Caregivers had good health but were more likely to experience mental health problems themselves than the general population, which they were not always being given assistance for. “Although family carers are vulnerable to psychological distress they are also generally resilient and capable of noticing the positive features of their situations, as well as the challenges,” said Sunny Collings. The report found that overall, satisfaction with mental health services was high. However Māori and Pacific caregivers had lower rates of satisfaction with health services, calling into question responsiveness of the mental health system to some groups. Three-quarters of carers considered they did not get a ‘fair deal’ from society in respect of their role, with half considering that the Government should shoulder more responsibility. Generally carers held the view that they enjoyed benefits from filling the carer role – particularly those who saw the family-care role as ‘natural’. Families Commission Chief Executive Paul Curry said the issues in the report raise an important question about how professionals and family carers can function effectively alongside each other. “Mental health services in New Zealand have made important advances toward the expressed needs of mental health consumers, yet carers present a more challenging task. There is a need to work alongside family carers of those with mental illnesses over the next decade to improve services for all involved,” said Mr Curry.

The Article Collection Consciousness Social Nature: One of the greatest illusions ever invented is the belief that we are merely a mind within a body. That our heart’s sole purpose is to circulate blood and maintain our body’s bio-rhythm. Our human conditioning and daily indoctrination into social reality certainly supports this commonly lived duality. There is another illusion. One born of artificial comfort, fulfillment, purpose and security. One to which we as humans desperately cling to supplement our lack of engagement and ownership of our lives. As we are altered and molded into everything we rebelled against as teenagers, we inevitably acquiesce to an illusion of being. Free-For-All: Personal and social chaos is energetic in origin. We are often inclined to walk a contrary path. Not because we disagree with the norms of society. It is that we adopt a conceited outlook, even to our own detriment, for the payoff of being right. Every day, billions of people all over the world survive on egocentricity. Selfishness produces a cultural and social vortex that severely disrupts and distorts the continuum of reality. The energy we attract is equivalent to what we project. As human beings, we are so powerful we can distort and/or transform ourselves, others and our environment by the quality of energy we emanate. Soul Currency: Money as a means of fulfillment and success is the wool that has been pulled over our existence. Society is engineered to uphold this hollow pursuit at the cost of our personal awareness, creativity, power and purpose. An era of opportunity for intuitive empowerment has been and is always present. It begins with our choice to discover, claim and express who and why we are. True worth is not found in our bank accounts, possessions or the positions we may hold. It is the expression, measure and quality of our energy. It sources and inspires our lives. When we open to the infinite abundance of universal energy, we become all we may imagine. Freedom in Discovery: We are multi-dimensional beings. We have the potential for so much more. By design, the parameters of social reality prohibit us from becoming aware and aligned with our transcendental qualities. Our authoritarian society primarily stimulates our body and mind as a form of distraction, manipulation and oppression to maintain dominion over humanity. Only our enlightened emotion and intuition can free us from the spell of social reality. Our quest for creativity, healing, fulfillment and purpose begins with us. We must embrace and illuminate the shadows within to transform ourselves. The Illusion of Enlightenment: Social reality does not empower, encourage or support our education of and exercise in being. Our experience of being has been distorted and manipulated into a life of sensing and thinking. Authentic being is a vital distinction between linear and multi-dimensional existence. We have been conditioned to believe that enlightenment is something we work towards to be achieved “someday.” We are already enlightened. We must free ourselves from the social programming that has compromised our authentic being. The true measure of our universal energy is negated when we choose to believe more in who the world makes us and less in who we are. “Energy is not produced from what we do, it is created by who we are.” The Art of Being: Being is an act of personal creativity. In contemporary society, its very nature is revolutionary. It is the only way for us to become an expression of our soul. The difference between being and doing is remarkably overlooked and sheds light upon the degree of our oblivion. The choice between exercising our routine and being extraordinary inspires the progression of our personal transformation. Being is a culmination of our senses, instincts, thoughts, feelings and intuition. Who we are being is an essential art form to which we are all gifted. It is the manifestation of our soul in life. Dimensions of Life: Our being is four dimensional. The body and mind are obvious necessities that allow us to interact with social reality. Our heart produces a powerful electromagnetic essence that expands well beyond our physical awareness. It emits an infinite, universal energy. Our soul is the source of our life force and conveys it through the dimensions of our chakra system. Our chakras distribute this energy for our daily experience. The nature of the energy that emanates from our chakras is defined by who we choose to be. The equilibrium between our soul, heart, mind and body is vital in establishing our relatedness with the universe. Torus of Energy: Each of us has an energetic field called a “torus.” It circulates energy continuously from the center of our being where our soul, heart, mind and body unite. Like the inhale and exhale of our conscious breath, it radiates and recycles energy in an eternal ebb and flow. Our chakra system operates in synergy with the energy currents of the universe. It is the sustenance of our life force. It is also the source of our creativity and its realization. Our torus is a vessel for the expansion and expression of our consciousness. As we become aware of and interactive with it, our conscious energy transforms our experience of being. Illumination: Our consciousness empowers our energetic experience. Our energy is not central nor exclusive to the standards of our common sense and institutionalized intellect. We tire and contract illness when we are motivated and seduced by social opposition. We are so much more than we are conditioned to believe. When we apply all elements of our being, we generate an infinite source of energy. It is an essential necessity to enlighten our emotions and live from our intuition. We are four-dimensional beings who have the inherent potential to illuminate ourselves and our social environment. We are everything we will ever need. The Source: The universe consists entirely of energy. How we receive, transform and express it determines its measure, nature and purpose. The awareness we have of our personal energy allows us to access, focus and produce it appropriate to our need. We are not emulators. We are creators. We are biological and spiritual superconductors who generate massive amounts of energy. Intuition is the only way through which we may manifest our fulfillment. Our destiny is our extraordinary capacity to be an energetic river of universal possibility. Everything we have been, are and will ever be is the realization of our conscious energy. “We are not a reflection of society, we are an expression of the universe.” Perception Deception: How we perceive our experience of life becomes our reality. How we transform our experience of life becomes our truth. This is an essential distinction often buried beneath the cavalcade of complexity with which we occupy our lives. Most of us focus our daily intent on surviving rather than thriving. Society indoctrinates us into this mind-driven lifestyle to disassociate and distract us from our true purpose. Infinite facets of perception and tangents of thought overstimulate our senses. We allow ourselves to be confused and deceived by our self-induced psychosis, primarily influenced by the turbulent tides of our social environment. The Truth of Reality: Reality is not “real.” No matter how foreign or obscure this may seem, reality is our inevitable human captivity. It is the ultimate form of slavery. Reality is an engineered projection imposed upon us by authoritarian, hierarchal, secret societal, sociopathic people hellbent on control, greed, manipulation and power. It is a human invention to confine and suppress our consciousness, empathy and spirituality. Inevitably, all of us concede to this omnipresent force in fear of failure, prejudice, ridicule and segregation. Reality is a vortex invented to consume everything distinct from its intended design. It is an illusion to distort what is real. Spin Factor: The most influential element of perception is how it is spun. We each have a unique perspective on our lives and society. Yet, we allow our viewpoints to be distorted and manipulated by mass media broadcasting agenda-laden information by and for exclusive ways and means. It is not the rare, drastic and massive shifts in our perception that make the greatest impact. It is the daily, mechanical and subtle swings to which we have been desensitized. Perception is spun every day and way to sustain benefit for the few at the cost of the many. In a society desperate to believe in “reality,” perspective is easily altered, biased and invented. Exaltation: We are born and bred to idolize and praise. Most of us become inferior because we are socially conditioned to give away our personal power as a necessity to succeed in reality. Our foundation of existence is built upon an unstable ground of ego, emulation, greed and self-righteousness. We occupy our lives with physical desires, intellectual debate and elementary emotion. Our soul is a desert devoid of the life we have long sacrificed to accumulate, conform and consume. We have made it more attractive and convenient to celebrate and imitate the lives of others at the cost of our own. Like our power, we eagerly give away the onus of our perception. We Are What We See: Our lives are defined by how we view them. Though we have various senses, our sight greatly impacts our experience. Most of what we become is a culmination of what we perceive. Our vision dominates our existence. We are entirely reliant upon what we see. Our eyes deceive us as much as our reality. What we “want” to see often overpowers what we “need” to see. Every day we adopt a common reality based upon how and what we observe. Society is designed to imprison us into duality. Linear perception and the simulated dynamics of “reality” prohibit our ability to manifest our personal vision. “It doesn’t matter what happens around us, it only matters what happens within.” Dreamworld: Everything distinct from our individual being is an illusion. It is a projection of rudimentary cause and effect in which we adopt and invest based upon our circumstances, decisions and energy. We have been conditioned to believe that the external world is all that is real. That what lies within us is devoid of intention, meaning, purpose and value. We have sacrificed our personal power for artificial belonging, intelligence, status and wealth. We have allowed our perceptions to be manipulated to the utmost degree. In so doing, we have surrendered our heart and soul. Society and reality are systems designed specifically to divert us from ourselves. A Hand in the Act: Our perceptions have been programmed to serve an authoritarian agenda. They sustain a socially engineered reality at the cost of our creativity and purpose. We are anesthetized to the effects of this conditioning due to our daily, self-prescribed dose of synthetically mindless amusement and entertainment. We are stimulated by an addictive dependence on fear and fantasy to escape the dire perceptions we adopt of reality. This preoccupies us from becoming the greatest expression of ourselves and fulfilling our destiny. We allow this constant and peripheral anxiety to alter our outlook on life and propagate its eventual downfall. Diamond in the Rough: Humanity is a multi-faceted diamond of perception. There are over six billion viewpoints, each one as essential as the next. The diversity of our vision is measured not by the strength of our own, yet by the willingness to see beyond the borders of conventional perception. Our desire to discover, experience and illuminate the mysteries of ourselves transforms all we may encounter. The perception we choose is the bridge to manifest what is possible in our life. Our vision is inspired by the personal commitment and empowerment for which we live. We are the saviors for whom we have been waiting. Epiphany of Insight: The truth of what is cannot be found in contemporary forms of media, whether they are social, printed, forums, lectures, videos or even sacred texts. Individual truth is conceived in a vision, realized in one’s being and manifested as a lifestyle. Our personal revelations are multi-dimensional experiences always occurring within us. When we are present to these opportunities, our consciousness of, commitment to and engagement with them establishes our existence. Our insights are the sparks that illuminate and inspire our perceptions and lives. We are the sole creators of our evolution and transformation. A Call for Consciousness: Reality is a kaleidoscope of virtual stimuli to divert us from our true path. Our emergence from the shadows of society is vital to our becoming. It is our choice how we view, experience and create the world within and without. We are either victims of the greatest vicious cycle ever invented through our compliance and participation. Or we are our own saviors who cause our freedom, intention and personal power. It is our calling to envision and manifest all that our heart and soul embodies. We are the only person who will ever prevent ourselves from becoming all we may imagine. We are the source of our purpose. Nobody owes us, nor are we entitled to anything in this world. Though it is an inconvenient truth, we are not of benefit to this earth. We are a biological epidemic, consuming vital resources at the expense of our own equality, freedom, justice and purpose. Our personal perceptions are processed through a virtually institutionalized marketplace of subjective reality. Society prepares us for an artificially sheltered life. We are bred to be terrified of everyone and everything distinct from ourselves. Our pride, prejudice and self-righteousness are imposed necessities for our social survival. The “I” Syndrome: We are culturally programmed to design our lives around ourselves. Our justification for this self-centered strategy is the dire and inevitable personal, professional and social consequences should we refuse. The focus of our ambition, attention and intention is entirely dictated by our ego. Eventually, we become enslaved by the vicious cycle of our desire, want and vanity at the cost of our happiness, love and truth. When faced with an opportunity to give and share, we often decide to thoughtlessly receive and accumulate. Our survival becomes a comfortable euphemism for our egocentricity. Human Obsolescence: As much as our contemporary society invents ways to accelerate a market place of planned obsolescence for profit, so too has it become for human beings. Awareness and practice in personal health is of meager priority. Benevolence, ethics and virtues have been replaced by personal achievement, competition and wealth. Apathy, denial and evasion compromises our sense of adventure, fulfillment and purpose. Humanity has become a disposable life form, engineered, manipulated and prohibited to reach its true destiny. Our shelf life declines as our appetite increases. Enter the Void: How we choose to live determines whether we are a creator or a destroyer. There is no middle ground. Who and how we are being is either an expression of our life or death. We are seduced by society to be entertained and mystified by human decline, disgrace and destruction. In many ways, it may make us feel better about the status of our own life when we see the downfalls and failures of others. We live in the shadows of our superficiality and become inhabitants of a surreal reality. Our choice or lack thereof condemns us to the adoption of our own oblivion. The Illusion of Time: If reality is the ball, time is the chain of our personal enslavement. Time, like most things in this world, is only as influential as our perception empowers. We have allowed our personal power to be inverted into a private prison. The seemingly overwhelming effort and price of achieving our individual destiny, purpose and vision often outweighs its manifestation. Time is an illusion of perception invented to distort and modify our multi-dimensionality into a linear duality. The more we perceive our lives in the measurement of time, the more we give them away to this linear deception. “We live our lives through the eyes of others.” Persuasion of Perception: Perception is the most influential force in society. In a civilization lacking creativity, faith and intuition, the social engineering and manipulation of observation is a business model for the industries we enable. Power is not fame, politics, possession and wealth. It is the ability to alter and control the way society perceives itself. Every day in every way financial institutions, corporations, politicians and a myriad of agencies seek ways to implant and impose their agendas and motivations upon humanity. Perception creates reality. How we see the world is more powerful than anything in it. Artificial Reality: The reality we commonly experience in life is a complex simulation. It is the greatest deception ever created. As ingenious as its existence, is our engagement, faith and trust in it. Reality is a projection that all of us accept and adopt as “real.” However, it is anything but authentic. The dynamic of reality is one that gives the impression of possibility and security, yet in truth is exclusive and perilous. Those who understand its mechanics and probabilities often alter, distort and manipulate its design for advantage, position and profit. The life we live is not at all as it seems. It is an illusion. Life Sentence: Our lives are a dream. They are a fabrication of social engineering designed to distract, entertain and preoccupy. The common experience we all have isn’t really “life.” It is a staged sequence of virtual events to disillusion, intimidate and manipulate our instincts, thoughts and emotions. We are programmed to become disassociated from our souls since the time we are born. Our lives are dictated more by external forces than those from within. We are rats in a three-dimensional maze, ever searching for an exit that doesn’t exist. The bars of our social prison are as pervasive as they are absolute. Appeal of Testimony: Before we can break free from the bonds of our adopted conditioning, we must first acknowledge our role in the vicious cycle of contemporary society. Each one of us is responsible for the destructive nature of reality. We allow our egos to transmit our anger, competition, envy, frustration and intolerance. Even if we decide to cop an innocent plea of ignorance, it does not exonerate us from our contribution to a culture of selfishness. No matter how much we attempt to mystify ourselves, our freedom is found in our commitment to accountability, integrity and transformation. Awakening: Awareness is a lonely path. It is an intimate venture we all must discover, empower, practice and fulfill. No other person has the insight, inspiration, passion and right to achieve what only we can for ourselves. When we establish our true vision of who we are and how we create our life, we distinguish ourselves from the mass imposition of reality. We see it for what it is and what it is not; a prison for the heart and soul. Awakening to the artificial dynamics of reality creates the possibility for our soul to thrive in our life. Our consciousness is the measure of its manifestation. “If we choose to see who we truly are, we would never yield our power.” Common Ground: Each of us is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual phenomenon. We are not three-dimensional life forms with two-dimensional perceptions living one-dimensional lives. We are creative, multi-dimensional beings with infinite potential, destined to make a difference and transform our experience of life. Yet, our indoctrination into adulthood conditions us to surrender our personal power to authority, competition, consumerism and reality. Inevitably, we abandon our vision and purpose to conform and survive within the archaic paradigm of modern society. A Matter of Being: Human beings share the same beginning, middle and end. We are all born, live and pass from this earth. There is no escaping this all-encompassing truth. Our only personal distinction is whom we may choose to be. Billions of people have dreamed, thought and fulfilled more than most may care to comprehend. Before any of these achievements, measures, outcomes or realizations are made manifest, it requires our focused intention and expression of being. To bring anything into our reality, we must first become an avenue for that which we intend. Signs of Life: Death is a part of life, yet life is also a part of death. It is undeniable the impression and influence dying has upon us all. Human perception tends to focus on the tremendous stress of one day not existing instead of the extraordinary and essential experience of becoming something beyond imagination. Though the structure of our everyday reality imposes the prospect of pending doom and nothingness, it is our choice to define the quality of our life. The measure of our lives is not determined by our desperation to survive. It is expressed in our commitment and willingness to thrive. The Quickening: Energetic shifts are accelerating and expanding the progression of human consciousness. A global awakening has and is spreading like a windswept wildfire. It is illuminating all it inspires. The human race is beginning to wake up to the harsh, simulated reality in which we have all been cast. The intensity of our experience is our resistance to the social conditioning we have all been forced to endure. The apprehension we may feel and interpret as anxiety is the transformation of our fear into awareness, intention and love. These are the growing pains of our becoming. The Source of our Power: The universe is a nexus of multi-dimensional energy experienced in its truest nature with our soul consciousness. It cannot be seen, heard or touched. The only sense we exhibit that allows us to relate to the supernal realms is our ability to feel. Our heart is the center of our being. It is our personal electromagnetic transformer. Our soul conducts the movements of the universe through our intuition. Our heart receives and conveys this energy through our way of being and creative expression. The more we are an embodiment of the universe; the more we transform our reality. “There is nothing more powerful than creating our life.” A Soul for Creation: Each one of us is a natural expression of creativity. Whether or not we choose to participate in its realization depends on us. Our social environment does not promote or support our destined purpose. It is designed to impose mimicry in place of creativity. Our personal power is sourced from our imagination. Intuition is the pathway through which the extraordinary is possible. Our soul is the source of our being. When we relate with it, our potential for creativity is present. All it requires of us is our commitment to be the pathway for its manifestation. Realization of Vision: Society imposes fears of exposure, failure, intimacy, lack and vulnerability. We give our power over to others and rely upon them to provide us our vision. Our inspiration to be begins with our choice to define our intention. We are the authors of our experience when we create our reality. Each of us has the opportunity to manifest our destiny and express it into the world through how we are being. Our vision is the gateway to who we truly are. It is the embodiment of our soul. The realization of our vision is the emergence of our spirit into our life. Commitment to Cause: Commitment is not a part of our daily experience. We often reserve this privilege for people other than our selves. We are socially influenced to seek validation from our acquaintances, employers, family, friends and officials of authority. Society programs us to be more dependent upon the external world and less on our selves. We are central to the cause of our life. Our experience is established by our choice and intention. Our commitment creates our fulfillment. The vow we make with our selves is the declaration of our vision. On Purpose: Our lives are typically accidental. It is not that we lack investment in them. We are simply not individually or socially empowered or prepared for the personal focus or intention to live them with purpose. Reality is riddled with distractions and diversions to sustain our compliance, confusion, indifference and resignation. Our destiny is distorted by a super-imposed obligation to society. When we discover, declare and practice our soul purpose, we replace what we inherit with what we create. All we envision intends ourselves into being. In Service for All: The greatest expression of our being-ness and its manifestation in society is the charitable service we perform in our communities. Any effort we choose to offer that encourages enrichment, fulfillment, progression and transformation is our soul’s intention in action. It is what defines our vision, commitment, purpose and destiny. When we heed our call of opportunity and possibility, it activates the multi-dimensional dynamic of our being. We transcend the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. We become our greatest potential. The expression and inspiration of our service is an invitation to all. “Our only truth is of our soul.” A Vision of Being: Everything begins and ends on the soul level. We are everything and nothing all at once. We all carry the infinite energy of the universe. It is entirely up to us how we choose to manifest this energy into our reality. Our life is our opportunity to manifest all that empowers and inspires us. Personal enlightenment is not the only fulfillment of the soul. The transcendence of the human race and the transformation of reality into truth is our common purpose. Creativity is the key that opens the door to our universal possibility. When we choose to be an expression of the source, we become our vision. Humanity is afflicted with an inexorable disease. It is a widespread epidemic that compromises our authenticity, ethics, integrity and sensibilities. One of which we as a global culture have been suffering from since the dawn of our existence. Its roots originate in our chaotic, obscure and unconscious lifestyle. This social virus is an emotional instability, a mental phobia and inevitably becomes a physical disease. All of us are infected. No matter how we attempt to avoid, distract or escape ourselves, it is always there. It thrives on our personal apathy, attachment, conflict, denial and dependence. We are prisoners of our own fear. Broken Foundation: The decline of our society has accelerated. No matter what our belief, education, perception, politics or understanding, it is undeniable. Humanity is in a perpetual state of fear. Most of us are not aware of its full measure and impact. We have been socially conditioned into a custom of dis-ease, disillusionment, distrust and indifference. Cultural confusion influences all avenues of our daily experience. From our early exposure to authority, education and religion, to the contemporary exploitation of the media, our peers and society, we are constantly overwhelmed by a blitz of aggravated anxiety. Our fear is like water to the fish. Feigned Obscurity: Reality, as presented and perceived, has been distorted and manipulated to the nth degree. Its dynamics have been strategically altered beyond common understanding. Those who pull the strings of the global puppet show make sure the design is complicated enough to prevent the majority from transforming it. It is the energy of our own fear that sustains the reality in which we are confined. We are not taught nor do we choose to learn ways to transcend this social prison. Therefore, we sequester ourselves within the boundaries of our personal fear. Reality is an artificial security that prohibits the fulfillment of our possibility. Tapestry of Terror: Terror sells, perhaps even more than fear or sex. It is a controversial terminology wielded by adolescent adults for the purposes of agenda, control and profit. The impact of its implication provokes anxiety, hate, ignorance and oppression. It is a contrived power that has altered history, law, perception and understanding. Those who define it are often the guiltiest of practicing it. It is a commercial, corporate, financial and political exercise to exploit the fear of nations for the manipulation of the global marketplace. The true purpose of contemporary terror is to bewilder, distress, enrage and terrify humanity. “The easier it is to look away, the harder it is to live with ourselves.” The Bliss of Oblivion: We have made it our inalienable right to be consciously unconscious. Selective reality is our common misperception. We desensitize and acclimate ourselves to the horrors of inequality, injustice, prejudice and violence. Social chaos, deception, destruction and trepidation have chased us into our proverbial rabbit holes. We defend and hide ourselves from the mere threat of danger. We settle for mere survival in the shadow of life. Our motivation is socially distorted from fulfillment, purpose and service to amusement, escape and possession. We savor the bliss of our self-conditioned oblivion, tethered to the vicious cycle of a virtual reality. Imaginary Life: We are all in a waking slumber. The monotony of society’s arduous routine has pulled reality over our eyes. Our sedation is sustained by the multiplicity of our amusement, distraction, entitlement, obligation and responsibility. We are culled into pedestrian roles as slaves to a complex matrix of indoctrinated education, elementary entertainment, divisive politics and idealistic religion. Our attachment, consumerism, fear and obedience enable a ravenous social system of competition, exploitation, manipulation and obsolescence. Everyday we voluntarily justify our part in defending and enabling an imaginary life at the cost of our freedom. The Spark: It happens to all of us in our own unique way. Our perception and experience shifts from our immersion in to our transcendence from social reality. We see the illusion for what it is and become acquainted with our personal vision. The quickening of our empowerment and enlightenment propels us into the embrace of the extraordinary. Linear perception transforms into multi-dimensional experience. We are thrust into expansive, new streams of consciousness. All we have encountered and understood in our past and present is superseded by the illumination and inspiration of all possibility and purpose. We are awakened. Soul Signature: Each of us has a personal power that extends beyond our experience, imagination, perception and understanding. Whether or not we are aware of this, it exists. Our body may be a biological marvel and our mind a neurological phenomenon. Yet, our heart is an electromagnetic force of multi-dimensionality symbiotic with our intuition and connected with our soul. It is in our creativity that our spirit is able to manifest through our heart, mind and body. Every person has the ability to be an expression of the universe. Our unique vision is a vital element in the fulfillment of our purpose and the collective destiny of humanity. “Only when we live our vision will we become our soul purpose.” Keeping the Vision: No matter how powerful our experience of awakening may be, seeing and knowing it is only the beginning. Enlightenment is established with our commitment to exercise a conscious lifestyle whenever an opportunity is presented. The personal vision we receive is manifested with our creativity, devotion and intention. In order for us to truly become this we must live it everyday, especially in the midst of great adversity. Our vision is all that is real. Having a vision is the birth of our possibility. Living it transforms us and the reality in which we exist. This is the true expression of human being. In the Field: The fate of the future depends on us all. There is no escape from this essential, universal truth. The greater our resistance in claiming and embracing our personal destiny, the more grave the impact it will have on the fate of all living beings. We are not spectators in the arena of life. We are participants in an extraordinary experience that transcends our fear, perception and reality. The expression of our personal engagement is the embodiment of our soul purpose. Our commitment to the fulfillment of our life is our only true destiny. Our personal power is realized when we choose to envision, embrace and walk our path. Rise and Shine: The only moment in which we will ever make a difference is now. Each of us has a dream that can become vision, intention, expression and purpose. There is one true destiny for which we are all empowered into being. It simply requires us to break through the boundaries of the fear we have enabled with our own anger, apathy, denial, hate and indifference. The more we live an experience that inspires us; the more it becomes our lifestyle. Transforming reality is not moving mountains or altering the course of the future. It is our birthright as multi-dimensional beings. It is our nature. We must rise to the opportunity of our life and shine. Privilege is at the root of human nature. It is as accepted, endorsed and practiced as our instinct, thought and feeling. We all don a badge of self-expressed elitism. It is not just to compete, excel and survive in a cutthroat society. It is a defense mechanism we all inherit and adopt to protect our personal egos, issues and vulnerabilities. Our fear of being exposed before our peers for the divine transgressions of our empathy and kindness build the walls of our personal prisons. We cling to this security blanket with all the empty intention and social obligation we can muster. Eventually this prevalent lifestyle establishes the expression of our entitlement. Vision of Oblivion: The institutionalized propaganda of education, media, politics and religion has instinctively, psychologically, emotionally and intuitively rendered our culture oblivious. Whether it is our personal apathy, contempt, denial, fear or self-righteousness, we have become disassociated and desensitized to the bleak and bitter realities that consume us. In the face of our endless possibility and potential, we have wagered our destinies for a synthetically comfortable and convenient existence of anxiety, debt, emptiness, opposition and survival. We protect ourselves with the shield of our oblivion to avoid becoming who we truly are. Divine Comedy: Society is rife with a who’s who list of inauthentic “spiritual” leaders who present and promote their doctrines to the unconscious masses. Many are motivated to expand their fellowships in quantity at the cost of quality empowerment. Most choose to represent the very antithesis of the principles their initial awakening inspired in them for personal benefit and profit. The measure of their enlightenment is often notoriety, position, possession and wealth. They exploit and manipulate ancient teachings and wisdom to engineer their initiate’s illumination at the cost of the relationship they have with their own soul. It is a divine comedy of fantasy and ignorance. The Veil of Reality: “Reality” is a construct that distracts us from ourselves and our destiny. It is a three-dimensional structure with boundaries, dynamics and laws to confine us into a matrix of control, deception and manipulation. Reality is an artificial projection administered by an authoritarian network to confuse, distort, divert, preoccupy and repress us with our own fear. We become helplessly and hopelessly dependent upon the intoxication of our fruitless, intellectual prowess and the drama of our irrational emotional attachments. Reality is the perfect machine designed to separate us from our heart and soul. It alters our multi-dimensional being-ness into the captivity of duality. Ghost in the Machine: Reality is a methodical tapestry designed to enslave us into an impasse of instinct, intellect and negative emotion. Society’s machine is absolutely effective in its exploitation of our anxiety, cynicism, denial, fear, indifference and oblivion for the sustenance of its survival. It is the perfect symbol of our culture’s insatiable desire to serve itself at the cost of its own humanity. Reality consumes all our authenticity, creativity, empathy, individuality, integrity and possibility. Our greatest qualities are replaced with anger, frustration, futility, obedience and resignation. Everyday we condemn our lives to the very oppression we despise. “Enlightenment is an illusion of being.” The Mind’s Eye: We are all slaves of our own egos. The oblivion we entertain and enable with our pride, prejudice and partisan viewpoints tightens the proverbial nooses around our heart and soul. We are mystified by our own social conditioning to the extent that we all vie for a superior position in the simulated hierarchy of human existence. Our words weave complicated webs of academically infused concepts and philosophies to supplement the absence of our personal consciousness, intention, kindness, love and purpose. We sacrifice ourselves upon the altar of information, knowledge and wisdom at the expense of our relation with our soul. Spiritual Deception: There is one common element that has been ever-present throughout the history of human faith. Many may believe it is communal prayer. Yet, beyond it is the lie that may inspire or sustain it. Congregational belief is the greatest diversion ever envisioned. It is a strategic credence that distorts and destroys our universal connection. Anything and everything that is conceived from or devised by a dualistic society bound to its instinct and intellect is only as proficient as its intended potential. In other words, that which is created or exists within the three-dimensional paradigm cannot exceed or transcend its nature. It is a paradox of human existence. Archaic Soul: Enlightenment has become an ideology established on the distinct vision of a few at the behest of the many. Therefore, it cannot fulfill mainstream well-being given the egocentricity of its origins. The guidance, illumination and wisdom of a guru, minister, shaman or priest simply does not apply to the unique spiritual needs of the individual human being. Where it’s intent may be to provide understanding, it only serves to distract and dismay the many into the obscurity of cynicism, futility and oblivion. Religion and spirituality are profound testimonies to the commercialization and distortion of contemporary enlightenment. Universal Calling: We have all been conditioned to be dependent upon the superficial expertise and insights of authoritarian influences. We have sacrificed who we are, why we are here, our fulfillment and personal power for anonymity, ease and oblivion. We have allowed ourselves to surrender to the currents of social acceptance, belonging and status. Our culture personifies our fear and reluctance to rise and stand for the vision and wisdom we are destined to become. There is no other individual meant to empower or occupy our experience. The truth we are born to live can only be established by our choices and the manifestation of our purpose. A Path Unbroken: Enlightenment isn’t about seeing reality or the world as we would hope or like it to be. It is about experiencing it as it is. The fantasy or ideology we may attempt to impose on ourselves and others only prevents us from being present to its existence and possibility. Personal illumination is reliant only upon the initiate’s creation and commitment. No other person(s) have the expertise or right to source the manifestation of individual destiny. Enlightenment, in its true expression, cannot exist within the three-dimensional realm. It can only thrive beyond the domains of our social and terrestrial experience. “Love is the greatest expression of enlightenment.” Enlightenment: There are infinite pathways to enlightenment within the multi-dimensional experience of being. The path we choose to walk is a manifestation of our creation, declaration and expression. Though there may be times during the course of our lives when each of our paths may cross and relate, they are individual expressions with personal meaning and purpose. Only the boundaries of our fear, perception, thought and understanding inhibits our embrace with eternity. Our authenticity, creativity, integrity and intention are the foundations for the transformation that shifts the duality of everyday reality. Enlightenment is emerging from the oblivion of our ordinary fear and expressing the extraordinary power of our love. “The world has changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was, is lost…” – Galadriel of Lothlórien Into Shadow: Early in the second week of November, 2016, there was a massive shift in the world. Many believe that this may have something to do with the American presidential election. This was a cover event to distract and divert our attention away from a deeper shift. One that has nothing to do with politics, but our perception and understanding of contemporary reality. Our vision of our lives and our relationship with the world have been altered and distorted. Clarity, intention and purpose has been replaced with chaos, confusion and cynicism. We are victims of a grand deception. One that has fallen upon our senses like a dense, energetic haze. One Ring to Rule Them All…: An ancient energy of fear permeates the very nature of the world. Its omnipresent force moves through all living beings and things. Even our vision and experience of our lives are stigmatized by the relentless projection of its chaotic, disruptive and elusive power. We are conditioned to be energetic receivers and transmitters of fear. Our internal, biorhythms are manipulated and suppressed into inferior energetic frequencies. We are conditioned to use our fear as a weapon of survival in our daily lives with our families, friends and peers. We are oblivious to how much this energy influences our choices, experiences, existence and perceptions. The Shire: We live our lives in the comfortable illusion of “reality.” It is a common, human mechanism that disassociates us from our apprehensive and skeptical perceptions of society and the world. We safeguard ourselves from the horrors we invent with our very own fear. We build invisible walls around ourselves to give us a false sense of power, purpose, security and worth. Most, if not all of us, have never experienced a “true” life. It is only as true as we create it to be. We are not indigenous to living. Our quest is not of destiny, but of survival. Our pursuits to find new and clever ways to exonerate ourselves from our personal power consumes our potential. A Stirring in the Darkness: What terrifies us most is not what stands before us, it is all that is unseen, unheard and unknown. The potent undercurrent we all feel pulling upon the deepest strands of our conscience, instincts, thoughts and feelings is unavoidable, undeniable and inevitable. A social shift has occurred, awakening something from the long-forgotten hibernation of our collective oblivion. A darkness so sinister the mere memory of its existence strikes a terror like none other in the strongest of souls. For good or ill, our social circumstances are empowering us into action, awareness, being and purpose. We are being called to rise and stand at a most desperate hour. “What is to be my quest?”: There are instances in our lives when we are presented with the opportunity to claim our destiny. We are only required to accept, embrace and live into its fulfillment. However daunting, difficult or impossible its manifestation may seem, it is our only way to express our true nature. The horror of an unfulfilled and unlived life is far greater than the initial terror we may face when we are confronted with the epiphany of our destiny. The path we walk with our innate sense of adventure, courage, curiosity and inspiration shall always lead us to who we are meant to be. It is our genuine willingness and wonder that leads to our freedom. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” – Gandalf the Grey “The Mirror Shows Many Things”: We sell ourselves short every day in almost every way. We are the bane of our own existence. The confidence we place in others far exceeds that which we hold for ourselves. We negate our personal power to avoid our accountability, authenticity, charity, integrity and responsibility. Most of us know little of the existence of such merits let alone express them in our daily lives. Our tendency to make our human virtues our social sins becomes the comfortable euphemism of our false power and self-enslavement. All that we avoid, curse, deflect, deny and judge causes our inevitable eventuality. All that we fear becomes who we are. The Eye of Sauron: For as many differences we all have, there are as many or more similarities. Besides the obvious, the expressions we exhibit that matter most are our thought, feeling and intuition. Yet, our egos covertly assume the utmost influence and power. It is the silent partner that binds us in the darkness of our apathy, cynicism, denial, judgement, superiority and self-righteousness. All our untended anger, contempt, hate and pain is seized in stealth by our egos, manipulated into a projection of our malevolent and willful vengeance. At the heart of our inevitable immorality is the fear we harbor. Fear is the power we give away. The Fellowship is Broken: We do not have community in the way that it is envisioned. Our inability to relate with ourselves is the most effective and startling evidence. It is an epidemic dichotomy of global proportions. We are, have always been and perhaps will always be alienated from each other by our beliefs, egos, individuality and perceptions. Distinction and independence is a double-edged sword that has been used most often for destruction instead of creation. The watermark of social evolution has erased the notable achievements of humanity. It has long been replaced with a mountain of archaic knowledge, selfish obsolescence and superficial worth. Our Most Beloved Star: Our vision is the genesis of who we ultimately become. We are each empowered with a unique insight of possibility. It is what inspires and terrifies us in the same breath. Our potentiality is ever emerging, expanding and fluctuating into our reality with or without our commitment to it. The consciousness we express is the measure for which we manifest it into our personal reality. When we are present to the opportunity and realization of our enlightenment, our experience of life transcends our fears and the social limitations of our environment. This is the true power of our soul’s illumination that transforms our being, perception and understanding. The Turning of the Tide: We are beings of extraordinary potential, power and vision. We possess all that we need to create and manifest everything our imaginations may express. Our energy, focus and intent proactively shifts our experience. Our opportunity to fulfill on our destiny is as vital as the air we breathe. When something is missing in our lives, it simply requires us to provide that which is absent. Society is aggressive, cruel, incomplete and vicious because we are. We must first transform ourselves from who we have become and trust this will make the difference we long to see in the world. Only we can become the champions of our own epic tale. “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” – Galadriel of Lothlórien On Friday, November 11th, 2016, I will be releasing my most recent album entitled, “Lakshmi.” It is twelve original musical pieces I composed and arranged. The album features fifteen different genres including Funk, Latin, Ragtime, Country Swing, Reggae, Progressive Jazz, Classical Tone Poem, Jazz Instrumental, Native American Folk Anthem, Spiritual Mantra, Motown Soul, Traditional Bluegrass and Folk Ballad. There are seventeen different instruments, fifteen of which I performed for this recording including Acoustic Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Grand Piano, Drum Kit, Congas, Bongos, Shakers, Cajon (box drum), Lakota Drum, Timbale, Clave, Maracas, Washboard, Hand Jive, Vibra-Slap and Whistle. The Saxophone was performed by Michael Teager. The Pedal Steel Guitar was performed by David Feeny. Music in 444 Hertz: The “Lakshmi” album was recorded in 444-hertz frequency. The tuning for most contemporary music is 440-hertz. In the 20th century, the standard tuning was altered from 432 to 440-hertz during the World War Era. This alteration manipulated the sound quality to a frequency that incites chaos, dis-ease, fear and mania. 444-hertz is less than a half-a-step sharper than 440-hertz in tonality. It has a naturally bright, etheric, multi-tonal, organic and resonant sound quality. In my experience, there are more under and overtones of the existing notes present using the 444-hertz tuning. It is a frequency that is very easy to listen to and inspires creativity, empowerment and imagination. Source: All the songs on the “Lakshmi” album where inspired by and created through the practice of Mantra Meditation. Mantra is a style of meditation in the Jain tradition using an ancient word or words that are associated with one of the seven chakras. This practice allowed me to be present to the infinite possibilities of creativity during the composition, development, arrangement, performance, recording and production of the “Lakshmi” album. In some of my experiences during meditation I intuitively heard parts and/or all the songs and their unique arrangements like I was listening to an internal radio. Meditation also helped me to hear the many diverse instruments, their melodies and harmonies and how they were meant to be recorded and mixed. Meditation helped me learn to play most of the instruments in a matter of weeks! Dedication: During the renaissance era, it was customary for composers to be funded by nobility and royalty for the sustenance of their creative expression. Many composers dedicated their pieces to those who sponsored their creative endeavors. The “Lakshmi” album was funded by my wife Laura and I. In honor of Laura’s commitment, support and the fact that she was the inspiration for many of the songs, the album is named “Lakshmi.” “Lakshmi” is the Spiritual Name given to her by Gurudev Shree Chitrubanuji. “Lakshmi” is the Hindu Goddess of wealth, love, fortune, prosperity (both material and spiritual) and the embodiment of beauty. The Music: Wake: “Wake” is a progressive Funk Latin piece. It’s lyrical subject matter is about awakening to what is going on in our world. It is about seeing it for what it is and not for how we would like it to be. “Wake” is about claiming our personal power and making a difference. It is the realization that we are the creators of our reality. We are all divine. Break the Spell: “Break the Spell” is a Ragtime Delta Stomp. It is about freeing ourselves from the spell of reality that we have been conditioned to accept. “Break the Spell” poses important questions as to where we are and where we are going. The heart of its message is releasing all that we have grown accustomed to in our life and embracing all that truly empowers and inspires us. The Heart of Town: “The Heart of Town” is a Country Swing Memorial. It was inspired by and written in honor of my Grandfather, Howard Saums. The lyrics of the piece were taken from an interview he did with our family prior to his passing. It is a family snapshot that immortalizes his life in one of his favorite musical genres. “The Heart of Town” is a grandson’s testimony of his grandfather’s authenticity, charity, integrity and love. Truth: “Truth” is a Reggae song with Urban undertones. “Truth” powerfully expresses an acknowledgement of the inequalities and injustices in the world. It shines the spotlight on those who would choose to commit them as a warning that the “Truth” will find them in their time. The chorus pleads for our trust in “Truth” and each other. Lakshmi Part I: The Rhythm of Light: “Lakshmi Part I: The Rhythm of Light” is a Progressive Vocal Jazz piece. It is very eclectic in nature with contrary melodies and rhythms and tribal percussion. It is the opening movement of the “Lakshmi Suite.” The lyrical story line is the first encounter between the man and the woman. It is the man’s courtship of his soul mate through his creative expression. Lakshmi Part II: The Breath of Life: “Lakshmi Part II: The Breath of Life” is a Classical Vocal arrangement. The lone percussion is the unified heartbeat of the man and the woman and its melodies and harmonies swell as the ebb and flow of a tide. It is the second movement of the “Lakshmi Suite.” The lyrical story line is their intimate stroll in the moonlight and their declaration of love for each other. Lakshmi Part III: Mandala: “Lakshmi Part III: Mandala” is a Progressive Jazz Instrumental. It begins soft and subtle on the heels of the preceding movement, “The Breath of Life,” and gradually develops into an upbeat and exuberant dance of union between the man and woman. It is the final movement of the “Lakshmi Suite” and it symbolizes their shared journey through life experience. Medicine Wheel: “Medicine Wheel” is a Native American inspired Folk Anthem. The drums and rattles signify the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The lyrical subject matter is honoring and respecting the Earth which provides all of what we as human beings need to thrive. It is a call to action that inspires us to stand together to preserve and protect the planet we all call home. All That I Am: “All That I Am” is a Spiritual Vocal Mantra. The smooth vocal arrangement and complimentary percussion gives it an authentic and endearing quality. It is an autobiographical account of the strengths and weaknesses each one of us express in our lives. The progressive vocal weaves a delicate tapestry of harmony that builds until the final voice captures the importance of the present moment. Fly On Me: “Fly On Me” is a Motown Soul song. It is the tender plea of a man attempting to encourage a woman to stay. The music expresses his emotional desire and clarifies the dynamics of his love for her. The Saxophone is the embodiment of the possibility of his loneliness without her. Yet, the lyrics symbolize a desperate confidence she will stay. Nature’s Way: “Nature’s Way” is a Traditional Bluegrass song fresh from the Appalachian Mountains and the green hills of Ireland. With a driving, acoustic guitar rhythm and acoustic bass paired with foot stomp, hand jive and washboard, it is one person’s journey to the mountaintop of their spiritual experience. It is an important and stirring lyrical expose on the state of our society. Afterglow: “Afterglow” is a Folk Groove Ballad about the completion of relationships. It’s signature drum beat and pendulum style guitar and piano symbolizes the ebbs and flows of our life experiences. The song is a moving and revealing testimony of heartbreak and possibility in the wake of separation. It calls for us to prove the love we are to each other. Humanity may be “awake,” but has it awakened? And to what? Spirituality is the new religion. Its enchantment places the power of enlightenment in the hands of gurus, shamans and teachers. Droves of willing initiates emerge from the shadows of contemporary knowledge, perception, reality and understanding to enroll in classes, healings, lectures, readings and weekend workshops. Most of us seek destiny, meaning, power and vision. Yet, deep down we are terrified to accept and apply these qualities to our daily lives. It is an idealistic dance with elusive partners at the cost of our ambition, awareness, energy, intention and well-being. Soul Distinction: Since the dawn of the human race, authentic faith has been, is and will always be a solitary engagement. No other person(s) could or should direct, guide, influence or mediate another’s spiritual experience. Doing so would be the antithesis of personal illumination for all parties. Vital elements of one’s evolution are found in the creation, discovery, distinction, expression and purpose of one’s chosen path. There is no greater empowerment or inspiration one may have then choosing, claiming and walking their destiny. However challenging, impossible or intimidating this may seem, it is the only true way to fulfillment. The Divided Self: The most powerful force in our contemporary society is the ego. The more we believe we have control of our ego, the more dominion it has over us. We do not express the essential awareness, commitment, focus and intention to successfully manage its incessantly diabolical tendencies. As our “spirituality” grows, so does our ego. Left to its own covert devices, our “divided self” coils around our virtues like a weed to a flower. It feeds upon the energy of our discoveries, insights, opportunities, possibilities and transformation. Our divided self is as a neglected child. It craves our attention, control, importance and power. Kingdom Come: Contemporary spirituality has become a mutation of human invention. The fusion of religion with spirituality has produced a myriad of dogmas, practices and wisdoms all promising the keys to illumination, yet never delivering. Thousands of articles, books, lectures, online events and workshops seek to entice the masses toward commercialized enlightenment. Those of us who have not established a relationship with our soul eagerly dive headfirst into the sea of manufactured mystery. We rarely see how truly shallow it can be. The human race has been deceived into searching without for what can only be found within. A Pocketful of Gurus: Spirituality is rife with gurus. Most adopt the title with very little commitment, understanding and even less experience. When we are empowered, excited and inspired by new insights, opportunities and possibilities, our initial response is to share our vision. Yet, this is not the best way to nurture the manifestation of our true expression. Our sub-conscious reaction is to pride ourselves with our innovative epiphanies by proselytizing our personal wisdom. We allow our ego to suppress our spirit. This diminishes the experiences of others. We overlook the essential truth that our insights are meant for us alone and have little or no value to others. “Superiority walks hand-in-hand with Spirituality.” Hierarchy of the Soul: Society is built upon a foundation of pyramid schemes. Whether commercial, educational, financial, political, religious or scientific, there are far fewer people at the top than there are at the bottom. In the modern age of spirituality, it is no different. Regardless of the modality one may practice, there is always one or a small group of people that hold dominion over the many. We enable patterns of sanctimonious conviction with the attention and energy we sacrifice to find our soul in a forest of human perception. We willingly give away our own personal power to avoid the fear of claiming it for ourselves. The Mind’s Eye: Our interpretation of spirituality has a tendency to compromise our authenticity, empathy and integrity. Our possibility for transformation vanishes in an attempt to funnel a multi-dimensional experience into a two-dimensional perception. Words are the language of the ego. When we attempt to communicate what we encounter as an expression of being, we instantly sever the relationship we have with our soul. We abolish our personal power when we endorse our own authority and significance. Once we break our connection with eternity, we inevitably diminish our empathy, intuition, perspective and vision. Spiritual High: Our multi-dimensional experiences produce a remarkable rush of energy that flows through every element of our being. In these moments we are present to and related with all. Our soul craves these experiences. It is the electromagnetic synthesis between our body, mind, heart and spirit. We become the embodiment of life. Our ego hacks this beautiful tapestry of being and manipulates it into an illusion of grandeur. It siphons it through a filter of instinct and intellect for the purposes of vanity and supremacy. As human beings, we become addicted to this mystical buzz in a doomed quest to satisfy our soul with the language of our ego. Custom Consciousness: The only true power we have is our consciousness. This extraordinary expression of our being transcends the ego. Where our ego attempts to prove itself and impose its influence, our spirit emanates consciousness to transform our experience. When the lines between truth and reality are blurred, our deficient awareness falls prey to the violent desire and desperation of our ego. Many of us wear a mask to conceal our inadequacies, insecurities and vulnerabilities. Yet, it is our self-delusion of these apparent weaknesses that hinders our ability to observe them as our greatest strengths. Only in our consciousness will we experience our truth. Alone Together: Each one of us has our own crucial and unique purpose to fulfill. We must walk this path alone. We cannot realize our calling when we are focused on the experiences of others. This is simply a clever way for us to avoid being authentically present to and interactive with our own in a vain pursuit to present ourselves as important and superior. Instead of assuming the role of a guru, shaman or teacher, we can support each other in the manifestation of our purpose. It is possible for us to be true to our own experience as a community without sacrificing our own destiny. When we all live the lives we were destined, we become this together. “Spirituality is an illusion of being.” The Art of Being: Spirituality has mystified us into a matrix of history, knowledge, narcissism, ritual and tradition. It is a cult to which we subscribe due to our lack of faith in ourselves. Our freedom is found in our commitment to be and how we personify it in our daily lives. Spirituality is a compass of how we choose to live our lives. Yet, it is simply a stepping stone on the path toward fulfillment. When we become present to our ego’s agenda and its manipulation of what enlightenment may be, we transform our experience from one of emulation to one of being. Our destiny is defined only by our courage, passion and willingness to become all our soul can imagine. We live a false life. Whether or not we choose to acknowledge or implement this unique insight, it is inherently the truth. Not because we ourselves are fundamentally superficial, though we undoubtedly are. It is that we inhabit a holographic, three-dimensional paradigm of existence. Since we do, we cannot be true, neither can we be real. This is an unimaginable reality to accept. One of which the greater resistance we present, the more difficult the ability to break free from its all-encompassing captivity. We are not true beings simply because we cannot comprehend what truth is living an existence of multi-faceted illusion. Soul Sacrifice: Every breath of everyday we dig our personal roots deeper into the soil of a fabricated society. Most of us cannot see this, nor can we believe it. Yet in our silent moments, we feel it as clearly as any of our senses could ever envision. We live in a culture that has demonized the expressions of the heart and the transcendence of the soul. Society operates primarily on the insatiable appetites of our desires and the manipulation of our intellect. This common lifestyle has sequestered us into a two-dimensional experience, leaving us oblivious to our multiplicity. We commit the greatest crime against ourselves when we sacrifice our soul for the lie of life. Intelligence is Ignorance: All of us have been and are being institutionally programmed in one way or another. Whether it is educational, mass media, political, religious or even spiritual in nature, we have all committed ourselves to one or many forms of conditioning. Our awareness is measured by facts and figures that tether us into the technical slavery of our left brain. In a society that is cruel, destructive, ominous and perilous, we engage only in what we believe is best for our own personal survival. We modify our vision in a desperate attempt to safeguard ourselves from everything and everyone we perceive as a threat. We never realize the greatest threat is ourselves. The Game: Our lives are designed for amusement, competition, diversion, escape and survival. Whether by authoritarian stratagem or our own agenda, reality is engineered to keep us alienated from ourselves and living against each other. We are mystified by our desperate flights of fantasy. We grow accustomed to an insensitive lifestyle of abuse, acquisition and the suspicion of everyone and everything we encounter. When there are no more opponents to confront on the battlefield of illusion, we invent new ones to supplement our false contentment and conquests. Our ravenous aggression drives us deeper into the hungry, yawning chasm of our own decline. Vicious Cycle: We are helplessly and hopelessly ensnared in a global spider web of deception, delusion, duality, fear and manipulation. Each one of us enables this insidious network of control, power, status and wealth with our participation. The more we are willing to sacrifice our accountability, integrity and sensibility, the more we capitulate and empower this grand paradigm of illusion. Our obsession for significance becomes our most common and obstructive human addiction. In spite of the money, power and possessions we achieve in a vain attempt to hide our inadequacies and insecurities, we are still a puppet upon an imaginary stage living a simulated life. “The only truth about the truth is that there is no truth.” Axiom of Assimilation: All we think, know, sense and feel is built upon a foundation of illusion. We ourselves are a reflection of social invention. Our human nature and the reality in which we exist is a galactic projection from an unknown origin in the universe. This compromises our soul’s relatedness with terrestrial existence. The multi-dimensional dynamic of our spirit cannot thrive within the restricted parameters of three-dimensional reality. Our physical and mental features instinctively dominate the multiplicity of our being. The society in which we live imposes this indoctrination with constant conditioning and stimuli to diminish, distort and destroy our truest expression. Against the Current: Society is a surging springtime river swollen with arrogance, deception, entitlement, fear and ruin. Its watermark has exceeded the breadth of its measure. Most who are empowered and inspired enough to rise and stand against it are eventually swallowed by its sheer, omnipresent force and inexorable undercurrent. All of us have had our dance with youthful rebellion, intellectual and intuitive discovery and the desire to make a difference. Yet, the further we walk down the path of our creative, insightful and radical mutiny against society, the more we witness how lonely the revolution can be. Reality is the silent and lethal assassin of all possibility. Paradise Lost: Sometime in our early to mid-twenties, a human tragedy occurs to us all. With a totalitarian tip-toe efficiency and precision, the deceptive dynamics of reality and society seize our authenticity, creativity, imagination, inspiration, integrity, passion, possibility and purpose. We sacrifice our unique individuality and originality in a vain quest to maintain a false sense of belonging, status and worth in society. We join the ranks of millions of self-subscribed victims of unconscious circumstance to perform a collective role of emulation and obedience. All that once empowered us with the energy of life is replaced with all that gradually takes it away. The Politics of Consciousness: The consciousness movement is bursting at the seams of contemporary society. Religion is segueing into spirituality, which has progressed into consciousness and is now identified as an expression of one’s truth. Yet, with most things in reality, even truth is inevitably susceptible to distortion and exploitation under the agendas of advantage, fame, power and profit. In this world, truth is not “truth.” It is a fabrication of something that best serves a few at the deception and manipulation of the many. Those who exude or profess consciousness, insight or wisdom are usually the ones altering the perception and understanding of the public for their own gain. Creative Vitology: All we are is energy. However existential or unbelievable this concept may be. Without energy, we would cease to exist. Each one of us is comprised of distinct waveform patterns that are expressions of our intuition, feelings and thoughts. The nature and quality of our energy is defined by how we choose to interpret and interact with our environment. These essentials ultimately inspire our actions. Who we choose to be in our daily life attracts into it all which we intend. Our intention is the focus that creates the vision of how our experience transpires. Our creativity is the essential energy to manifest our destiny. “We are not a creation. We are the creators of a creation.” A New Vision: We are nothing we are programmed to believe. We are not our body, mind, heart or soul. These are simply facets of our being that our energy inhabits and utilizes for the sake of our human life. We are not our senses, history, experiences or even our truth. We are an embodiment of energy that emanates the possibility of consciousness. Whether or not we become conscious depends upon how our energy is realized in our life. We live in a reality of perpetual illusion. We need to continually transform how we exist in reality to personify our conscious energy. When we do, we ultimately transform the nature of our reality and become the expression of our truth.

// Copyright 2018 Google LLC // // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. // You may obtain a copy of the License at // // http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 // // Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software // distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, // WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. // See the License for the specific language governing permissions and // limitations under the License. package com.google.api.ads.adwords.jaxws.v201809.cm; import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessType; import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlAccessorType; import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlRootElement; import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlType; /** * * Returns the ad parameters that match the criteria specified in the * selector. * * @param serviceSelector Specifies which ad parameters to return. * @return A list of ad parameters. * * * <p>Java class for get element declaration. * * <p>The following schema fragment specifies the expected content contained within this class. * * <pre> * &lt;element name="get"> * &lt;complexType> * &lt;complexContent> * &lt;restriction base="{http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema}anyType"> * &lt;sequence> * &lt;element name="serviceSelector" type="{https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/cm/v201809}Selector" minOccurs="0"/> * &lt;/sequence> * &lt;/restriction> * &lt;/complexContent> * &lt;/complexType> * &lt;/element> * </pre> * * */ @XmlAccessorType(XmlAccessType.FIELD) @XmlType(name = "", propOrder = { "serviceSelector" }) @XmlRootElement(name = "get") public class AdParamServiceInterfaceget { protected Selector serviceSelector; /** * Gets the value of the serviceSelector property. * * @return * possible object is * {@link Selector } * */ public Selector getServiceSelector() { return serviceSelector; } /** * Sets the value of the serviceSelector property. * * @param value * allowed object is * {@link Selector } * */ public void setServiceSelector(Selector value) { this.serviceSelector = value; } }

New Gibran Chair Publication, "A New Narrative of Peace" A New Narrative of Peace: The Vision and Programs of the Gibran Chair is the first publication produced under the auspices of the new Gibran Chair Director May Rihani. This book highlights strategic and pragmatic approaches which make Peace more attainable by detailing the Chair’s vision that Peace is based on three principles: Social Justice, Valuing Diversity, and Ensuring Inclusivity in processes and decision making. The book also emphasizes the importance of deepening the understanding between Eastern and Western cultures in general, and the Arab ethos and American values in particular. A New Narrative of Peace captures what Director Rihani said in her Inaugural Lecture as well as how the audience reacted to the lecture. Gibran Chair Director May Rihani says in her book, “This elusive Peace that we all yearn for, despite all the obstacles that exist on the road towards it, is perhaps what is most needed in this century,” she continues to say, “there is a need to enhance opportunities for the younger generations to become visionaries and architects of a new narrative of Peace.” President Loh states on the cover of the book, “May Rihani’s Inaugural Lecture is inspirational reading for all those working for Peace, both within the academy and across society. Her theme--that the oneness of humanity is the path to Peace-- shines like a light on a restless sea.” In his introduction, Dean Gregory Ball writes, “The Gibran Chair is inspired by the life and writings of Kahlil Gibran, a true citizen of the world whose message of peace and love inspired whole generations.” And finally, as quoted in A New Narrative of Peace, Gibran shares insight into Peace, action and the work that is before us:

1. Field of Invention The disclosure relates to a light emitting device for converting a current into light. 2. Discussion of the Related Art A light emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light emitting device used to convert a current into light. The wavelength of light emitted from the LED depends on a semiconductor material used to manufacture the LED. This is because the wavelength of the emitted light depends on a band-gap of the semiconductor material representing an energy difference between electrons of a valence band and electrons of a conduction band. Recently, the brightness of the conventional LED has increased, so that the conventional LED has been employed as a light source for a display device, a vehicle, or an illumination device. In addition, the conventional LED can represent a white color having superior light efficiency by employing phosphors or combining LEDs having various colors. Meanwhile, the brightness of the conventional LED is changed according to various conditions such as an active-layer structure, a light extraction structure for extracting light to the outside, a chip size, and the type of molding materials surrounding the LED.

Q: How does the addition of のか to the end of a sentence affect the meaning? I've always had trouble understanding か (question particle) in casual speech. I read that in casual situations, か can be used to give the sentence an exasperated or sarcastic tone. Like in: 負けっかよ！　As if I'd lose! I think that I understand that usage reasonably well. What confuses me however is when か is used with a sentence that clearly should be a question (i.e. it has a question mark or a question word). For example: やってみるか？　Want to give it a try? I believe I've read that か is unnecessary (and not used) in casual speech to ask a question and questions are simply conveyed through a rising intonation or the addition of の（だ）. Could someone explain how is the above sentence different in terms of tone or nuance from the same sentence omitting か 「やってみる？」? Furthermore, on a similar note I believe, the sentence final particle combination のか？！ seems to occur frequently. I'm not really sure what to make of this one. I thought の　might be the explanatory の but how can one both explain and ask a question? For example: そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんのか！？ Do you think I'd be taken in by a lie like that?! (I'm not confident of this translation) How would that sentence's meaning be affected if it were instead: そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんの！？ or そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんか！？ Thank you very much for reading my post to the end : ). I know this question isn't that specific but any and all help is appreciated. Thanks again! A: Your translation was correct in meaning. そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんのか！？ I think the latter is the more colloquial version of the following: そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんですか！？(or思ってるんですか) So this: そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんの！？ has the same meaning with perhaps less inquisitive emphasis, while this: そんな嘘にオレがだまされっと思ってんか！？ sounds less natural to me. I think one could say the sentence in the last way, but it becomes very slangy, almost to a rarefied extent. (perhaps it would sound immature or "country" to a native listener, but I lack the expertise to say) So in conclusion, yes, you can make a sentence a question simply by altering the tone of the words, but obviously adding か makes it a more "complete expression." ex.: これ食べる？ You eat this? これを食べますか？ Do you eat this?

Numerous infants born to women consuming foods contaminated with organic mercury during pregnancy have exhibited severe neurologic sequelae after birth. Because of similarity to the human with respect to reproductive parameters, fetal maturation and placental transport, monkeys (Macaca mulatta and M. arctoides) will be used for the following studies. 1) Localization of methylmercury and sites of damage in the macaque brain are being compared in the fetal and adult monkey. 2) The teratogenic potential of methylmercury in the embryonic macaque will be evaluated. 3) Potential therapeutic measures will be examined where a differentiating organism is involved. 4) Women of child-bearing age also exposed to phenylmercury and mercury vapor. Thus, measurements of placental transfer and fetal toxicity following maternal administration of these substances are to be carried out.

Identification of an ADPG-dependent trehalose synthase in Saccharomyces. Uridine diphosphoglucose is not the sole donor for trehalose synthesis in yeast cells: an ADPG-dependent trehalose synthase, has been identified in mutant strains with undetectable UDPG-dependent trehalose-6-P synthase activity. Genetic and chromatographic studies indicate that the two activities correspond to different proteins. The apparent Km for the nucleotide is similar for both enzymes, and Mg2+ is also required for both activities; however, a striking difference was observed with respect to ATP.Mg activation. This newly determined enzymatic activity in Saccharomyces clarifies previous contradictory results with mutant strains that are able to accumulate trehalose during growth yet whose UDPG-dependent trehalose synthase activity is undetectable in vitro.

7 Tips to Stay Updated With the Latest Trends in Social Media Marketing Building and expanding a successful brand requires more than the ability to deliver high-quality goods and services to your customers. Today, utilizing social media is a cornerstone of most successful companies today, whether they solely cater to locals or international followers. Staying updated with the latest trends in social media marketing is essential whether you are launching a new start-up from the ground up or seeking to further the success of an existing business. With the right social media marketing insight, outperform competitors while truly making a memorable impression in any industry you represent. Follow Successful Brands on Social Media Follow brands in your industry that have a great track record regarding their social media marketing campaigns and the responses they receive from followers and loyal customers. Study how brands in your industry relate to users, communicate with customers, and interact altogether with those who have an interest in their company. Selecting the right “voice” for your business and brand is an important decision that can have a long-lasting effect on those who shop with you. Sign Up to Receive “Google Alerts” Sign up to receive alerts directly from Google, using Google Alerts. Enter specific keywords and tags to track that are relevant to your brand and the products or services you provide. Once you have signed up to receive alerts directly from Google, they will arrive in your Gmail inbox at the frequency you have selected. Create a Stream of Relevant Hashtags on Twitter to Follow Jot down a list of popular hashtags that are most relevant to your business and brand on Twitter. Create a stream of hashtags to following using services such as Hashtags.org to get started. Join Active Groups in Your Industry on LinkedIn Use LinkedIn to represent your brand professionally. Join social media and social media marketing groups on LinkedIn for the latest social media news and updates all across the web. Interact with other members of your social media groups for further information and more details regarding the topics you have an interest in for your brand. Instagram’s “Explore” feature is ideal to keep up with the latest trends throughout Instagram itself. Use the “Explore” feature of Instagram to check in on the latest trending hashtags and the types of uploads that are most popular and relevant to your business and brand. Subscribe and Follow Social Media-Centric Blogs Following social media-centric blogs and websites is one of the most popular methods of remaining updated with the latest advancements in social media and tech. Some of the most popular social media marketing blogs include: Mashable, Social Media Examiner, and Simply Measured. Attend Local or Virtual Social Media Conferences If you want to gain even more from spending time with others who specialize in social media marketing, consider attending a conference. Both local and digital social media conferences provide tips and tricks to seamlessly launch successful ad campaigns while also staying up to date with the latest innovations in tech. Putting social media marketing to use effectively is essential in a highly-competitive online world, especially if you are launching a brand that is refreshing and entirely new. The more active you remain with following social media marketing trends, the easier it becomes to incorporate various elements of the latest trends into your company’s own online campaigns. Social media marketing in conjunction with high-quality products and services provide unlimited opportunity when generating new leads and completing sales in the digital world.

Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging in 67 321 Adults: Associations with Macular Thickness in the UK Biobank Study. To derive macular thickness measures and their associations by performing rapid, automated segmentation of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) images collected and stored as part of the UK Biobank (UKBB) study. Large, multisite cohort study in the United Kingdom. Analysis of cross-sectional data. Adults from the United Kingdom aged 40 to 69 years. Participants had nonmydriatic SD OCT (Topcon 3D OCT-1000 Mark II; Topcon GB, Newberry, Berkshire, UK) performed as part of the ocular assessment module. Rapid, remote, automated segmentation of the images was performed using custom optical coherence tomography (OCT) image analysis software (Topcon Advanced Boundary Segmentation [TABS]; Topcon GB) to generate macular thickness values. We excluded people with a history of ocular or systemic disease (diabetes or neurodegenerative diseases) and eyes with reduced vision (<0.1 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) or with low SD OCT signal-to-noise ratio and low segmentation success certainty. Macular thickness values across 9 Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) subfields. The SD OCT scans of 67 321 subjects were available for analysis, with 32 062 people with at least 1 eye meeting the inclusion criteria. There were 17 274 women and 14 788 men, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 55.2 (8.2) years. The mean (SD) logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity was -0.075 (0.087), and the refractive error was -0.071 (+1.91) diopters (D). The mean (SD) central macular thickness (CMT) in the central 1-mm ETDRS subfield was 264.5 (22.9) μm, with 95% confidence limits of 220.8 and 311.5 μm. After adjusting for covariates, CMT was positively correlated with older age, female gender, greater myopia, smoking, body mass index (BMI), and white ethnicity (all P < 0.001). Of note, macular thickness in other subfields was negatively correlated with older age and greater myopia. We report macular thickness data derived from SD OCT images collected as part of the UKBB study and found novel associations among older age, ethnicity, BMI, smoking, and macular thickness.

In situ generation of electron acceptor for photoelectrochemical biosensing via hemin-mediated catalytic reaction. A novel photoelectrochemical sensing strategy is designed for DNA detection on the basis of in situ generation of an electron acceptor via the catalytic reaction of hemin toward H2O2. The photoelectrochemical platform was established by sequential assembly of near-infrared CdTe quantum dots, capture DNA, and a hemin-labeled DNA probe to form a triple-helix molecular beacon (THMB) structure on an indium tin oxide electrode. According to the highly catalytic capacity of hemin toward H2O2, a photoelectrochemical mechanism was then proposed, in which the electron acceptor of O2 was in situ-generated on the electrode surface, leading to the enhancement of the photocurrent response. The utilization of CdTe QDs can extend the absorption edge to the near-infrared band, resulting in an increase in the light-to-electricity efficiency. After introducing target DNA, the THMB structure is disassembled and releases hemin and, thus, quenches the photocurrent. Under optimized conditions, this biosensor shows high sensitivity with a linear range from 1 to 1000 pM and detection limit of 0.8 pM. Moreover, it exhibits good performance of excellent selectivity, high stability, and acceptable fabrication reproducibility. This present strategy opens an alternative avenue for photoelectrochemical signal transduction and expands the applications of hemin-based materials in photoelectrochemical biosensing and clinical diagnosis.

2.. Introduction {#s1} ================ This article describes a simple formula for calculating the mutual information between random variables where one or both of the variables take values in a metric space. This is relevant to neuroscience because electrophysiological data, whether spike trains from single neurons or collections of spike trains from a population of neurons, can be naturally considered to take values in a metric space \[[@RSOS140391C1],[@RSOS140391C2]\]. It is, in turn, useful to be able to calculate information theory quantities for these data as part of an investigation into effective coding theories of neurodynamics or as a tool for quantifying the relationship between the activity of different neurons or different neuronal populations. However, the relevance is not limited to spike trains, it extends to other electrophysiological data types, such as calcium or electroencephalogram traces. Indeed, non-coordinate metrics or similarity measures are also used, for example, in genetics and biochemistry \[[@RSOS140391C3],[@RSOS140391C4]\], in image analysis \[[@RSOS140391C5]\] and in information retrieval \[[@RSOS140391C6]\]. The aim here is to address two difficulties associated with estimating mutual information on metric spaces. The first difficulty is that information theory is most typically applied to problems where the data are either discrete or take values in an integrable manifold. The second difficulty is that many approaches to estimating information theory quantities can demand an unrealistically large amount of data. The second of these difficulties has been addressed in the past by the Kozachenko--Leonenko estimator \[[@RSOS140391C7]--[@RSOS140391C10]\], but, in line with the first difficulty, this estimator is derived specifically for an integrable manifold or using a local effective dimension. The aim here is to provide a simple approach to a Kozachenko--Leonenko estimator which applies to metric spaces. With this extension, mutual information can be calculated for the broad class of important data where there is a similarity measure, but no coordinates. The particular application which motivates this article is the problem of calculating information theory quantities for spike trains. Three different types of neuroscience experiment could be considered typical. In the first, the activity of a neuron or group of neurons is recorded from the brain of an anesthetized or restrained animal while that animal is being presented with a series of stimuli. The challenge is to estimate the mutual information between the stimulus and the neuronal activity during the presentation. In the second, neuronal activity is recorded while an animal is moving freely in an arena and the mutual information is to be estimated between the position of the animal at a given time and the neuronal activity in a temporal window centred on that time. In the third example, the mutual information is to be estimated between temporal slices of the spike trains produced by different neurons so that this can be used to measure the relationship between those neurons, for example, at different times during development. Estimating mutual information is not straightforward in any of these examples because there is no obvious coordinate system for describing neuronal activity. One approach to solving this difficulty is to discretize the spike trains, turning individual fragments of spike train into sequences of ones and zeros with each bit accounting for the presence or absence of a spike in a corresponding time slot \[[@RSOS140391C11]\]. However, the amount of possible words is huge and so this approach is bedevilled by the large amount of data it requires. One response to this problem is to exploit what is sometimes called the birthday problem and to look at coincidences \[[@RSOS140391C12],[@RSOS140391C13]\]. However, the proximity structure of the space of spike trains is poorly approximated by examining the coincidence whereby two spike trains are discretized to the same sequence of ones and zeros. Here, it is proposed that, instead, one of the many metrics or similarity measures on the space of spike trains be used to define proximity \[[@RSOS140391C14]--[@RSOS140391C20]\]. 3.. Method {#s2} ========== Two simple formulae for mutual information are presented in this article, one for the mutual information between a discrete space and a metric space and one for the mutual information between two metric spaces. These two formulae are intended to cover, respectively, the first and the second and third neuroscientific examples described above. There are two main steps to deriving these formulae. Firstly, probabilities are estimated using a simplified version of the Kozachenko--Leonenko approach \[[@RSOS140391C7]--[@RSOS140391C10]\]; this estimate of probability involves terms that depend on the volumes. In the second step, these volumes are estimated using the probability distribution as a measure. 3.1. A formula for the entropy {#s2a} ------------------------------ Consider estimating entropy for a random variable *X* which takes values in a space $\mathcal{X}$ with probability mass density *p*~*X*~(*x*). Given a set of *N* outcomes, {*x*~1~,*x*~2~,...,*x*~*N*~}, the entropy is estimated by $$H(X) \approx - \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}p_{X}(x_{i}).$$The problem here is how to calculate this quantity when *p*~*X*~(*x*) is not known. To do this, the approach given in \[[@RSOS140391C7],[@RSOS140391C9]\] is followed in spirit but modified to avoid any quantities that rely on coordinates; the aim is to derive a formula for metric spaces. This will require that a region *B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*) with volume *V* is chosen around each data point; this region will ultimately be specified using the metric, but for now it is supposed only that there is a such a region for each data point. Now, consider the probability *P*~*k*~(*x*~*i*~) that the region *B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*) contains precisely *k* points; it is $$P_{k}(r_{i}) = \begin{pmatrix} N \\ k \\ \end{pmatrix}F_{i}^{k}{(1 - F_{i})}^{N - k},$$where *F*~*i*~ is the probability mass contained in *B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*). This means that $$\langle k\rangle = NF_{i}.$$This quantity can be estimated from the data $$\langle k\rangle \approx \#\lbrack B(x_{i},V)\rbrack,$$where \#\[*B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*)\] denotes the number of data points in *B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*); that is for any $B \subseteq \mathcal{X}$ $$\#\lbrack B\rbrack = |B \cap \{ x_{1},x_{2},\ldots,x_{N}\}|.$$This means that $$NF_{i} \approx \#\lbrack B(x_{i},V)\rbrack.$$Now, the probability mass function is approximated by assuming that it is constant in the ball $$F_{i} \approx Vp_{X}(x_{i}).$$This means $$NVp_{X}(x_{i}) \approx \#\lbrack B(x_{i},V)\rbrack$$so $$\log_{2}p_{X}(x_{i}) \approx \log_{2}\#\lbrack B(x_{i},V)\rbrack - \log_{2}N - \log_{2}V$$or $$H(X) \approx \log_{2}N + \log_{2}V - \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}{\#\lbrack B(x_{i},V)\rbrack}.$$This assumption is the same as the one used in \[[@RSOS140391C7],[@RSOS140391C9]\]; in \[[@RSOS140391C9]\], some care is given to justifying this as an approximation; here, though, it is introduced only with the general justification that the variation in *p*~*X*~(*x*) should be modest if the region spanned by *B*(*x*~*i*~,*V*) is small. The formula for the entropy, equation ([3.10](#RSOS140391M3x10){ref-type="disp-formula"}), is similar in spirit to the one given in \[[@RSOS140391C7],[@RSOS140391C9]\]. However, it is not identical, and is, in fact, simpler, because here the probability is estimated using the expected number of points in a ball rather than the size of the ball that contains a given number of points; the latter requires the trinomial, as opposed to the binomial, expansion. Also, of course, the approach here is chosen because it makes it possible to avoid quantities that are only defined on integrable manifolds. 3.2. Estimating the volume {#s2b} -------------------------- The problem with this is that there may not be an obvious measure. Certainly in the case of spike trains there are no good coordinates and so there is no way to calculate the volume of a region based on the usual sort of coordinate-based measure. However, a probability distribution always defines a measure: the volume of a region can be defined as being equal to the probability mass it contains, $$\text{vol}\, B = P(x \in B).$$This volume can be estimated from the data $$\text{vol}\, B \approx \frac{\#\lbrack B\rbrack}{N}.$$ This gives a trivial estimate of the entropy: differential entropy is zero if the probability distribution is used as the measure and the approximation used here is exact in this case: if *V* =*h*/*N* for some integer *h*≤*N* $$H(X) \approx \log_{2}N + \log_{2}\frac{h}{N} - \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}h = 0$$as \#\[*B*(*x*~*i*~,*h*/*N*)\]=*h* by definition. Thus, using the probability as a measure for estimating information theory quantities would be useless if the aim was to estimate entropy. In fact, the entropy is a measure-dependent quantity whose value changes if the measure is changed. This is perhaps less important when a particular relevant coordinate system distinguishes a measure, but generally the significance of the entropy is not clear. The mutual information, however, does not suffer from this problem, its value is independent of the measure used. Furthermore, from the perspective of the approach taken in this article, it involves more than one distribution which means that one distribution can be used to give a measure while calculating estimates for the other distributions. Here, two cases will be considered: in the first case one random variable is discrete and the other takes its values in a metric space; in the second case both random variables take values in metric spaces. In addition, an estimate is derived for the Kullback--Leibler (KL) divergence between two distributions over the same metric space. 3.3. The mutual information where one random variable is discrete {#s2c} ----------------------------------------------------------------- In many electrophysiological experiments, stimuli from a discrete corpus are presented repeatedly while spike trains are recorded. In this situation, the stimuli are represented by a discrete random variable and the response by a random variable taking values in a metric space. This situation is considered here; the situation is more general than the neuroscientific application, but, for convenience, the terminology is based on that application. Let $\mathcal{S}$ be a discrete set representing the stimuli and let $\mathcal{R}$ be a set of responses, which may be spike trains or sets of spike trains recorded from multiple neurons. For simplicity, consider the situation where each element of $\mathcal{S}$ is presented an equal number of times, *n*~t~. Let $n_{s} = |\mathcal{S}|$ be the number of stimuli, so the total number of data points is *N*=*n*~t~*n*~S~. The metric on $\mathcal{R}$ is used to define the regions that are required around the data points. For a point *r* in $\mathcal{R}$ define an open ball $$B_{\epsilon}(r) = \{ t \in \mathcal{R}:d(r,t) < \epsilon\}.$$Next, let *B*(*r*,*V*) be the open ball *B*~*ϵ*~(*r*) with *ϵ* chosen so that *B*~*ϵ*~(*r*) has volume *V* . The total probability *p*~*R*~(*r*) will be used as a measure and the volume *V* fixed at *V* =*h*/*N* for some *h*≤*N*. This means that *B*(*r*,*h*/*N*) is the open ball around *r* which contains *h* points. With this measure *H*(*R*)=0. The same measure can be used for the conditioned probabilities; that is, for calculating *H*(*R*\|*S*=*s*) using the conditioned probability *p*~*R*\|*S*=*s*~(*r*). Hence, $$\begin{matrix} {H(R|S = s)} & {\approx \log_{2}n_{t} + \log_{2}\frac{h}{N} - \frac{1}{n_{t}}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}{\#\left\lbrack {B\left( {r_{i},\frac{h}{N}} \right)} \right\rbrack}} \\ & {\approx - \log_{2}n_{s} + \log_{2}h - \frac{1}{n_{t}}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}{\#\left\lbrack {B\left( {r_{i},\frac{h}{N}} \right)} \right\rbrack.}} \\ \end{matrix}$$Thus, averaging over $s \in \mathcal{S}$ $$\begin{matrix} {I(R;S)} & {\approx \log_{2}n_{s} - \log_{2}h + \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}{\#\left\lbrack {B\left( {r_{i},\frac{h}{N}} \right)} \right\rbrack}} \\ & {\approx \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}{\frac{n_{s}\#\lbrack B(r_{i},h/N)\rbrack}{h}.}} \\ \end{matrix}$$ This formula is the same as the one proposed in \[[@RSOS140391C21]\]. However, it is derived there in a convoluted way which leaned heavily on intuition, whereas here the derivation is straightforward and can be easily extended to the case where both $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{R}$ are metric spaces. It is pointed out there that although the estimate given in \[[@RSOS140391C9]\] is derived using coordinate-based quantities, it can be used to give a formula that applies in this case. Numerical experiments in \[[@RSOS140391C21]\] comparing the two formulae gave very similar results. 3.4. The mutual information where both random variables take values in metric spaces {#s2d} ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{R}$ are both metric spaces, the marginal probability mass functions *p*~*R*~(*r*) and *p*~*S*~(*s*) give volume measures and with these measures *H*(*R*)=*H*(*S*)=0. These same measures also induce a measure on $\mathcal{R} \times \mathcal{S}$, the space where (*R*,*S*) takes its values. In other words, *p*~*R*,*S*~(*r*~*i*~,*s*~*i*~) is estimated by considering regions around (*r*~*i*~,*s*~*i*~) whose volumes are calculated using the measure *p*~*R*~(*r*)*p*~*S*~(*s*) induced from the marginal spaces $\mathcal{R}$ and $\mathcal{S}$. Thus, a square is used to define the regions: $$S\left( {r_{i},s_{i},\frac{h_{1}}{N},\frac{h_{2}}{N}} \right) = \left\{ {(r,s) \in \mathcal{R} \times \mathcal{S}:r \in B_{R}\left( {r_{i},\frac{h_{1}}{N}} \right),\, s \in B_{S}\left( {s_{i},\frac{h_{2}}{N}} \right)} \right\},$$where *h*~1~/*N* and *h*~2~/*N* are the volumes chosen for $\mathcal{R}$ and $\mathcal{S}$. Now, under the induced measure $$\text{vol}\, S\left( {r_{i},s_{i},\frac{h_{1}}{N},\frac{h_{2}}{N}} \right) = \text{vol}\, B_{R}\left( {r_{i},\frac{h_{1}}{N}} \right)\text{vol}\, B_{S}\left( {s_{i},\frac{h_{2}}{N}} \right) \approx \frac{h_{1}h_{2}}{N^{2}}$$so $$I(R;S) \approx \frac{1}{N}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{N}\log_{2}\frac{N\#\lbrack S(s_{i},r_{i},h_{1}/N,h_{2}/N)\rbrack}{h_{1}h_{2}}.$$Thus the mutual entropy depends on \#\[*S*(*s*~*i*~,*r*~*i*~,*h*~1~/*N*,*h*~2~/*N*)\] which counts the number of stimulus--response pairs (*s*,*r*), where *s* is one of the *h*~1~ points closest to *s*~*i*~ and *r* is one of the *h*~2~ points closest to *r*~*i*~. It is instructive to consider what happens when the two variables are independent. By definition, *B*~*R*~(*r*~*i*~,*h*~1~/*N*) contains *h*~1~ points out of *N*; as *R* and *S* are independent this means the average number of points in *B*~*S*~(*s*~*i*~,*h*~2~/*N*) which are also in *B*~*R*~(*r*~*i*~,*h*~1~/*N*) is *h*~1~*h*~2~/*N* so $$\frac{N\#\lbrack S(s_{i},r_{i},h_{1}/N,h_{2}/N)\rbrack}{h_{1}h_{2}} \approx 1.$$ The formula includes two integer parameters, *h*~1~ and *h*~2~, which need to be chosen; large values for these parameters reduce the accuracy of the approximation in equation ([3.7](#RSOS140391M3x7){ref-type="disp-formula"}) where the probability is taken as constant throughout the region, whereas taking a smaller value reduces the accuracy of the approximation in equations ([3.6](#RSOS140391M3x6){ref-type="disp-formula"}) and ([3.12](#RSOS140391M3x12){ref-type="disp-formula"}) where the mean or volume is estimated by counting. 3.5. The Kullback--Leibler divergence on a metric space {#s2e} ------------------------------------------------------- The approach described in this article also gives an estimate for the KL divergence. Consider two random variables *R* and *S* on a metric space $\mathcal{X}$ with probability mass functions *p*~*R*~(*x*) and *p*~*S*~(*x*). If {*r*~1~,*r*~2~,...,*r*~*M*~} and {*s*~1~,*s*~2~,...,*s*~*N*~} are sampled from *R* and *S* then the KL divergence is estimated by $$d(R|S) \approx \frac{1}{M}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{M}\log_{2}\frac{p_{R}(r_{i})}{p_{S}(r_{i})}.$$Now, as before $$MVp_{R}(r_{i}) \approx \#\lbrack B(r_{i},V)\rbrack.$$However, in this case, the other distribution on the same space is used to measure the volume. If the volume is chosen as *h*/*N*, then *B*(*r*~*i*~,*h*/*N*) is the ball around *r*~*i*~ chosen to be large enough to include *h* points from {*s*~1~,*s*~2~,...,*s*~*N*~} and \#\[*B*(*r*~*i*~,*h*/*N*)\] is the number of points from {*r*~1~,*r*~2~,...,*r*~*M*~} in the ball. The usual formula then gives $$d(R|S) \approx \frac{1}{M}\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{M}\log_{2}\frac{N\#\lbrack B(r_{i},h/N)\rbrack}{Mh}.$$It is easy to check that this formula gives an alternative derivation of the formula above for the mutual information between two random variables on metric spaces. 4.. Conclusion {#s3} ============== The formula derived here is very simple and is derived without any reference to coordinates on the sample space. It is intended that this demonstrates that the Kozachenko--Leonenko approach applies to metric spaces. The Kozachenko--Leonenko formula presented in \[[@RSOS140391C9]\] relies on a manifold structure in its derivation, but in its final form it is also applicable to metric spaces. It seems unlikely that the performance of the estimates here will be different from the performance of that formula. In the estimates here, the distance or similarity measure is only required to order the points. Although electrophysiological data are used as a paradigmatic example, the formula can be applied to any pair of random variables taking values in metric spaces or indeed any space with a similarity or distance function suitable for defining regions surrounding each data point. As such it could be used in a straightforward way to calculate, for example, the mutual information between local field potentials and spike trains, or between the position of an animal in a maze and a neuronal population response, or, indeed, between two collections of images, or between images and text. The estimate provided here relies on an approximation in which probabilities are replaced by counting how many data points fall within a region in space. This makes sound intuitive sense, but it has not been proved here that the estimate is a good one. Indeed, no principle has been described that would allow the volume of the regions to be chosen to sensibly balance the two competing requirements: small regions to reduce the error in assuming the probability is constant throughout the region and large regions so that counting-based estimates are robust. There are two ways in which these difficulties will need to be addressed: theoretically, in demonstrating that the estimate converges under sensible conditions, and practically, in demonstrating that the estimate is accurate and not overly sensitive to the choice of volumes for the sorts of data that are likely to be of interest. Hopefully, the simplicity of the approach described here will aid further development. I am grateful to Karoline Weisner and Alonso Espinosa Mireles De Villafranca for useful discussion, and to Jonathon Victor, who suggested the extension to the Kullback--Leibler divergence. Funding statement {#s4} ================= I am grateful to the James S McDonnell Foundation for financial support through a Scholar Award in Cognitive Science and to the Elisabeth Blackwell Institute for a Senior Fellowship. Conflict of interests {#s5} ===================== I declare I do not have any competing interests.

#include <windows.h> #include "iasiodrv.h" #include "asiolist.h" #define ASIODRV_DESC "description" #define INPROC_SERVER "InprocServer32" #define ASIO_PATH "software\\asio" #define COM_CLSID "clsid" // ****************************************************************** // Local Functions // ****************************************************************** static LONG findDrvPath (char *clsidstr,char *dllpath,int dllpathsize) { HKEY hkEnum,hksub,hkpath; char databuf[512]; LONG cr,rc = -1; DWORD datatype,datasize; DWORD index; OFSTRUCT ofs; HFILE hfile; BOOL found = FALSE; CharLowerBuff(clsidstr,strlen(clsidstr)); if ((cr = RegOpenKey(HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT,COM_CLSID,&hkEnum)) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { index = 0; while (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS && !found) { cr = RegEnumKey(hkEnum,index++,(LPTSTR)databuf,512); if (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS) { CharLowerBuff(databuf,strlen(databuf)); if (!(strcmp(databuf,clsidstr))) { if ((cr = RegOpenKeyEx(hkEnum,(LPCTSTR)databuf,0,KEY_READ,&hksub)) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { if ((cr = RegOpenKeyEx(hksub,(LPCTSTR)INPROC_SERVER,0,KEY_READ,&hkpath)) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { datatype = REG_SZ; datasize = (DWORD)dllpathsize; cr = RegQueryValueEx(hkpath,0,0,&datatype,(LPBYTE)dllpath,&datasize); if (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS) { memset(&ofs,0,sizeof(OFSTRUCT)); ofs.cBytes = sizeof(OFSTRUCT); hfile = OpenFile(dllpath,&ofs,OF_EXIST); if (hfile) rc = 0; } RegCloseKey(hkpath); } RegCloseKey(hksub); } found = TRUE; // break out } } } RegCloseKey(hkEnum); } return rc; } static LPASIODRVSTRUCT newDrvStruct (HKEY hkey,char *keyname,int drvID,LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv) { HKEY hksub; char databuf[256]; char dllpath[MAXPATHLEN]; WORD wData[100]; CLSID clsid; DWORD datatype,datasize; LONG cr,rc; if (!lpdrv) { if ((cr = RegOpenKeyEx(hkey,(LPCTSTR)keyname,0,KEY_READ,&hksub)) == ERROR_SUCCESS) { datatype = REG_SZ; datasize = 256; cr = RegQueryValueEx(hksub,COM_CLSID,0,&datatype,(LPBYTE)databuf,&datasize); if (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS) { rc = findDrvPath (databuf,dllpath,MAXPATHLEN); if (rc == 0) { lpdrv = new ASIODRVSTRUCT[1]; if (lpdrv) { memset(lpdrv,0,sizeof(ASIODRVSTRUCT)); lpdrv->drvID = drvID; MultiByteToWideChar(CP_ACP,0,(LPCSTR)databuf,-1,(LPWSTR)wData,100); if ((cr = CLSIDFromString((LPOLESTR)wData,(LPCLSID)&clsid)) == S_OK) { memcpy(&lpdrv->clsid,&clsid,sizeof(CLSID)); } datatype = REG_SZ; datasize = 256; cr = RegQueryValueEx(hksub,ASIODRV_DESC,0,&datatype,(LPBYTE)databuf,&datasize); if (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS) { strcpy(lpdrv->drvname,databuf); } else strcpy(lpdrv->drvname,keyname); } } } RegCloseKey(hksub); } } else lpdrv->next = newDrvStruct(hkey,keyname,drvID+1,lpdrv->next); return lpdrv; } static void deleteDrvStruct (LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv) { IASIO *iasio; if (lpdrv != 0) { deleteDrvStruct(lpdrv->next); if (lpdrv->asiodrv) { iasio = (IASIO *)lpdrv->asiodrv; iasio->Release(); } delete lpdrv; } } static LPASIODRVSTRUCT getDrvStruct (int drvID,LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv) { while (lpdrv) { if (lpdrv->drvID == drvID) return lpdrv; lpdrv = lpdrv->next; } return 0; } // ****************************************************************** // ****************************************************************** // AsioDriverList // ****************************************************************** AsioDriverList::AsioDriverList () { HKEY hkEnum = 0; char keyname[MAXDRVNAMELEN]; LPASIODRVSTRUCT pdl; LONG cr; DWORD index = 0; BOOL fin = FALSE; numdrv = 0; lpdrvlist = 0; cr = RegOpenKey(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,ASIO_PATH,&hkEnum); while (cr == ERROR_SUCCESS) { if ((cr = RegEnumKey(hkEnum,index++,(LPTSTR)keyname,MAXDRVNAMELEN))== ERROR_SUCCESS) { lpdrvlist = newDrvStruct (hkEnum,keyname,0,lpdrvlist); } else fin = TRUE; } if (hkEnum) RegCloseKey(hkEnum); pdl = lpdrvlist; while (pdl) { numdrv++; pdl = pdl->next; } if (numdrv) CoInitialize(0); // initialize COM } AsioDriverList::~AsioDriverList () { if (numdrv) { deleteDrvStruct(lpdrvlist); CoUninitialize(); } } LONG AsioDriverList::asioGetNumDev (VOID) { return (LONG)numdrv; } LONG AsioDriverList::asioOpenDriver (int drvID,LPVOID *asiodrv) { LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv = 0; long rc; if (!asiodrv) return DRVERR_INVALID_PARAM; if ((lpdrv = getDrvStruct(drvID,lpdrvlist)) != 0) { if (!lpdrv->asiodrv) { rc = CoCreateInstance(lpdrv->clsid,0,CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,lpdrv->clsid,asiodrv); if (rc == S_OK) { lpdrv->asiodrv = *asiodrv; return 0; } // else if (rc == REGDB_E_CLASSNOTREG) // strcpy (info->messageText, "Driver not registered in the Registration Database!"); } else rc = DRVERR_DEVICE_ALREADY_OPEN; } else rc = DRVERR_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND; return rc; } LONG AsioDriverList::asioCloseDriver (int drvID) { LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv = 0; IASIO *iasio; if ((lpdrv = getDrvStruct(drvID,lpdrvlist)) != 0) { if (lpdrv->asiodrv) { iasio = (IASIO *)lpdrv->asiodrv; iasio->Release(); lpdrv->asiodrv = 0; } } return 0; } LONG AsioDriverList::asioGetDriverName (int drvID,char *drvname,int drvnamesize) { LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv = 0; if (!drvname) return DRVERR_INVALID_PARAM; if ((lpdrv = getDrvStruct(drvID,lpdrvlist)) != 0) { if (strlen(lpdrv->drvname) < (unsigned int)drvnamesize) { strcpy(drvname,lpdrv->drvname); } else { memcpy(drvname,lpdrv->drvname,drvnamesize-4); drvname[drvnamesize-4] = '.'; drvname[drvnamesize-3] = '.'; drvname[drvnamesize-2] = '.'; drvname[drvnamesize-1] = 0; } return 0; } return DRVERR_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND; } LONG AsioDriverList::asioGetDriverPath (int drvID,char *dllpath,int dllpathsize) { LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv = 0; if (!dllpath) return DRVERR_INVALID_PARAM; if ((lpdrv = getDrvStruct(drvID,lpdrvlist)) != 0) { if (strlen(lpdrv->dllpath) < (unsigned int)dllpathsize) { strcpy(dllpath,lpdrv->dllpath); return 0; } dllpath[0] = 0; return DRVERR_INVALID_PARAM; } return DRVERR_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND; } LONG AsioDriverList::asioGetDriverCLSID (int drvID,CLSID *clsid) { LPASIODRVSTRUCT lpdrv = 0; if (!clsid) return DRVERR_INVALID_PARAM; if ((lpdrv = getDrvStruct(drvID,lpdrvlist)) != 0) { memcpy(clsid,&lpdrv->clsid,sizeof(CLSID)); return 0; } return DRVERR_DEVICE_NOT_FOUND; }

Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. The Nick Ut / AP file From a fetid, foot-long rod of earwax, extracted from the skull of a dead blue whale, scientists have unspooled an in-depth life story of one member of the largest mammals on earth. These waxy diaries could give marine biologists a new way to study the lives of a free-swimming species, and a window into the health of the ocean at large. This 10-inch-long blue whale earplug was extracted from a beached whale in 2007. Stephen Trumble "It might be the only life history of any free-ranging animal," Stephen Trumble, a marine biologist at Baylor University, told NBC News. Each year, as the whale's ear lays down a new layer of fats, native and foreign chemicals in the marine mammal's body are archived with it."It's keeping a journal," said Trumble. Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha The 10-inch plug, recovered from a 12-year-old male whale that beached on the California coast in 2007, looks like a piece of striped bark, but feels firm, like a candle. Twenty-four alternating bands mark six-month phases of a whale's life, alternating between feeding and fasting seasons. And it smells ... "Oh my gosh, I can't even explain it," Trumble said, "They smell terrible." Marine biologists have estimated that blue whales hit puberty between the ages of 5 and 15, but thanks to the earplug, Trumble and company have a clearer marker for the first time. This animal reached puberty at 9 years and a few months, they explain in a study in the Sept. 16 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Up next: the earplug from a female bowhead whale, extracted in 1964. Stephen Trumble At that age mark on the earplug, the researchers saw a spike in testosterone levels, followed quickly by a spike in cortisol, a hormone released when an animal is stressed. "I saw that and I just chuckled," Trumble said. "It was mixing with the big guys trying to mate, and probably getting a rough time from the other males." Also, in the first months of its life, this whale was exposed to unusual levels of pollutants, the earplug record showed, confirming that baby whales absorb toxins from their mothers while they're in the womb. The chemicals trapped in the earwax also indicate the quality of the environment that the whale is swimming in. The researchers noted a spike in mercury levels that suggested that the whale encountered a polluted patch of ocean during a few months of its life. A selection from the 400-plug-strong whale earplug collection at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian. Maya Yamato / Smithsonian Since blue whales cover thousands of miles of ocean during their lifetimes, they witness more of the ocean than researchers can ever hope to see — let alone study. "The large whales ... you can't ask for any other kind of steward to let us know what's going on." It's like a "really large canary." The earplug method's been so successful, Trumble and his colleagues are already making plans for their next conquest. "We have a female earplug from 1964 we're really excited about," he said. The chemical signatures could indicate how many calves the whale had, and at what age she gave birth to them. And at museums across America, hundreds of earplugs are waiting to be decoded — the Smithsonian alone has over 400 plugs from fin, sei, humpback and gray whales in its collection. If all goes well, the earplugs will provide a rich (if stinky) account of our changing ocean, not to mention decades upon decades of whale tales. Stephen Trumble, Eleanor Robinson, Michelle Berman-Kowalewskic, Charles Potter, and Sascha Usenko are authors of "Blue Whale Earplug Reveals Lifetime Contaminant Exposure and Hormone Profiles," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Nidhi Subbaraman writes about science and technology. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Introduction ============ Bleeding following cardiac surgery requiring the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with prolonged hospital admission and increased mortality \[[@R1],[@R2]\]. This may be a consequence of more complex surgery or because of the increased number of red cell units transfused \[[@R3],[@R4]\]. The latter has been independently associated with an increase in morbidity in a number of studies \[[@R5]--[@R7]\]. Although surgical causes of bleeding will always need to be addressed, bleeding caused by haemostatic failure requires the use of the best available haemostatic treatments with the objective of arresting the bleeding at an early stage, thus reducing the overall number of red cells that are transfused. Two recent studies have suggested that lower thrombin generation measured both pre-CPB and post-CPB is associated with excess postoperative bleeding \[[@R8],[@R9]\]. Therefore, interventions to enhance thrombin generation may be as important as maintaining an adequate platelet count and fibrinogen concentration in controlling and preventing bleeding. For patients who bleed because of impairment of thrombin generation, the currently available haemostatic options consist of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and the off-label use of recombinant FVIIa (rFVIIa) and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC). FFP is the most commonly used and readily available way to replace coagulation factors. However, the volume of FFP needed to produce a clinically relevant increase in clotting factors has been reported to be as much as 30 ml/kg \[[@R10]\]. In the context of surgery involving CPB, this constitutes a considerable volume load in a group of patients who may already have compromised cardiac function. In addition, the transfusion of FFP can be complicated by transfusion-related acute lung injury, and transfusion of larger volumes has been associated with an increased risk of stroke in some studies \[[@R11]\]. rFVIIa has been used off label and in clinical trials in the setting of massive haemorrhage, but evidence to demonstrate efficacy and safety has been limited \[[@R12]--[@R14]\]. Furthermore, the optimal dose is unknown and lower doses than those used to treat haemophilia-related bleeding may be preferable to minimize any risk of thrombosis, especially if these doses were shown to be effective in correcting thrombin generation. PCCs contain FII, FIX and FX or FII, FVII, FIX and FX depending on the manufacturer and the licensing jurisdiction. Successful off-label use of PCCs to manage excess bleeding following cardiac surgery has been reported in a number of studies \[[@R15]--[@R17]\]. However, the optimal dose is also unknown and disseminated intravascular coagulation has been reported when using high concentrations in a porcine trauma model \[[@R18]\], although this may relate to the type of PCC used. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is an important regulator of the initiation phase of coagulation. Heparin, the principal anticoagulant used during CPB, induces the release of TFPI from the endothelial surface \[[@R19]\]. In-vitro studies have shown that in the presence of TFPI, the rate of thrombin generation is reduced in a concentration-dependent manner \[[@R20]\]. Recently, a number of studies have reported using TFPI-inhibition to improve thrombin generation in both in-vitro and in-vivo models of haemophilia \[[@R21]--[@R25]\]. This raises the possibility that inhibition of TFPI may be a therapeutic target in treating bleeding in other circumstances, including cardiac surgery. Thrombin generation assays may offer a better assessment of haemostatic function than routine coagulation tests such as the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and thus a better way of measuring the response to any treatment to correct haemostasis. In this study, we investigated the effects of FFP, rFVIIa, PCC and TFPI inhibition on thrombin generation when added *ex vivo* to the plasma of patients who had undergone cardiac surgery requiring CPB. Methods ======= Patients were recruited who were undergoing heart valve surgery with or without coronary artery bypass grafting and procedures on the aorta. Informed consent was obtained and the study received approval from the South West Wales local research ethics committee (reference 11/WA/0215). The following demographic data were recorded: age, weight, sex, anticoagulant and antiplatelet medication history, type of operation, duration of aortic cross-clamping, duration of CPB, time and dose of heparin administration, time and dose of protamine given, volume and time of intravenous crystalloid, colloid and blood products administered once preoperative blood samples had been taken. The volume of cell salvage blood was also recorded. The CPB circuits and priming fluids were the same in all cases. Unfractionated heparin was used as an anticoagulant to maintain the activated clotting time more than 400 s. Protamine at a dose of 1 mg per 100 U of heparin was given after the end of the CPB prior to the removal of the arterial and venous cannulae. Coagulation factor assays and full blood count measurement ---------------------------------------------------------- Whole blood samples were taken into vacutainer tubes containing 3.2% trisodium citrate (Greiner Bio-One, Stonehouse, UK) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (BD, Oxford, UK). Samples were taken before heparin administration and 30 min after reversal of heparin by protamine sulfate, PPP was prepared by centrifuging samples twice at 1650*g* before freezing in aliquots at −80°C for testing later. Full blood cell counts were performed on an ABX Pentra DX 120 automated analyser (Horiba Medical, Northampton, UK). The PT, APTT, Clauss fibrinogen and factors II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, antithrombin, protein C, free protein S and postoperative anti-Xa activity were measured on an ACL 500 Top (Instrumentation Laboratory, Cheshire, UK) automated coagulometer using standard manufacturer protocols and reagents. Factor XIII activity was measured in a flat-bottomed Immulon 2hb 96-well plate (Diagnostica-Stago, Asnières sur Seine, France) using a chromogenic assay kit from Technoclone (Vienna, Austria) and light absorbance was measured using a plate reader (BioTek, Winoosi, Vermont, USA). Tissue factor pathway inhibitor ELISA ------------------------------------- Quantification of full-length and total TFPI was performed using an ELISA technique as described previously \[[@R22]\]. Briefly, full-length and total TFPI were captured by an antic-terminus and anti-KD2 antibody respectively (both from Sanquin Blood Supply, Amsterdam, the Netherlands). A rabbit polyclonal antihuman TFPI antibody was used as the first detection antibody (American Diagnostica, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA). An antirabbit IgG peroxidase conjugate was used as the reporter antibody (Sigma-Aldrich, Bromborough, UK). An internal control and standard consisting of human full-length TFPI was provided by Baxter Innovations (Vienna, Austria). Absorbance was read at 450 nm on a plate reader (BioTek). Von Willebrand factor ELISA --------------------------- Von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen (VWF:Ag) was measured by an ELISA technique. A 96-well DynexImmulon 4HBX plate (Fisher Scientific, Loughborough, UK) was coated with a capture antibody consisting of an antihuman VWF antibody from Dako (Ely, UK) and incubated at 4^o^C overnight. The plate was then blocked using a solution of 2% polyvinyl pyrrolidine. After washing the plate three times (wash buffer consisting of phosphate buffered saline and 0.05% Tween 20 v/v), 100 μl of test plasma and control plasma (CryoCheck Abnormal 1 and Abnormal 2 control plasma, Precision Biologic, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada) were added to the appropriate number of wells. A standard curve was constructed using Technoclone reference plasma from Pathway Diagnostics, UK. The plate was then covered and incubated for 2 h at room temperature. The plate was then washed three times and a rabbit anti-VWF horse-radish peroxidase immunoconjugate antibody (Dako) was added to each well. The plate was then covered and incubated for 1 h at room temperature before washing a further three times. Hundred microlitres of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine liquid reagent (Skybio Ltd, Wyboston, Bedfordshire, UK) was added to each well and after 7 min 50 μl of Red-Stop reagent (Skybio Ltd) was added. Light absorbance was read at 405 nm on a plate reader (BioTek). Thrombin generation assays -------------------------- Whole blood samples were taken into vials containing 3.2% trisodium citrate with 20 μg/ml (final concentration in whole blood) corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI) at a ratio of one part anticoagulant to nine parts whole blood v/v (CTI; Cambridge Bioscience, Cambridge, UK), before heparin was given and 30 min after reversal of heparin by protamine sulphate. Platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was prepared by centrifuging samples twice at 1650 *g* and freezing in aliquots at −80°C for testing later. Thrombin generation was measured using the method described by Hemker *et al.*\[[@R6]\]. Experiments were performed by mixing 20 μl of commercially available trigger solution (Stago PPP Low; Diagnostica-Stago) with 80 μl of plasma in a U-bottom Immulon 2Hb 96-well plate (Diagnostica-Stago). The plate was maintained at 37°C using a plate incubator before being placed in a Fluoroscan Ascent fluorometer (Thermo Scientific, Helsinki, Finland). Thrombin generation was initiated by adding Flu-Ca (fluorogenic substrate Z-Gly-Gly-Arg; Bachem, UK, and 0.1 mol/l calcium chloride in a HEPES buffer). Fluorescence was measured using a Fluoroscan reader. Data were evaluated using Thrombinoscope software version 5.0.0.742 (Synapse BV, Maastricht, the Netherlands). Calculation of concentrations of FFP, rFVIIa, PCC and anti-TFPI antibody to add ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thrombin generation was measured in the presence and absence of a polyclonal anti-TFPI antibody (AF2974; R&D Systems, Abingdon, UK) at a concentration of 100 nmol/l, this concentration having previously been determined to fully neutralize full-length TFPI from physiologic concentrations (∼ 0.4 nmol/l) up to 6 nmol/l (data not shown). Fresh frozen plasma ------------------- Fresh frozen plasma was obtained from the Welsh Blood Service. The postoperative plasma volume for each patient was estimated using the formula, 0.07 × weight × (1 -- haematocrit). The mean plasma volume was then calculated for the whole cohort. Mean weight was also calculated. These figures were then used to calculate the volume of FFP to add to each sample to be equivalent to 15, 20 and 50 ml/kg. This was 0.308 ml FFP, 0.411 ml FFP and 0.617 ml FFP per ml patient plasma, respectively. rFVIIa and PCC -------------- The mean weight of the overall cohort was used to calculate the amount of rFVIIa to add to plasma to be equivalent to doses of 45, 90 and 180 μg/kg. rFVIIa was purchased from Novonordisk (NovoSeven, Novonordisk, Denmark). The final concentrations of rFVIIa in the spiked plasma were 0.93, 1.85 and 3.7 μg/ml, respectively. The mean weight of the overall cohort was also used to calculate the amount of PCC to add to plasma equivalent to doses of 25, 35 and 50 U/kg. PCC was a gift from CSL Behring (Beriplex, CSL; Behring UK Ltd, Haywards Heath, UK). The final concentrations of PCC in the spiked plasma were 0.51, 0.72 and 1.03 U/ml, respectively. Statistical analysis -------------------- Data were analyzed using PASW Statistics version 18 software (SPSS Inc, released 2009; PASW Statistics for Windows, Version 18.0; Chicago, Illinois, USA). The Mann--Whitney *U* test was applied to examine differences between unrelated variables, whereas the Wilcoxon rank test was used to examine differences between related samples. Analysis of multiple related samples was performed using Friedman\'s test. Spearman\'s correlation coefficients were calculated to investigate the relationship between full-length TFPI and thrombin generation parameters. Results ======= A total of 102 patients were recruited, median age 68 (range 28--88), male 72, female 30. Ten patients were excluded from further analysis because they had heparin anti-Xa levels greater than 0.3 anti-Xa U/ml in the post-CPB samples. This left 92 patients in the analysis. Patients who were on warfarin were included provided their international normalized ratio before surgery was less than 1.5 as per institutional protocols. Demographic and clinical parameters are summarized in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}. Thrombin generation following CPB was lower compared with preoperative samples. Procoagulant factors and anticoagulants decreased significantly, apart from total TFPI, which increased significantly (median 55 ng/ml pre to 111 ng/ml post, *P* \< 0.0001) and VWF:Ag, which increased from 144 to 170 IU/dl (*P* \< 0.0001). The data are summarized in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}. CAT results are summarized for peak thrombin in Fig. [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) in Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, lag time in Fig. [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"} and velocity index in Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}. There was a fall in peak thrombin, ETP and velocity index in the post-CPB samples compared with pre-CPB samples, whereas lag time increased. {#F1} {#F2} {#F3} {#F4} The addition of FFP resulted in a progressive, concentration-dependent increase in peak thrombin, ETP and velocity index and shortening of the lag time. The largest effect was seen with a concentration equivalent to 30 ml/kg (Figs. [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}--[4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). FFP at 15 ml/kg resulted in an increased peak thrombin to a level significantly greater than both preoperative and postoperative levels. Exceeding this volume resulted in a further dose-dependent increase. With rFVIIa, 45 μg/kg was sufficient to increase peak thrombin to preoperative levels, but not above preoperative levels, and exceeding this dose produced no further improvement. PCC at 25 U/kg resulted in peak thrombin greater than that seen preoperatively. There was no increase in peak thrombin between 25 and 35 U/kg, but there was a small but statistically significant difference comparing doses of 25 and 50 U/kg (*P* \< 0.0001). Inhibition of TFPI resulted in a peak thrombin concentration that was much higher than the preoperative level. Results for ETP were similar to peak thrombin. FFP at a dose of 15 ml/kg was sufficient to correct the velocity index to preoperative levels. Exceeding this dose resulted in increases statistically significantly greater than preoperative levels. For rFVIIa and PCC, 45 μg/kg and 25 U/kg, respectively, were sufficient to return the velocity index to preoperative levels. Exceeding these doses produced no further increase. Inhibition of TFPI dramatically increased the velocity index well exceeding the preoperative level. Similar results were obtained for the lag time with the exception that it required 30 ml/kg of FFP before the lag time corrected to preoperative levels. Full-length TFPI measured post-CPB was inversely correlated with ETP, peak thrombin and velocity index in the absence and presence of all concentrations of FFP, rFVIIa and PCC, the weakest correlation being seen with FFP. Thrombin generation in the presence of the anti-TFPI antibody did not correlate the full-length TFPI concentration. Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"} summarizes these findings for ETP. Results for peak thrombin and velocity index were similar (data not shown). {#F5} Discussion ========== The results show that 15 ml/kg of FFP was sufficient to correct ETP, peak thrombin and velocity index to preoperative levels. Larger volumes of FFP improved thrombin generation above baseline. rFVIIa at a dose of 45 μg/kg and PCC at a dose of 25 U/kg were sufficient to correct all measured thrombin-generation parameters to preoperative levels. Inhibition of TFPI markedly increased the ETP, peak thrombin and velocity index beyond preoperative levels and shortened the lag time. FFP remains the main treatment available to most clinicians for correcting any coagulopathy. The optimum dose of FFP to return the majority of thrombin-generation parameters to preoperative levels was 15 ml/kg. Some studies have reported a correlation between lag time and bleeding \[[@R26]\] and 30 ml/kg was required to correct this. The full-length TFPI concentration correlated with all thrombin-generation parameters postoperatively and remained so in the presence of FFP, rFVIIa and PCC. This supports the view that TFPI is an important determinant of thrombin generation and similar findings have been reported by Knappe *et al.*\[[@R22]\] and Peraramelli *et al.*\[[@R27]\]. The inverse correlation of full-length TFPI concentration with thrombin-generation parameters was weaker following the addition of FFP than after adding rFVIIa and PCC. This may be because FFP contains both procoagulant factors and inhibitors and would tend to normalize both, whereas rFVIIa and PCC only affect the procoagulant pathways. There was no correlation between full-length TFPI and thrombin generation in the presence of an anti-TFPI antibody, further supporting the importance of TFPI in thrombin generation assays activated with low concentrations of tissue factor. The enhancing effect of FFP observed on thrombin generation may be overestimated by the in-vitro nature of the assay. Patient plasma was contact-inactivated by addition of CTI and so after addition of rFVIIa, PCC and TFPI antibody thrombin generation was activated through tissue factor. In contrast, the added FFP was not CTI-inhibited and would therefore have been prone to contact activation in addition to tissue factor activation. Contact activation has previously been shown to result in higher ETP and peak thrombin and shorter lag time when using lower concentrations of tissue factor as used in this study \[[@R28],[@R29]\]. rFVIIa made no significant difference to thrombin-generation parameters beyond doses of 45 μg/kg, indicating that lower doses are as effective as higher doses in enhancing thrombin generation *in vitro*. This is as would be predicted given the global reduction in clotting factors observed in this patient cohort. A similar result was observed by Altman *et al.*\[[@R30]\] using a model of dilutional coagulopathy. This suggests that rFVIIa may be inappropriate to use in isolation to treat bleeding. Although there are a number of studies that have reported safety using rFVIIa in paediatric patients undergoing CPB \[[@R31]\], some studies have reported an increase in thrombotic events in adult patients \[[@R32]\]. Studies looking at adult patients from a broader population have also shown an increase in arterial events \[[@R33]\], something that would be particularly deleterious in the typical adult patient population undergoing cardiac surgery. Therefore, based on these in-vitro assays, if rFVIIa is used, lower doses may offer the best balance of achieving a beneficial effect while possibly reducing the chance of an adverse event. PCC corrected thrombin-generation parameters to preoperative levels at a concentration of 25 U/kg. There was some further statistically significant improvement at concentrations of 50 U/kg; although this was so small, it is unlikely to be clinically significant. This finding is consistent with other in-vitro studies in which PCC has been shown to enhance thrombin generation \[[@R34]\]. In-vivo PCC has been shown to be effective in reducing blood loss in human studies \[[@R16],[@R35]\]. As well as different numbers of clotting factors, different PCCs contain different amounts of heparin, with some containing more heparin than the PCC used in this study, which in turn has been shown to affect thrombin generation \[[@R36]\]. Although a four-factor PCC was used in this study, others have shown similar effects on thrombin generation using a three-factor PCC \[[@R34]\]. PCC has the advantage of additional safety over FFP for transmission of infection and smaller volumes in patients with cardiac compromise. However, large doses have been associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation in some studies \[[@R18]\]. Inhibition of TFPI had a marked effect on enhancing thrombin generation. TFPI *in vivo* is increased by administration of heparin \[[@R19]\]; the anticoagulant is routinely used in CPB and therefore may be a good therapeutic target in this group of patients. TFPI inhibition has previously been reported to enhance thrombin generation in plasma from people with haemophilia \[[@R21],[@R37]\]. However, a number of studies have reported higher ETP and peak thrombin concentration in patients with prothrombotic tendencies \[[@R38]--[@R40]\]. This suggests caution may be required if TFPI inhibition was to be used as a therapeutic target especially in cardiac patients in which arterial thrombosis is often already a significant risk. A weakness of studies investigating thrombin generation in plasma is that they take no account of other important factors that require correction in controlling bleeding following cardiac surgery: fibrinogen concentration, platelet count and function and fibrinolysis. A low fibrinogen has been associated with excessive postoperative bleeding in a number of studies \[[@R41],[@R42]\]. Thrombocytopenia has also been previously described as a risk factor for bleeding following CPB \[[@R8],[@R43]\]. Clot formation and durability require sufficient thrombin to cleave fibrinogen to fibrin, FXIII to cross-link fibrin monomers, platelets and reduced fibrinolysis. Therefore, correction of thrombin generation forms only one component in the management of bleeding. In summary, this study suggests that comparatively low doses of FFP, rFVIIa and PCC may be sufficient to correct thrombin generation in patients who have undergone surgery requiring CPB. Inhibition of TFPI may offer a future therapeutic strategy for managing bleeding in this group of patients. However, these in-vitro results need to be validated *in vivo*. Acknowledgements ================ This work was funded by the British Heart Foundation award reference FS/11/42/28753. R.H., M.D. and F.S. are employees of Baxter Innovations GmbH. C.L.P. designed the study, recruited the patients, performed the laboratory assays, interpreted data and wrote the article. R.J. assisted in recruitment of patients, sample preparation and edited the article. R.H., M.D. and F.S. designed some of the laboratory studies, interpreted data and edited the article. S.B. and D.M. assisted in the design of the study, recruitment of patients and edited the article. J.E.H. and V.B.O. designed the study, planned experiments, interpreted data and edited the article. P.W.C. designed and supervised all aspects of the study and edited the article. Conflicts of interest --------------------- There are no conflicts of interest. ###### Demographic details and clinical parameters of study participants Parameter Data ---------------------------------- -------------------- Age (years) 67 28--88 (62--76) Weight (kg) 76 48--134 (67--90) Sex (M/F) 64/28 Time on bypass (min) 146 64--427 (117--193) Aortic cross-clamp time (min) 115 50--34 (96--152) Intraoperative 14 volume crystalloid (ml/kg) 0--36 (8--20) Intraoperative volume of colloid 13 (ml/kg) 0--47 (8--18) Cell salvage volume (ml/kg) 10 3--52 (7--12) Data shown are median, range (interquartile range). ###### Concentrations of procoagulant factors, inhibitors, platelet count and thrombin-generation parameters before and after CPB Parameter Pre-CPB Post-CPB Comparison between pre-CPB and post-CPB (*P* value) --------------------------------- --------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Platelet count (×10^9^ cells/l) 223 115 \<0.0001 124--670 (118--257) 42--258 (98--138) APTT (s) 29 31 \<0.0001 23--38 (28--31) 22--46 (30--35) PT (s) 11 15 \<0.0001 10--16 (10--12) 12--22 (14--17) vWF antigen (IU/dl) 144 170 \<0.0001 61--322 (113--184) 84-367 (131--205) Fibrinogen (g/l) 3.2 1.6 \<0.0001 1.7--7.9 (2.6--4.0) 1.1--3.8 (1.4--1.9) Factor II (IU/dl) 95 52 \<0.0001 44--152 (85--107) 33--83 (47--60) Factor V (IU/dl) 92 50 \<0.0001 51--135 (76--109) 17--93 (40--58) Factor VII (IU/dl) 104 68 \<0.0001 48--192 (80--118) 25--146 (58--80) Factor VIII (IU/dl) 129 92 \<0.0001 75--262 (106--157) 49--216 (74--117) Factor IX (IU/dl) 133 104 \<0.0001 59--224 (117--151) 62--157 (93--123) Factor X (IU/dl) 90 46 \<0.0001 27--148 (78--104) 20--57 (38--54) Factor XI (IU/dl) 95 60 \<0.0001 42--183 (82--109) 35--137 (50--72) Factor XIII (%) 103 57 \<0.0001 30--213 (89--117) 21--107 (45--68) Full-length TFPI (ng/ml) 21 15 \<0.0001 7--39 (16--24) 4--35 (11--22) Total TFPI (ng/ml) 56 113 \<0.0001 32--99 (48--67) 60--165 (93--127) Anti-thrombin (%) 92 51 \<0.0001 11--144 (83--100) 30--77 (45--58) Free protein S (%) 84 46 \<0.0001 43--125 (72--98) 30--85 (39--55) Protein C (%) 106 61 \<0.0001 64--204 (92--119) 39--93 (52--69) Lag time (min) 7 9 0.026 3--18 (6--8) 0--36 (7--14) Peak thrombin (nmol/l) 35 11 0.019 1--115 (21--52) 0--144 (2--42) ETP (nmol/l per min) 339 155 \<0.0001 10--867 (221--497) 0--1161 (0--376) Velocity index (nmol/l per min) 9 2 \<0.0001 2--84 (5--14) 0--53 (0--9) Anti-Xa activity (IU/ml) -- 0.12 -- 0.00--0.30 (0.08--0.19) Data shown are median and range (interquartile range). APTT, activated partial thromboplastin time; CPB, cardiopulmonary bypass; ETP, endogenous thrombin potential; PT, prothrombin time; TFPI, tissue factor pathway inhibitor; vWF, von Willebrand factor.

Morbidity in schistosomiasis is caused by the host response to schistosome eggs which are deposited in the venous system and carried to the tissues. Pathology is proportional to the number of eggs laid, and it is thus important to understand factors underlying worm fecundity and the extent to which fecundity is reflected by eggs passed in the feces, the measurable indicator of infection intensity in humans. More detailed examination of the reported decrease in the fecundity of S. mansoni in immunodeficient scid mice shows that worms are delayed in maturation, but that when mature, they lay normal numbers of eggs.

The chromogranin A-derived peptides vasostatin-I and catestatin as regulatory peptides for cardiovascular functions. A range of inflammatory conditions is associated with pathologically high levels of circulating chromogranin A (CgA). This prohormone belongs to the family of uniquely acidic proteins co-stored and co-secreted with other hormones and peptides from the diffuse neuroendocrine system. Two highly conserved, CgA-derived peptides, vasostatin-I and catestatin, have been implicated as modulators of a wide range of cells and tissues, including those of the cardiovascular system. This review focuses on links between elevated circulating CgA and cardiovascular dysfunctions in inflammatory conditions in relation to potential beneficial effects of vasostatin-I and catestatin. Characteristic membrane-penetrating properties have been assigned to both peptides, and pertussis toxin sensitivity is shared by a number of their responses, notably in the vascular and cardiac endothelium. Pertussis toxin-sensitive, receptor-independent activation via heterotrimeric G proteins and Galphai/o subunits will be discussed as possible mechanisms for inhibitory effects of vasostatin-I and catestatin on vascular and cardiac responses. The accumulated evidence provides convincing support for vasostatin-I and catestatin as regulatory peptides for the cardiovascular system, converging on alleviation of significant dysfunctions as part of several inflammatory conditions.

Bacon is delicious to many, as is belly of pork. But is it good for you - or should it be a no-no food? 10 multiple choice questions on bacon and pork belly. No spelling and no fill in the answer questions. Average score for this quiz is 4 / 10 . Difficulty: Difficult . Played 1,701 times. As of Sep 29 20.

#include "U8glib.h" void setup(void) { } void loop(void) { u8g_t u8g; u8g_Init(&u8g, &u8g_dev_ht1632_24x16); u8g_FirstPage(&u8g); u8g_SetColorIndex(&u8g, 1); do { u8g_SetFont(&u8g, u8g_font_7x13); u8g_DrawStr(&u8g, 0, 14, "ABCgdef"); }while( u8g_NextPage(&u8g) ); delay(1000); }

Nonspecificity of ring enhancement in "medically cured" brain abscess. Since the introduction of computed tomography (CT), there have been numerous reports of brain abscess treated successfully without surgery. Because pathologic confirmation was lacking in these patients, diagnosis was based on CT abnormalities, usually ring enhancement. However, our recent clinical experience and the experimental work of others indicate that the "ring sign" on contrast-enhanced CT is not absolutely diagnostic of encapsulated brain abscess. Moreover, in the reported cases of alleged brain abscess cured medically, atypical clinical features suggest that some patients may have had cerebral infarction or cerebritis. Stricter clinical and radiologic criteria are needed before concluding that encapsulated brain abscess can be cured by medical therapy alone.

The Democratic National Committee has had just about enough of Nancy Worley and Joe Reed. A scathing email sent Monday from Harold Ickes and Yvette Lewis, the co-chairs of the DNC’s credentials committee, lays out a litany of missteps, wasted money, outright lies and what appears to be a long-term scheme perpetrated by Worley and Reed to stack the State Democratic Executive Committee with almost exclusively African American at-large members in order to maintain control of the state party. The email from Ickes and Lewis was sent in response to Alabama Democratic Party chairwoman Worley and Reed, the vice-chair of minority affairs, moving forward at last Friday’s SDEC meeting with the election of a new minority at-large member, despite a clear directive from the DNC to hold off on such selections until the state party’s bylaws could be amended. That DNC directive came in response to a long series of issues, which culminated in a hearing in February in D.C. before the DNC’s credentials committee. Following that hearing, the August elections for the Alabama Democratic Party’s leadership were invalidated. There were many reasons for the invalidation, but chief among them was an issue the DNC found with ADP’s bylaws — they conflicted with the national party’s and lacked an affirmative action and outreach plan for all recognized minority groups. The bylaws dictate that a state party’s executive committee’s makeup must reflect the voting demographics of the state, and a number of very specific groups are listed. If those groups, which in addition to African Americans include Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, youth, LGBTQ+ and people with disabilities, can’t be accurately represented in the votes, the state party needs to demonstrate a comprehensive outreach program. The DNC already believed that ADP was falling short in its outreach efforts to all groups except black voters, but Monday’s letter indicates that party officials believe that the lack of outreach was intentional and that Worley and Reed have lied to cover up their true intentions. Public Service Announcement During a series of emails and conference calls over the last few weeks, DNC officials have repeatedly asked Worley to send them ADP’s affirmative action plan that meets DNC standards. This is something Worley has repeatedly told the DNC was in the state party’s bylaws, and she has promised repeatedly to provide a copy to the DNC’s credentials committee. But then, last Friday, Worley informed the Ickes and Lewis that the approval of an affirmative action plan and outreach program would be voted on during the March 29th SDEC meeting. “We are very surprised (by the agenda item) because during our conference call you had asserted several times that the State Committee had an affirmative action plan and outreach program, and you promised to send us those specific provisions of the State Committee’s Bylaws that constituted such policy and procedures,” the email from Ickes and Lewis read. “By your statement in your email, it now seems clear that, other than for Blacks, the State Committee does not have such a policy and procedure.” ADVERTISEMENT Such a failure to recruit minorities other than African Americans would give extreme power to Reed, who, as vice-chair for minority affairs, is allowed to handpick at-large members in order to meet the minority numbers needed to meet demographic percentages. During the August meeting, at which Worley was re-elected, Reed was able to select 35 at-large delegates, all of them black. Ickes and Lewis said the recent actions of Worley, coupled with the facts of that August election, now “raises serious questions” about not only the elections of Worley and vice-chairman Randy Kelley, but also the “filling of vacancies from legislative districts.” The email takes Worley to task for a variety of missteps mostly related to her definitions of minority outreach and her attempts to make contact with minority groups other than African Americans. For example, the email notes that in 2017, the SDEC passed an amendment that called for five Hispanic people to be on the committee — a number that Ickes and Lewis said should probably be closer to 10, judging by Alabama voting demographics — but in over a year, not a single Hispanic candidate had been presented for nomination prior to Friday’s meeting. At that meeting, the Hispanic wife of an executive board member was approved. “That the Executive Board could only find one (1) Hispanic woman in the whole state of Alabama to elect at yesterday’s Executive Board meeting graphically underscores the lack of effective, broad affirmative action outreach,” the email read. “And since no mention was made at yesterday’s meeting of affirmative action outreach to youth, LGBTQ + individuals, or individuals with disabilities, we assume that none was conducted.” As for Worley’s decision to move forward with the nomination of that lone Hispanic candidate, despite explicit instructions from the DNC not to do so, Ickes and Lewis didn’t mince words. “The deliberate flouting by the Executive Board, at your urging, of the instructions of the DNC likely will result in another challenge and more legal fees incurred by the ADP,” they wrote. “Such easily avoidable actions are inexplicable and completely contrary to the best interests of Democrats in Alabama and of the ADP.” Moving forward, the DNC is asking Worley to provide it with her clear plans for outreach for all minority groups, and also asking that she explain the calculations she’s used to arrive at the appropriate percentages of each minority group. “The DNC has ordered the ADP to do nothing more than what every other state party undertakes to ensure compliance with the basic requirements of National Party’s long standing Charter and Bylaws,” Ickes and Lewis wrote. “So far, however, certainly including yesterday’s Executive Board meeting, it does not appear that your leadership group is interested in achieving those ends. We certainly hope that you will change your mind.”

Q: devExtreme TreeView Expand, ScrollTo and Focus is it possible to expand a treeview, scroll to a node and focus it on one function? $("#buttonTest").dxButton({ text: "Test", onClick: function () { editTreeView.expandItem(editTreeView.element().find(".dx-treeview-item")[0]) var currentNode = $("#editTreeView").find("[data-item-id=" + 80 + "]"); var scrollable = $("#editTreeView").find(".dx-scrollable").dxScrollable("instance"); scrollable.scrollToElement(currentNode); $("#editTreeView").find(".dx-treeview-node").removeClass("dx-state-focused"); var currentNode = $("#editTreeView").find("[data-item-id=" + 80 + "]"); currentNode.focus().addClass("dx-state-focused"); } }); In this example, the tree is opened at the first click and scrolled/focused on the second click. But I want it with one click :) Thanks. A: Seems like there is an issue connected with scrollable height calculation. You can fix it using the setTimeout function like below: $("#buttonTest").dxButton({ text: "Test", onClick: function () { //... setTimeout(function() { scrollable.scrollToElement(currentNode); }, 300); } }); This solution looks like a hack, but still)) I've created the fiddle as well.

High-power stable continuous-wave single-longitudinal-mode Nd:YVO4 laser at 1342 nm. A universal model about the sufficient condition of stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation is established and applied to the theoretical analysis of a high power unidirectional ring Nd:YVO4 laser at 1342 nm with energy transfer upconversion and excited stimulated absorption taken into account. A stable continuous-wave SLM laser with 1342 nm power of 11.3 W and 671 nm power of 0.3 W is fabricated by optimizing the transmission of output coupler and the temperature of LiB3O5 crystal. Mode-hopping-free laser operation with a power stability better than ± 0.5% and a frequency fluctuation less than ± 88 MHz is achieved during a given three hours.

using System; using System.Linq; using System.Windows; using System.Windows.Controls; using Certify.Models.Config; namespace Certify.UI.Windows { /// <summary> /// Selects template based on the type of the data item. /// </summary> public class ControlTemplateSelector : DataTemplateSelector { public override DataTemplate SelectTemplate(object item, DependencyObject container) { var context = container as FrameworkElement; DataTemplate template = null; if (null == container) { throw new NullReferenceException("container"); } else if (null == context) { throw new Exception("container must be Framework Element"); } else if (null == item) { return null; } var providerParameter = item as ProviderParameter; if (providerParameter == null) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderStringParameter") as DataTemplate; } else if (providerParameter.IsHidden) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderHiddenParameter") as DataTemplate; } else if (providerParameter.IsPassword) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderPasswordParameter") as DataTemplate; } else if (providerParameter.Options.Count() != 0) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderDropDownParameter") as DataTemplate; } else if (providerParameter.IsMultiLine) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderMultiLineStringParameter") as DataTemplate; } else if (providerParameter.Type== OptionType.Boolean) { template = context.FindResource("ProviderBooleanParameter") as DataTemplate; } else { template = context.FindResource("ProviderStringParameter") as DataTemplate; } return template ?? base.SelectTemplate(item, container); } } }

South Australia The most famous wine area of Australia, which is found in the neighboring area of the wine city Adelaide, is renowned for its red wines and here it is being produced more than the half of all Australian wine One of the wine producing countries of the world which was capable of transforming its enological production, from low quality and ordinary wines to high quality wines, certainly is Australia. This enological “miracle” was possible thanks to the huge economic investments done by producers as well as to the introduction and development of modern technologies. Most of the wineries make use of very advanced technological tools and benefit from the help of wine makers capable of applying modern techniques. Whereas in other wine countries - in particular the ones in Europe - the traditional factor seems to play a fundamental role in the production of wine, most of the times limiting and conditioning the development, in Australia, thanks to the recent enological history of the country, technology and innovation practically have no obstacles. Even the common practices done in the vineyards are conducted in an automatized way, from pruning to harvesting. This probably explains the reason why good quality Australian wines have a pretty affordable price. South Australia Until the half of the last century, Australian wine was pretty ordinary and with no particular value, they usually were sweet or very alcoholic wines, most of the grapes were used for the production of fortified wines. The revolution of Australian wines began in the 1960's when the wine industry of the country strongly concentrated in the quality of its products by relying this radical change to international grapes and in particular to Shiraz (Syrah), Chardonnay and Sémillon. Around the half of the 1980's Australia already reached most of its goal and its “new” wines became famous all over the world. What mainly impressed of Australian wines were its concentrated and full bodied reds as well as whites produced with Chardonnay and Sémillon. In just a little more than twenty years Australia was capable of transforming its wine industry while abandoning a practically anonymous past and therefore occupying relevant positions in the worldwide scenario. The first vineyards in Australia were planted in New South Wales at the end of eighteenth century, however the enological development of the country was concentrated in the South Australia area along the coast of Indian ocean. This area is located in the neighboring of Adelaide - considered as the capital city of Australia - and here are found among the most famous wine areas of the country: Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Coonawarra. Of course they are not the only wine areas of the country and South Australia is not the only region in which wine is being produced, however it is right here more than the half of the Australian wine is being produced. Classification of South Australia Australia does not have a quality system based on specific laws, as in case of France and Italy. There are no strict indications on cultural and enological practices to be followed, such as the variety of grapes allowed in a specific region, yields, norms for wine making and minimum aging times. The Australian quality system provides specific norms about the labeling of wines, norms which are, of course, in force in South Australia as well. Among the most significative rules about wine labeling are mentioned: in case a grape variety is stated in the label, the wine must be produced with at least 85% of that grape; in case a wine is a blend of two wines and none of them make the 85% of total, both the names of grapes must be mentioned in the label and in order of importance; blended wines must state the percentages of grapes used in the blend; in case an area, district or region is mentioned in the label, 85% of the wine contained in the bottle must come from the stated area. Production Areas Despite the fact South Australia is pretty vast, the area in which it is being produced wine is pretty small and is located in the southern part, in the neighboring of the ocean coast near the city of Adelaide. For this reason Adelaide is considered as the wine capital city of Australia and not very far from it are found the important wine areas of Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and McLaren Valley. Southern Australia is mainly famous for its full bodied red wines produced with Shiraz grapes, moreover the production of white wines made of Chardonnay, Riesling and Sémillon grapes is interesting as well. South from Adelaide is located another area of enological interest, Coonawarra, which is recently getting more and more famous in the world for its Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Of all the wine areas in Southern Australia two are particularly known and identify Australian wine in the world: Barossa Valley and Coonawarra. Barossa Valley is mainly known for its full bodied red wines made of Shiraz grape whereas Coonawarra is considered as the best Australian region for Cabernet Sauvignon. The quality of wines made in this region is very interesting and of good value, however here it is also produced a huge quantity of ordinary and cheap wines, in particular in the vineyards along the course of Murray river. Barossa Valley The center of the Australian wine production is found in Barossa Valley. This certainly is the most renowned wine area of the region as well as of the country, by many considered the best wine region of Australia. Barossa Valley is located 60 kilometers north-east from Adelaide (about 40 miles), its climate generally is warm and dry, however the area also benefits from the hills located to the east capable of ensuring a pretty cool climate and suited for viticulture. The main white berried grapes cultivated in this region are Chardonnay, generally vinified in American oak barriques, just like Shiraz, Riesling and Sémillon. To these are also included Palomino and Pedro Ximénez used for the production of fortified wines, a wine style belonging to the tradition and to the history of Barossa Valley. The most famous wines of this area are red and mainly produced with Shiraz grape. Other red berried grapes cultivated in Barossa Valley and occasionally used together with Shiraz, are Grenache Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre, here known as Mataro. Clare Valley Clare Valley is located north from Barossa Valley, is characterized by a cooler climate and therefore suited for the production of white wines, in particular with Riesling grapes. Clare Valley certainly is one of the wine regions from which are being produced among the best Rieslings of the world, wines capable to even compete with the elegance and finesse of German ones although having their own personality. As opposed to German Rieslings, the ones produced in Clare Valley have a fuller body, lesser acidity and am interesting range of organoleptic qualities, both aromatic and gustatory, which gives them a specific and typical personality. Just like every quality Riesling wine, even the ones from Clare Valley have an interesting potentiality of aging in bottle which can also be more than 20 years. Quality wines from Riesling grape produced in this area should be consumed at least after 5 years of aging in bottle. The Riesling is known in this area as Rhine Riesling and it should be observed that once the grape Crouchen, from which were being produced ordinary wines, was called Clare Rhine Riesling and, of course, has no connection with real Riesling. Southern Vales and McLaren Vale The wine region of Southern Vales is located south from the city of Adelaide and includes some districts of which the most famous one is McLaren Vale. In this region are being produced both white wines and red wines and the main white berried grapes are Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Among red berried grapes there are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Grenache Noir. In this region are also cultivated Palomino, Pedro Ximénez and Sémillon as well as Pinot Noir and Merlot. The main red wines of Southern Vales certainly are the ones produced with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The region is particularly known for its main district, McLaren Vale, who made this region famous all over the world thanks to its white wines produced with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In the south-eastern part of Southern Vales is located the Longhorne Creek wine area from which comes huge quantities of grapes used for the production of blended wines. Eden Valley The wine area of Eden Valley is located east from Barossa Valley and north-east from the city of Adelaide. It is a pretty interesting area and here are being produced both white and red wines. Eden Valley is considered, after Clare Valley, the second great wine area in which are being produced white wines with Riesling grape. Differently from Clare Valley, this area is located at a higher altitude and it is characterized by a cooler climate, a condition which makes the area interesting for the production of red wines from Pinot Noir and white wines from Chardonnay. Riesling wines produced in Eden Valley are generally characterized by a lower alcohol percentage as well as having an aromatic bouquet resembling flowers instead of fruits, as in the case of Clare Valley. Even quality Riesling produced in this area are very suited for the aging in bottle, a condition which enriches them with toasted aromas. Adelaide Hills East from the city of Adelaide, and south from Eden Valley, is located the wine area of Adelaide Hills, a pretty interesting area which mainly owes the quality of its wines to the hillside position. The development of this area is pretty recent and most of vineyards were planted in 1980's and 1990's. Adelaide Hills is among the coolest areas in Australia and here acidity of grapes reach pretty high levels and most of the times producers favor malolactic fermentation in order to smooth their white wines. Thanks to its cool climate, Adelaide Hills is pretty suited to the production of sparkling wines as well as white wines produced with Sauvignon Blanc. The area is however very appreciated for its white wines produced with Chardonnay and Merlot red wines seem to be pretty promising. Coonawarra The wine area of Coonawarra - meaning honeysuckle in Aboriginal language - is located about 450 kilometers south-east from Adelaide (about 280 miles), near the region of Victoria. This area is mainly famous for its full bodied and rich Cabernet Sauvignon wines and the best vineyards are planted in a narrow strip of territory about 16 kilometers long (10 miles). The main characteristic of this tiny area is represented by the type of soil of limestone origins where in its surface is found a porous and reddish soil called terra rossa. The success of Coonawarra wines it is not only determined by the type of soil but also by its cool climate. The most famous wines of the area are reds produced with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Among red berried grapes cultivated in Coonawarra are also found small quantities of Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The most famous white berried grape is Riesling, however here are also cultivated Chardonnay - with which are being produced the most appreciated wines of the area - Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. Padthaway Not far to the north from Coonawarra is located the small wine area of Padthaway, an area that has become successful just after Coonawarra and which is famous for its white wines. The main white berried grapes of this area are Riesling, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer, whereas the most common red berried grape is Shiraz. The area is mainly oriented to the production of white wines and it is particularly famous for its Chardonnay wines. The climate of Padthaway is slightly warmer than Coonawarra and pretty suited to the production of white wines. Chardonnay wines from Padthaway are characterized by good acidity with a fruity and fresh bouquet. All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this publication and of this WEB site may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from DiWineTaste.

Epistasis is the phenomenon of the effect of one gene being dependent on the presence of one or more 'modifier genes', the genetic background. Thus, epistatic mutations have different effects in combination than individually. It was originally a concept from genetics but is now used in biochemistry, computational biology and evolutionary biology. It arises due to interactions, either between genes, or within them, leading to non-additive[clarification needed] effects. Epistasis has a large influence on the shape of evolutionary landscapes, which leads to profound consequences for evolution and evolvability of phenotype traits. This can be the case when multiple genes act in parallel to achieve the same effect. For example, when an organism is in need of phosphorus, multiple enzymes that break down different phosphorylated components from the environment may act additively to increase the amount of phosphorus available to the organism. However, there inevitably comes a point where phosphorus is no longer the limiting factor for growth and reproduction and so further improvements in phosphorus metabolism have smaller or no effect (negative epistasis). Some sets of mutations within genes have also been specifically found to be additive.[21] It is now considered that strict additivity is the exception, rather than the rule, since most genes interact with hundreds or thousands of other genes. Epistasis within the genomes of organisms occurs due to interactions between the genes within the genome. This interaction may be direct if the genes encode proteins that, for example, are separate components of a multi-component protein (such as the ribosome), inhibit each other's activity, or if the protein encoded by one gene modifies the other (such as by phosphorylation). Alternatively the interaction may be indirect, where the genes encode components of a metabolic pathway or network, developmental pathway, signalling pathway or transcription factor network. For example, the gene encoding the enzyme that synthesizes penicillin is of no use to a fungus without the enzymes that synthesize the necessary precursors in the metabolic pathway. Just as mutations in two separate genes can be non-additive if those genes interact, mutations in two codons within a gene can be non-additive. In genetics this is sometimes called intragenic complementation when one deleterious mutation can be compensated for by a second mutation within that gene. This occurs when the amino acids within a protein interact. Due to the complexity of protein folding and activity, additive mutations are rare. Proteins are held in their tertiary structure by a distributed, internal network of cooperative interactions (hydrophobic, polar and covalent).[22] Epistatic interactions occur whenever one mutation alters the local environment of another residue (either by directly contacting it, or by inducing changes in the protein structure).[23] For example, in a disulphide bridge, a single cysteine has no effect on protein stability until a second is present at the correct location at which point the two cysteines form a chemical bond which enhances the stability of the protein.[24] This would be observed as positive epistasis where the double-cysteine variant had a much higher stability than either of the single-cysteine variants. Conversely, when deleterious mutations are introduced, proteins often exhibit mutational robustness whereby as stabilising interactions are destroyed the protein still functions until it reaches some stability threshold at which point further destabilising mutations have large, detrimental effects as the protein can no longer fold. This leads to negative epistasis whereby mutations that have little effect alone have a large, deleterious effect together.[25][26] In enzymes, the protein structure orients a few, key amino acids into precise geometries to form an active site to perform chemistry.[27] Since these active site networks frequently require the cooperation of multiple components, mutating any one of these components massively compromises activity, and so mutating a second component has a relatively minor effect on the already inactivated enzyme. For example, removing any member of the catalytic triad of many enzymes will reduce activity to levels low enough that the organism is no longer viable. Diploid organisms contain two copies of each gene. If these are different (heterozygous / heteroallelic), the two different copies of the allele may interact with each other to cause epistasis. This is sometimes called allelic complementation, or interallelic complementation. It may be caused by several mechanisms, for example transvection, where an enhancer from one allele acts in trans to activate transcription from the promoter of the second allele. Alternately, trans-splicing of two non-functional RNA molecules may produce a single, functional RNA. Similarly, at the protein level, proteins that function as dimers may form a heterodimer composed of one protein from each alternate gene and may display different properties to the homodimer of one or both variants.

ASSOCIATED PRESS On recense un 12e cas de contamination au Covid-19 en France, Buzyn évoque une "éventuelle diffusion pandémique" (Photo prétexte) CORONAVIRUS - Un sixième Britannique a été testé “positif” au coronavirus au sein du groupe hospitalisé après la découverte d’une contamination groupée dans un chalet en Haute-Savoie, ont annoncé samedi 15 février les autorités sanitaires. Cela porte à douze le nombre de cas confirmés en France depuis l’apparition de cette épidémie de maladie Covid-19 en Chine, précise dans un communiqué le ministère de la Santé. Agnès Buzyn a évoqué pour la première fois une potentielle propagation du virus en France, rapporte Franceinfo. “Il nous faut préparer notre système de santé à faire face à une éventuelle diffusion pandémique du virus, à une circulation du virus sur le territoire national”, a-t-elle déclaré. La moitié de ces cas concernent des Britanniques, tous contaminés par un de leurs compatriotes de retour de Singapour et côtoyé dans un chalet des Contamines-Montjoie (Haute-Savoie), quelques jours fin janvier. Un décès en France, sept personnes toujours hospitalisées Il y a une semaine, les autorités sanitaires avaient annoncé cinq cas confirmés au sein de ce groupe - quatre adultes et un enfant de 9 ans - hospitalisés dans la région lyonnaise. Six autres personnes, qui avaient séjourné dans le même chalet, avaient été également hospitalisées et placées sous surveillance et en isolement. C’est l’une d’elles qui s’est avérée positive ce samedi. Ce patient, dont l’âge n’a pas été communiqué, “est demeuré en isolement strict dans un hôpital référent à Lyon depuis samedi dernier (8 février), conformément à la procédure de surveillance renforcée des cas contacts”, rapporte le ministère. “Depuis son arrivée à l’hôpital, il était régulièrement évalué et testé. Un prélèvement s’est révélé positif ce jour au coronavirus”, selon le communiqué qui assure que “son état n’inspire pas d’inquiétude ce jour”. “Cela souligne la pertinence des mesures d’isolement préconisées pour les personnes contacts à risque élevé mises en place en France”, fait valoir le ministère. Parmi les douze cas confirmés en France, un touriste chinois âgé de 80 ans est décédé vendredi. Quatre sont désormais guéris et sortis de l’hôpital et sept au total sont hospitalisés (les six Britanniques ainsi que la fille du patient décédé). Deuxième levée de quarantaine dans le sud de la France Du côté de Carry Le Rouet où sont en quarantaine les voyageurs rapatriés de Wuhan, un deuxième groupe de personne a été autorisé à partir. Vers 7h, une navette a quitté le centre, a constaté une journaliste de l’AFP, et d’autres devaient la suivre dans la matinée. Au total, 44 personnes doivent partir de Carry-le-Rouet, selon la préfecture des Bouches-du-Rhône. Ils étaient arrivés le 2 février en France. En revanche, 35 autres personnes arrivées via Londres le 9 février resteront confinées jusqu’au 23 février à Aix-en-Provence. Après les départs de dimanche, le centre de vacances de Carry-le-Rouet réquisitionné pour cette période de confinement sera vide. “Personne n’était malade finalement, donc, oui, on va nettoyer et appliquer les procédures de désinfection mais comme à l’arrivée, pas plus”, a précisé Marc Zyltman, chef du dispositif pour la Croix-Rouge. À voir également sur Le HuffPost: En Chine, la mort du médecin lanceur d’alerte sur le coronavirus provoque la colère des citoyens

Washington Township, Pottawattamie County, Iowa Washington Township is a township in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, USA. History Washington Township was organized in 1870. References Category:Townships in Pottawattamie County, Iowa Category:Townships in Iowa

Nikolaos Georgopoulos Nikolaos Georgopoulos (born 31 January 1937 in Athens) is a Greek former sprinter who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was part of Greece's winning 4×400 metres relay team at the 1959 Mediterranean Games. He also represented his country at the European Athletics Championships in 1954 and 1958, and was a 200 metres silver medallist at the 1959 Universiade. References Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Greek male sprinters Category:Sportspeople from Athens Category:Olympic athletes of Greece Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Category:Competitors at the 1959 Mediterranean Games Category:Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Greece Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in athletics Category:Universiade silver medalists for Greece

Under the Gang of 8’s backroom immigration deal with Senators Schumer, Corker and Hoeven, formerly illegal immigrants who are amnestied will be eligible to work, but will not be eligible for ObamaCare. Employers who would be required to pay as much as a $3,000 penalty for most employees who receive an ObamaCare healthcare “exchange” subsidy, would not have to pay the penalty if they hire amnestied immigrants. Consequently, employers would have a significant incentive to hire or retain amnestied immigrants, rather than current citizens, including those who have recently achieved citizenship via the current naturalization process. The issue is really an “interaction effect” of the immigration proposal and ObamaCare itself. Beginning in January, businesses with 50 or more full-time employees, that do not currently offer healthcare benefits that are considered “acceptable” by the Obama administration, must pay a penalty if at least one of their workers obtains insurance on a new government-run “exchange.” The penalty can be as much as $3,000 per employee. Many employers have been preparing to cope with the new regulations by slashing the hours of full-timers to part-time status. Since “full-time,” in the language of ObamaCare, is averaging 30 hours per week, employers will, in general, receive the penalty if they have 50 or more employees who are working an average of 30 hours per week. If the immigration bill becomes law, many employers could receive incentives of hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire amnestied immigrants over American citizens. In addition, these newly legalized immigrants could work “full-time,” an advantage for companies and businesses as well, while employers could lay off or diminish to “part-time” status, American workers. Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner explains that he spoke with Alex Conant of Sen. Marco Rubio’s staff in April about the wrinkle, and was told that this was an issue that could be addressed during the legislative process. “[T]he scenario you raise illustrates both the absurdity of ObamaCare, and why we have insisted on a lengthy process to review this legislation before any votes are taken,” Conant emailed Klein. “We always expected there might be a need for amendments to fix technical problems, and we’ll be interested in seeing what sort of amendments might be offered to improve this part of the legislation without giving ObamaCare to illegals- something Sen. Rubio has always said he will not support.” However, as Klein said a couple of weeks ago, the issue has not been addressed and, in fact, the Schumer-Corker-Hoeven deal carries out what appears to be a major complication for American workers. Klein said that Conant did not respond to further requests for comment on this issue. As for Conant’s comment in April about Rubio insisting on a “lengthy process to review this legislation before votes are taken,” that seems to have gone with the wind as well.

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LncRNA HIF1A-AS2 positively affects the progression and EMT formation of colorectal cancer through regulating miR-129-5p and DNMT3A. LncRNAs were a group of RNAs, which can be a regulator or master in biological activities of cancer cells. HIF1A-AS2 belongs to this group, and it has been verified to be able to affect cell activities in several kinds of cancers. In this study, we tried to study the functions of HIF1A-AS2 exerted in colorectal cancer. In order to clearly know about the expression of HIF1A-AS2, miR-129-5p and DNMT3A in CRC tissues and cells, we employed qRT-PCR. The relevance among those three genes was examined by the use of Pearson correlation analysis. With the aid of bioinformatics analysis and dual luciferase reporter assays, the combinations between them were verified one by one MTT, colony formation trans-well and western blotting, immunofluorescence, all those assays reflected a fact that as a ceRNA, HIF1A-AS2 could directly bind with miR-129-5p, and could positively affect cell proliferation, invasion and EMT formation by regulation of the expression of miR-129-5p and DNMT3A. Therefore, we obtained a conclusion that HIF1A-AS2 exerted the oncogenic functions in CRC through regulating miR-129-5p/DNMT3A axis, which indicates that HIF1A-AS2 might be a useful therapeutic target in CRC.

Just B A little girl who had a stroke and all that came after.

Exopolysaccharides produced by mixed culture of yeast Rhodotorula rubra GED10 and yogurt bacteria (Streptococcus thermophilus 13a + Lactobacillus bulgaricus 2-11). The studies of the production of exopolysaccharides by lactose-negative yeast and a yogurt starter co-cultivated in a natural substrate containing lactose may be considered of interest because they reveal the possibilities for high-efficiency synthesis of biopolymers by mixed cultivation. The mixed culture Rhodotorula rubra GED10 + (Streptococcus thermophilus 13a + Lactobacillus bulgaricus 2-11) was cultivated in cheese whey ultrafiltrate (WU) (44.0 g lactose l(-1)) at initial pH 6.0, 28 degrees C, under intensive aeration (air-flow rate 1.0 l l(-1) min(-1), agitation 220 rev min(-1)) in a MBR AG fermentor. The mixed culture manifested the highest activity for synthesis of exopolysaccharides (19.3 g l(-1)) and cell mass (21.0 g l(-1)) at the 84th hour. The yogurt starter synthesized neutral exopolysaccharides, while the mixed culture yeast + yogurt starter produced acidic exopolysaccharides containing uronic acid (6%). The neutral sugar composition was identified as mannose, glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. Mannose dominated in the polymer composition (83%) that was produced only by the yeast (97%). Lactose in the WU can be effectively utilized by a co-culture of lactose-negative yeast-yogurt starter for synthesis of exopolysaccharides. The present findings propose an alternative use of WU as a cost-effective carbohydrate substrate, and suggest that the lactose-negative yeast Rhodotorula rubra can have industrial application as producers of exopolysaccharides.

<?php namespace App\maguttiCms\Admin\Importer; use App\Author; use App\Category; use App; /** * Importa i dati dal fileone * * Class GlobalListImport * @package App\maguttiCms\Admin\Importer */ class GlobalListImport extends ImportHelper { /** * @var */ protected $model; protected $lang = 'it'; function __construct() { $this->setStorage('import'); } function import() { $i = 0; $this->getStorage(); foreach ($this->storage->files() as $file) { if ($this->getFileExtension($file) == 'csv') { $i++; echo "<h1>" . $file . "</h1>"; $this->parseResource($file); }; } if ($i == 0) echo "No files found"; } function addData($data) { App::setLocale('it'); /* array:19 [▼ 0 => "N° FILE" 1 => "SITO DI COLLEGAMENTO (NOME DELLA CARTELLA)" 2 => "NOME DEL FILE CHE COMPARE SULL'APP" 3 => "NOME DEL FILE WORD" 4 => "FOTO DI RIFERIMENTO" 5 => "CARATTERI DELL'OPERA IN LINGUA LOCALE (per 7 lingue)" 6 => "NAZIONE" 7 => "STATO" 8 => "CONTEA/REGIONE" 9 => "CITTA' (LOCALITA')" 10 => "VIA" 11 => "CIVICO" 12 => "AMBIENTE/SALA (se in museo)" 13 => "LATITUDINE GPS" 14 => "LONGITUDINE GPS" 15 => "TIPOLOGIA OPERA" 16 => "ARTISTA (AUTORE DELL'OPERA)" 17 => "STILE ARTISTICO" 18 => "AUTORE DEL TESTO" ] */ $sito = $data[1]; if($sito) { echo "<br>****************************************<br>"; $position = $data[0]*10; echo $titolo = $this->sanitize($data[2]); echo "<br>"; $file = $this->sanitize($data[3]); $chunk = split_nth($file,'_',5); $code = $chunk[0] ; $style = $this->sanitize($data[17]); $podcast = "audio/".$file.'.mp3'; $podcastData = ['podcast' => $podcast]; $podcastObj = App\Podcast::firstOrNew( $podcastData); if(!$podcastObj->id){ $podcastObj->title = $titolo ; $podcastObj->code = $code ; $podcastObj->podcast = $podcast ; $podcastObj->podcast_original_filename = $file ; $podcastObj->podcast_size = "4852668"; $podcastObj->podcast_last_modified = date('Y-m-d h:i:s a', time()); ; $podcastObj->podcast_length = '5.23' ; $categoria = $this->sanitize($data[15]); $autore = $this->sanitize($data[16]); $podcastObj->category_id = $this->getCategoria($categoria); $podcastObj->author_id = $this->getArtista($autore); $podcastObj->location_id = $this->getSito($data,$podcastObj->category_id); $podcastObj->image = ""; // cabled $podcastObj->writer_id = 1; $podcastObj->sort = $position; $podcastObj->locale = 'it'; $podcastObj->save(); //*** associazione con style } if($style && $style!='==='){ $styleArray = $this->getStyles( $style); if(count($styleArray ) >0 ) $podcastObj->saveStyles($styleArray); } } return false; } function getArtista($autore) { if($autore=='==='){ return null; } elseif($autore!='') { echo "Autore:".$autore."<br>"; $matchThese = array('title'=>$autore); $autoreObj = Author::updateOrCreate($matchThese,['title'=>$autore]); return $autoreObj->id; } } /** * @param $categoria */ function getCategoria($categoria){ if($categoria!='') { $categoriaObj = Category::whereTranslation('title', $categoria)->first(); if($categoriaObj) { echo "Categoria: " . $categoria . " - ".$categoriaObj->id." - <br>"; return $categoriaObj->id; } else { dd($categoria); } } } function getSito($data,$category_id){ $sito = $this->sanitize($data[1]); echo "Sito:".$sito."<br>"; $locationData = ['name' => $sito]; $location = App\Location::firstOrNew($locationData); if($location->id> 0) return $location->id; else { $location->route = ucwords(strtolower($this->sanitize($data[10]))); $location->street_number = ( $this->sanitize($data[11]) !='===' )?:''; $location->locality = ucwords(strtolower($this->sanitize($data[9]))); $location->administrative_area_level_1 = ucwords(strtolower($this->sanitize($data[8]))); $location->country = ucwords(strtolower($this->sanitize($data[7]))); $location->name = $sito; $location->category_id = $category_id; $location->formatted_address = $location->route .' '.$location->street_number.' '.$location->locality; $location->is_active = 1; $location->city_id = 2; $location->save() ; return $location->id; } } function getStyles($style){ $styles = explode('/',$style); $arrayStili = []; echo "Style:".$style."<br>"; var_dump( $styles); foreach ( $styles as $_style){ $styleObj = App\Style::whereTranslation('title', $_style)->first(); if( $styleObj && $styleObj->id ) array_push($arrayStili,$styleObj->id); else dd($_style); } return $arrayStili; } }

---------------------- Forwarded by Vince J Kaminski/HOU/ECT on 05/12/2000 05:07 PM --------------------------- Phelim Boyle <pboyle@uwaterloo.ca> on 05/12/2000 03:47:59 PM To: Vince.J.Kaminski@enron.com, Amy Aldous <aaldous@watarts.uwaterloo.ca>, pconcessi@deloitte.com, ROSS Raymond -CMMRCL OPS <raymond.ross@ontariopowergeneration.com> cc: Subject: Conference May 31 on Energy Derivatives in Toronto Vince Thanks again for agreeing to speak at our conference. It is attracting considerable interest. . Is it possible for you to send us copies of your slides by May 18 to meet our deadline for preparing the material.? If you have? a related paper available that covers some of the same material that would do instead but naturally we would prefer the slides. I would like to mention again the?? the pre-conference dinner at 7 pm on Sunday May 30 for the speakers We hope very much you can be present I was also hoping you would be available for the last? session of the day to be panel member The provisional title? is Managing Risk in Illiquid Markets The chair is Pat Concessi of Deloitte and Touche The panel last from 3.30 until 4.30 and we would like panel members should speaker for a few minutes and take questions from the floor. In the meantime if you have any questions please let Amy or myself know Sincerely Phelim P Boyle ? -- Phelim P Boyle Director Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2L 3G1 Tel? 519 885 1211(6513) Fax 519 888 7562 ?

Thursday, 23 August 2012 lady marmalade has sore feet The Royal Agricultural Show is coming soon and I signed up. Fool! I had a big bowl of cumquats that I needed to get in the pot and I had some gloves I needed to dye so this evening's work involved a bit of multitasking. Stir the marmalade, stir the dyepot, stir the marmalade, stir the..... you get into a rhythm. It's a bit nerve-wracking this competition preserving but I think I may actually have made the best batch of marmalade I have ever done. Fine cut cumquat marmalade has resulted in sore feet, my kitchen floor is concrete and a killer on the arches. I've got a batch of gloves in the washing machine and I'm just waiting until it finishes before hitting the sack. It beeps when it's finished so there is no way of going to sleep with the laundry under the bedroom and I'll be able to get it into the dryer so they'll be ready to be pressed in the morning. I might just sneak in an episode of The Armstrong and Miller Show on iView. You have to watch this, it's too too funny! 1 comment: I can almost smell that great looking marmalade from here...good luck at the show...perhaps you could sell the remaining jars at a local farmers ,arket ..like that chap in the clip.!thanks for making me laugh outloud xJudi

[Time course of inhibition of caffeine elimination in response to the oral depot contraceptive agent Deposiston. Hormonal contraceptives and caffeine elimination]. In the course of six months, the influence of the oral depot contraceptive, Deposiston (3 mg ethinylestradiol sulphonate and 10 mg norethisterone acetate per menstrual cycle) on the pharmacokinetics of caffeine as a model substance was studied in seven women in intraindividual comparison. The first examination began prior to administration of Deposition. The women were subjected to little challenge as saliva was used as the measuring compartment. Deposiston was found markedly delay the elimination half-life life of caffeine (p less than 0.05): t1/2 prior to therapy 4.9 +/- 2.6 h and, after as little as 2 mg ethinylestradiol sulphonate 8.0 +/- 3.5 h. In contrast to the effect observed for preparations containing less estrogen, these longer half-lives persisted throughout the trial. As expected, the AUC values were slightly elevated during this period, whereas clearance values were reduced.

Potential pitfalls in fetal neurosonography. To present anatomic variants of the fetal brain and artifacts related to scanning techniques that could be misinterpreted as abnormalities on prenatal neurosonographic studies. The findings were derived from fetal neurosonographic studies performed routinely from 16 to 36 weeks' gestation during the last 3 years, supervised by a sonologist specialized in neonatal cranial sonography. The pitfalls were divided into three groups: brain parenchyma, ventricular system and choroid plexus. We provide images of these pseudolesions and clues to their differentiation from true brain pathology. Knowledge of misleading images seen on fetal neurosonographic studies that could be misinterpreted as lesions is essential for the proper interpretation of these studies and will help avoid the use of more invasive diagnostic tests. To the best of our knowledge, the majority of the pitfalls presented here have only been described in neonates.

(a) Field of the Invention The invention relates to a new “gene-switch” (cumate-inducible switch) for mammalian cells. This switch is as useful in the development of expression systems and cell-based assays for functional genomics as in the generation of viral vectors for gene therapy. (b) Description of Prior Art Tightly controlled inducible expression of foreign proteins would greatly aid functional studies in heterologous systems. The ability to regulate both the level and the duration of expression would allow the study of proteins whose constitutive expression might not be tolerated by the cell. A number of inducible systems endogenous to mammalian cells involving regulation by heavy-metals (Brinster, R. L., et al. Nature (London) 296: 39-42, 1982; Mayo, E. K., et al. Cell 29: 99-108, 1982; and Searle, P. F., et al. Molecular and Cellular Biology 5: 1480-1489, 1985), steroid hormones (Hynes, N. E., N. Kennedy, et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:2038-2042, 1981; Lee, F., et al. Nature (London) 294: 228-232, 1981; and Klock, G., et al. Nature (London) 329: 734-736, 1987), heat shock ((Nouer, L. p.-., Heat Shock Response. Boca Raton, Fla., Ed. CRC, 1991) (reviewed in Mullick, A. and B. Massie Encyclopedia of Cell Technology pp. 1140-1164, 2000)) are widely used. However, a major limitation of these inducible mammalian promoters is the pleitropic effects of the inducers (heat shock, glucocorticoids etc.). To overcome these problems, prokaryotic (Gossen, M., et al. TIBS 18: 471-475, 1993) and insect regulatory systems (No, D., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93: 3346-3351, 1996) have been adapted to construct gene switches that function in mammalian cells. Since inducer molecules are not expected to have targets in mammalian cells, the possibility of interference with cellular processes is reduced. Of the prokaryotic proteins, two have proved particularly useful, the repressors from the lac (Brown, M., et al. Cell 49: 603-612, 1987; and Hu, M. C.-T. and N. Davidson Cell 48: 555-566, 1987) and the tet operons (Blau, H. M. and F. M. V. Rossi, Proc. Natl. acad. sci. USA 96: 797-799, 1999). Both have been incorporated in eukaryotic inducible expression systems using different strategies to control activation and repression of expression. Activation of expression is mediated by a chimaeric transactivator protein formed by the fusion of the bacterial repressor with an activation domain (Gossen, M. and H. Bujard, Proc. Natl. acad. sci. USA 89: 5547-5551, 1992; and Gossen, M., et al. Science 268: 1766-1769, 1995). The transactivator is able to activate transcription when bound to its DNA recognition sequence placed upstream of the minimal promoter. The ability of the activator to bind DNA is dependent on the presence/absence of the inducer molecule. Repression of expression is mediated by the repressor bound to operator sites placed downstream of the minimal promoter in the absence of inducer and repression is relieved on the addition of the inducer (Brown, M., et al. Cell 49: 603-612, 1987). It would be highly desirable to be provided with an alternate activation/repression switch for expression of eukaryotic proteins.

1. Technical Field The present invention relates to a semiconductor device that includes a multilayer interconnect structure. 2. Related Art To cope with the recent growing demand for higher operating speed for semiconductor chips, various studies are being aggressively made on employing a material having a lower dielectric constant to form an interlayer dielectric in place of a silicon oxide film (dielectric constant K=approx. 4.3), to thereby reduce parasitic capacitance between interconnect lines. Examples of applicable low dielectric constant (hereinafter abbreviated as low-k) insulating material include HSQ, MSQ, and aromatic-containing organic resins, which have a dielectric constant of approx. 3. Besides, for achieving a still lower dielectric constant, porous materials that include minute pores are lately being developed. Employing such low-k materials to form the interlayer dielectric allows reducing crosstalk between the interconnect lines, thus achieving higher operating speed of the chips. The low-k films, however, generally have low film strength, and insufficient adhesion properties. Besides, because of the lack of strength, the low-k film is prone to be scraped off during a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) process, in a region where interconnect lines are not densely distributed. Now, when fabricating semiconductor chips, a plurality of circuit chips are first formed on a wafer, and then the wafer is diced into individual chips. By the dicing process, dicing sections of the semiconductor chips are exposed. Accordingly, a seal ring region is provided along the periphery of each circuit chip, so as to prevent intrusion of water or moisture through the dicing sections. JP-A 2004-297022 discloses a structure of a semiconductor chip provided with a seal ring constituted of vias and interconnects disposed along the outer periphery. In this structure, the seal ring is continuously disposed so as to be connected to all layers, including the lower layers and upper layers of the semiconductor chip, to thereby prevent the intrusion of water or moisture through the dicing sections (FIG. 2 of JP-A 2004-297022). Generally, in a semiconductor device, upper layers are formed in an insulating layer constituted of silicon oxide film, which is sufficiently rigid, serving as the interlayer dielectric, while lower layers are formed in an interlayer dielectric constituted of a low-k film, for reducing the interconnect capacitance. The low-k film lacks in mechanical strength and adhesion properties, as stated above. Besides, the low-k film is prone to absorb moisture. Therefore, improvement in mechanical strength and moisture resistance with respect to the lower layers of the semiconductor device is an important issue to be addressed. On the other hand, since the upper layers include the wider interconnects and the larger vias in general, the size of the seal ring region is determined according to the size of the interconnects and vias in the upper layers. Therefore, it is desirable to have the interconnects and vias in the upper layers disposed so as to prevent the seal ring region from excessively expanding.

The first information about the next version of Microsoft's Web browser was revealed at PDC on Wednesday. The announcement described three main areas of improvement: JavaScript, Web standards, and graphics technology. IE9 will contain a new, significantly faster JavaScript engine, it will have richer support for Web standards like CSS 3, and it will use the new Direct2D and DirectWrite technology for its graphics and text rendering. Both the new JavaScript engine and the new graphics technology will improve the browser's performance. Microsoft made the point that different websites place different performance demands on a browser. Some are more scripting intensive, others more graphically intensive; some have complex layouts, others are simple. This has the consequence that to improve performance across the board, a wide range of optimizations and improvements are needed. With IE9, Redmond intends to not just improve performance in limited benchmarks (that focus on a single aspect of browser performance), but to ensure that real-world websites become faster. Rendering the webpage in IE8 is performed predominantly on the CPU. Direct2D is a new Windows API that uses hardware Direct3D acceleration to accelerate 2D graphics, available in Windows 7 and as a patch for Windows Vista. Through the use of Direct2D, IE9 will perform all graphics rendering on the GPU, providing quicker page rendering, faster, smoother animation, and high quality image scaling. For graphically intensive applications like Google Maps, this should result in better performance and an improved user experience. JavaScript performance has become an increasingly important concern for Web applications. As Web apps have become more capable and more fully-featured, JavaScript engines have had an ever-greater burden placed on them. Whereas once they might only run a few dozen of lines on a page, today's rich applications (Google Apps or the Office Web Apps, say) now run tens or hundreds of kilobytes of scripting on every page. To meet these needs, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome have all seen a lot of development effort on their scripting engines to speed up these usage scenarios. Though IE's JavaScript engine has got faster—the widely used SunSpider benchmark takes about half the time to run in IE8 as it does in IE7—it still lags behind other browsers quite considerably. IE9 is getting a brand-new engine that should take IE's JavaScript performance to the proverbial next level. Technical descriptions of the new engine made it sound quite similar to the V8 engine used in Chrome; the new IE9 JavaScript engine will compile JavaScript into native code, just like in V8, and the technique it will use to speed up the object-oriented nature of JavaScript also sounded similar to the approach V8 takes. Early results suggest that the current IE9 engine performs in the same ballpark as betas of Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. IE is still the slowest, but the difference now ranges from 10% slower (compared to Firefox) to 100% slower (compared to Chrome), rather than 5-600% slower as is presently the case for IE8. The IE team does not want to be trailing any more, and performance is now clearly a big deal. Over the years, standards compliance has been the Web development community's biggest complaint about Internet Explorer. Though IE was once highly competitive in this area—during the days of the browser wars—its stagnation after the release of IE6 left it far behind. IE7 made some small improvements, and IE8 did achieve some kind of parity, at least when looking at the fundamental HTML 4.01 and CSS 2.1 specifications. Microsoft made a significant effort with IE8 and arguably its CSS 2.1 compliance was best in class. However, there is considerable demand among developers for new features: CSS 3, HTML 5, SVG, and Canvas. Many of these standards are still themselves in flux, being in the draft stages of development rather than finalized specifications, but many of their features are so compelling (HTML 5's native support for embedded video, CSS 3's rounded corners, Canvas's extensive graphical capabilities) that developers want them right now. At PDC, Microsoft would not commit to supporting any particular features or specifications with IE9. The company did state that its focus would be on providing the features that were actually most useful to developers, and ensuring that those features had robust test suites. IE9 is still in its early days, and there is no hint of a date at which a beta might become available. Many questions, especially about standards support, remain unanswered. The switch to Direct2D may also mean an end to XP support (Direct2D is unavailable on that OS). Nonetheless, the announcements give a strong indication that Microsoft is taking its browser seriously, and wants it to be a viable alternative to its competitors.

It was like the TV show “Storage Wars” — on Columbus Boulevard! — as the contents of two storage units rented by disgraced sportscaster Don Tollefson were auctioned off this afternoon. A small crowd of about two dozen bidders gathered around two of Tollefson’s units. One appeared to contain little more than trash, including a muddy glass jar of white clam sauce. The contents of that storage unit sold for $175. The second had old hockey sticks, a container of stirrup socks, and a box of Chicago Cubs baseball caps. That one went for $600. In addition,Tollefson’s Chevy Blazer sold for $100. Ron Trainor of Voorhees, NJ was among the potential bidders. “Don Tollefson — that caught my eye!” he said just before the auction. “And then after that… I’m interested in this kind of thing. You never know what you’re going to find, down underneath, in the back, in the corner. Old sword, rifles, or something. You know.” The winning bidders declined to speak with reporters. The Bucks County district attorney’s office searched the units on Friday, but sources say they found nothing to help their investigation into charges that Tollefson was running a charity scam. Tollefson is still being held at the Bucks County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail (see related stories).

Even Devan Downey needs some help. South Carolina's senior guard had another Herculean effort on Saturday with 35 points, but he and the rest of the Gamecocks couldn't find their defensive rhythm. An inconsistent offense time and again led to beaten D, which allowed a season-high 61.1 field-goal percentage in an 89-79 loss to Vanderbilt.

Gilles' Wife Gilles' Wife () is a 2004 drama film based on the 1937 novel of the same name by Madeleine Bourdouxhe. The film was directed by Frédéric Fonteyne and written by Fonteyne, Philippe Blasband and Marion Hänsel. It received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). Cast Emmanuelle Devos as Elisa Clovis Cornillac as Gilles Laura Smet as Victorine Colette Emmanuelle as Elisa's mother Gil Lagay as Elisa' father External links Category:2004 films Category:Belgian drama films Category:French drama films Category:Luxembourgian films Category:Italian drama films Category:Italian films Category:Swiss drama films Category:Swiss films Category:Films based on Belgian novels Category:Belgian films Category:French films

Heat stress is an environmental and occupational hazard. The prevention of deaths caused by extreme high temperatures (above 42 °C) is an issue of human public health importance and also a concern in animal production[@b1]. In 1995, a heat wave in Chicago resulted in 700 reported deaths, of which 39% occurred in individuals known to have a prior heart condition[@b2]. Similar reports indicated extreme temperatures caused a large number of deaths and heat-related injuries in Europe in 2003 and in California in 2006[@b3][@b4]. Mammals have sweat glands, but can still be affected by high temperatures and even suffer sudden death. The conception rates of lactating Brown Swiss, Jersey and Holstein cows in the United States were reported to decrease from 52% to 32% as the maximum air temperature increased from 23.9 °C to 32.2 °C during the summer[@b5]. In Brazil, the pregnancy rates of Holstein cows in free stall reduced from 71.2% in the winter to 45.7% in the summer[@b6]. High temperatures can also harm poultry, especially broiler chickens, which have no sweat glands and poor thermotolerance[@b7]. Heat stress causes a series of physiological and metabolic changes in broiler chickens, including elevated body temperature, panting, respiratory alkalosis and sudden death[@b8]. According to our previous *in vivo* and *in vitro* research in rats, sudden death caused by heat stress (41 ± 1 °C) is primarily the result of pathological changes in the heart, such as necrosis and cell degeneration[@b9]. The heart is a critically important organ in animals and humans. Previous clinical reports demonstrated that thermal tolerance to heat stress is impaired in human patients with cardiovascular disease. In particular, patients with cardiovascular conditions associated with ventricular dysfunction and chronic heart failure (CHF) are predisposed to heat intolerance[@b10][@b11]. Despite the fact that high heat stress-induced mortality rates of nearly 40% have been reported among broiler chickens exposed to a temperature of 40 °C, little attention has been paid to investigation of the mechanisms associated with heat stress in broiler chickens. The heat shock response (HSR) is an evolutionarily-conserved defense mechanism that protects against sudden stresses, such as elevated temperature or environmental changes[@b12]. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a family of proteins that are produced by cells in response to exposure to stressful conditions. They were first described in relation to heat shock[@b13], but are now known to also be expressed during other stresses including exposure to cold[@b14], UV light[@b15], and during wound healing or tissue remodeling[@b16]. Many members of this group perform chaperone function by stabilizing new proteins to ensure correct folding or by helping to refold proteins that were damaged by the cell stress[@b17]. HSPs are found in virtually all living organisms, from bacteria to humans. Heat-shock proteins are named according to their molecular weight. For example, Hsp60, Hsp70 and Hsp90 (the most widely studied HSPs) refer to families of heat shock proteins on the order of 60, 70, and 90 kilodaltons in size, respectively[@b18]. Some previously researches transfected Hsp90, Hsp60 and Hsp56 into rat H~9~C~2~ cells and cultured primary cardiac cells to investigate the mechanisms related to stress responses. Interestingly, these experiments clearly indicated that overexpression of Hsp90 protected against a number of stimuli[@b19][@b20]. Our other studies[@b21] indicated overexpression of Hsp70 exerted a protective effect against heat stress[@b22][@b23]. Therefore, these studies indicate the individual Hsps exert specific protective effects and their functions should be assessed separately. However, the protective roles of Hsp60 and other Hsps have not been fully investigated[@b24][@b25]. The small heat shock protein αB-Crystallin (CryAB, HSPB5, 20 KDa) belongs to the small heat shock protein (sHsp) family, and is expressed in most organisms in response to several types of stress (e.g., UV, hyperthermia, toxic radicals) in order to protect cells[@b26][@b27]. CryAB is expressed ubiquitously throughout the mammals' body and exerts a variety of highly protective functions to maintain homeostasis. CryAB has also been shown to exert anti-apoptotic properties, as it can prevent cell death in response to conditions such as stroke[@b28] by maintaining the cell cytoskeleton[@b29]. Mechanistically, CryAB localizes to the I-band and M-line region in myofibrils and has been confirmed to play a myofibril-stabilizing role in cardiomyocytes *in vitro*[@b30]. It is now believed that the pleotropic functions of CryAB are the result of its diverse interactions with a wide variety of different proteins[@b31]. In our previous research, we investigated CryAB expression and localization, and demonstrated it plays a protective role against heat stress in rat myocardial cells *in vivo* and *in vitro*[@b21]. However, the function of CryAB remains poorly explored compared to other members of the sHsp family. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) is widely used as a drug to treat pain, fever and inflammation[@b32] and is also prescribed long-term at low doses to help prevent heart attacks, strokes and blood clot formation in high risk individuals[@b33]. Therefore, ASA is an important part of the care of patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction (heart attack)[@b34]. ASA has been reported to reduce the development, growth rate, or both, of several human cancers in animal models[@b35], via a mechanism mediated at least in part by inhibition of the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) enzymes and reduced production of prostaglandins and other inflammatory mediators[@b36]. Interestingly, heat stress has been shown to active multiple cellular responses, including inflammatory pathways[@b35]. In present study, we established *in vivo* and *in vitro* models to investigate the functions on the chicken myocardium during prolonged heat stress. Moreover, we also assessed the ability of ASA to protect the myocardium against heats stress *in vivo* and *in vitr*o, and investigated the relationship between CryAB and ASA during heat stress. Materials and Methods ===================== Establishment of the *in vivo* heat stress model ------------------------------------------------ All experiments were performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province (China) and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Nanjing Agricultural University, China. The *in vivo* heat stress model was established as previously described[@b37]. Briefly, one-day-old specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens were purchased from Qian Yuan Hao Biotechnology Company, Nanjing, China. The entire population was vaccinated against Newcastle disease (ND) and infectious bursal disease (IBD) on day 7 and day 14, respectively. The birds were allowed to acclimate to their new housing and recover from environmental stress for 30 days. Then, 270 chickens were randomly divided into three groups, designated the HS group (heat stress), the ASA(−)HS(+) group (pretreated with aspirin before heat stress), and the ASA(+)HS(−) group (pretreated with aspirin, no heat stress), respectively, with 90 chickens in each group. The chickens were not provided water for the 12 h leading up to the experiment. The chickens in the ASA(+)HS(−) and ASA(+)HS(+) groups were administered aspirin orally at 1 mg/kg body weight (ASA powder \>98% purity; Sigma, USA) 2 h before the heat stress phase of the experiment. During the heat stress phase, the chickens in ASA(+)HS(−) group were housed under normal conditions as a control group (i.e. not exposed to heat), while the chickens in the ASA(+)HS(+) and ASA(−)HS(+) groups were exposed to heat stress by rapidly, gently moving the animals from 25 ± 1 °C to an air chamber (GJ-1, Suzhou Fengshi Laboratory Animal Equipment Co. Ltd, China) preheated to 40 ± 1 °C at 60\~70% humidity. The broilers were allowed free access to food and water *ad libitum* during heat stress exposure. At 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 24 h, 10 chickens in each group were sacrificed humanely by decapitation. The body temperature of the broilers was measured via the rectum (3 cm inside) using a mercury thermometer within 2 min before slaughter. The hearts were excised and fixed in 10% formalin for pathological studies or frozen in liquid nitrogen for ELISA. For pathological analysis, heart samples from the 10 chickens in each treatment group were fixed in 4% methanol, paraffin-embedded, cut into 4 μm-thick serial sections, stained with hematoxylin (3 min) and eosin (1 min), and examined by light microscopy (Imager A2, ZEISS, Germany). Isolation and culture of primary chicken myocardial cells --------------------------------------------------------- All experiments were performed in accordance with the guidelines of the Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangsu Province (China) and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Nanjing Agricultural University, China. Twelve-day-old specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated eggs (Qian Yuan Hao Biotechnology Company, Nan Jing, China) were opened. The hearts of the embryos were removed in a bio-clean environment, cut into pieces (1 mm^3^), washed in pre-cooled PBS (4 °C) four times, the fibrous tissue was digested in 1 mg/mL collagenase type I (17100-017, Gibco, USA) at 4 °C for 14--16 h, then the digestion was terminated by addition of Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM; 11995-065, Gibco) containing 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS; 16141079, Gibco). The digest was centrifuged at 1000 rpm for 10 min, the cells were resuspended in DMEM containing 20% FBS, 100 units/mL penicillin and 100 units/mL streptomycin. The cells were cultured in cell culture plates at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO~2~ and 95% air, then the primmorph were transferred into new cell culture plates after 1 h and 0.1 mmol/L 5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine solution (BRDU, B16880, Sigma, Germany) was added the culture solution. Cells were cultivated for 48 h to let them adhere. Immunofluorescence analysis was employed to confirm the cells were myocardial cells using the marker alpha actinin (α-actinin, ab11007, abcam, USA) which is specific to myocardial cells. The proportion of myocardial cells was assessed in five randomly chosen fields of view (data not shown) by fluorescence microscopy (Cx41-32rfl, Olympus, Japan). Assessment of cell viability *in vitro* --------------------------------------- Four groups of primary chicken cells were established (HS: 2 h, ASA + HS: 2 h, HS: 24 h, ASA + HS: 24 h). Cells (1 × 10^6^) were seeded and cultured in 6 cm cell culture plates (Corning, USA), and used in experiments when the cell division was higher than 85%. After treatment with ASA and/or HS, the cells were digested with 0.25% trypsin for 10 min, resupsended in DMEM containing 20% FBS and 1% penicillin/streptomycin, then counted using the Trypan blue assay under an inverted light microscope. Each sample was counted three times. CryAB ELISA ----------- The chicken heart samples were washed in ice-cold saline and homogenized on ice in 10 volumes of homogenization buffer \[0.15 M NaCl, 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, 1 mM phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride, 0.1 μM E-46, 0.08 μM aprotinin, 0.1 μM leupeptin, and 0.1% NP-40\] using an Ultra-Turrax homogenizer (623003, Fluko Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, China) The homogenates were centrifuged at 12,000 g for 20 min at 4 °C to remove debris, and the supernatant was collected and stored at −20 °C for protein quantification. Primary chicken myocardial cells were washed twice with PBS and lysed in M-PERH mammalian protein extraction reagent (28501, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) supplemented with Halt^TM^ protease inhibitor cocktail (78425, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions, centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at 4 °C and the supernatants were used as total protein extracts. The protein concentrations of the samples were measured using a Micro-BCA™ protein assay kit (23235, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA), then CryAB protein levels were quantified using a commercially available ELISA Kit (MBS2882479, MyBioSource, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Statistical analysis -------------------- Curve Expert 1.3 software was used to generate the standard curves for the ELISAs. Data were compared with the baseline level (0 h in the HS group) by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) test using SPSS version 21 for Windows and Graphpad prism 6.0 software. *P *\< 0.05 was considered significant; *P *\< 0.01 was considered highly significant. Duncan's multiple range test was used to analyze CryAB levels between groups at each time point. All raw data presented are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). All experiments were repeated three times. Results ======= Clinical manifestation of heat stress in broiler chickens --------------------------------------------------------- The broilers behaved normally after being orally administered ASA in water 2 h before heat stress. After 1 h heat stress, the broilers in the ASA(−)HS(+) group displayed polypnea and became more sensitivity to heat compared to the ASA(+)HS(+) pretreated group. After 5 h of heat stress, the broilers in the ASA(−)HS(+) group were not as active, and the ASA(+)HS(+) treatment group displayed similar to their behavior at earlier time point. From 10 h to 24 h of heat stress, the ASA(+)HS(+) group showed relaxed behavior compared to ASA(−)HS(+) group. Both groups subjected to heat stress had higher rectal temperatures than the control group housed at RT (25 °C; [Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}); however, the ASA(−)HS(+) group had significantly higher body temperatures compared to the ASA(+)HS(+) group at all time points during heat stress (P* *\< 0.05). The mercury thermometer used in this study ranged from 25 to 43 °C. During heat stress, the body temperature of most chickens in the ASA(−)HS(+) group was \>43 °C (we assumed a body temperature of 44 °C). Histopathological changes in the myocardium in the *in vivo* model of heat stress --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The histopathological changes in the myocardium of the heat stressed groups and control group are shown in [Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}. In the present experiment, some chickens were pre-treated with ASA 2 h before heat stress, euthanized at 0 h of heat stress and defined as the ASA control group ([Fig. 2F](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). As shown in [Fig. 2C](#f2){ref-type="fig"}, severe damage to the heart tissue was evident after 5 h of heat stress. The space between muscle fibers became wider (▲) and karyopyknosis could be observed (→). In the ASA(+)HS(+) group, cell swelling was observed, accompanied by slightly wider spacing between the heart fibers. After 15 h heat stress ([Fig. 2D](#f2){ref-type="fig"}), bleeding (←) and cell death were the major pathological changes. The heart tissue lost its normal organization and structure, with the cell cytoplasm fusing together, and nuclei disappearing or undergoing karyopyknosis. In the ASA(+)HS(+) group ([Fig. 2I](#f2){ref-type="fig"},G), the cardiac fibers became narrowed and chaotic after 15 h heat stress compared with the no heat stress control group, with fewer blood cells observed in the intercellular spaces. Most cells had degenerated, and a few were necrotic (→). Effect of heat stress on the survival of primary myocardial cells *in vitro* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Primary chicken myocardial cells were treated with or without 1 mg/mL ASA ASA for 2 h, cultured at 42 °C for 2 h or 24 h, and cell numbers were determined ([Fig. 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). After 2 h of heat stress, there was significantly more cells in the ASA pretreated group than the HS group (*P *\< 0.01). After 24 h heat stress, the number of cells had reduced in both groups compared to the numbers after 2 h heat stress; however, significantly more cells had survived in the ASA pretreated group than the HS group after 24 h heat stress (*P *\< 0.01). Effect of heat stress on CryAB protein expression *in vivo* ----------------------------------------------------------- The expression of CryAB was quantified in the myocardium of the chickens using an ELISA ([Fig. 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). At 0 h heat stress, the concentration of CryAB in the myocardium of the control group was only 200 pg/mL compared to 1200 pg/mL in the groups pretreated with ASA for 2 h, which represents a 6-fold difference (*P *\< 0.01). In the HS group, expression of CryAB increased after 1 h heat stress, reached the highest level after 10 h of heat stress (1400 pg/mL), then slightly decreased but still remained high between 15 and 24 h heat stress (1000 pg/mL). In the ASA group pretreated with ASA for 2 h, CryAB peaked at 0 h and 3 h (i.e., 2 and 5 h after administration of ASA), then sharply decreased after 3 h (p* *\< 0.01) and recovered to control levels (200 pg/mL) after 24 h heat stress. In the ASA(+)HS(+) group, the expression of CryAB followed a different trend. After 1 h of heat stress, CryAB was expressed at 6-fold lower levels compared to the HS group not pretreated with ASA, then slightly increased at 2 h, but remained lower than the levels in the ASA(−)HS (+) group up to the end of heat stress (24 h) with the exception of a peak at 7 hours (1000 pg/mL). At 3 h of heat stress, the level of CryAB was significantly lower in the ASA(+)HS(+) group than the HS group (p* *\< 0.01). CryAB expression in primary chicken myocardial cells in the *in vitro* model of heat stress ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CryAB expression was also measured in primary chicken myocardial cells *in vitro* after different treatments ([Fig. 5)](#f5){ref-type="fig"}. Before heat stress, CryAB was expressed at significantly higher levels in ASA-pretreated cells than control cells that had not been treated with ASA (p* *\< 0.01). However, cells exposed to 1 h heat stress expressed significantly higher levels of CryAB compared to not only before HS (P* *\< 0.01), but also compared to the ASA(+)HS(−) and ASA(+)HS(+) groups after 1 h heat stress. The levels of CryAB remained higher in cells subjected to heat stress \[ASA(−)HS(+)\] until 15 h compared to control cells. After 24 h heat stress, CryAB expression returned to the same level as control cells before heat stress. In the ASA(+)HS(+) group, CryAB expression decreased after 1 h and remained at a low level until 24 h heat stress. Discussion ========== Heat stress is a non-specific stressor that can affect the welfare of livestock and even contribute to death. Our previous research confirmed short term exposure to heat stress (1 h) induced detectable levels of enzymes related to heart damage, such as AST, CK and CKMB, in both the serum of rat blood and supernatant of rat myocardial cells[@b9][@b38]. Furthermore, pathological lesions, mainly due to necrosis, were observed in the rat myocardium after 40 min of heat stress *in vivo*, accompanied by lower CryAB expression, indicating CryAB may play an important role to protect the mammalian heart against heat stress[@b21]. In the present research, we investigated the expression profile of CryAB in the chicken myocardium using *in vivo* and *in vitro* models of heat stress lasting up to 24 h. Furthermore, we assessed the ability of ASA to protect the myocardium during heat stress, as it has been identified that the drug may protect the heart from heat stress by inducing Hsp90 and HspB1 expression[@b39]. The aim of this study was to determine whether CryAB could be induced by ASA and protect the myocardium during heat stress in broiler chickens using *in vivo* and *in vitro* models. In the *in vivo* model, heat stress resulted in severe damage (observed after 5 to 24 h) in the myocardium; these changes were mainly characterized by karyolysis and necrosis, signifying cell death. In comparison, the myocardium was less severely damaged in the ASA pretreated group, in which degeneration of cytoplasm was observed after 1--15 h of heat stress and the myocardium became disorganized with a number of necrotic and karyolitic cells after 24 h. The body temperature of the chickens in the ASA(+)HS(−) group remained approximately 41 °C, which is the normal body temperature range for broilers. Heat stress increased the body temperature of the chickens; however, the ASA(+)HS(+) group maintained a lower body temperature (41--43 °C) than the ASA(−)HS(+) group (42--44 °C). ASA is widely used to treat pain, fever and cardiac disease in humans[@b36]. During heat stress, body temperature increases and homeostasis of the intestinal flora becomes disrupted, which may cause inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, among others, to be released into the circulation, which can lead to fever. ASA can involve into anti-inflammatory properties[@b35]. In the *in vivo* model, ASA played a key role to protect the heart from heat stress. Aspirin controls fever by acting on the prostaglandin system as it irreversibly inhibits the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes[@b36]. Pathological analysis confirmed pretreatment with ASA attenuated heat stress-induced damage to the myocardium *in vivo* and prevented heat stress-induced primary chicken myocardial cell death *in vitro.* The ability of ASA to protect the myocardium during heat stress is consistent with the fact that low dose ASA is widely used to reduce the risk of subsequent heart attacks and prevent the death of myocardial tissue[@b40]. CryAB is a member of the small heat shock protein family (sHSPs, HspB1-HspB10) that is expressed in several organs and functions as a major cytoskeletal chaperone protein. The cytoskeleton plays a key role to maintain the physical shape of heart cells, protect against endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and preserve mitochondrial function *in vivo* and *in vitro*. Mitochondria consume oxygen and provide ATP throughout the entire body, and occupy up to 60% of the volume of myocardial cells[@b41][@b42]. Mammalian CryAB expression and localization have been well-characterized both *in vivo* and *in vitro* in the rat[@b9][@b21]; these analyses indicated CryAB may play an important role in response to heat stress in cardiac cells. However, until now, the expression of CryAB had not been researched in poultry. Our *in vivo* expression profiling of broiler chickens revealed 2 h pretreatment with ASA increased the expression of CryAB in the myocardium by 6-fold compared to control chickens. CryAB reached the highest level after 2 h heat stress; however, CryAB expression decreased significantly (by nearly 4-fold) after 3 h heat stress in chickens pretreated with ASA. After 24 h heat stress, CryAB expression recovered to similar levels as untreated control animals (200 pg/mL) in the chickens pretreated with ASA. Exposure to heat stress in the absence of ASA resulted in the opposite trend: CryAB expression increased slightly after 1 h heat stress, reached the highest level after 10 h heat stress and remained high up to 24 h heat stress. These results suggest that pretreatment with ASA induced the expression of CryAB during the early stage of heat stress. This reflects the metabolism of ASA; the half-life of ASA in humans is approximately 2.0 to 4.5 h. In our *in vivo* model, the chickens were orally administered ASA 2 h before heat stress. Pathological analysis of the *in vivo* model further confirmed that pretreatment with ASA to induce CryAB expression played a critical role to protect the myocardium against heat stress. In the ASA(+)HS(+) group, the expression of CryAB was strongly upregulated by pretreatment with ASA, slowly decreased during the initial stage of heat stress (1 h), slowly increased between 2 and 7 h heat stress, and then returned to similar levels as the HS group. CryAB has been shown to bind to other cytoskeletal proteins such as desmin and vimentin, which in turn can decrease CryAB expression[@b28][@b43]. The expression profiling suggested ASA only induced CryAB expression at the early stage (1--4 h) of heat stress. The expression of CryAB was not the same *in vivo* and *in vitro* in primary chicken myocardial cells. CryAB did not dramatically increase at the beginning of heat stress (0--1 h) and did not sharply decrease after prolonged heat stress. Moreover, the heat stressed cells expressed higher levels of CryAB at several time points (1, 3, 5, 15 h) than ASA(+)HS(+) cells. In contrast to the *in vivo* model, ASA treatment induced lower levels of CryAB than HS *in vitro*. Unlike other Hsps (Hsp90, Hsp27) we have researched[@b39][@b44], it may not possible to induce overexpression of CryAB *in vitro*. As previously stated, aspirin controls fever via the prostaglandin system by irreversibly inhibiting the cycloxygenases. However, cells in culture do not possess a hormone regulatory system. The main functional region of CryAB is its αB-crystallin chain, which means it cannot be induced by acid or other stressors like the inducible Hsps. However, CryAB could not be induced by pretreatment with ASA in primary chicken myocardial cells in the present study, which could reflect specific differences between the mammalian and chicken prostaglandin systems. ASA can induce Hsf1 expression, which binds to heat shock element (HSE) to induce the transcription of Hsp genes. However, unlike Hsp90, CryAB was not identified as a major Hsp that can be induced by Hsf1[@b45][@b46]. Similarly, CryAB showed no significant expression changes in primary chicken myocardial cells treated with ASA. Therefore, the mechanism by which ASA induces the expression of CryAB *in vivo* still needs to be identified. In conclusion, this study indicates that ASA can induce expression of CryAB and protect the myocardium *in vivo,* but not *in vitro*. Additional Information ====================== **How to cite this article**: Tang, S. *et al*. Aspirin upregulates αB-Crystallin to protect the myocardium against heat stress in broiler chickens. *Sci. Rep.* **6**, 37273; doi: 10.1038/srep37273 (2016). **Publisher's note**: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The current study was supported by grants from the National Key Basic Research Program of China (973 Program; grant no. 2014CB138502), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31602027), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31672520), the National Natural Science Foundation Of China (grant no. 31372403), Jiangsu Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. BK20160732),China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2016M591860), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Graduate Research and Innovation Projects in Jiangsu Province and the Sino-German Agricultural Cooperation Project of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Production, Berlin, Germany. **Author Contributions** S.T. Designed the experiment and wrote this manuscript and Figure 4. B.Y. helped to revise the manuscript. E.B.S. organized original data. H.B.C. contributed to the *in vivo* experiment and prepared Figures 1 and 2. Y.F.C. prepared Figure 3. X.H.Z. contributed to Figure 5. E.D.B. is corresponding author. J.H. revised the language of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript. {#f1} {#f2} {#f3} {#f4} {#f5} [^1]: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Defecation Defecation is the final act of digestion, by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Humans expel feces with a frequency varying from a few times daily to a few times weekly. Waves of muscular contraction (known as peristalsis) in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum. Undigested food may also be expelled this way, in a process called egestion. Open defecation, the practice of defecating outside without using a toilet of any kind, is still widespread in some developing countries, for example in India. Description Physiology The rectum ampulla (anatomically also: ampulla recti) temporarily stores fecal waste. As the waste fills the rectum and expands the rectal walls, nervous system stretch receptors in the rectal walls stimulate the desire to defecate. This urge to defecate arises from the reflex contraction of rectal muscles, relaxation of the internal anal sphincter, and an initial contraction of the skeletal muscle of the external anal sphincter. If the urge is not acted upon, the material in the rectum is often returned to the colon by reverse peristalsis, where more water is absorbed and the faeces is stored until the next mass peristaltic movement of the transverse and descending colon. If defecation is delayed for a prolonged period the fecal matter may harden, resulting in constipation. If defecation occurs too fast, before excess liquid is absorbed, diarrhea may occur. When the rectum is full, an increase in intra-rectal pressure forces apart the walls of the anal canal, allowing the fecal matter to enter the canal. The rectum shortens as material is forced into the anal canal and peristaltic waves push the feces out of the rectum. The internal and external anal sphincters along with the puborectalis muscle allow the feces to be passed by muscles pulling the anus up over the exiting feces. Defecation is normally assisted by taking a deep breath and trying to expel this air against a closed glottis (Valsalva maneuver). This contraction of expiratory chest muscles, diaphragm, abdominal wall muscles, and pelvic diaphragm exerts pressure on the digestive tract. Ventilation at this point temporarily ceases as the lungs push the chest diaphragm down to exert the pressure. Thoracic blood pressure rises and as a reflex response the amount of blood pumped by the heart decreases. Death has been known to occur in cases where defecation causes the blood pressure to rise enough to cause the rupture of an aneurysm or to dislodge blood clots (see thrombosis). Also, in releasing the Valsalva maneuver blood pressure falls; this, coupled with standing up quickly to leave the toilet, can result in a blackout. During defecation, the external sphincter muscles relax. The anal and urethral sphincter muscles are closely linked. Experiments by Harrison Weed at the Ohio State University Medical Center have shown they can be contracted only together, not individually, and that both show relaxation during urination. This explains why defecation is frequently accompanied by urination. Voluntary and involuntary control Defecation may be involuntary or voluntary. Young children learn voluntary control through the process of toilet training. Once trained, loss of control, called fecal incontinence, may be caused by physical injury, nerve injury, prior surgeries (such as an episiotomy), constipation, diarrhea, loss of storage capacity in the rectum, intense fright, inflammatory bowel disease, psychological or neurological factors, childbirth, or death. Sometimes, due to the inability to control one's bowel movement or due to excessive fear, defecation (usually accompanied by urination) occurs involuntarily, soiling a person's undergarments. This may cause significant embarrassment to the person if this occurs in the presence of other people or in a public place. Posture The positions and modalities of defecation are culture-dependent. Squat toilets are used by the vast majority of the world, including most of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The use of sit-down toilets in the Western world is a relatively recent development, beginning in the 19th century with the advent of indoor plumbing. Health aspects Attempting forced expiration of breath against a closed airway (the valsalva maneuver) is sometimes practiced to induce defecation while on a toilet. Cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular complications can in rare cases occur due to attempting to defecate using the valsalva maneuver. Valsalva retinopathy is another pathological syndrome associated with the Valsalva maneuver. Society and culture Anal cleansing after defecation The anus and buttocks may be cleansed after defecation with toilet paper, similar paper products, or other absorbent material. In many cultures, such as Hindu and Muslim, water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, either in addition to using toilet paper or exclusively. When water is used for anal cleansing after defecation, toilet paper may be used for drying the area afterwards. Some doctors and people who work in the science and hygiene fields have stated that switching to using a bidet as a form of anal cleansing after defecation is both more hygienic and more environmentally friendly. Mythology and tradition Some peoples have culturally significant stories in which defecation plays a role. For example: In an Alune and Wemale legend from the island of Seram, Maluku Province, Indonesia, the mythical girl Hainuwele defecates valuable objects. One of the traditions of Catalonia (Spain) relates to the caganer, a figurine depicting the act of defecation which appears in nativity scenes in Catalonia and neighbouring areas with Catalan culture. The exact origin of the caganer is lost, but the tradition has existed since at least the 18th century. See also Artist's Shit Hemorrhoid Rectal tenesmus - a feeling of incomplete defecation Shit References Further reading Eric P. Widmaier; Hershel Raff; Kevin T. Strang (2006). Vanders' Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function. Chapter 15. 10th ed. McGraw Hill. . Category:Excretion Category:Digestive system Category:Medical signs Category:Feces Category:Symptoms and signs: Digestive system and abdomen

Japan . Travel . Food February 9, 2018January 12, 2019 Chapter 165: Limited Edition Coca Cola Plus in Japan This is the Zero Calories Coca-Cola Plus! It has an extra ingredient, a sort of laxative. It’s suppose to promote dieting, to drink it alongside when eating food, it will help your body to supress fat absorption. The taste was very similar to regular coke but had a little bit more of a sherbet taste. Refreshing and a burst of deliciousness!! Post navigation An opportunist and budget traveller born in the City of London. Takes a great interest in the multifaceted culture of Japan where things outside the norm become the norm. Enjoys a bowl of rice with something on top and practices elegant slurping when devouring ramen. A hybrid child from both introvert and extrovert mentality, a human nonetheless who was abducted by the fiery spirit of anime, manga and otome games for all eternity.

News: 7th Annual Fort Carson Technology Expo, Spc. Jared Knutson (left), a radio operator-maintainer assigned to Company C, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Div. and Spc. Jeremy Campbell, a motor transport operator, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 43rd Sustainment Brigade litter carry Spc. Randy Stephenson a power generation equipment repairer assigned to Headquarters Support Company, DSTB, during a Combat Lifesavers certification lane Oct. 30. The DSTB Aid Station Team conducted the training to qualify the Soldiers as CLS to aid in reducing the loss of life on the battlefield, said Staff Sgt. Charles Temple, a health care specialist assigned to HSC, DSTB, 4th Inf. Div. On Wednesday, Aug. 5, the National Conference Services, Inc., hosted the 7th annual Technology Expo at the Elkhorn Catering and Conference Center here at Fort Carson. The expo, which was free to everyone, hosted approximately 29 exhibitors that displayed and demonstrated some of the newest technology from communications to encryption software. Katie Rumbolt, an events coordinator for NCSI said the expo was to provide the military with innovative technology to help it deploy logistically and to complete its mission. It's a great networking opportunity for the senior leadership that makes the decisions regarding the purchase of new technology, said Rumbolt. "They always want to know what's up and coming", she added. Aardvark Tactical, which attracted the largest crowds, with the Taser X26 demonstrations and a display of the latest in military tactical gear. Jacob Stone, an Aardvark Tactical exhibitor said he contacted some of the units that he supplied to inform them about the expo. Major Andrew McCormick, with the Fort Carson Provost Marshal Office, and a native of Mendon, Mich., said this was his first time at the expo and he came because he was contacted by Aardvark Tactical. He said by coming to the expo he was able to verify some of the products that he ordered from the company. Command Sgt Maj. Jeffery Mann, of the 52nd Engineer Battalion and a native of Camarillo, Calif., said that his battalion was new to Carson and he came out to see some of the new things they may be getting. Spc. James Baker of the 242nd Ordnance Battalion EOD, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., said he came out to check out the cool new things that the expo had to offer. "The expo is a helpful tool for everyone that uses technology," said Rumbolt. The expo, which is an annual event, is usually held around the same time each year said Kelly McCarthy, NCSI assistant events coordinator.

1952 United States presidential election The 1952 United States presidential election was the 42nd quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1952. Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won a landslide victory over Democrat Adlai Stevenson, ending a string of Democratic Party wins that stretched back to 1932. Incumbent Democratic President Harry S. Truman had remained silent about whether he would seek another full term, but the unpopular incumbent announced his withdrawal from the race following his defeat in the New Hampshire primary by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver. After Truman's withdrawal, the president and other party leaders threw their support behind Stevenson, the moderate Governor of Illinois. Stevenson emerged victorious on the third presidential ballot of the 1952 Democratic National Convention, defeating Kefauver, Senator Richard Russell Jr. of Georgia, and other candidates. The Republican nomination was primarily contested by conservative Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio and Eisenhower, a general who was widely popular for his leadership in World War II. With the support of Thomas E. Dewey and other party leaders, Eisenhower narrowly prevailed over Taft at the 1952 Republican National Convention. The Republicans chose Richard Nixon, a young senator from California, as Eisenhower's running mate. Republicans attacked Truman's handling of the Korean War and the broader Cold War, and alleged that Soviet spies had infiltrated the U.S. government. Democrats faulted Eisenhower for failing to condemn Republican Senator Joe McCarthy and other reactionary Republicans who they alleged had engaged in reckless and unwarranted attacks. Stevenson tried to separate himself from the unpopular Truman administration, instead campaigning on the popularity of the New Deal and lingering fears of another Great Depression under a Republican administration. Eisenhower retained his enormous popularity from the war, as seen in his campaign slogan, "I Like Ike." Eisenhower's popularity and Truman's unpopularity led to a Republican victory, and Eisenhower won 55% of the popular vote. He carried every state outside of the South and won several Southern states that had almost always voted for Democrats since the end of Reconstruction. Republicans also won control of both houses of Congress. Nominees Republican Party The fight for the Republican nomination was between General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who became the candidate of the party's moderate eastern establishment; Senator Robert A. Taft from Ohio, the longtime leader of the Republican Party's conservative wing; Governor Earl Warren of California, who appealed to Western delegates and independent voters; and former Governor Harold Stassen of Minnesota, who still had a base of support in the Midwest. The moderate Eastern Republicans were led by New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, the party's presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948. The moderates tended to be interventionists, who felt that America needed to fight the Cold War overseas and confront the Soviet Union in Eurasia; they were also willing to accept most aspects of the social welfare state created by the New Deal in the 1930s. The moderates were also concerned with ending the Republicans' losing streak in presidential elections; they felt that the personally popular Eisenhower had the best chance of beating the Democrats. For this reason, Dewey himself declined the notion of a third run for president, even though he still had a large amount of support within the party. The GOP had been out of power for 20 years, and the sentiment that a proper two-party system needed to be reestablished was strong, also a Republican Party in control of the White House would have more incentive to rein in unpopular demagogues such as Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. The conservative Republicans, led by Taft, were based in the Midwest and parts of the South. The Midwest was a bastion of conservatism and isolationist sentiment, dislike of Europeans, in particular Great Britain, was common, and there was a widespread feeling that the British manipulated US foreign policy and were eager to kowtow to the Soviet Union, although attitudes were beginning to change among the younger generation who had fought in World War II. Taft had unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in the 1940 and 1948 presidential elections, losing both times to moderate candidates from New York (Wilkie and Dewey). Taft, 63, felt that this was his last chance to run for president and so his friends and supporters worked extra hard to ensure that he would win the nomination. Warren, although highly popular in California, refused to campaign in the presidential primaries and thus limited his chances of winning the nomination. He did retain the support of the California delegation, and his supporters hoped that, in the event of an Eisenhower–Taft deadlock, Warren might emerge as a compromise candidate. After being persuaded to run, Eisenhower scored a major victory in the New Hampshire primary, when his supporters wrote his name onto the ballot, giving him an upset victory over Taft. However, from there until the Republican Convention the primaries were divided fairly evenly between the two, and by the time the convention opened, the race for the nomination was still too close to call. Taft won the Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, and South Dakota primaries, while Eisenhower won the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Oregon primaries. Stassen and Warren only won their home states of Minnesota and California respectively, which effectively ended their chances of earning the nomination. General Douglas MacArthur also got ten delegates from various states (mostly Oregon), but had made it clear from early in the race that he had no interest in being nominated. Republican Convention When the 1952 Republican National Convention opened in Chicago, Illinois, most political experts rated Taft and Eisenhower as neck-and-neck in the delegate vote totals. Eisenhower's managers, led by Dewey and Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., accused Taft of "stealing" delegate votes in Southern states such as Texas and Georgia. They claimed that Taft's leaders in these states had unfairly denied delegate spots to Eisenhower supporters and put Taft delegates in their place. Lodge and Dewey proposed to evict the pro-Taft delegates in these states and replace them with pro-Eisenhower delegates; they called this proposal "Fair Play." Although Taft and his supporters angrily denied this charge, the convention voted to support Fair Play 658 to 548, and Taft lost many Southern delegates. Eisenhower also received two more boosts, firstly when several uncommitted state delegations, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, decided to support him, and secondly when Stassen released his delegates and asked them to support Eisenhower, whose moderate policies he much preferred to those of Taft. The removal of many pro-Taft Southern delegates and the support of the uncommitted states decided the nomination in Eisenhower's favor. However, the mood at the convention was one of the most bitter and emotional in American history. When Senator Everett Dirksen from Illinois, a Taft supporter, pointed at Dewey on the convention floor during a speech and accused him of leading the Republicans "down the road to defeat," mixed boos and cheers rang out from the delegates, and there were even fistfights between some Taft and Eisenhower delegates. In the end, Eisenhower narrowly defeated Taft on the first ballot. To heal the wounds caused by the battle, he went to Taft's hotel suite and met with him. Taft issued a brief statement congratulating Eisenhower on his victory, but he was bitter about what he felt was the untrue "stealing delegates" charge, and he withheld his active support for Eisenhower for several weeks after the convention. In September 1952 Taft and Eisenhower met again at Morningside Heights in New York City, where Taft promised to support Eisenhower actively in exchange for Eisenhower agreeing to a number of requests. These included a demand that Eisenhower give Taft's followers a fair share of patronage positions if he won the election, and that Eisenhower agree to balance the federal budget and "fight creeping domestic socialism in every field." Eisenhower agreed to the terms, and Taft campaigned hard for the Republican ticket. In fact, Eisenhower and Taft agreed on most domestic issues; their disagreements were primarily in foreign policy. Though there were initial suggestions that Warren could have earned the party's vice presidential slot for the second successive election if he were to withdraw and endorse Eisenhower, he ultimately chose not to do so. Eisenhower himself had been partial to giving the VP nod to Stassen, who had endorsed Eisenhower of his own accord and had generally similar political positions. The party bosses, however, were keen to find a running mate who could mollify Taft's supporters, as the schism between the moderate and conservative wings was so severe that in the worst case it could potentially lead to the conservatives bolting and running Taft as a third-party candidate. Eisenhower had apparently given little thought to choosing his running mate, when asked, he replied that he assumed the convention would pick someone. The spot ultimately fell to the young California Senator Richard Nixon, who was seen as being in the exact center of the GOP. Nixon was known as an aggressive campaigner and a fierce anti-communist, however he shied away from some of the more extreme ideas of the party's right wing, including isolationism and dismantling the New Deal. Most historians now believe that Eisenhower's nomination was primarily due to the feeling that he was a "sure winner" against the Democrats; most of the delegates were conservatives who would probably have supported Taft if they felt he could have won the general election. Despite not earning the presidential or vice presidential nominations, Warren would subsequently be appointed as Chief Justice in October 1953, while Stassen would hold various positions within Eisenhower's administration. The balloting at the Republican Convention went as follows: Democratic Party The expected candidate for the Democratic nomination was incumbent President Harry S. Truman. Since the newly passed 22nd Amendment did not apply to whoever was president at the time of its passage, he was eligible to run again. But Truman entered 1952 with his popularity plummeting, according to polls. The bloody and indecisive Korean War was dragging into its third year, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusade was stirring public fears of an encroaching "Red Menace," and the disclosure of widespread corruption among federal employees (including some high-level members of Truman's administration) left Truman at a low political ebb. Polls showed that he had a 66% disapproval rating, a record only matched decades later by Richard Nixon and surpassed by George W. Bush. Truman's main opponent was populist Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, who had chaired a nationally televised investigation of organized crime in 1951 and was known as a crusader against crime and corruption. The Gallup poll of February 15 showed Truman's weakness: nationally Truman was the choice of only 36% of Democrats, compared with 21% for Kefauver. Among independent voters, however, Truman had only 18% while Kefauver led with 36%. In the New Hampshire primary, Kefauver upset Truman, winning 19,800 votes to Truman's 15,927 and capturing all eight delegates. Kefauver graciously said that he did not consider his victory "a repudiation of Administration policies, but a desire...for new ideas and personalities." Stung by this setback, Truman soon announced that he would not seek re-election (however, Truman insisted in his memoirs that he had decided not to run for reelection well before his defeat by Kefauver). With Truman's withdrawal, Kefauver became the front-runner for the nomination, and he won most of the primaries. Other primary winners were Senator Hubert Humphrey, who won his home state of Minnesota, while Senator Richard Russell Jr. from Georgia won the Florida primary and U.S. diplomat W. Averell Harriman won West Virginia. However, most states still chose their delegates to the Democratic Convention via state conventions, which meant that the party bosses – especially the mayors and governors of large Northern and Midwestern states and cities – were able to choose the Democratic nominee. These bosses (including Truman) strongly disliked Kefauver; his investigations of organized crime had revealed connections between Mafia figures and many of the big-city Democratic political organizations. The party bosses thus viewed Kefauver as a maverick who could not be trusted, and they refused to support him for the nomination. Instead, with Truman taking the initiative, they began to search for other, more acceptable, candidates. However, most of the other candidates had a major weakness. Richard Russell had much Southern support, but his support of racial segregation and opposition to civil rights for Southern blacks led many liberal Northern and Midwestern delegates to reject him. Truman favored W. Averell Harriman of New York, but he had never held an elective office and was inexperienced in politics. Truman next turned to his vice-president, Alben W. Barkley, but at 74 he was rejected as being too old by labor union leaders. Other minor or favorite son candidates included Oklahoma Senator Robert S. Kerr, Governor Paul A. Dever of Massachusetts, Senator Hubert Humphrey from Minnesota, and Senator J. William Fulbright from Arkansas. One candidate soon emerged who seemingly had few political weaknesses: Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. The grandson of former Vice-President Adlai E. Stevenson, he came from a distinguished family in Illinois and was well known as a gifted orator, intellectual, and political moderate. In the spring of 1952, Truman tried to convince Stevenson to take the presidential nomination, but Stevenson refused, stating that he wanted to run for re-election as Governor of Illinois. Yet Stevenson never completely took himself out of the race, and as the convention approached, many party bosses, as well as normally apolitical citizens, hoped that he could be "drafted" to run. Democratic Convention The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago in the same coliseum the Republicans had gathered in several weeks earlier. Since the convention was being held in his home state, Governor Stevenson – who still proclaimed that he was not a presidential candidate – was asked to give the welcoming address to the delegates. He proceeded to give a witty and stirring address that led his supporters to begin a renewed round of efforts to nominate him, despite his protests. After meeting with Jacob Arvey, the "boss" of the Illinois delegation, Stevenson finally agreed to enter his name as a candidate for the nomination. The party bosses from other large Northern and Midwestern states quickly joined in support. Kefauver led on the first ballot, but had far fewer votes than necessary to win. Stevenson gradually gained strength until he was nominated on the third ballot. After the delegates nominated Stevenson, the convention then turned to selecting a vice-presidential nominee. After narrowing it down to Senators John Sparkman, and A. S. Mike Monroney, President Truman and a small group of political insiders chose Sparkman, a conservative and segregationist from Alabama, for the nomination. The convention largely complied and nominated Sparkman as Stevenson's running mate. He was chosen because of his Southern identity and conservative record; party leaders hoped this factor would create a balanced ticket. General election Campaign issues The Eisenhower campaign was one of the first presidential campaigns to make a major, concerted effort to win the female vote. Many of his radio and television commercials discussed topics such as education, inflation, ending the war in Korea, and other issues that were thought to appeal to women. The Eisenhower campaign made extensive use of female campaign workers. These workers made phone calls to likely Eisenhower voters, distributed "Ike" buttons and leaflets, and threw parties to build support for the GOP ticket in their neighborhoods. On election day, Eisenhower won a solid majority of the female vote. Eisenhower campaigned by attacking "Korea, Communism, and Corruption"—that is, what the Republicans regarded as the failures of the outgoing Truman administration to deal with these issues. The Eisenhower campaign accused the administration of "neglecting Latin America" and thus "leading them into the arms of wily Communist agents waiting to exploit local misery and capitalize on any opening to communize the Americas." Charges that Soviet spies had infiltrated the government plagued the Truman Administration and also became a "major campaign issue" for Eisenhower. The Republicans blamed the Democrats for the military's failure to be fully prepared to fight in Korea; they accused the Democrats of harboring communist spies within the federal government; and they blasted the Truman Administration for the numbers of officials who had been accused of various crimes. Stevenson hoped to exploit the rift between the conservative Taft Republicans and the moderate Eisenhower Republicans. In a speech in Baltimore, Stevenson said, "The GOP elephant has two heads nowadays, and I can't tell from day to day who's driving the poor beast, Senator Taft or the General. I doubt that America will entrust its future, its hopes, to the master of a house divided against itself." Stevenson, Truman, and other Democrats campaigning that fall also criticized Senator Joseph McCarthy and other right-wing Republicans for what they believed were reckless and unwarranted attacks and congressional investigations into leading government officials and public servants. In a Salt Lake City speech Stevenson stated that right-wing Republicans were "quick with accusations, with defamatory hints and whispering campaigns when they see a chance to scare or silence those with whom they disagree. Rudely, carelessly, they invade the field of thought, of conscience, which belongs to God, and not to Senators...McCarthy and men like him can say almost anything, and if my opponent's conscience permits, he can try to help all of them get reelected." Stevenson said that right-wing attacks on government officials such as General George Marshall, who had served Truman as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, reflected a "middle of the gutter approach" to politics. President Truman repeatedly criticized Senator McCarthy's character and temperament, and called on Eisenhower to repudiate him. Stevenson ridiculed right-wing Republicans "who hunt Communists in the Bureau of Wildlife and Fisheries while hesitating to aid the gallant men and women who are resisting the real thing in the front lines of Europe and Asia...They are finally the men who seemingly believe that we can confound the Kremlin by frightening ourselves to death." In return, Senator McCarthy often jokingly confused the names Adlai and Alger, the first name of convicted Soviet spy Alger Hiss, by stating "Alger, I mean Adlai..." in his speeches. McCarthy, in response to Stevenson's criticisms, also stated during the campaign that he would like to get on the Stevenson campaign trail "with a club and make a good and loyal American" out of Stevenson. Neither Stevenson nor Sparkman had been a part of the Truman administration and they largely ignored its record, preferring to hark back to the Roosevelt's New Deal achievements while warning of against a repetition of the Hoover depression. Historian Herbert Parmet says that although Stevenson: tried to separate his campaign from Truman's record, his efforts failed to dispel the widespread recognition that, for a divided America, torn by paranoia and unable to understand what had disrupted the anticipated tranquility of the postwar world, the time for change had really arrived. Neither Stevenson nor anyone else could have dissuaded the electorate from its desire to repudiate 'Trumanism.' Campaign Many Democrats were particularly upset when Eisenhower, on a scheduled campaign swing through Wisconsin, decided not to give a speech he had written criticizing McCarthy's methods, and then allowed himself to be photographed shaking hands with McCarthy as if he supported him. Truman, formerly friends with Eisenhower, never forgot what he saw as a betrayal; he had previously thought Eisenhower would make a good president, but said, "he has betrayed almost everything I thought he stood for." Eisenhower retained his enormous personal popularity from his leading role in World War II, and huge crowds turned out to see him around the nation. His campaign slogan, "I Like Ike," was one of the most popular in American history. Stevenson attracted the support of the young, emergent postwar intellectual class, however Eisenhower was seen as more appealing to Main Street. Stevenson was ridiculed in some quarters as too effeminate to be president, the staunchly conservative New York Daily News called him "Adelaide" Stevenson, even though he had a reputation as a ladies' man and several mistresses. A notable event of the 1952 campaign concerned a scandal that emerged when Richard Nixon, Eisenhower's running mate, was accused by several newspapers of receiving $18,000 in undeclared "gifts" from wealthy donors. In reality, contributions were by design only from early supporters and limited to $1,000, with full accountability. Nixon, who had been accusing the Democrats of hiding crooks, suddenly found himself on the defensive. Eisenhower and his aides considered dropping Nixon from the ticket and picking another running mate. Eisenhower, who barely knew Nixon, waffled and refused to comment on the incident. Nixon saved his political career, however, with a dramatic half-hour speech, the "Checkers speech," on live television. In this speech, Nixon denied the charges against him, gave a detailed account of his modest financial assets, and offered a glowing assessment of Eisenhower's candidacy. The highlight of the speech came when Nixon stated that a supporter had given his daughters a gift – a dog named "Checkers" – and that he would not return it, because his daughters loved it. The "Checkers speech" led hundreds of thousands of citizens nationwide to wire the Republican National Committee urging the Republican Party to keep Nixon on the ticket, and Eisenhower stayed with him. Despite the red-baiting of the right wing of the GOP, the campaign on the whole was conducted with a considerable degree of dignity and Stevenson was seen as reinvigorating a Democratic Party that had become exhausted after 20 years in power and refreshing its appeal with younger voters. He accused Eisenhower of silently tolerating Joseph McCarthy's excesses. Stevenson went before the American Legion, a bastion of hardline conservatism, and boldly declared that there was nothing patriotic or American about what Joseph McCarthy was doing. Even with the dignified nature of the campaign, the dislike between the two candidates was visible; Stevenson criticized Eisenhower's non-condemnation of McCarthy and use of television spots, and Eisenhower, while he had initially respected Stevenson, in time came to view him as simply another career politician, something he strongly disliked. The 1952 election campaign was the first one to make use of the new medium of television, in part thanks to the efforts of Rosser Reeves, the head of the Ted Bates Agency, a leading advertising firm. Reeves had initially proposed a series of radio spots to Thomas Dewey in the 1948 campaign, but Dewey considered them undignified, and Reeves maintained that Dewey might have won the election had he been slightly more open-minded. Studying Douglas MacArthur's keynote speech at the Republican convention in July, Reeves believed that the general's words were "powerful", but "unfocused" and "all over the map". Eisenhower's public speeches were even worse, he was unable to make his point to the voting public in a clear, intelligible manner. Reeves felt that Eisenhower needed to condense his message down to a few simple, easily digestible slogans. Eisenhower at first also fared poorly on television and had a difficult time appearing relaxed and at ease on camera. The TV lighting was not flattering and it made him look old and unattractive, in particular his forehead tended to glisten under the lights. Eisenhower became upset when CBS correspondent Dave Schoenbrun pointed this out and suggested he try altering his poses to make his forehead less noticeable and also apply makeup so it would not shine from the lighting. Eventually, he gave in and agreed to these modifications. Reeves also wanted Eisenhower to not wear his eyeglasses on camera in order to look younger, but he could not read the prompter board without them, so Reeves devised a large, handwritten signboard. Reeves's TV work, although pioneering, was the subject of considerable criticism on the grounds that he was attempting to sell a presidential candidate to the public in the same manner that one might sell a car or a brand of toothpaste. Adlai Stevenson for his part would have nothing to do with television at all and condemned Eisenhower's use of the medium, calling it "selling the presidency like cereal". He himself made a point of the fact that he did not own a TV or watch television, and many of his inner circle did likewise. Both campaigns made use of television ads. A notable ad for Eisenhower was an issue-free, feel-good animated cartoon with a soundtrack song by Irving Berlin called "I Like Ike." For the first time, a presidential candidate's personal medical history was released publicly, as were partial versions of his financial histories, because of the issues raised in Nixon's speech. Near the end of the campaign, Eisenhower, in a major speech, announced that if he won the election he would go to Korea to see if he could end the war. His great military prestige, combined with the public's weariness with the conflict, gave Eisenhower the final boost he needed to win. Throughout the entire campaign, Eisenhower led in all opinion polls, and by wide margins in most of them. Citizens for Eisenhower To circumvent the local Republican Party apparatus mostly controlled by Taft supporters, the Eisenhower forces created a nationwide network of grass-roots clubs, "Citizens for Eisenhower." Independents and Democrats were welcome, as the group specialized in canvassing neighborhoods and holding small group meetings. Citizens for Eisenhower hoped to revitalize the GOP by expanding its activist ranks and by supporting moderate and internationalist policies. It did not endorse candidates other than Eisenhower. However Eisenhower paid it little attention after he won, and it failed to maintain its impressive starting momentum. Instead it energized the conservative Republicans, leading finally to the Barry Goldwater campaign of 1964. Long-time Republican activists viewed the newcomers with suspicion and hostility. More significantly, activism in support of Eisenhower did not translate into enthusiasm for the party cause. Results On election day, Eisenhower won a decisive victory, winning over 55% of the popular vote and carrying thirty-nine of the forty-eight states. Stevenson did not win a single state north of the Mason–Dixon line or west of Arkansas, whilst Eisenhower took three Southern states that the Republicans had won only once since Reconstruction: Virginia, Florida, and Texas. Despite the Republican win in Florida, this remains the last time to date a Democrat has won Collier County before southwestern Florida was turned into a growing Sun Belt Republican stronghold, and is also the last time a Democrat has won Aiken County, South Carolina, before the "Solid South" would collapse in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement. 1952 is also, however, the last time a Republican won Yolo County, California, or Native American Rolette County, North Dakota, and the last until Donald Trump in 2016 that the Republicans won Pacific County, Washington, or Swift County, Minnesota. This was the last time the Republicans won Missouri until 1968 and the last time the Democrats won Kentucky until 1964. It is also the last time that a Republican won the election without Kentucky. Stevenson's 700-vote win was the smallest percentage margin in any state since Woodrow Wilson won New Hampshire by fifty-six votes in 1916. This election was the first in which a computer (the UNIVAC I) was used to predict the results. Source (Popular Vote): Source (Electoral Vote): Results by state Close state races Election results in these states were within one percentage point (21 electoral votes): Kentucky, 0.07% Tennessee, 0.27% Election results in these states were within five percentage points (36 electoral votes): South Carolina, 1.44% Missouri, 1.56% Rhode Island, 1.84% West Virginia, 3.85% Delaware, 3.88% Election results in these states were between five and ten percentage points (140 electoral votes): Louisiana, 5.84% Pennsylvania, 5.88% Texas, 6.44% North Carolina, 7.82% Massachusetts, 8.76% Oklahoma, 9.18% Washington, 9.64% Illinois, 9.90% See also 1952 United States House of Representatives elections 1952 United States Senate elections History of the United States (1945–1964) First inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower References Further reading Blake, David Haven. Liking Ike: Eisenhower, Advertising, and the Rise of Celebrity Politics (Oxford UP, 2016). xvi, 281 pp. Bowen, Michael. The roots of modern conservatism: Dewey, Taft, and the battle for the soul of the Republican party (2011) Converse, Philip E., Warren E. Miller, Donald E. Stokes, Angus Campbell. The American Voter (1964) the classic political science study of voters in 1952 and 1956 5 vol of details on each region Davies, Gareth, and Julian E. Zelizer, eds. America at the Ballot Box: Elections and Political History (2015) pp. 167–83, role of television. Greene, John Robert. I Like Ike: The Presidential Election of 1952 (2017) excerpt Halberstam, David. The Fifties. New York: Fawcett Columbine. (1993) Hyman, Herbert H. and Paul B. Sheatsley. "The political appeal of President Eisenhower", Public Opinion Quarterly, 17 (1953–54), pp. 443–60 McCullough, David. Truman. New York: Simon & Schuster. (1992) Martin, John Bartlow. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois (1976) vol 1 covers his campaign in depth Parmet, Herbert S. Eisenhower and the American crusades (1972) Smith, Jean Edward. Eisenhower in War and Peace (2012) pp. 498–549 Primary sources External links Newsreel on Eisenhower campaign 1952 popular vote by counties 1952 State-by-state Popular vote The Decision Not to Run in 1952, an excerpt from a Truman biography from a University of Virginia How close was the 1952 election? — Michael Sheppard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials: 1952 Eisenhower's 1952 presidential campaign, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Election of 1952 in Counting the Votes Category:History of the United States (1945–64) Category:Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower Category:Richard Nixon Category:November 1952 events

This invention relates to a method of producing inked-ribbon cartridges. Recently, there has been a trend in the typewriter and business machine arts to incorporate an inked ribbon in a disposable cartridge or cassette which can be readily installed and/or replaced in such printing machines. The operator of one such machine merely removes the old cartridge when the ink in the ribbon is used up or the ribbon becomes frayed from use, and he installs a new cartridge without ever having to soil his hands by touching the ribbon itself. The cartridge usually has a feed means therein which cooperates with a driving member on the machine on which the cartridge is installed so as to transport the ribbon in the cartridge, and thereby present a fresh supply of inked ribbon to a print station located in the machine. Some of the prior art ribbon cartridges employ two reels therein on which the ribbon is alternately wound and unwound as used. Other cartridges employ only one special reel on which an endless inked ribbon is wound, and as the reel rotates, the ribbon winds up on the "outer turn" of ribbon on the reel, and the ribbon is withdrawn therefrom by withdrawing the "innermost turn" of the ribbon from the reel. A third type of cartridge employs a length of about 15 yards of inked ribbon which is formed into an endless loop of ribbon which is not stored on any reel or reels within the cartridge, but is simply stuffed therein to produce many folds or convolutions in the ribbon. In this latter type of cartridge, the ribbon is simply fed into or "stuffed" into the cartridge by a feed means located at an entrance area thereof, and is pulled out of an exit area of the cartridge by the feed means as the ribbon is stuffed into the cartridge. Some representative prior art, inked-ribbon cartridges and inking methods are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,755,905; 2,878,751; 3,241,522; 3,643,779; 3,804,227; and 3,814,231. One of the problems with producing the prior art ribbon cartridges is that the ribbon is inked prior to installing it in its associated cartridge. As a result, the cartridge itself and the hands of the operator who is installing the ribbon in the cartridge become smeared with ink, requiring extensive clean-up time for cleaning both the assembled cartridge and the operator's hands. Another problem with producing prior art ribbon cartridges relates to producing cartridges including a length of inked ribbon which is formed into an endless loop. Because of the ink being in the ribbon at the time of forming an endless loop, an effective or lasting bond joining the ends of the length of ribbon is difficult to obtain, thereby subjecting the ribbon to potential failure at the bond. The utilization of pre-inked ribbon fabric also limits the number of bonding techniques which may be utilized to join the ends of a ribbon.

Sir Lambton Loraine, 11th Baronet Lambton Loraine (17 November 1838 - 13 May 1917) was a British naval officer, best remembered for his involvement in the "Virginius Affair" of 1873. Oon 11 July 1852 he succeeded as 11th Baronet Loraine of Kirke Harle, Northumberland. In the same year he entered the Royal Navy, originally as a Naval Cadet, a Captain noting at the time "Sir Lambton Loraine Bart. Has very good talents, and promises to make a good draughtsman and surveyor." Sir Lambton joined at Valparaiso in early 1853, at the age of 14 years, and was a Midshipman aboard the ship until 1857 at the end of her second commission based in the Pacific. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1858 and served in the Mediterranean, then in 1864 he was appointed Flag-Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral the Hon. Joseph Denman, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station. In 1866 he was acting commander of HMS Mutine during the hostilities between Spain and her former colonies, Peru and Chile, then in 1867 he was promoted to Commander. The Virginius Affair Since October 1870 the ship, Virginius, a sidewheel steamer over 200 ft (61m) long, capable of remarkable speed due to its powerful engines, was used to transport arms and men to aid the insurgencies against Spain in Cuba and Venezuela. The ship was regarded by Spain as a pirate ship and had several narrow escapes. On 23 October 1873 Virginius sailed from Kingston, Jamaica with 102 Cuban insurgents. At Port-au-Prince 300 Remingtons and 300,000 cartridges were loaded on board. At Comito 800 daggers, 800 machetes, a barrel of powder and a case of shoes were loaded. The ship headed for Cuba, but never reached shore. About 6 miles from land it was intercepted by the Spanish warship Tornado under the command of Captain Dionisio Costilla and an 8-hour sea chase ensued. During this chase, guns and equipment were dropped overboard to lighten the ship, however the poor physical condition of the ship and engines caused Captain Fry to surrender the ship barely 6 miles from the Jamaican coast. On 2 November 1873 a council of war was held by Spanish officials after the arrival of the captured Virginius at Santiago de Cuba harbour. Four ranking officers of the Army of Liberation were executed at 6am on 4 November 1873. Following a court-martial on 7 November the captain of Virginius and 36 members of the crew were executed by firing squad the same day. A further 12 Cuban revolutionaries were executed the next day. It was Sir Lambton Loraine who intervened, arriving at Santiago de Cuba harbour as Commander of the British warship HMS Niobe. Commander Loraine immediately sent the following communique to the Spanish Military Commander of Santiago, General Burriel: Military Commander of Santiago – Sir: I have no orders from my government, because they are not aware of what is happening; but I assume the responsibility and I am convinced that my conduct will be approved by Her Britannic Majesty, because my actions are pro-humanity and pro-civilisation, I demand that you stop this dreadful butchery that is taking place here. I do not believe that I need explain what my actions will be in case my demand is not heeded. (signed) Lambton Loraine Sir Lambton delivered the letter personally and did not leave the office of the military Governor until he received a satisfactory reply. His valiant intervention stopped the executing cold, and thus many Cubans, Americans and Britons were saved by his action. In April 1874, this Captain now, whom had spent his teenage years on HMS Trincomalee, was in New York for 13 days during which he was a welcome recipient of an almost continued round of receptions and evidences of public and private esteem. On 25 April he departed New York, the New York Times reporting: The vessel moved out of her dock a few minutes after 1 o’clock, Sir Lambton standing by the gangway with his umbrella raised, puffing quietly on his cigar and waving adieus with his hat to the little groups of friends on the pier, who sent him off with a hearty cheer. Later life Sir Lambton became a retired Captain in 1885, and a retired Rear-Admiral in 1889, dying at the age of 78 years on 13 May 1917. He was the father of British diplomat Sir Percy Loraine (1880-1961). See also Loraine baronets References Category:1838 births Category:1917 deaths

Ganglioside-mediated modulation of cell growth. Specific effects of GM3 on tyrosine phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. Glycosphingolipids added exogenously to 3T3 cells in culture were shown to inhibit cell growth, alter the membrane affinity to platelet-derived growth factor binding, and reduce platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated membrane phosphorylation (Bremer, E., Hakomori, S., Bowen-Pope, D. F., Raines, E., and Ross, R. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 6818-6825). This approach has been extended to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor of human epidermoid carcinoma cell lines KB and A431. GM3 and GM1 gangliosides inhibited both KB cell and A431 cell growth, although GM3 was a much stronger inhibitor of both KB and A431 cell growth. Neither GM3 nor GM1 had any affect on the binding of 125I-EGF to its cell surface receptor. However, GM3 and, to a much lower extent, GM1 were capable of inhibiting EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of the EGF receptor in membrane preparations of both KB and A431 cells. Further characterization of GM3-sensitive receptor phosphorylation was performed in A431 cells, which had a higher content of the EGF receptor. The following results were of particular interest. (i) EGF-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor and its inhibition by GM3 were also demonstrated on isolated EGF receptor after adsorption on the anti-receptor antibody-Sepharose complex, and the receptor phosphorylation was enhanced on addition of phosphatidylethanolamine. (ii) Phosphoamino acid analysis of the EGF receptor indicated that the reduction of phosphorylation induced by GM3 was entirely in the phosphotyrosine and not in the phosphoserine nor phosphothreonine content. (iii) The inhibitory effect of GM3 on EGF-dependent receptor phosphorylation could be reproduced in membranes isolated from A431 cells that had been cultured in medium containing 50 nmol/ml GM3 to effect cell growth inhibition. The membrane fraction isolated from such growth-arrested cells was found to be less responsive to EGF-stimulated receptor phosphorylation. These results suggest that membrane lipids, especially GM3, can modulate EGF receptor phosphorylation in vitro as well as in situ.

But seriously if the price is too good to be true, it usually is. I mean seriously the way things are being counterfeited, not sure if that is a good enough term though, I would imagine there would be more scrutiny involved.

21 May 2007 Recently I was bemused by Microsoft's espousal of ODF, and now here we have the company spreading more joy: The company on Monday is expected to announce that it is sponsoring an open-source project to create a converter between Ecma Open XML--a set of file formats closely tied to Microsoft Office--and a Chinese national standard called Unified Office Format (UOF). I think I understand what Microsoft is up to. Until recently, its approach was to try to block ODF at every twist and turn: the last thing it wanted was another standard - much less a truly cross-platform, open one - to join the club of approved formats. That strategy has failed: ODF is being chosen or is on the brink of being chosen by more and more governments around the world. And where governments lead, local business will follow. Microsoft is now faced with the prospect of losing its monopoly in the office sector. Indeed, it risks being locked out completely, as more and more countries opt for ODF only. So I think Microsoft has decided to cut its losses, and go for a very different approach. Given that it can't shut out ODF, and there is a danger that Microsoft's OOXML will not be selected alongside it, the company is now pushing very hard for as many standards as possible: the new mantra being "Choice is Good". The point being, of course, that if you have lots of competing standards, then the one with the largest market share - Microsoft's - is likely to have the advantage. It's a shrewd move, because at first blush it's hard to argue against having choice. But the flaw in this argument is that choice has to occur around the standard, through competing implementations, not between standards. In the latter case, all the benefits of open standards are lost, and the status quo is preserved. Which, of course, is exactly what Microsoft is hoping to achieve with its sudden rash of generosity. 2 comments: An excellent summary. Microsoft is choosing its words carefully, taking crafted, surveyed political terms to frame their MS-OOXML marketing. However, I'm confident that MS-OOXML will only be relevant to Office 2007 and beyond, for those who choose to buy and use that format. It will never be free of Microsoft, and thus you'll forever have to pay for its use, as no converter will ever be accurate to satisfy anyone with interoperability needs. The answer? Go with ODF now and save untold future headaches. It's that simple. About Me I have been a technology journalist and consultant for 30 years, covering the Internet since March 1994, and the free software world since 1995. One early feature I wrote was for Wired in 1997: The Greatest OS that (N)ever Was. My most recent books are Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution, and Digital Code of Life: How Bioinformatics is Revolutionizing Science, Medicine and Business.

Technology for tracking physical layer information (among other information) relating to wired communication media, components, devices, systems, and/or networks is described in the following United States Patent Applications, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference: United States Patent Publication 2011/0115494 published on May 19, 2011, titled “ELECTRICAL PLUG FOR MANAGED CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication 2011/0115494 published on May 19, 2011, titled “MANAGED ELECTRICAL CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0115494 published on May 19, 2011, titled “MANAGED ELECTRICAL CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0228473 published on Sep. 22, 2011, titled “COMMUNICATIONS BLADED PANEL SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2012/0133524 published on May 31, 2012, titled “COMMUNICATIONS BLADED PANEL SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2012/0113613 published on May 10, 2012, titled “COMMUNICATIONS BLADED PANEL SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0267794 published on Nov. 3, 2011, titled “COMMUNICATIONS BLADED PANEL SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0222819 published on Sep. 15, 2011, titled “Managed Fiber Connectivity Systems”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0255829 published on Oct. 20, 2011, titled “Managed Fiber Connectivity Systems”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0235979 published on Sep. 29, 2011, titled “Managed Fiber Connectivity Systems”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,690,593 Issued on Apr. 8, 2014, titled “Managed Fiber Connectivity Systems”; United States Publication No. 2012/0234778 published on Sep. 20, 2012, titled “CABLE MANAGEMENT IN RACK SYSTEMS”; United States Patent Publication No. 2011/0092100 published on Apr. 21, 2011, titled “MANAGED CONNECTIVITY IN ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS”; U.S. Pat. No. 8,596,882 Issued on Dec. 13, 2013, titled “MANAGED CONNECTIVITY IN FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS”; United States Publication No. 2012/0246347 published on Sep. 27, 2012, titled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR UTILIZING VARIABLE LENGTH DATA FIELD STORAGE SCHEMES ON PHYSICAL COMMUNICATION MEDIA SEGMENTS”; United States Publication No. 2012/0246523 published on Sep. 27, 2012, titled “DYNAMICALLY DETECTING A DEFECTIVE CONNECTOR AT A PORT”; United States Publication No. 2012/0246362 published on Sep. 27, 2012, titled “DOUBLE-BUFFER INSERTION COUNT STORED IN A DEVICE ATTACHED TO A PHYSICAL LAYER MEDIUM”; and United States Publication No. 2012/0243554 published on Sep. 27, 2012, titled “EVENT-MONITORING IN A SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY OBTAINING AND MANAGING PHYSICAL LAYER INFORMATION USING A RELIABLE PACKET-BASED COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL”. The technology described in the applications noted in the previous paragraph makes use of an EEPROM or other storage device that is integrated with a connector on a cable, fiber, or other segment of communication media. The storage device is used to store information about the connector or segment of communication media along with other information. The EEPROM or other storage device can be read after the associated connected is inserted into a corresponding jack or other port. In this way, information about wired communication media, devices, systems, and/or networks can be captured in an automated manner. Another type of technology for tracking information about the physical layer of a wired network (along with other information) is so-called “ninth wire” technology. Ninth wire technology makes use of special cables that include an extra conductor or signal path (also referred to here as the “ninth wire” conductor or signal path) that is used for determining which port each end of the cables is inserted into. One example of ninth wire technology is the AMPTRAC family of connectivity management products that are commercially available from TE Connectivity Ltd. Also, examples of ninth wire technology are described in the following United States Patent Applications, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,143, titled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING CONNECTION PATTERN OF DATA PORTS”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,675, titled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING CONNECTION PATTERN OF DATA PORTS”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,177, titled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING CONNECTION PATTERN OF DATA PORTS”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,179, titled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING CONNECTION PATTERN OF DATA PORTS”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,586, titled “SYSTEM FOR MONITORING CONNECTION PATTERN OF DATA PORTS”. Another type of technology for tracking information about the physical layer of a wired network (along with other information) makes use of RFID tags and readers. With this type of technology, an RFID tag is attached to or integrated with a connector on a cable, fiber, or other segment of communication media. The RFID tag is used to store information about the connector or segment of communication media along with other information. The RFID tag can be read after the associated connected is inserted into a corresponding jack or other port using a RFID reader. In this way, information about wired communication media, devices, systems, and/or networks can be captured in an automated and contactless manner. One example of such RFID technology is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,331, titled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING AND TRACKING CONNECTIONS OF COMMUNICATION LINES”, which is incorporated herein by reference.

There are work machines (e.g., construction, agricultural, forestry) which can operate the hydraulic actuator(s) of an auxiliary tool attached to the work machine. Auxiliary tools are commonly referred to as an auxiliary attachment, or just attachment. Examples of such an auxiliary tool include a multi-function bucket (“clamshell bucket”), rotary broom, auger, hammer, vibratory compactor, snow blower, grapple, shear felling head, and disk saw felling head, to name just a few. As indicated, the auxiliary tool has its own hydraulic actuator(s) onboard the auxiliary tool. Such a hydraulic actuator may be, for example, a hydraulic cylinder that provides a linear output, as for a clamshell bucket, and/or a hydraulic motor that provides a rotary output, as for a broom or hammer.

Could this also mean we're going to get a Soul Calibur pro circuit? Going into 2019, it was becoming unclear where some of the biggest fighting game titles would stand from community and eSports perspectives with a number of players announcing plans to step back from competition and events having tournaments cancelled or games not showing up on the lineup at all. Katsuhiro Harada, known as the long-time director and producer for the Tekken series, released an open letter to the fighting game community to address these concerns where he announced that he has become the leader and supervisor of Bandai Namco's Fighting Game eSports Strategy team and that support for all three of their major titles will continue into next year. Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur 6 will all feature "as many official tournaments as possible" in 2019 with continued support for smaller / community events according to Harada. The letter also states that Bandai Namco are also dedicated to finding ways to assist community activities in the future with Harada asking anyone looking to hold a tournament to contact their regional Bandai Namco office. These statements come after Dragon Ball FighterZ was revealed to have been left off of EVO Japan's main lineup and has had multiple community events cancelled which has EVO's Joey 'Mr. Wizard' Cuellar worried it might be "one and done" for the world's largest FGC event despite DBFZ having the highest viewership peak of EVO 2018. Many in the community have been pointing towards Toei Animation or perhaps another entity in control of Dragon Ball's rights for the current issues and questions surrounding FighterZ's current competitive status which the prior company has since said they "have no knowledge of" impeding anything in that regard. You can check out Harada's full letter in the screen-cap below or the text after the jump. Click images for larger versions Harada's open letter to the FGC To everyone in the "Dragon Ball FighterZ", "Tekken", and "Soul Calibur" community, I wanted to notify everyone that I have become the leader and supervisor of the Bandai Namco Fighting Game eSports Strategy team today (Of course, I'll continue producing the game as well). And first I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who held and/or participated in various tournaments this year. We at Bandai Namco are committed to expand the horizons of both tournament and community scenes of these 3 franchises. We are already planning to have as many official tournaments as possible for next year—while continue supporting tournaments held by the community. Furthermore, we are dedicated to figure out ways where we can assist tournaments and community activities in the future. If you have any questions or inquiries about holding or participating in a tournament in your area, please contact the local Bandai Namco office in your respective region. (The conditions and languages might differ between areas, so contacting your local Bandai Namco offices is highly recommended.) We will continue to bring you the ultimate experience through Bandai Namco Fighting Games next year. Thank you. Sent in by GodComplex, lelouch345, Ramusu20, SqueakyBloom and ParabolaBeam.

Savings Account When you’re shopping around for a new savings account or a certificate of deposit, chances are that you’re looking for a competitive interest rate. But have you ever wondered just how the financial institution decides what rates to offer? The truth of it is, there are several factors that influence the interest rates on deposit accounts. The first factor is the financial product itself. For example, savings accounts and money market accounts typically offer lower interest rates than a CD. This largely has to do with the level of access you have to your money. With savings and money market accounts you can typically make a certain number of withdrawals without penalty, while a CD requires you to leave your money with the bank for a specified period of time. Generally, the longer the term of your CD, the higher the interest rate you’ll receive. Think of it like this – the bank rewards you for leaving your money with them for a set amount of time. The longer you agree to leave the money there, the more likely you are to receive an attractive rate. Of course, interest rates will vary by financial institution. Many online-only banks offer higher interest rates on their deposit accounts than their brick-and-mortar counterparts because they have less overhead costs to deal with. Because they’re not paying money to maintain and staff physical branches, they can pass that cost-savings along to their customers in the way of more competitive interest rates. Likewise, many brick-and-mortar banks offer “online-only” accounts with more attractive interest rates than their regular deposit products. The customer is expected to handle their banking needs online (and in some cases they’ll even be charged a fee if they need to visit a branch), and in return they receive a higher interest rate on their account. Another factor in how banks determine the interest rates for savings products is supply and demand. The money that customers deposit into their bank accounts is the same money that the financial institution lends out to borrowers, who pay interest on the loans. So, if the demand for loans increases, and the bank needs more deposits from which to lend, they may be inclined to increase the interest rates on their deposit accounts to make them more attractive to savers like you. On the flip side, a decreased demand for loans could result in lower interest rates on savings accounts, because the bank doesn’t need as many deposits to keep up with lending demands. It’s also typical for banks to base their deposit account rates on “benchmark” interest rates. The federal funds rate is the rate that financial institutions charge each other for extremely short-term loans. This federal funds rate is a common benchmark for the interest rates that banks offer their customers. In other words, if the federal funds rate changes, banks will typically adjust the rates they’re offering customers on savings products like savings accounts and CDs. Investor demand for U.S. Treasury bonds and notes is another factor, as is the Federal Reserve, which sets the federal funds rate. The Federal Reserve (often referred to simply as “the Fed”) frequently makes announcements and decisions about how monetary policy will impact rates. The Fed influences these rates by buying or selling previously issued U.S. securities. When it buys more securities, banks end up with more money than they can use for lending, and the interest rates decrease. And when the Fed sells securities, money from the banks is tapped, resulting in fewer funds available for lending. This, in turn, forces a hike in interest rates. Knowing which factors affect the interest rates on deposit accounts can help you to make a more informed decision when you’re shopping around for a savings product. And don’t forget to review and factor in any fees or maintenance charges associated with the account before you open it – those can take a real bite out of your earned interest if you’re not careful! So you’re looking to stash some money away for a rainy day…or maybe a sunny vacation stay. But you’re not sure which is a better choice – a savings account or a certificate of deposit (CD). Obviously both are designed with savings in mind. And both will earn you interest. But there are some significant differences to consider. A savings account is an interest-bearing deposit account that you can set up at a bank or another financial institution. Depending on the institution, you may be limited on the number of withdrawals you can make from the account each month. Plus, fees may be charged if you don’t maintain a certain average monthly balance in the account. A savings account usually can be opened with an initial deposit of just a few dollars. Subsequent deposits can be made for any amount and at any time. A certificate of deposit is a product that’s set up for a specific amount of time, such as one year, two years, or five years. It’s available through banks, credit unions, and thrift institutions. A minimum deposit is required no matter what time frame is chosen. At Bank5 Connect, the minimum is $500. CDs are similar to savings accounts in that they are virtually risk free. For banks, CDs are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). For credit unions, insurance is provided by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). All Bank5 Connect CDs have FDIC insurance for up to $250,000, plus CDs are insured for over $250,000 by the Depositors Insurance Fund (DIF). What makes CDs different from savings accounts is that they usually have a fixed interest rate and a specific, fixed term. The latter is intended to have the customer hold onto the CD until it reaches its maturity, at which time the money invested can be withdrawn, along with accrued interest. CDs are known for offering a competitive interest rate compared to savings accounts. And, unlike savings accounts, a typical CD is established with a lump sum deposit. Usually, a customer will receive a higher interest rate if they have a larger principal to invest and they choose a longer term for the CD. However, penalties are typically assessed for early withdrawals. Bank5 Connect CDs have terms of 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months, and there are no monthly maintenance fees.

At the Television Critics Assn. gathering in Pasadena last weekend, NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy reflected on a subject many of his peers wished to avoid: the prospect of reliving another writers’ strike. “So far we’ve been told that we should be cautious, as always, but that a strike is something we will always be prepared for,” Telegdy told journalists at the Langham Huntingon hotel. “It’s a different world...I just need to make sure there are things people want to watch and we’ve got plans that could sustain us.” More than a decade after writers shut down Hollywood, studios and networks are once again preparing for another potential walkout that could disrupt Southern California’s highest profile industry. But the circumstances have radically changed since the last strike, which began in fall of 2007 and lasted 100 days. Then, Hollywood was just entering a digital revolution that would upend old distribution models, with Netflix just starting its pivot from DVD to the internet and Hulu going live as the strike ended. Today, the streaming revolution has accelerated to a degree few could have imagined then, creating a new golden era in TV production. Much more is at stake for both the studios, which are in the throes of launching new direct-to-consumer services such as NBC’s Peacock and AT&T’s HBO Max., and the writers, who could miss out on a production surge. HBO Max is due to launch the same month the Writers Guild of America contract ends with the studios expires May 1. NBC plans to roll out Peacock nationally by July 15. “The bottom line is, we are in a really different context than we were in 2007 and 2008,” said Ivy Kagan Bierman, an L.A.-based entertainment lawyer who has represented production companies on labor issues. “The emergence of Netflix and similar platforms has really changed the landscape.” Studios, production companies and guild members are all eager to avoid a sequel to the last major disruption that cost the state an estimated 37,700 jobs and $2.1 billion in lost output from late 2007 through the end of 2008, according to a 2008 Milken Institute report. Even L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is worried about the potential effect of a work stoppage on the city. “It’s troubling because this doesn’t just hurt the industry, it hurts main street,” Garcetti said in an interview to promote a new initiative to increase Latino employment in Hollywood. “It hurts the dry cleaner and the bakery and those dollars that are recycled here. I hope that as models change, that people can also figure out a way to keep that production here because fighting for something better, the last thing we want to see is for that production to leave altogether.” The continued spread of filming to Georgia, New York and other film hubs could lessen the economic hit of a strike on L.A., but the “impact on individuals could be just as bad, especially if there is a protracted strike, because of the higher cost of living,” said Kevin Klowden, executive director of the Milken Institute’s Center for Regional Economics and California Center. At TCA last week, FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf described the landscape as a “mad race to keep the massive conveyor belt of content going.” The industry’s networks and streaming services together produced 532 scripted dramas, comedies and limited series in 2019, doubling the number of scripted shows produced a decade ago. The problem is, the content bumper crop hasn’t benefited writers the way it should, according to the WGA. Employment for film writers has reached levels not seen for 20 years, with about 1,000 screenwriters reporting more than $100 million in earnings each quarter (up from about 700 writers in prior years) and nearly 5,000 members working in TV for the last five years. Nonetheless, “too many members” are working at, or close to, minimum, the WGA told members in December. As streaming takes over the traditional broadcast network TV model, studios are commissioning shorter seasons and writers also are losing out on revenue from what would have been syndication or reselling of their shows. “We are in a completely new world of how people consume entertainment,” WGA West President David Goodman said in an interview. “There is intense competition between the companies to launch their streaming services and hold on to their libraries. The question for the Writers Guild is, how are our members being compensated? Are we keeping up with this enormous growth and how do we make sure to protect our members in this new business model?” But Goodman said the whirlwind of speculation about a strike was “part of a game to try to put us on our heels.” He dismissed the widespread perception that the union’s months-long fight with major talent agencies over industry practices foreshadows a bigger labor fight. He noted that the union voted to strike only once out of the last four rounds of bargaining. “We will identify the issues. ... The members will decide how hard they want to fight for it,” Goodman said. Union leaders have conveyed that message in a series of routine meetings in writers’ rooms across Hollywood. At the end of January, the WGA leadership will disclose to members a so-called “pattern of demands,” the key issues that will frame upcoming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios such as Walt Disney and Warner Bros. but also Amazon and Apple. The AMPTP declined to comment. The uncertain outcome has many writers on edge. “Everybody is very stressed about it,” said Dan Fogelman, creator of the hit NBC show “This Is Us,” at the Pasadena conference. “People are still making money, so there’s a lot to figure out between guilds and studios [about] how that money is going to be spread fairly around.” Even the industry’s insider newsletter, The Ankler, launched an index called “Strike-O-Meter 2020,” though for now it had the probability of a strike at just 20%. Several industry executives declined to publicly discuss strike plans but privately said they were taking contingency measures, including ordering extra episodes of existing shows or potentially holding back programs for later in the year. One executive described creating a schedule, akin to a football playbook, with various alternative programming plans depending on the length of a strike, whether it be one week or several weeks. “There are companies that are doing their strike contingency plans and looking at what they have in development and production,” said Kagan Bierman. “They’re appropriately and strategically analyzing their slates so that a strike doesn’t cripple the entertainment business. It is not simply about stockpiling scripts, which often has a negative connotation. It is also about whether to move forward with projects in development and what type of programming to focus on developing and producing.” The streaming revolution has brought new tech giants into the Hollywood market, such as Amazon and Apple. They are hungry for new content but don’t have a history of dealing with unions. Then there’s Netflix, which is not a member of the producers alliance. The Los Gatos company has already started forging its own labor deals, including a landmark contract with SAG-AFTRA this summer, that could give it a competitive advantage in the event of a work stoppage The ability to negotiate a separate deal with Netflix also gives WGA and other talent unions some leverage with the studios. Contracts for SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America expire June 30. Another change over the past decade is the consolidation among legacy media companies, with the formation of AT&T-Warner Media, Viacom-CBS, Disney-Fox and Comcast-NBC. These corporate behemoths may take a harder line with unions and have more resources to fight the WGA and other guilds. At the same time, they need talent more than ever to feed their new streaming pipelines in order to compete with Netflix. “They both need each other in the end, but when there is some consolidation it can lead to a little more leverage,” said David Smith, a professor of economics at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. “There is almost a frenzy in terms of production and the need for writers during these times, so that dynamic is at play.” Said Fogelman: “My hope is that very smart people who don’t want a strike can get together and come up with an arrangement that makes everybody happy.”

A night in the life of Shelley – The New Hobbit Hello everyone! For today’s post I wanted to review for you this lovely restaurant I went to the other night for a nice pre-Chritmas get together with family friends. I’ve been here quite a few times now, and it never disappoints which is why I have to dedicate a blog post to it. I can’t deny that one of my favourite ways to spend an evening is to be surrounded by good company, in a lovely place, with good food and drink; and there’s no better time for that than the Christmas season! This post is featuring The New Hobbit ‘Country Inn and Dining’. First things first, it’s decorated absolutely beautifully: so warm and cosy, yet elegant; and with a beautiful view with it being on high land. I particularly like it during the festive season as they have a beautifully decorated Christmas tree which really adds to the festive vibes – although I didn’t manage to get a picture of it. Due to the restaurant being fairly small it means customer service is on top form, and despite it being the busy Christmas holiday’s we didn’t find ourselves waiting around for too much of a long time for our food. Below are pictures of the super yummy food I decided to go for: all at a reasonable price, and definitely large portions to give you value for money… I couldn’t even finish! I went for a starter of Homemade Hummus, a main of char-grilled chicken breast, and although I didn’t go for a desert; with it being Christmas time they gave a little mini mince pie with each coffee order; how sweet. It took me such a long time to decide what to go for, the menu has such a wide range of food to offer: burgers, grills, pasta’s etc and each aspect of the menu looks as good as the other. I just really love the atmosphere of this restaurant, and I would certainly look forward to going to it again. This restaurant is actually part of The New Hobbit Hotel, so I’m intrigued as to whether I’d love that just as much. It also has function areas for events such as weddings, so it really does have a nice, celebratory atmosphere to it whilst at the same time still being small, warm, and cosy. I hope that you all enjoyed this post, and let me know what restaurants you love. Shelley x

Route110_Text_16E6C0:: @ 816E6C0 .string "TEAM {EVIL_TEAM}'s activities must be kept\n" .string "secret for now.$" Route110_Text_16E6F2:: @ 816E6F2 .string "I want to get going to SLATEPORT and\n" .string "kick up a ruckus!$" Route110_Text_16E729:: @ 816E729 .string "This is my first job after joining\n" .string "TEAM {EVIL_TEAM}. I've got the shakes!$" Route110_Text_16E76A:: @ 816E76A .string "TEAM {EVIL_TEAM}'s actions will put a smile\n" .string "on everyone's face!$" Route110_Text_16E7A1:: @ 816E7A1 .string "MAY: Hi, {PLAYER}{KUN}, long time no see!\p" .string "While I was searching for other\n" .string "POKéMON, my POKéMON grew stronger.\p" .string "So...\n" .string "How about a little battle?$" Route110_Text_16E826:: @ 816E826 .string "Yikes!\n" .string "You're better than I expected!$" Route110_Text_16E84C:: @ 816E84C .string "MAY: {PLAYER}{KUN}, you've been busy\n" .string "training, too, haven't you?\p" .string "I think you deserve a reward!\n" .string "This is from me!$" Route110_Text_16E8B3:: @ 816E8B3 .string "MAY: That's an ITEMFINDER.\p" .string "Try it out. If there is an item that's\n" .string "not visible, it emits a sound.\p" .string "Okay, {PLAYER}{KUN}, let's meet again!\p" .string "I know it's a little silly coming from\n" .string "me, but I think you should train a lot\l" .string "harder for the next time.$" Route110_Text_16E99A:: @ 816E99A .string "BRENDAN: Hey, {PLAYER}.\n" .string "So this is where you were.\l" .string "How's it going?\p" .string "Have you been raising your POKéMON?\n" .string "I'll check for you.$" Route110_Text_16EA0F:: @ 816EA0F .string "Hmm...\n" .string "You're pretty good.$" Route110_Text_16EA2A:: @ 816EA2A .string "BRENDAN: {PLAYER}, you've trained\n" .string "without me noticing...\p" .string "Good enough!\n" .string "Here, take this.$" Route110_Text_16EA7B:: @ 816EA7B .string "BRENDAN: That's an ITEMFINDER.\p" .string "Use it to root around for items that\n" .string "aren't visible.\p" .string "If it senses something, it emits a\n" .string "sound.\p" .string "Anyway, I'm off to look for new\n" .string "POKéMON.$" Route110_Text_16EB22:: @ 816EB22 .string "Wouldn't it be great to ride a BIKE\n" .string "at full speed on CYCLING ROAD?$" Route110_Text_16EB65:: @ 816EB65 .string "How do you like the way my raven-\n" .string "colored hair streams behind me?\p" .string "I grew my hair out just for that.$" Route110_Text_16EBC9:: @ 816EBC9 .string "Oh, hey, you got that BIKE from RYDEL!\p" .string "Oh, it's glaringly obvious.\n" .string "It says right on your bike...\p" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\n" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\p" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\n" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\p" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\n" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\p" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\n" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL,\p" .string "RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL, RYDEL...\n" .string "That name's everywhere.\p" .string "You should ride it around all over\n" .string "the place - it's good advertising!$" Route110_Text_16EDC5:: @ 816EDC5 .string "The two roads, one above, one below...\p" .string "A road each for people and POKéMON.\n" .string "Perhaps that is right and fair.$" Route110_Text_16EE30:: @ 816EE30 .string "I don't have a BIKE, so I'll take a\n" .string "leisurely walk on the low road.$" Route110_Text_16EE74:: @ 816EE74 .string "Learning techniques will make BIKE\n" .string "riding even more fun.\p" .string "There are some places that you can\n" .string "reach only by using a BIKE technique.$" Route110_Text_16EEF6:: @ 816EEF6 .string "Which should I choose?\p" .string "Make a beeline for MAUVILLE on\n" .string "CYCLING ROAD, or take the low road\l" .string "and look for POKéMON?$" Route110_Text_16EF65:: @ 816EF65 .string "Number of collisions:\n" .string "... ... {STR_VAR_1}!\p" .string "Total time:\n" .string "... ... {STR_VAR_2}!$" Route110_Text_16EF9F:: @ 816EF9F .string "Bravo! Splendid showing!\p" .string "Your love of cycling comes from deep\n" .string "within your heart.\l" .string "You've shaken me to my very soul!$" Route110_Text_16F012:: @ 816F012 .string "Your technique is remarkable.\p" .string "I suggest you slow down just enough\n" .string "to avoid collisions.$" Route110_Text_16F069:: @ 816F069 .string "I would consider you a work in\n" .string "progress.\p" .string "Still, I hope you don't forget the\n" .string "sheer pleasure of cycling.$" Route110_Text_16F0D0:: @ 816F0D0 .string "My word... Your cycling skills border\n" .string "on terrifying.\p" .string "Most certainly, you need much more\n" .string "practice riding.$" Route110_Text_16F139:: @ 816F139 .string "...I am aghast...\p" .string "You're perhaps not cut out for this\n" .string "unfortunate cycling business.\p" .string "You ought to give serious thought to\n" .string "returning that BIKE to RYDEL.$" Route110_Text_16F1D0:: @ 816F1D0 .string "This is CYCLING ROAD.\p" .string "If you were to ride from MAUVILLE to\n" .string "SLATEPORT on a MACH BIKE, you would\l" .string "be rated for the number of collisions\l" .string "and your total time.$" Route110_Text_16F26A:: @ 816F26A .string "Regardless of the results, I count on\n" .string "seeing more challenges from you.\l" .string "Always aim higher!$" Route110_Text_16F2C4:: @ 816F2C4 .string "On this CYCLING ROAD, those riding\n" .string "MACH BIKES are rated for their number\l" .string "of collisions and their total times.\p" .string "ACRO BIKES do not qualify for rating.\n" .string "They are easy to turn, so it's not fair.$" Route110_Text_16F381:: @ 816F381 .string "ROUTE 110\n" .string "{0x7A} SLATEPORT CITY$" Route110_Text_16F39C:: @ 816F39C .string "SEASIDE CYCLING ROAD$" Route110_Text_16F3B1:: @ 816F3B1 .string "“TEAM {EVIL_TEAM} RULEZ!”\p" .string "Somebody scribbled that on the sign...$" Route110_Text_16F3E9:: @ 816F3E9 .string "ROUTE 110\n" .string "{0x7B} ROUTE 103$" Route110_Text_16F3FF:: @ 816F3FF .string "SEASIDE PARKING$" Route110_Text_16F40F:: @ 816F40F .string "ROUTE 110\n" .string "{0x79} MAUVILLE CITY$" Route110_Text_16F429:: @ 816F429 .string "TRAINER TIPS\p" .string "The foe can be made helpless by\n" .string "paralyzing it or causing it to sleep.\p" .string "It is an important technique for\n" .string "POKéMON battles.$" Route110_Text_16F4AE:: @ 816F4AE .string "TRAINER TIPS\p" .string "The items in the BAG can be reorganized\n" .string "by pressing SELECT.$" Route110_Text_16F4F7:: @ 816F4F7 .string "“Three steps {0x7C} and two steps {0x79}\n" .string "to reach the wondrous TRICK HOUSE.”$" Route110_Text_16F53A:: @ 816F53A .string "THE BEST RECORD TO DATE...\p" .string "No. of collisions: {STR_VAR_1}\p" .string "Elapsed time: {STR_VAR_2}$" Route110_Text_16F57C:: @ 816F57C .string "THE BEST RECORD TO DATE...\p" .string "No one seems to have taken the\n" .string "challenge. There is no record...$" UnknownString_816F5D7: @ 816F5D7 .string "I watered the plants every day.\n" .string "They grew lots of flowers.\p" .string "And they gave me lots of BERRIES, too.\p" .string "Here you go!\n" .string "You can have it!$" UnknownString_816F657: @ 816F657 .string "I'm trying to make RED {POKEBLOCK}S!\n" .string "I hope you do, too!$" UnknownString_816F68A: @ 816F68A .string "Your BAG's BERRIES POCKET is full.\p" .string "I'll give it to you another time.$" UnknownString_816F6CF: @ 816F6CF .string "I'm going to look for red BERRIES to\n" .string "make RED {POKEBLOCK}S.$"

Q: Real time chart using jquery Flot that shows time accurately? I am trying to use Flot: http://www.flotcharts.org to create a realtime chart that is updated via ajax. I am basing my code on the following: var cpu = [], cpuCore = [], disk = []; var dataset; var totalPoints = 100; var updateInterval = 5000; var now = new Date().getTime(); var options = { series: { lines: { lineWidth: 1.2 }, bars: { align: "center", fillColor: { colors: [{ opacity: 1 }, { opacity: 1}] }, barWidth: 500, lineWidth: 1 } }, xaxis: { mode: "time", tickSize: [60, "second"], tickFormatter: function (v, axis) { var date = new Date(v); if (date.getSeconds() % 20 == 0) { var hours = date.getHours() < 10 ? "0" + date.getHours() : date.getHours(); var minutes = date.getMinutes() < 10 ? "0" + date.getMinutes() : date.getMinutes(); var seconds = date.getSeconds() < 10 ? "0" + date.getSeconds() : date.getSeconds(); return hours + ":" + minutes + ":" + seconds; } else { return ""; } }, axisLabel: "Time", axisLabelUseCanvas: true, axisLabelFontSizePixels: 12, axisLabelFontFamily: 'Verdana, Arial', axisLabelPadding: 10 }, yaxes: [ { min: 0, max: 100, tickSize: 5, tickFormatter: function (v, axis) { if (v % 10 == 0) { return v + "%"; } else { return ""; } }, axisLabel: "CPU loading", axisLabelUseCanvas: true, axisLabelFontSizePixels: 12, axisLabelFontFamily: 'Verdana, Arial', axisLabelPadding: 6 }, { max: 5120, position: "right", axisLabel: "Disk", axisLabelUseCanvas: true, axisLabelFontSizePixels: 12, axisLabelFontFamily: 'Verdana, Arial', axisLabelPadding: 6 } ], legend: { noColumns: 0, position:"nw" }, grid: { backgroundColor: { colors: ["#ffffff", "#EDF5FF"] } } }; function initData() { for (var i = 0; i < totalPoints; i++) { var temp = [now += updateInterval, 0]; cpu.push(temp); cpuCore.push(temp); disk.push(temp); } } function GetData() { $.ajaxSetup({ cache: false }); $.ajax({ url: "http://www.jqueryflottutorial.com/AjaxUpdateChart.aspx", dataType: 'json', success: update, error: function () { setTimeout(GetData, updateInterval); } }); } var temp; function update(_data) { cpu.shift(); cpuCore.shift(); disk.shift(); now += updateInterval temp = [now, _data.cpu]; cpu.push(temp); temp = [now, _data.core]; cpuCore.push(temp); temp = [now, _data.disk]; disk.push(temp); dataset = [ { label: "CPU:" + _data.cpu + "%", data: cpu, lines: { fill: true, lineWidth: 1.2 }, color: "#00FF00" }, { label: "Disk:" + _data.disk + "KB", data: disk, color: "#0044FF", bars: { show: true }, yaxis: 2 }, { label: "CPU Core:" + _data.core + "%", data: cpuCore, lines: { lineWidth: 1.2}, color: "#FF0000" } ]; $.plot($("#flot-placeholder1"), dataset, options); setTimeout(GetData, updateInterval); } $(document).ready(function () { initData(); dataset = [ { label: "CPU", data: cpu, lines:{fill:true, lineWidth:1.2}, color: "#00FF00" }, { label: "Disk:", data: disk, color: "#0044FF", bars: { show: true }, yaxis: 2 }, { label: "CPU Core", data: cpuCore, lines: { lineWidth: 1.2}, color: "#FF0000" } ]; $.plot($("#flot-placeholder1"), dataset, options); setTimeout(GetData, updateInterval); }); A working example can be seen here: http://www.jqueryflottutorial.com/tester-11.html But why is the time axis along the bottom back to front? And I have also noticed that it does not keep time accurately and it gets further out of sync the longer its left running. Can this be overcome? A: Add now -= totalPoints * updateInterval; at the beginning of the initData() function so that the current time is at the right end of the x-axis instead of the left end. And change now += updateInterval to now = new Date().getTime(); in the update(_data) function so that new data points always have the current time. I would also recommend to change the tickFormatter function to tickFormatter: function (v, axis) { var date = new Date(v); if (date.getSeconds() == 0) { var hours = date.getHours() < 10 ? "0" + date.getHours() : date.getHours(); var minutes = date.getMinutes() < 10 ? "0" + date.getMinutes() : date.getMinutes(); return hours + ":" + minutes; } else { return ""; } }, and directly call GetData(); at the end of the document.ready() function (instead of the setTimeout(GetData, updateInterval);).

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The card, which appears to have been written by a white spectator to his parents, is signed “your son Joe.” He refers to the horrific murder — in which the victim’s ears, fingers and sexual organs were severed — as the “barbecue we had last night.” He identifies himself in the crowd by placing a mark in ink about his head. By permitting images like this one to move through the mail at all, the government tacitly endorsed lynching, along with the presumption that African-Americans were less than human. The mailings also aided a propaganda campaign that was intended to terrorize the black population in the nation as a whole, not just in the South. Joe from Waco is no doubt long dead. But many of the people who attended lynchings as children in the 1930’s and 40’s must be still alive and walking the streets of the principal states of the lynching belt. They include Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, all of which voted against the first black president. The nearness of the past was fully evident not long ago in Atlanta, when the collectors James Allen and John Littlefield were trying to mount an exhibition of lynching images that had drawn a huge audience and international attention when shown at the New-York Historical Society’s “Without Sanctuary” exhibition of 2000. Influential Atlantans equivocated. As a person familiar with the issue told me recently: “There were concerns that people in crowds were still alive. And of course, family members and relatives of those people might come in and have to say, ‘That’s my dad’ or ‘That’s my mom.’ ”

Q: How can I maintain consistent DB schema accross 18 databases (sql server)? We have 18 databases that should have identical schemas, but don't. In certain scenarios, a table was added to one, but not the rest. Or, certain stored procedures were required in a handful of databases, but not the others. Or, our DBA forgot to run a script to add views on all of the databases. What is the best way to keep database schemas in sync? A: SQL Compare by Red Gate is a great tool for this. A: For legacy fixes/cleanup, there are tools, like SQLCompare, that can generate scripts to sync databases. For .NET shops running SQL Server, there is also the Visual Studio Database Edition, which can create change scripts for schema changes that can be checked into source control, and automatically built using your CI/build process. A: SQLCompare is the best tool that I have used for finding differences between databases and getting them synced. To keep the databases synced up, you need to have several things in place: 1) You need policies about who can make changes to production. Generally this should only be the DBA (DBA team for larger orgs) and 1 or 2 backaps. The backups should only make changes when the DBA is out, or in an emergency. The backups should NOT be deploying on a regular basis. Set Database rights according to this policy. 2) A process and tools to manage deployment requests. Ideally you will have a development environment, a test environment, and a production environment. Developers should do initial development in the dev environment, and have changes pushed to test and production as appropriate. You will need some way of letting the DBA know when to push changes. I would NOT recommend a process where you holler to the next cube. Large orgs may have a change control committee and changes only get made once a month. Smaller companies may just have the developer request testing, and after testing is passed a request for deployment to production. One smaller company I worked for used Problem Tracker for these requests. Use whatever works in your situation and budget, just have a process, and have tools that work for that process. 3) You said that sometimes objects only need to go to a handful of databases. With only 18 databases, probably on one server, I would recommend making each Databse match objects exactly. Only 5 DBs need usp_DoSomething? So what? Put it in every databse. This will be much easier to manage. We did it this way on a 6 server system with around 250-300 DBs. There were exceptions, but they were grouped. Databases on server C got this extra set of objects. Databases on Server L got this other set. 4) You said that sometimes the DBA forgets to deploy change scripts to all the DBs. This tells me that s/he needs tools for deploying changes. S/He is probably taking a SQL script, opening it in in Query Analyzer or Manegement Studio (or whatever you use) and manually going to each database and executing the SQL. This is not a good long term (or short term) solution. Red Gate (makers of SQLCompare above) have many great tools. MultiScript looks like it may work for deployment purposes. I worked with a DBA that wrote is own tool in SQL Server 2000 using O-SQl. It would take an SQL file and execute it on each database on the server. He had to execute it on each server, but it beat executing on each DB. I also helped write a VB.net tool that would do the same thing, except it would also go through a list of server, so it only had to be executed once. 5) Source Control. My current team doesn't use source control, and I don't have enough time to tell you how many problems this causes. If you don't have some kind of source control system, get one.

[Studies on retention behaviour of biopolymers on silica-based binding stationary phase in the mobile phase of acetic acid-water]. The reversed-phase chromatographic method consisting of acetic acid-water as a new mobile phase for separating biopolymers on ODS column is presented. The new mobile phase may overcome the weak points of irreversible adsorption in chromatographic separation to some degree and difficulty in concentrating proteins with lyophylization and reduce the three-component (organic solvent, ion-pairing agent and water) of typical mobile phase to two component system. Based on the retention and Z (the number of solvent molecules involving in the displacement from stationary-phase surface), log I (a constant relating to the affinity of 1 mol of solute to the bonded stationary phase), and j (a constant relating to the affinity of 1 mol of solvent to the bonded stationary phase), the elution strength of acetic acid-water mobile phase was found to be stronger than that of methanol-water-TFA. From a good linear relationship between log I and Z, it can be concluded that the interaction force between proteins and RPLC stationary phase with acetic acid-water as mobile phase is non-selective hydrophobic interaction forces. In addition, the molecular conformations of protein in acetic acid-water and methanol-trifluoroacetic acid-water were found to be different.

Teatro Rossini (Lugo) Teatro Rossini is the name of an opera house in Lugo, Italy that serves as an adjunct venue for the work of Teatro Comunale di Bologna. The Teatro Rossini was built in 1760, its main parts following a design of Ambrogio Petrocchi. Work on its interior, including the stage, seating, and balconies, was completed by Antonio Galli Bibiena. The theater's work has embraced collaborations with Ravenna's Teatro Alighieri and Pesaro's Rossini Foundation, as well as the ties to Bologna. It seats roughly 500. The theatre took its present name in honour of the composer Gioachino Rossini in 1859. References Plantamura, Carol, The Opera Lover's Guide to Europe, New York: Citadel Press, 1996 Zeitz, Karyl Lynn, Italian Opera Houses and Festivals, Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005 See also List of opera festivals List of opera houses External links Teatro Rossini at Lugo, Italy Category:Opera houses in Italy Category:Buildings and structures in the Province of Ravenna Category:Theatres completed in 1760 Category:Theatres in Italy Category:Music venues completed in 1760

A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of a Los Angeles-based kombucha company alleges the kombucha beverages manufactured by Trader Joes and five other companies are more alcoholic and sugary than advertised. A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of a Los Angeles-based kombucha company alleges the kombucha beverages manufactured by Trader Joes and five other companies are more alcoholic and sugary than advertised. Photo: Portland Press Herald/Getty Images Photo: Portland Press Herald/Getty Images Image 1of/67 Caption Close Image 1 of 67 A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of a Los Angeles-based kombucha company alleges the kombucha beverages manufactured by Trader Joes and five other companies are more alcoholic and sugary than advertised. A lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of a Los Angeles-based kombucha company alleges the kombucha beverages manufactured by Trader Joes and five other companies are more alcoholic and sugary than advertised. A series of lawsuits filed Monday on behalf of a California kombucha company alleges the kombucha beverages produced by Trader Joe's and other manufacturers are more alcoholic and sugary than advertised. The filings claim the companies' failure to properly disclose the alcoholic content of their kombuchas jeopardizes "health and safety" of consumers, who may have unwittingly consumed the drinks when pregnant or breastfeeding, or served them to minors. Plus, Kombucha Dog, which has an alcoholic content high enough to be sold in beer sections of stores, lost money. "They can sell in more stores, sell next to juices," said Stephen Weisskopf of Levato Law, who is representing Tortilla Factory. "My client's product has to sell next to Budweisers." The complaint filed against Trader Joe's alleges Tortilla Factory "lost profits, failed to obtain the market share it would otherwise have obtained, and was denied a fair marketplace." Michael Faye started Kombucha Dog more than a decade ago to combine his passion for holistic living and pooches. Each bottle of Kombucha Dog is decorated with a photo of a Los Angeles rescue dog in need of a home. Despite having won awards and recognition from local media for his "traditionally fermented" product, Faye "can't compete in the marketplace because he's not on a level playing field," Weisskopf said of his client. But more importantly, "it's about consumers knowing what they're buying, otherwise, there's dangers associated with it." Kombucha has long been a sticky product for manufacturers, who must contend with stringent state and federal alcoholic beverage laws. The drink, which skyrocketed in popularity among the health-food crowd in recent years, is made by combining tea and sugar with a culture of yeast strains and bacteria, and sometimes fruit juice. The mixture of tea and sugar triggers fermentation, meaning most kombucha drinks contain some amount of alcohol. Here's where things get tricky: Drinks with alcohol contents of .5 percent or more are classified as alcoholic beverages under federal law and subject to strict regulation. A beverage that contains .5 percent or higher alcohol by volume (ABV) – even a drink touted as a health beverage, like kombucha – is subject to the same state and federal laws that regulate other alcoholic beverages, including limits on where and to whom the product can be sold. The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) generally classifies kombucha beverages with alcohol contents of .5 percent or higher as beer. This means the kombucha producer must qualify as a brewer, pay taxes to the federal government, file a formula with TTB and label bottles with a warning from the U.S. Attorney General. The six companies being sued by Tortilla Factory claim their beverages have alcohol contents below .5 percent. Independent testing sponsored by Tortilla Factory found these claims to be false, Weisskopf said. The "majority" of products they tested were above .5 percent, he said. Trader Joe's refused to comment on pending litigation. The five other companies could not be reached for comment. According to Weisskopf, the kombucha industry is rife with violations. He says many of the kombuchas on the market have alcohol contents higher than .5 percent, and in some cases, "considerably more, approaching 1 or 2 or 3 percent." Standard light beers contain anywhere between 2 and 5 percent ABV. Faye's Kombucha Dog drinks are brewed from a "traditional recipe," according to the company's website, and most contain around 1.4 percent ABV. "Rather than dilute the flavor and the antioxidant and probiotic potency to reduce the alcohol content, we prefer to bottle as is, so Kombucha Dog is a 21+ beverage," the website says. According to the company, some kombucha makers dilute their beverages with water to skirt alcohol restrictions. Weisskopf said they plan to sue for "significant damages." Other kombucha makers may come under fire in the coming months. "We're still investigating other companies," he said. "We'll make determinations down the road whether there are additional lawsuits."

A man facing trial for allegedly allowing his 6-year-old daughter's teeth to rot and who is under investigation in the deaths of several of his other children was charged Thursday with lying under oath about attending drug rehab. At a hearing Dec. 9 in Northampton County Court, Kenneth A. Wanamaker Jr. committed perjury by saying he had enrolled in an inpatient treatment program in Lebanon County, authorities said. The facility had no record of him as a patient and Wanamaker could supply no proof. Wanamaker continued to insist under oath he had been in treatment as Judge F.P. Kimberly McFadden ordered him to forfeit $25,000 in cash he posted for bail. Wanamaker, 37, of Lehigh Township, avoided jail in November by promising a judge he'd check himself into rehab. At the hearing, Wanamaker pleaded with McFadden, saying he and his domestic partner, Jessica L. Hoffman, had a newborn baby to care for, but McFadden said Wanamaker had misrepresented himself to her and repeatedly flouted court orders. Wanamaker and Hoffman, 32, face child endangerment charges that they allowed their daughter's teeth to decay so severely that a dentist said it could have killed her. They are scheduled to again go before McFadden on Friday for a pretrial conference. District Attorney John Morganelli said prosecutors are investigating the couple further, given that a baby son died of pneumonia in 2011 and there have been two stillborn deliveries since 2007 — one linked by a coroner to Hoffman's methamphetamine abuse. Wanamaker, who remains in county prison under $100,000 bail, had not yet been arraigned on the perjury charge as of Thursday afternoon. According to court records in the perjury case: County pretrial services officer Nina Reynard told a county detective that Wanamaker failed to comply with his bail conditions by not attending drug rehab. In a conversation with Wanamaker on Dec. 5, Reynard said "he swore he was at the facility and everyone else had the wrong information." Wanamaker said his credit card was declined and he paid cash at the inpatient facility. The records for the inpatient facility, White Deer Run, state that on Nov. 21, Wanamaker appeared at the Lebanon facility and completed some paperwork, but was documented as "refused."

{ "description": "ClientIPConfig represents the configurations of Client IP based session affinity.", "properties": { "timeoutSeconds": { "description": "timeoutSeconds specifies the seconds of ClientIP type session sticky time. The value must be >0 && <=86400(for 1 day) if ServiceAffinity == \"ClientIP\". Default value is 10800(for 3 hours).", "type": "integer", "format": "int32" } }, "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/schema#", "type": "object" }

namespace Aurora_Updater { partial class MainForm { /// <summary> /// Required designer variable. /// </summary> private System.ComponentModel.IContainer components = null; /// <summary> /// Clean up any resources being used. /// </summary> /// <param name="disposing">true if managed resources should be disposed; otherwise, false.</param> protected override void Dispose(bool disposing) { if (disposing && (components != null)) { components.Dispose(); } base.Dispose(disposing); } #region Windows Form Designer generated code /// <summary> /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify /// the contents of this method with the code editor. /// </summary> private void InitializeComponent() { System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager resources = new System.ComponentModel.ComponentResourceManager(typeof(MainForm)); this.update_progress = new System.Windows.Forms.ProgressBar(); this.richtextUpdateLog = new System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox(); this.labelApplicationTitle = new System.Windows.Forms.Label(); this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo = new System.Windows.Forms.PictureBox(); this.labelUpdateLog = new System.Windows.Forms.Label(); ((System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize)(this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo)).BeginInit(); this.SuspendLayout(); // // update_progress // this.update_progress.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)(((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left) | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right))); this.update_progress.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(12, 352); this.update_progress.Name = "update_progress"; this.update_progress.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(560, 22); this.update_progress.Style = System.Windows.Forms.ProgressBarStyle.Continuous; this.update_progress.TabIndex = 0; // // richtextUpdateLog // this.richtextUpdateLog.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)(((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left) | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Right))); this.richtextUpdateLog.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(12, 82); this.richtextUpdateLog.Name = "richtextUpdateLog"; this.richtextUpdateLog.ReadOnly = true; this.richtextUpdateLog.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(560, 264); this.richtextUpdateLog.TabIndex = 1; this.richtextUpdateLog.Text = ""; // // labelApplicationTitle // this.labelApplicationTitle.AutoSize = true; this.labelApplicationTitle.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Microsoft Sans Serif", 12F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0))); this.labelApplicationTitle.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(66, 12); this.labelApplicationTitle.Name = "labelApplicationTitle"; this.labelApplicationTitle.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(156, 20); this.labelApplicationTitle.TabIndex = 9; this.labelApplicationTitle.Text = "Updating Aurora..."; // // pictureBoxApplicationLogo // this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.Image = global::Aurora_Updater.Properties.Resources.Aurora_updater_logo; this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(12, 12); this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.Name = "pictureBoxApplicationLogo"; this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(48, 48); this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.SizeMode = System.Windows.Forms.PictureBoxSizeMode.AutoSize; this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.TabIndex = 8; this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo.TabStop = false; // // labelUpdateLog // this.labelUpdateLog.Anchor = ((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles)((System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Bottom | System.Windows.Forms.AnchorStyles.Left))); this.labelUpdateLog.AutoSize = true; this.labelUpdateLog.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(9, 66); this.labelUpdateLog.Name = "labelUpdateLog"; this.labelUpdateLog.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(75, 13); this.labelUpdateLog.TabIndex = 10; this.labelUpdateLog.Text = "Update details"; // // MainForm // this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F); this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font; this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(584, 381); this.Controls.Add(this.richtextUpdateLog); this.Controls.Add(this.labelUpdateLog); this.Controls.Add(this.labelApplicationTitle); this.Controls.Add(this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo); this.Controls.Add(this.update_progress); this.FormBorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.FixedSingle; this.Icon = ((System.Drawing.Icon)(resources.GetObject("$this.Icon"))); this.MaximizeBox = false; this.MaximumSize = new System.Drawing.Size(600, 450); this.MinimizeBox = false; this.MinimumSize = new System.Drawing.Size(600, 350); this.Name = "MainForm"; this.RightToLeft = System.Windows.Forms.RightToLeft.No; this.StartPosition = System.Windows.Forms.FormStartPosition.CenterScreen; this.Text = "Aurora Updater"; this.Shown += new System.EventHandler(this.Form1_Shown); ((System.ComponentModel.ISupportInitialize)(this.pictureBoxApplicationLogo)).EndInit(); this.ResumeLayout(false); this.PerformLayout(); } #endregion private System.Windows.Forms.ProgressBar update_progress; private System.Windows.Forms.RichTextBox richtextUpdateLog; private System.Windows.Forms.Label labelApplicationTitle; private System.Windows.Forms.PictureBox pictureBoxApplicationLogo; private System.Windows.Forms.Label labelUpdateLog; } }

Q: How can I move a Label with a KeyEvent? (JavaFX) I just learned how to make a GUI application with JavaFX with a FXML file. There is one thing that I don't understand though. When I try to add a KeyListener to a Label or the layout in my FXML file, the code doesn't get executed. It is a simple task like System.out.println("worked");, nothing complicated(eventually I want to move the Label with the keylistener, but now I just wanted something simple where I could easily see if it worked). I read somewhere that you need to add the listener on Frame level, but I don't know how. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me Main.java: package sample; import javafx.application.Application; import javafx.event.EventHandler; import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader; import javafx.scene.Parent; import javafx.scene.Scene; import javafx.scene.input.KeyEvent; import javafx.stage.Stage; public class Main extends Application { @Override public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception{ Parent root = FXMLLoader.load(getClass().getResource("sample.fxml")); primaryStage.setTitle("Hello World"); Scene scene = new Scene(root, 600, 600); scene.addEventHandler(KeyEvent.KEY_PRESSED, new EventHandler<KeyEvent>() { @Override public void handle(KeyEvent event) { Controller controller = new Controller(); controller.moveLabel(event); } }); primaryStage.setScene(scene); primaryStage.show(); } public static void main(String[] args) { launch(args); } } My controller class: package sample; import javafx.fxml.FXML; import javafx.scene.control.Label; import javafx.scene.input.KeyEvent; public class Controller { @FXML private Label label; @FXML public void moveLabel(KeyEvent e){ switch (e.getCode()){ case RIGHT: label.setTranslateX(3); break; default: System.out.println("not possible"); } } } My FXML file: <?import javafx.scene.layout.GridPane?> <?import javafx.scene.control.Label?> <GridPane fx:controller="sample.Controller" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml" alignment="center" hgap="10" vgap="10"> <Label text="Text" fx:id="label" ></Label> </GridPane Error message: Exception in thread "JavaFX Application Thread" java.lang.NullPointerException at sample.Controller.moveLabel(Controller.java:15) at sample.Main$1.handle(Main.java:22) at sample.Main$1.handle(Main.java:18) at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventHandler$NormalEventHandlerRecord.handle BubblingEvent(CompositeEventHandler.java:218) at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventHandler.dispatchBubblingEvent (CompositeEventHandler.java:80) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent (EventHandlerManager.java:238) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventHandlerManager.dispatchBubblingEvent (EventHandlerManager.java:191) at com.sun.javafx.event.CompositeEventDispatcher.dispatchBubblingEvent (CompositeEventDispatcher.java:59) at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent (BasicEventDispatcher.java:58) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent (EventDispatchChainImpl.java:114) at com.sun.javafx.event.BasicEventDispatcher.dispatchEvent (BasicEventDispatcher.java:56) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventDispatchChainImpl.dispatchEvent (EventDispatchChainImpl.java:114) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEventImpl(EventUtil.java:74) at com.sun.javafx.event.EventUtil.fireEvent(EventUtil.java:54) at javafx.event.Event.fireEvent(Event.java:198) at javafx.scene.Scene$KeyHandler.process(Scene.java:3964) at javafx.scene.Scene$KeyHandler.access$1800(Scene.java:3910) at javafx.scene.Scene.impl_processKeyEvent(Scene.java:2040) at javafx.scene.Scene$ScenePeerListener.keyEvent(Scene.java:2501) at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.GlassViewEventHandler$KeyEventNotification.run (GlassViewEventHandler.java:217) at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.GlassViewEventHandler$KeyEventNotification.run (GlassViewEventHandler.java:149) at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method) at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.GlassViewEventHandler.lambda$handleKeyEvent$352 (GlassViewEventHandler.java:248) at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.QuantumToolkit.runWithoutRenderLock (QuantumToolkit.java:389) at com.sun.javafx.tk.quantum.GlassViewEventHandler.handleKeyEvent (GlassViewEventHandler.java:247) at com.sun.glass.ui.View.handleKeyEvent(View.java:546) at com.sun.glass.ui.View.notifyKey(View.java:966) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method) at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.lambda$null$147 (WinApplication.java:177) at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748) A: Add a method to your controller to move the label, e.g. public class Controller { private final double moveDelta = 10 ; @FXML private Label labelTest ; public void moveLabel(int deltaX, int deltaY) { labelTest.setTranslateX(labelTest.getTranslateX() + moveDelta * deltaX); labelTest.setTranslateY(labelTest.getTranslateY() + moveDelta * deltaY); } } Then get a reference to the controller in the start() method (you need to use the non-static load() method from FXMLLoader to do this), and call the method from the key handler: @Override public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception{ FXMLLoader loader = new FXMLLoader(getClass().getResource("sample.fxml")); Parent root = loader.load(); primaryStage.setTitle("Hello World"); Scene scene = new Scene(root, 600, 600); Controller controller = loader.getController(); scene.addEventHandler(KeyEvent.KEY_PRESSED, new EventHandler<KeyEvent>() { @Override public void handle(KeyEvent event) { switch(event.getCode()){ case RIGHT: controller.moveLabel(1, 0); break; default: System.out.println("not possible"); } } }); primaryStage.setScene(scene); primaryStage.show(); }

Basic elements in biobehavioral treatment and rehabilitation of schizophrenia. The psychopathology and associated disabilities experienced by persons with schizophrenia have only partially responded to conventional pharmacological and psychosocial treatment approaches. Biobehavioral therapy employs behavioral and symptomatic assessment, social learning principles, and skills training, to amplify the effects of pharmacotherapy. Comprehensive, continuous, and integrated biobehavioral therapy--aiming at early detection and treatment of schizophrenic symptoms, family and social skills training, and teaching coping and illness self-management skills--has been documented to improve the course and outcome of schizophrenia as measured by symptom recurrence, social functioning, and quality of life. Biobehavioral therapies must be delivered in the context of a collaborative relationship among patients, families and clinicians that together can optimize outcomes. Services need to be provided by assertive, outreach, community-based teams that tailor the type, frequency and scope of services to the phase of the individual's illness.

{#sp1 .601} {#sp2 .602}

I've had enough of being a mindless drone. - jpalacio486 I've submitted my application for Winter 08 funding. <p>I am a 21 year old full time college student/full time employee for a Disney contractor doing tape backups for 12 hours a night. After I get off work at 7am I go directly to school. Not fun at all.<p>My partner and I hope that by submitting this application we've entered a rewarding new chapter in our lives. ====== cubicle67 Good on you. Don't let your future be determined by the success/failure of your application. Make a decision now to do what needs to be done regardless of your application's outcome. You need to have the mindset "I'm doing this anyway, and if I get funding it's a bonus" Kudos for doing something to escape. Work takes on a different outlook now, hey? ~~~ jpalacio486 Not only the funding but the contacts and guidance that YC provides is priceless. If YC accepts us, it will be a very life altering situation. ------ dan97632 So when do you sleep? Don't tell me you don't sleep, we all know that's impossible for more than a week or so. ------ Ultrapreneur Like you my partner and I will be submitting our application for the winter 08 funding. We're from Canada, so if selected are looking forward to getting out of the snow and hacking. ------ jpalacio486 Thanks for the comments guys. And to answer dan97632's question, I get home about 11AM and go to bed from about 11:30 to 5:00 then I get up and do it all over again. ------ Tichy Don't forget to go for your idea anyway in case you are not accepted (or another, improved idea, whatever). ------ abunz Awesome dude! Good luck, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to apply as well! ------ raju Good luck to you! ------ jonathan Just go get it! ------ catalinist best of luck ... don't give up.

Fatal myocardial infarction following therapy with prothrombin complex concentrates in a young man with hemophilia A. A fatal myocardial infarction in a 22-year-old man with hemophilia A and a factor VIII inhibitor is described. The catastrophic event occurred while the patient was receiving high doses of unactivated prothrombin complex concentrates. Autopsy examination revealed myocardial hemorrhage with no evidence of coronary artery disease or thrombosis. There also was postmortem evidence of previous myocardial infarctions. This is the fourth documented case of myocardial infarction occurring in a young hemophiliac patient using unactivated prothrombin complex concentrates. It is concluded that utilization of prothrombin complex concentrates in hemophiliac patients must be limited and closely monitored. Therapeutic guidelines are recommended.

Q: Paradox regarding phase transitions in relativistic systems The main question I would like to ask is whether quantities such as density are dependent on the frame of reference. I have searched several forums and the answer is somewhat controversial. Some answers use the concept of relativistic mass to justify that it is invariant. Some of the answers say that relativistic mass is not a correct concept (given in Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor pg 633) and that mass is invariant and hence the density must be an observer dependent quantity. This is a little odd because of the following thought experiment: Imagine that a container filled with liquid is made to travel at relativistic speeds. In the frame of the container, the density is d at temperature T and pressure P. To a person in the ground frame the volume of the liquid will decrease because of length contraction. At the critical density there must be a phase transition from liquid to solid. In the moving frame, the container has a liquid but in the rest frame, the container is filled with a solid. So based on the above I have the following questions: Is there anything wrong in the above argument and why is it incorrect? (eg. Phase diagram changes depending on the velocity of the object) If the density is observer-dependent, could it mean that thermodynamics is observer-dependent? A: Every time someone comes up with an apparent "paradox" in Special Relativity, it is always related to some application of the "Lorentz contraction" or "time dilation" concepts in some questionable contexts. Over the years of many similar discussions, I've worked out the recipe for dissolution of such "paradoxes": just reduce your "paradox" down to the Lorentz transformations. They are fundamental to the Special Relativity -- both time dilation and the Lorentz contraction are derived from the Lorentz transformations. So, whatever you get from Lorentz transformation is what Special Relativity actually predicts. Any contradiction with the result you get from using Lorentz transformation is a mistake somewhere in your reasoning. In order to reduce your "paradox" to these fundamental equations of Special Relativity - you first have to formulate your problem in terms of space-time events and world lines. When dealing with thermodynamic systems you'll have to get down to individual particles making up your bodies. Extract their worldlines and Lorentz-transform them to get your trajectories in moving reference frames. To illustrate this, I've randomly generated a 1000 particles bouncing in a 3x1 box with Maxwell-distributed velocities: I've saved the worldlines of all the particles and applied the Lorentz transform with $\gamma=2$ to each of the particles. Plotting the resulting coordinates, I've got this: Above I've kept the scale size of both scales and made sure that the center of the scale is at the center of the resulting particle cloud. You can see that the density has, indeed, increased. Notice that the velocities of the particles along the x-axis are changed in respect to the bounding volume -- it is not a Maxwell distribution anymore. In the moving frame, the container has a liquid but in the rest frame, the container is filled with a solid. As for your thought experiment, you can apply this reduction to Lorentz transformations to realize that there is no way you can get dynamic motions of individual particles of a liquid and then Lorentz-transform them to get static (relative to each other) positions of the same particles in a solid body. A: Is there anything wrong in the above argument and why is it incorrect? You have implicitly assumed that the pressure remains constant, and therefore that since density is increasing, at some point as the speed of the medium increases you will hit a "critical point" and undergo a phase transition. This does not follow, since the pressure of the matter will increase along with the density. Specifically, the mass/energy density, pressure, and momentum density of a bulk solid all form part of the stress-energy tensor of the material, where $$ T_{00} = \text{mass/energy density} \\ T_{0i} = \text{momentum density vector} \\ T_{ij} = \text{stress tensor} $$ (working in units where $c = 1$.) In particular, let's suppose that we have an isotropic fluid at rest, so that $T_{00} = \rho$, $T_{ij} = P \delta_{ij}$, and all other components of the stress-energy tensor vanish. When we transform into another frame moving at speed $\beta$ in the $x$-direction relative to the rest, we find that $$ T'_{00} = \gamma^2 (\rho + \beta^2 P) \\ T'_{11} = \gamma^2 (P + \beta^2 \rho) $$ The key realization here is while the observed density of the medium ($T_{00}$) increases as the speed of the medium increases, the pressure ($T_{11}$) will also increase. The argument that "since the density increases, you'll eventually get a phase transition" is therefore not necessarily correct; the density at which a phase transition occurs depend on the pressure, which is also changing. A: A phase transition should occur when the attracting forces between particles becomes high relative to their relative motion (broadly speaking). Thought experiment: We have two objects with a certain opposite electrical charge. Now we move with respect to the objects, so that the distance between them becomes smaller (and charge won't). Does this change the attractive forces between them? The laws of nature don't change for a moving observer (the fundamental assumption in relativity), so I would say yes. With a factor $\gamma^2$, according to Coulomb's law, the attractive force would increase. However, would it be in disagreement with what an observer that doesn't move (w.r.t. the objects) would see? Let's say the objects have equal mass and the acceleration between the objects in the 'standing still'-frame is $g/r^2$ (relative acceleration), and they start with a velocity such that they will make a circular motion with radius $R$. For the moving observer this should Lorentz-contract to an ellipse. When the objects align according to your line of motion, the attraction would be bigger, but the velocity of the objects change with a factor $\gamma$ too (addition of perpendicular velocities. So the centripetal force should change with a factor $\gamma^2$, which we have seen it does, so there it tempts to keep a circular motion. When the objects align perpendicular to your line of motion, the force doesn't change, but the velocity decreases, so there they would fall a bit to each other. If someone is very skeptic whether their movement will be elliptic, you can do it explicitly by finding an expression for their attraction as a function of their angle and solve the differential equation with the right starting conditions. But this broadly explains why there would be no issue with the attracting forces being bigger. Now a liquid in a container is the same problem with more bodies. So generalizing this result, they should move in a way that would give same liquid when Lorentz-transformed. So if my reasoning is correct, for a moving observer it is possible for a liquid to have a higher density than would be possible in a resting frame and still be a liquid, i.e.: the phase transition shifts.

Oct 8, 2008— -- The McCain campaign has made no secret of its plans to spend these final weeks of the election going negative -- attacking Sen. Barack Obama on his judgment, questioning his associations and unleashing self-described "pitbull" Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to do much of the dirty work. "For me, the heels are on, the gloves are off," she told a group of Republican donors in Naples, Fla., on Monday. As the rhetoric at Palin's rallies has ratcheted up, so too has the language of supporters in the crowds coming to see her. At rallies in Florida, supporters were heard yelling "treason" and "traitor" when Obama's name was mentioned. At a rally on Monday in Clearwater, one man shouted "Kill him," according to the Washington Post, after Palin mentioned Obama's association with 1960s radical Bill Ayers. It was not clear who made the comment or if the man was referring to Ayers or to Obama, but the Secret Service says it will investigate. "One of [Obama's] earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," she said Monday, eliciting boos from the crowd. "And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,'" she said to more boos and the one man's call to "kill him." Palin's speeches and a series of recently released negative ads, some pundits say, are all par for the course in the waning days of a closely fought contest. Now questions are being raised, by the opposition and by outside observers, about whether Palin is stoking people's worst natures and, more broadly, about when a candidate should take her supporters to task when they go too far. "At some level, negative rhetoric is part of the game. But is it truly dangerous?" asked Kimberly Gross, a professor of political communication at George Washington University. "Is someone going to kill Barack Obama because they went to a Palin rally? Probably not, and if they do it is more likely because they're crazy than because they heard someone tell them to do it at a Palin rally. It is dangerous in a bigger sense that it is bad for politics." Making the rounds on today's network morning shows, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden of Delaware called Palin's attempt to link Obama and Ayers "mildly dangerous," on CBS's The Early Show On ABC News's "Good Morning America" he said: "This really is a case where when you don't have anything to talk about, attack -- and I think that's really over the edge" "Some of the stuff she's saying about Obama and some of the stuff people are yelling from the crowd, if she hears it she should be able to say 'Whoa whoa whoa, that's overboard.' This is volatile stuff and I thought we were kind of beyond this place," he said. Gross said politicians had a responsibility to call out their supporters when they say offensive things, not only for the good of their own electoral chances but for the good of the political system. "In my opinion candidates have a responsibility to say something," she said. "Negative campaigning per se is not absolutely a bad thing, and can be informative. But candidates do us disservice when they create the conditions that can allow a crowd to get out of hand. It just reinforces a cynicism about politics." Though much of the negative campaigning has fallen to Palin and the crowds who attend her rallies tend to come from the further right wing of the Rupublican base, McCain had a moment recently in Albuquerque, N.M., when a member of the crowd shouted a smear, which the candidate appeared to hear but said nothing about. "In short," McCain asked the crowd, "who is the real Barack Obama?" "A terrorist," yelled someone from the crowd, eliciting a laugh from others in the hall and a perplexed look from McCain, but he continued his speech without comment. On NBC's "Today" show, Biden called some of the language being used by crowds at Republican rallies "semi-vile" and said Palin should have condemned those who shouted provocative epithets. "Heard that a couple of people hollering from the audience, you know, semi-vile things about, you know, 'terrorist' and things like that. And the idea that a leading American politician who might be vice president of the United States would not just stop mid-sentence and turn and condemn that, you know, I just -- this is -- this is a slippery slope. This is a place we shouldn't be going," he said. Calls for comment from the McCain-Palin campaign were not yet returned. Reporters following McCain and Palin say that crowds have become increasingly hostile towards them, yelling at them as they get off the press bus to cover events. The Palin crowds, they say, are typically more aggressive than those found at McCain-only events, especially since Palin's interview with CBS's Katie Couric in which she appeared to be uninformed on major policy issues. In Clearwater, reporters were taunted by the crowd of about 3,000 people. Palin blamed Couric for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." One Palin supporter used a racial slur against an African-American sound technician working with a television crew and told him to, "sit down, boy."

PROJECT SUMMARY Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is essential for follicular development and fertility in women. Since the FSH? gene was recently reported to be associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and age of menopause in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we hypothesize that dysregulation of FSH? transcription contributes to female infertility including PCOS and Premature Ovarian Failure (POF). The goal of this proposal is to understand the contributions of FSH to the pathophysiology of the female hypothala- mic-pituitary-ovarian axis utilizing mechanistic analyses in immortalized gonadotrope cells, a sophisticated pri- mary pituitary perifusion system, novel genetic mouse models of PCOS and POF, and a new mouse model of PCOS. Aim 1 will focus on the impact of androgen excess on FSH? transcription and secretion in females. First, we will use primary pituitary cells in an innovative perifusion system to directly test the actions of andro- gens on basal, pulsatile GnRH- and activin-induced regulation of FSH secretion and FSH? gene expression. Then, female mice lacking AR selectively in gonadotropes will be studied for altered reproductive function including FSH? transcription and FSH secretion in response to excess androgens using a letrozole-induced PCOS mouse model. Finally, we will investigate whether decreased FSH production in our letrozole PCOS mouse model is dependent on GnRH or due to changes in the activin autocrine feedback loop. Aim 2 will char- acterize the functions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found within the regulatory sequences of the FSH? gene that are associated with PCOS, age at menopause, and altered LH/FSH ratios in GWAS studies. We have shown that one of these SNPs interferes with LHX3 binding to the proximal FSH? promoter and reduces FSH? gene expression. These SNPs will be analyzed for molecular mechanisms altering FSH? transcription. We will then use CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to create mouse models to determine the effects of these SNP alterations on fertility and FSH secretion in vivo and in primary pituitary cells. Aim 3 will investigate the role of FOXL2 in FSH? regulation and POF. We have shown that FOXL2 interacts with SMAD proteins for activin induction of FSH? gene expression, with cJun for synergy between GnRH and activin, and with proges- terone receptor for synergy between activin and progesterone. First, we will investigate the molecular basis for these interactions and their roles in hormonal regulation of FSH?. Next, FOXL2 mutations found in POF will be studied for their effects on FSH? transcription in coordination with activin, GnRH, and steroid hormones. Lastly, these mutations will be modeled in mice using CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to study effects on fertility and reproductive senescence in vivo and on FSH? gene regulation in primary pituitary cells. Together, these aims will delineate the mechanisms by which androgens and SNP mutations within the FSH? regulatory region alter FSH? gene expression and contribute to PCOS, and how dysregulation of FSH? by mutant FOXL2 proteins contributes to POF. These studies may provide insight for diagnosis and treatment of female infertility.

HORODENKA (Gorodenka) This web site is dedicated to the study of Jewish family history in the area around the town of Horodenka, now in Ukraine, but formerly part of Poland and the Austrian province of Galicia. Genealogists with non-Jewish ancestors from Horodenka may also find useful information on the site. Historical documents from as far back as 1579 mention Horodenka, a small town in Eastern Galicia. Although there is some evidence that Jewish families lived in Horodenka in the early seventeenth century, the first documentation of organized Jewish life dates to 1743, when Jewish merchants from the town are recorded among the visitors to the International Fair in Leipzig, 1739-1748. Documents of the period 1870-1927 show that the percentage of Jews in the overall population of the town ranged between 33% and 40%. The Jewish presence in the town essentially ended during WWII. In 1941 and 1942, during three separate "Actions," German military units and Ukrainian auxiliaries rounded up and murdered over 3,000 adults and children from Horodenka and the surrounding area. (from Sefer Horodenka)Useful Links: Consider a contribution to the Jewish Records Indexing - Poland project. Birth, Marriage, and Death records for the years 1899-1909 (not all records for all years) are now available, but only when enough funds have been raised to index them. This page is hosted at no cost to the public by JewishGen, Inc., a non-profit corporation. If you feel there is a benefit to you in accessing this site, your JewishGen-erosity is appreciated

Q: Tough Moment of Inertia Problem About a Super Thin Spherical Shell Using Spherical Coordinates I need to compute the moment of inertia of a spherical shell with radius $R$, constant density $\rho$, and total mass $M$ throughout some (any) axis through the origin. The question specifies that this should be a double integral, since it's a super thin shell. So that means I'd need to use $dA = R^2\sin{\phi}d{\phi}d{\theta}$. From here, though, I'm stuck, and even unsure where to start. Any help would be much appreciated. A: The mass of the $dA$ area is $dm=\rho dA=\frac{M}{4\pi R^2}dA$. I assumed here that $\rho$ is a surface density. You can calculate the moment of inertia with respect to any axis, they are all equal. Then for simplicity, use the axis where $\phi=0$. The distance from this axis is $r=R\sin\phi$, so $$I=\iint r^2dm=\int_0^{2\pi} d\theta\int_0^\pi\frac{M}{4\pi R^2}R^4\sin^3\phi$$

As I mention in the bug, if you happen to see a very very long one, you can always specify a narrower filter using -Filter, right? Also, it's quite unlikely that people will be just browsing packages using the console... I wouldn't care much if update-package had package ID completion for the selected project, honestly... But because currently I do have to specify the full package name, there's no other way to get it than listing it or opening the .config (yuck!)

india Updated: Jan 26, 2019 23:29 IST The Union health ministry has written to all states to conduct a special drive to raise awareness about leprosy, especially in villages, after the number of cases saw a marginal rise in 2017-18. According to government data available till March 2018, about 0.9 lakh leprosy cases were reported, as compared to 0.86 lakh cases in 2016-17 and 0.88 lakh cases in 2015-16. Although India declared leprosy eliminated in 2005 after reaching the World Health Organization (WHO) target of less than one case per 10,000 population, more than half the world’s leprosy numbers are from India. Also, some states and Union territories that earlier achieved the elimination target of less than one case per 10,000 population are now reporting a higher prevalence rate -- Odisha (1.38), Bihar (1.18) and Lakshadweep (2.25). At present, India’s overall leprosy prevalence rate is 0.70 per 10,000 population, up from 0.66 previously. “The numbers have seen a rise lately because of the massive campaigns we launched to track cases and put them on treatment. In such a scenario, there is always an initial rise in numbers,” said Manoj Jhalani, mission director, National Health Mission, Union health ministry. “But the numbers stabilise after a point and start coming down eventually,” he said. “Leprosy-related discrimination, stigma and prejudice are the most powerful barriers to ending leprosy for good, especially given the disease is 100% curable when detected early,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-East Asia, in a statement.

Q: Are some motherboard brands, per se, of lower quality? I have heard in different occasions that some motherboard brands (such as PC Chips and ASRock) are cheap, in both senses: less expensive and of lower quality, because the manufacturers use components that don't reach certain standars and/or have been discarded from assembly lines with higher standars (like ASrock that would be a cheap line from Asus). Are these affirmations true or complete nonsense? A: Per se lower quality? No. There are lines which produce very cheap motherboards. I suspect (-with no hard evidence to back that up!-) that most use cheaper components. However things get quite muddled at the cheaper end. E.g. consider the Cyrix 200+ CPU. Sold very cheap compared to the pentium-1. Often found in desktops with the cheapest possible power supplies, the cheapest possible motherboards, the cheapest possible graphics cards... and often in an unstable system. Unsurprisingly it had a very bad name, yet one ran without problems for years in an old Asus boards with good hardware. The point of that anecdote is to point out that a piece of cheap hardware can be worse quality, but it does not have to be. And that mouth to mouth experience in this case is often wrong. Having said that: Your motherboard is the backplane of all other components. Both on add-in cards or integrated. Getting a good motherboard is worth it. So do read reviews of which board you are considering, but do so with a critical eye.

Q: script/plugin install for rails 4 (daemon generator) I am new to rails and am trying to get up and running with the daemons gem by following railcasts http://railscasts.com/episodes/129-custom-daemon. I am using linux Mint 17 and my Gemfile looks like so: source 'https://rubygems.org' gem 'rails', '4.1.1' gem 'pg' gem 'sass-rails', '~> 4.0.3' gem 'uglifier', '>= 1.3.0' gem 'coffee-rails', '~> 4.0.0' gem 'jquery-rails' gem 'turbolinks' gem 'jbuilder', '~> 2.0' gem 'sdoc', '~> 0.4.0', group: :doc gem 'spring', group: :development gem 'feedjira' However when I run script/plugin install git://github.com/dougal/daemon_generator.git I get the following error: bash: script/plugin: No such file or directory When I try rails plugin install git://github.com/dougal/daemon_generator.git I just get the usage manual. Any help is appreciated. A: Rails::Plugin is deprecated and has been removed since Rails 4.0. Instead of adding plugins to vendor/plugins use gems or bundler with path or git dependencies. Also if your goal is to run logic in the background there are way newer options to implement like Resque https://github.com/resque/resque or Sidekick https://github.com/mperham/sidekiq

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Nokesville, Virginia Nokesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States and Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,354 at the 2010 census. History Nokesville is the center of a farming community with cattle and dairy farms; it became a town and intermediate stop on the Orange & Alexandria Railway in 1865. In the late 19th century–early 20th century, Nokesville was the location of a religious movement called the German Baptist Brethren, which became known as the Church of the Brethren. In the 1950s, it was cut off from passenger trains and remains a rural community today. Nokesville consists of four schools in Prince William. The oldest school, Nokesville Elementary was built in 1929 to serve all grades until 1964 when it was lowered to K-5 with the construction of Brentsville District High School. In 2014, Nokesville Elementary moved to a new building that was built next to Brentsville District High School on Aden Road. This new school is called The Nokesville School and serves a K-8 community. The old school was sold and is now a Montessori school. Patriot High School is located on Kettle Run Road, and was opened in 2011. Built concurrently, next door is T. Clay Wood Elementary School. The Nokesville postal delivery area consists of two schools in Fauquier. Kettle Run High School and Greenville Elementary are both new schools built on the Fauquier County side of Nokesville. Marstellar Middle School is located nearby in Bristow, and middle school students formerly attended this middle school prior to the K–8 school opening. The Lawn, Nokesville Truss Bridge, Brentsville Historic District, Park Gate, and Pilgrim's Rest, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Civil War Greenwich Trails sign at Greenwich Presbyterian Church, 15305 Vint Hill Road, Nokesville ROAD MAP Union and Confederate forces passed by or camped here frequently during the war. Federal units pursuing Stonewall Jackson to Manassas Junction camped here in August 1862; fighting involving John S. Mosby's rangers flared near here and Confederates marched past on the way to nearby Bristoe Station in October 1863. Battle of Kettle Run Nokesville Road (Route 28) and Aden Road, Nokesville VA 20181 ROAD MAP As Stonewall Jackson’s troops occupied and looted the railroad junction at Manassas August 27, 1862, Federal forces approached his rear guard at Kettle Run. The Confederates there managed to delay the Union force before withdrawing -Source Geography Nokesville is located at (38.698350, −77.573656). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.5 square miles (24.5 km²), all of it land. The Nokesville postal delivery area borders Bristow to the north, Catlett to the west, Independent Hill to the south and Canova to the east. Most of the area consists of farms and wooded lands with the "Village" straddling Fitzwater Drive between Aden Road and Nokesville Road (SR 28), which consists of a U.S. Post Office, Nokesville Family Dentistry, Carini's Pizza ( a hometown favorite), Herf Jones Rings, Nokesville Print & Copy, Nokesville Library, Nokesville Tires, Nokesville Veterinary, and many other small businesses. On the same street is the former Nokesville Elementary and several churches. Nearby is the Nokesville Fire Department and Brentsville High School. These are the only main collection of buildings in the area. Nearly all of the rest of the area is populated by small farms and more churches. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 1,354 people, 488 households. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.8% White, 3.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.2% of the population. There were 488 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 42.9 years. 50.4% of the population is male with 49.6% female. The median income for a household as seen in the 2000 census was $63,793, and the median income for a family was $68,611. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $27,188 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,765. None of the families and 0.8% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.2% of those over 64. Sport Northern Virginia Eagles of the USA Rugby League are based in Nokesville. Events The Nokesville Ruritans host several notable events, such as the Brunswick Stew and Nokesville Day. The Brunswick Stew is usually held in the fall at Nokesville Elementary. It is an opportunity for members of the community to gather and purchase quarts of Brunswick Stew. There is typically music and a bonfire. Nokesville Day is a parade held the third Saturday in May that gives everyone in town a chance to gather on Fitzwater Dr. The fire department, local politicians, marching band, and Equestrian Society are only a few of the manyFl regular participants. It also hosts hundreds of various vendors. The Victory Baptist Church off Aden Rd. annually hosts a Fall Festival in October. Games, moon bounces, hayrides, and live music are often involved. Members outside of the church are encouraged to attend. The Nokesville Elementary also hosts a Fall Festival on an evening in October that offers kid friendly games and cake walks. Asbury United Methodist Church (UMC) on Fleetwood Drive hosts an annual Chicken Barbecue each fall coinciding with the annual Prince William Farm Tour. In addition to barbecued chicken with all the fixings, tours of the historic Asbury Church (built in 1892) are offered. Each spring (1st Saturday in March), Asbury UMC hosts an annual Pancake and Sausage Supper complete with all the fixin's. All are welcome to stop by for a meal, a visit and a whole lot of fun! Football games at Brentsville District High School, particularly the Homecoming game each year are well-attended. In the week before the game, cheerleaders put the names and numbers of every football player on ball-shaped laminated signs. The signs line Fitzwater Dr. to advertise the upcoming games and encourage attendance. References External links Official Website of Prince William County Prince William Conservation Alliance Nokesville Business Association Nokesville Civic Association Nokesville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department Asbury United Methodist Church Category:Census-designated places in Virginia Category:Census-designated places in Prince William County, Virginia Category:Washington metropolitan area Category:Populated places established in 1865 Category:1865 establishments in Virginia

Looking at Photographs of Marilyn Monroe Reading February 25, 2019 There are more photographs of Marilyn Monroe reading than there are of her naked. Almost always, these images are captioned with a kind of perky can-you-believe-it paternalism. “Those books aren’t just for show!” “Despite her reputation as a blonde…” The public seems permanently surprised at her literacy, even when we are making a show of not being surprised. Just as Freud said every negative statement includes the wish of its positive, every Instagram post that insists hotness does not prevent intellect only reasserts the unreliability of its claim. Beauty is a lot easier to prove than intelligence. And as Marilyn Monroe reading continues to be breaking news—a constant buoy for the shipwrecked listicle or uplifting aside—her nudity, once news that threatened to break her, remains established, endlessly familiar. I’m not sure why we insist that her reading scandalizes, even though by now, nearly sixty years after her death, it has become common knowledge. In 1999, Christie’s auctioned off nearly 400 books from Marilyn’s personal library, a roster of classics ranging from Proust to Hemingway, which publicly solidified her intellectual identity and provided hard evidence against all those who claimed the plentitude of reading photographs were staged.1 But staged, of course, they were. They are hardly a homogenous document of fact; taken across decades, their only consistent element is the subject (Monroe), the act (reading), and the light, the aura that emits from the promise, the flattened proof, that beauty is real. Some call this being photogenic. Feminist accounts of Marilyn Monroe often take great trouble to declare the photographs’ candid status as a way to defend her ability to think, as if to pose with a book is to admit one cannot read it. But it is the slipperiness of their authenticity that make these photographs so mesmerizing. To understand why there is such sustained, cultivated disbelief in her smarts, we must first understand how we came to believe she was dumb—iconically so. The dumb blonde trope is now a convenient schtick many actresses can slip on and off at will, winking at a lineage of platinum predecessors with every breathy “Oops!”, but then, in the late ’40s and early ’50s, Marilyn Monroe was pasting together a public identity of bit parts, pin-ups, and gossip rags, with hardly a cliché to rely on. Jean Harlow’s Bombshell (1933) and Betty Grable’s war-time success had paved the way for a busty blonde sex symbol through times of conflict, but post-war desire had yet to be pinned down. The sex appeal of Harlow and Grable were both keyed to the subtle historical shifts of their moment: Harlow, a dangerous vamp, oozed through the sticky moral dilemmas of Depression-era glamour and excess, whereas Grable skipped into the next decade with the energetic pep of state sponsored nationalism, a girl next door who rooted for the good guys as the U.S. joined WWII in 1941. Neither blondes were particularly dumb, although Grable’s wide-eyed enthusiasm sometimes verges on the childlike. So why did Marilyn take on the mantle of artfully eroticized stupidity? The archetype Monroe would come to define was barely sketched out as she began acting. Her first appearances are mostly as one-note sex objects: she swans in, heads turn, she introduces herself (already, though, her cadence and speech pattern are slanted, tilting, put-on), a joke is made at her desirability’s expense, and she swans away again. She doesn’t have enough lines to be intelligent, or stupid; at first, she is nothing but there. In 1952, Howard Hawks cast her in Monkey Business, starring Hawks’ favorite Cary Grant and an Astaire-less Ginger Rogers. She plays scientist Grant’s sexy secretary, in the first example of what “would become her fixed type: the dumb, childish blonde innocently unaware of the havoc her sexiness causes around her.”2 Monkey Business was co-written by Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer, and I.A.L. Diamond. Charles Lederer would go on to write Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I.A.L. Diamond would write Some Like It Hot, and highly political Ben Hecht would ghostwrite Marilyn Monroe’s autobiography My Story, which wasn’t published until 1974, after both were dead.3 Hecht’s version of Monroe’s life set a cultural precedent for every future biography. The intersection of voices that would mold the public Monroe began through the easily ignored, screwball antics of Monkey Business, and a group of friends who, on the surface, seemed to be the opposite of Monroe’s public persona: markedly male, Jewish, whip-smart. The next year, Hawks would direct her in the epoch-defining Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: this time, however, the dumb blonde is the star. The earliest photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading is undeniably staged. It is 1948, Monroe is still surviving entirely off of modeling despite an acting contract at Columbia, and her hair is still a honey-colored blonde, shoulder length with syrupy curls. She has yet to bleach out her markers of age, the platinum that combines both the feathery soft hair of toddlers and pale tresses of the elderly. With every brush of peroxide, linearity burns away. She’s only 22 here, and she still looks it. She stands on a sound stage, with a plywood vista behind her, rolling California hills. A miniature street sign comes up to her hips: Los Angeles City Limits. This is a girl on the edge of something. Monroe, in shorts, holds a phone book open in her hands, but she’s not looking at it, she is smiling into the distance, as if surveying the unknown city before her. The title of the photo, taken by Ed Cronenweth, is “Marilyn Monroe reading an L.A. telephone directory near the Los Angeles city limits.” Reading is a loose term, as is city. She is clearly not reading, just as she is clearly not at the corner where desert road meets incorporated pavement. She is not a Hollywood newcomer—she was born Norma Jeane at Los Angeles County Hospital, right off where the 10 meets the 5. She’s probably listed in the phone book she’s holding. It is not the fiction of the image that interests me—when did we ask pin-ups for realism? —but rather, the flagrant neglect of the image’s duty to convince us of anything. There are two photographs of Marilyn Monroe reading Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, taken roughly a year apart, by two different photographers, each presumably unaware of the other. The first, by Dave Cicero in 1951 for Love Nest publicity, shows Monroe lying on her stomach on a lawn, with her arms propped up, supporting her head, her legs bent and crossed, soles towards the sky—it’s the way I used to read on the living room floor as a child, rocking my feet back and forth (fig. 2). A blade of grass is in her mouth, her hair tousled. She is reading with concentration. Her brow is almost furrowed. The complete shoot includes a photograph presumably taken right after this one: there, she is lying on her back on the same lawn, rolled over and splayed out, smiling, her thumb still holding the Whitman open, but we can no longer see the title. The book mirrors her body: spine up or pages outstretched, she has only two modes, closed or open. The second photograph was taken by John Florea in 1952. Monroe is at the Beverly Carlton Hotel, where she lived at the time (fig. 3). A plush, satin quilt covers the sofa bed where she reclines like a cloud; behind her is a shelf full of books, framed photos, small treasures. The cover of Leaves of Grass is more obvious here. She holds it at an angle out from her face, directly turned to the camera. Her expression is a little forlorn as she reads. It’s the same copy—hers. Both photographs circulated widely at the time, promoting the seven different movies she appeared in between 1951 and 1952. Yet Walt Whitman’s place in Monroe’s public image continues to waver. Speculative biographer Sam Staggs wrote in his fictional account of Monroe, “Walt Whitman was her favorite poet… She often read Whitman for relaxation. The rhythm of his long free verse lulled and stimulated her at the same time.”4 The jubilant sexuality of Whitman’s content is overlooked for the “rhythms” of his form: for Stagg, she reads the sounds of the words, not the meanings. Arlene Dahl, an MGM contract actress who reached brief fame in the early 1950s, has been quoted telling a Monroe-Whitman anecdote across decades: Dahl is at a party, in the corner with Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, and sometimes JFK, the story reliably changes with every re-telling, and the group is discussing Walt Whitman. Dahl laughs, “Marilyn happened to overhear the name ‘Whitman’ so she slunk over to the three gentlemen standing there… and she said, ‘Oh! Whitman! I just love his chocolates!’”5 Whitman (poet) becomes Whitman’s (chocolates), and Monroe shows her hand of blank cards. It’s impossible to know whether or not Dahl’s story is true, but it’s a good story, good and mean, and Monroe’s familiarity with Whitman only reinforces her role in its creation. As Sarah Churchwell points out in her book, The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn’s dumbness was often “comedy based on wide-eyed literalism, on non sequiturs and misinterpretation.”6 The best examples of her “literal-mindedness,” as Churchwell puts it, are sexual (What does she wear to bed? Chanel No.5. What did she have on during the photo shoot? The radio). The Whitman/Whitman’s misinterpretation is witty, not only as word play, but as meta-comment on her own body as a symbol of national excess and desire. While the men discuss American poetry, she is eating American bonbons. In a different post-post-war moment, twelve years after 9/11 and a four-trillion-dollar War on Terror later, Lana del Rey releases an Americana-saturated short film, Tropico (2013). Adam and Eve (played by a male model and Lana herself) meet Elvis, Jesus, John Wayne, and Marilyn impersonators in a Technicolor Garden of Eden.7 Lana sings, “I sing the body electric,” quoting Whitman,8 swaying under the tree of knowledge, “Diamonds are my bestest friend,” she sings, quoting Monroe.9 Lana del Rey re-packages Walt Whitman like he’s Whitman’s chocolate, electric bodies wrapped in the pink cellophane of pop music. The distinction between poetry and commodity has collapsed. Marilyn questioned if it was ever there at all. By 1955, the corrosive spiral of her playing with and against her own self-created stereotype reached critical mass and, in a radical and unprecedented move, she broke her contract with 20th Century Fox, relocated to New York City, and embedded herself within a thriving community of East Coast Jewish leftist intellectuals. In many ways, she was going back to the source. Monroe’s spacious capacity for escape and resurrection now seems fearless and alchemical: she made something out of nothing, and then turned around and nothing-ed all that something she made. She fled the castle, or she kept conquering territory, depending on who you ask. From the height of Hollywood, she went to the theatrical stage; from the beloved baseball star, she went to the acerbic playwright; from the front page tell-all interview, she went to the psychoanalytic couch. The press, the public, and the studios all thought she had gone crazy. In the United States, in 1955 and now, nothing screams insanity like shacking up with a Marxist, believing Freud, and reading Dostoevsky. The first significantly researched and comprehensive biography of Monroe, published in 1956 by Pete Martin, was titled Will Acting Spoil Marilyn Monroe?10 It was structured entirely around the open-ended risk of her decision to “be serious,” an innately untrustworthy aspiration in American culture. Martin’s title defines ‘acting’ as stage-acting only, implying that the twenty-four filmic appearances Monroe had accumulated in the past nine years of working was only an example of her ‘being.’ As the ditz, she was, in many senses, an obtuse form of working-class-hero: someone even the most uneducated could feel smarter than. This new allegiance to the New York literati was a betrayal beyond a simple disturbance of sexual fantasy; she was no longer just “a little girl from Little Rock, [who] lived on the wrong side of the tracks,”11 a class identity and origin story upon which her gold-digger bimbo persona relied. Like gender, class is an embodied system of discipline: Monroe’s passage from pop culture to high culture is named by Martin as a transgression that spoils, as if she were a petulant child, or a piece of fruit. This fear of intellectualism was a lingering effect of McCarthyism, which had purged Hollywood and New York of perceived dissenters in a shocking spectacle of power just a few years before. In 1955, the FBI opened their file on Monroe, which they would keep actively updated until her death: “Subject’s views, very positively and concisely leftist,” it notes.12 The words “positively and concisely” evoke a kind of alacrity and sureness—this is a rare gleam of lucid resolution in one of the most indeterminate public figures of all time. It is no coincidence that the spectacle of Monroe’s mental illness, drug addiction, and tragic fate gains ground in the public consciousness at precisely the moment she begins to identify as an auto-didact and politically aware person. Her marriage to Arthur Miller was made out to be an unthreatening and cartoonish case of odd couple in the press (“The Genius and the Goddess,” “The Brain got the Blonde,” “Egghead weds Hourglass”) to distract from what was essentially political identification and intellectual self-fashioning by way of romantic partnership. If Marilyn Monroe was only ever understood in the terms of sexual desire, then who she chose to sleep with became one of her primary modes of communication to the public. Post-Freud yet pre-Foucault, she, of all people, understood that who and how you desire has material consequences. The most famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading relies on the iconicity of both reader and book (fig. 4). In 1955, on an impromptu photo shoot in an empty Long Island playground, Eve Arnold captured Marilyn perched on a rusty children’s round-about, reading James Joyce’s Ulysses.13 She is near the end, where the novel culminates in Molly Bloom’s embodied stream of consciousness. This section is also notoriously sexually explicit. Joyceans, historians, fans, feminists, and film theorists have spent decades in the thrall of this photograph: what does it mean to have two such legendary symbols of the “history of sexuality, its censorship and its contestation, its inscription and its representation” meet unexpectedly in a candid shot at an abandoned playground by the beach?14 In many cases, rather than proving Monroe’s intellectualism, the image’s “naturalness,” is used conversely to extrapolate on her naiveté: she couldn’t have comprehended her own meaningfulness, she must have stumbled into this iconic convergence of cultural objects. The background of children’s playground doesn’t help. Anyone can hold a book open. In a 2014 interview with Time magazine, Richard Brown, Joycean scholar, was asked if he believed she was “actually reading it” (emphasis in the original). He responds, “If you see someone in a picture reading a book, then they are reading that book.”15 The question snags on the shared problem of not knowing exactly what reading feels like for other people. Is it something one can fake? Is reading the same thing as understanding? Is understanding sufficient? Where, in the body, is such a process held? In the photograph, I see three women, even though only one is visible: Eve, Marilyn, and Molly Bloom. Together, half-way home in the liminal space between city and country, fiction and reality, image and body, they merge in a document of pleasure. My best friend has a postcard of this photo up in her bedroom; I once had it as my phone background. I looked at it every day. It promised that beauty and meaning were not mutually exclusive, that fantasy didn’t have to compromise. It offered a set of paradoxes: glamorous, desirable, and well-read. Adult, yet childlike. A woman, intellectual. We could be all these things! This was a false promise, in many ways, and so we countered by cultivating the fictional within ourselves. Tending to our impossibilities, we offered those around us both the negative, the zero, and its accompanying wish. That’s what Marilyn gave us: the “not” and its opposite. Pretending to read, and reading, all at once.

No wonder the Time Warner-owned premium cable and satellite television network is hiring a publicist to join its corporate affairs team. Primarily responsible for publicizing the products, activities, and planned special events for HBO Home Entertainment, HBO Licensing and Retail, and the HBO Shop, the role also oversees all external communications efforts, including media relations and the management of any outside PR agencies.

John Conley John Conley may refer to: John Conley (American football), former football player John Conley (Wisconsin), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly John D. Conley House on National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany County, Wyoming John Conley, musician in Holiday Flyer John Conley, corporal in UPR, killed in The Troubles in Garvagh See also John Conlee, American country music singer Jack Conley (disambiguation)

Austria's ice cream killer gets life sentence Email | MORE! VIENNA (AP) — An Austrian ice cream parlor owner has been found guilty of killing her ex-husband and a boyfriend before chopping them up with a chain saw and burying them in concrete in her shop's basement. A Vienna court convicted the 34-year-old woman of murder Thursday and handed her a life sentence, ordering her to be held in psychiatric care, according to Austrian news agency APA. The woman, identified only as Estibaliz C., confessed to the murders Monday but her lawyer said she will appeal. The woman, dubbed the "Ice Lady" by Austrian media, shot the men in 2008 and 2010, putting their body parts in a freezer before burying them in her cellar. She had told the court her ex-husband failed to leave her alone and the boyfriend cheated on her.

Spread the love Scientists have long suspected that an asteroid impact 66 million-years-ago was responsible for the extinction event which killed the dinosaurs. New research has suggested that volcanoes may also have played their part in the elimination of the planet’s dominant species. Two new studies published in the journal Science have indicated that an asteroid alone may not have been responsible for triggering the mass extinction event which wiped out the dinosaurs along with a great deal of the Earth’s species 66 million-years-ago. Both studies agree that volcanic activity also played its part in the event, but the researchers are uncertain how great a role it played. It seems increasingly likely that the asteroid impact in the Caribbean Sea triggered massive volcanic eruptions in India. The two catastrophes contributed to the near-simultaneous mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and many other forms of life. Layered lava flows within the Wai Subgroup from near Ambenali Ghat, Western Ghats (Courtney Sprain) The research sheds light on huge lava flows that have erupted periodically over Earth’s history, and how they have affected the atmosphere and altered the course of life on the planet. In the study, University of California, Berkeley, scientists report the most precise and accurate dates yet for the intense volcanic eruptions in India that coincided with the worldwide extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period, marked in the geological record by the so-called K-Pg boundary. The million-year sequence of eruptions spewed lava flows for distances of at least 500 kilometers across the Indian continent, creating the so-called Deccan Traps flood basalts that in some places are nearly 2 kilometers thick. Paul Renne, a professor-in-residence of earth and planetary science at UC Berkeley, director of the Berkeley Geochronology Center and senior author of the study, says: “Now that we have dated Deccan Traps lava flows in more and different locations, we see that the transition seems to be the same everywhere. I would say, with pretty high confidence, that the eruptions occurred within 50,000 years, and maybe 30,000 years, of the impact, which means they were synchronous within the margin of error. “That is an important validation of the hypothesis that the impact renewed lava flows.” The new dates also confirm earlier estimates that the lava flows continued for about a million years, but contain a surprise: three-quarters of the lava erupted after the impact. Previous studies suggested that about 80 percent of the lava erupted before the impact. Map outlining exposed areas of the Deccan Traps in modern day India (Courtney Sprain) If most of the Deccan Traps lava had erupted before the impact, then gases emitted during the eruptions could have been the cause of global warming within the last 400,000 years of the Cretaceous Period, during which temperatures increased, on average, about 8 C. During this period of warming, species would have evolved suited to hothouse conditions, only to be confronted by global cooling from the dust or by climate cooling gases caused by either the impact or the volcanos. The cold would have been a shock from which most creatures would never have recovered, disappearing entirely from the fossil record – the observed mass extinction. But if most of the Deccan Traps lava emerged after the impact, this scenario needs rethinking. Lead author, Courtney Sprain, a postdoc at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, says: “This changes our perspective on the role of the Deccan Traps in the K-Pg extinction. “Either the Deccan eruptions did not play a role – which we think unlikely – or a lot of climate-modifying gases were erupted during the lowest volume pulse of the eruptions.” The hypothesis that climate-altering volcanic gases leak out of underground magma chambers frequently, and not just during eruptions, is supported by evidence from present-day volcanos, such as those of the gas-spewing Mt. Etna in Italy and Popocatepetl in Mexico, the researchers said. Magma stewing below the surface is known to transmit gases to the atmosphere, even without eruptions. “We are suggesting that it is very likely that a lot of the gases that come from magma systems precede eruptions; they don’t necessarily correlate with eruptions,” Renne said. In the case of the K-Pg extinction, the symptoms of significant climate change occurred before the peak in volcanic eruptions. Flood basalts and dating methods Renne, Sprain and their colleagues are using a precise dating method, argon-argon dating, to determine when the impact occurred and when the Deccan Traps erupted to clarify the sequence of catastrophes at the end of the Cretaceous Period and beginning of the Tertiary Period – the K-Pg boundary, formerly referred to as the K-T boundary. In 2013, using rocks from Montana, they obtained the most precise date yet for the impact, and in 2018, they updated that to 66,052,000 years ago, give or take 8,000 years. Then, in 2015, they determined from a handful of samples in India that, in at least one spot, the peak of the Deccan Traps eruptions occurred within about 50,000 years of that date, which means, in geologic time, that the incidents were basically simultaneous. Now, with three times more rock samples from areas covering more of the Deccan Traps, the researchers have established that the time of peak eruptions was the same across much of the Indian continent. This supports the group’s hypothesis that the asteroid impact triggered super-earthquakes that caused a strong burst of volcanism in India, which is almost directly opposite the impact site, the Chicxulub crater in the Caribbean Sea. Sprain and Renne argue that the coincident catastrophes likely delivered a one-two punch to life on Earth, but the details are unclear. Volcanic eruptions produce lots of gases, but some, like carbon dioxide and methane, warm the planet, while others, like sulfur aerosols, are cooling. The impact itself would have sent dust into the atmosphere that blocked sunlight and cooled the Earth, though no one knows for how long. Lead author Courtney Sprain standing in front of an inflated sheet lobe in the Jawhar Formation in a quarry north of Mumbai, India. (Vanderkluysen) Sprain says: “Both the impact and Deccan volcanism can produce similar environmental effects, but these are occurring on vastly differing timescales. “Therefore, to understand how each agent contributed to the extinction event, assessing timing is key.” Which gases in the Deccan Traps are emitted when is a question that’s hard to answer, because there are no flood basalt eruptions going on today, despite numerous ones in Earth’s history. The most recent, near the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest, dwindled 15 million years ago after 400,000 years of eruptions. The paucity of information about flood basalts is one reason Renne and Sprain are interested in the Deccan Traps, which are still young enough to contain information about the sequence, effects and scale of the eruptions, and perhaps the cause. “It makes we wonder whether we may see some external forcing mechanism, like the impact for the Deccan Traps, for other flood basalts that lead up to major peaks in eruptions, like the Columbia River basalts or the Siberian Traps,” Renne said. “Could a major earthquake in nearby subduction zones or the accumulation of pressure due to rising magma unleash these major episodes in flood basalts?” Sprain noted that, in the same issue of Science, a research group at Princeton University also will publish new dates related to the Deccan Traps, some of which differ from those of the Berkeley group. Whereas the Berkeley group dated the mineral plagioclase from the actual lava flows, the Princeton group dated zircons in the sediment deposited between flows. Because it’s unclear where the zircons came from, however, those dates provide only a maximum age for the lava, she said. Comments

When Games Matter: For the Love of the Grind When Games Matter is a weekly exploration by Drew Dixon of meaningful moments in games. Operating under the assumption that games do in fact matter, Drew seeks to highlight those moments that have much to say to say about who we are and the world we live in. If there is any one thing that will motivate me to put down a game never to pick it up again, it is “grinding.” For those of you nongamers out there, “grinding” refers to the practice of delaying progression in a game in order to focus on menial tasks required to make the player strong enough to advance. I rarely have to grind in games because games rarely require grinding anymore. So many people hate the idea of grinding that most games don’t require the practice. And yet lately, I have found myself willingly spending most of my time in Skyrim doing just that. I have been crafting weapons, enchanting them, selling them for more materials to craft more weapons and enchant them again. I did all this long enough to get two perks that would make my character tremendously strong. There is nothing particularly exciting about the time I have spent in Skyrim traveling from merchant to merchant and smithy to smithy. It’s mundane and oddly enough, nothing about the game itself required me to do this. The fact that Skyrim broke me of my anti-grinding ways is a tremendous compliment to the world that Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda have created. The world of Skyrim is so rich and vibrant that 8+ hours of smithing, enchanting, and selling seems like a cat nap. Brendan Keogh recently wrote about how Dark Souls requires grinding but manages to do so in a way that feels productive and meaningful: People have told me Dark Souls is about the journey, not the destination. I think this is more true than they realize. I can’t imagine Dark Souls even has an ending. Partly, this is because story-wise I wouldn’t have a clue what is actually going on or what my goal is. And, partly, because there is little hope of me ever actually finishing it. Even as I progress from one area into the next when I finally defeat a boss, the singular open-world nature of the game steals even a sense of spatial progression away from me. It still feels like I am trapped in the same place, even when I move on. Dark Souls is about the journey. One long, neverending journey. And so grinding is okay. That is my purgatory. Not just mechanically but thematically. Some souls sells wares off rugs. Some souls drum hammers onto anvils. Some souls run the same paths ad infinitum, defeating the same enemies over and over and… I think this is the first time I have ever worked so hard to make a game experience less challenging. Skyrim’s dungeons are so beautifully imagined and its mountain are so majestic that I hit the grind until I could make my time there more like a vacation and less like a quest. Drew is an editor at Christ and Pop Culture and editor-in-chief of Gamechurch.com. He is also a pastor, soccer coach, and writer. Drew also regularly writes for Think Christian, Bit Creature, and Paste Magazine. He has also written for Relevant Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @drewdixon82 http://daveden.wordpress.com David Kennedy Grinding in Demon’s Souls is a ton of fun because it’s an end in itself, rather than a mean to an end. Every time you purchase a soul level, it feels like you’re making serious progress in the game. Every soul level counts. I think Skyrim is the same way. Somehow, the developers have made menial tasks fun. You enchant the sword because the enchanted sword is freaking awesome, not because it’s getting you any closer to the end. I have no intention of finishing Skyrim.

Recent Press Releases Sep092013 Amid reporting that the White House is considering appeasing growing union concerns regarding ObamaCare,U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today introduced the Union Bailout Prevention Act to prevent the Obama administration from granting unions’ request for special ObamaCare premium tax subsidies for union members with health plans known as Taft-Hartley plans. If the Obama administration grants this special treatment, union members would receive taxpayer-subsidized premium tax credits on top of generous union plans that already receive the employer tax exclusion, ultimately forcing taxpayers to double-subsidize union members’ health plans. “Despite championing ObamaCare’s passage in 2010, union leaders are now awaking to the ugly reality of ObamaCare that most Americans have predicted all along, including higher health care costs,” said Thune. “Now that the full consequences of the Democrats’ law are nearing, these same union leaders are seeking a special backroom deal from the White House. Rather than take hard-earned money from taxpayers to subsidize union health care plans, the Obama administration should give all Americans a break by permanently delaying this train wreck.” In order to be eligible to receive premium tax credits under ObamaCare, an individual must enroll in a “qualified health plan.” While many believe that Section 1301 of ObamaCare clearly states that multi-employer union health plans are not a qualified health plan, and consequently, union employees in these plans are not eligible for premium tax credits, unions are seeking a way around this language. Thune’s bill would make it abundantly clear that there is no way for the administration to provide a special fix to appease union pleas.