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Is an EMG signal present when the muscle shortens using only pre-stretch?
Trying to understand some basic biomechanics related to racket head speed and the stretch-shortening cycle -
When muscles are consciously activated to shorten, electrical signals can be measured.
Example of EMG measurements of the tennis serve.
When muscles are prestretched and allowed to shorten rapidly, as in the Hill Muscle Model, what is going on with the EMG signal, is it still present?
An EMG signal seems to imply that the muscle is active and important for the motion? But if the prestretch component does not produce an EMG signal and is also faster then.....???.......
I believe that it's understood in biomechanics that prestretched muscles can produce more force (than unstretched muscles) at high shortening velocities. To research this issue in biomechanics measurements of force as a function of muscle shortening velocity are made. 'Force-velocity' curves are used for display. This prestretch supplied force probably drops to zero when the muscle is shortened to less than its resting length, that is, when the muscle has no stretch.
From another thread -
An interesting question is - when the body is using pre-stretch to shorten muscles, how does it feel? Is there a lack of feeling when using pre-stretch - the 'relaxed arm' 'free energy' that one of the Bryan twins described? Does it feel as if you are not doing that much when using prestretch?
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 12-27-2012 at 07:01 PM. Reason: add link to EMG measurements for tennis serve.
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The stretch shortening cycle has been well studied.
But the stretch shortening cycle has not been well studied in tennis players.
It's role in the "modern forehand" - or any stroke - is purely conjectural.
It may have a role, or the observed stroke may depend on set up, timing and movements of the muscles through time and space.
Stretched muscle fibers have a longer length to contract and hence develop more force through active contraction.
Maintenance of a muscle fiber in a stretched state without immediate contraction would require that muscle to expend ATP [if not being acted on by an outside force], so the subsequent maximum force will always be less than after an immediate contraction.
I doubt that passive muscle shortening has as much as a 1% contribution to the power encountered in a stroke.
Prestretch can occur from one of two mechanisms:
1. Using gravity, or some outside force, to load muscles. (Eg. "Bending your knees quickly before going up for a jump shot in basketball.)
2. Using movements from one muscle group to cause lengthening of another muscle group. (Eg. Rapid hip and shoulder rotation during uncoiling can cause lengthening of the arm muscles, as the arm is left behind as the body swings around forward.)
I don't know about you, but I am concentrating on hitting that ball so much, I'm not really aware my legs are pushing off violently and my whole body is spinning rapidly about my center axis as I uncoil.
I certainly don't notice "free energy" or "prestrech".
As above, I wouldn't consider it "free" in any event. I earned that prestretch by rapidly coiling and uncoiling in the first place, as well as timing my "knee bend" and leg push off.
Last edited by charliefedererer; 09-24-2012 at 10:02 AM.
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It's not as feasible in tennis, due to racquets not being especially heavy and difficult of tracking a fast moving ball.
Directory of Tennis Warehouse Clubs (courtesy of Mountain Ghost)
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Any whip like motion involves the SSC. A preceding segment pulls on the next segment inducing stretch. SSC gives a spring like quality and the stronger the elasticity the wave will travel faster.
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[QUOTE=charliefedererer;6916403]The stretch shortening cycle has been well studied.
But the stretch shortening cycle has not been well studied in tennis players. Check out Bruce Elliott et al. Especially Technique Development in Tennis Stroke Production, ITF book.
It's role in the "modern forehand" - or any stroke - is purely conjectural.
Disagree. See the above reference. Or Biomechanics and Tennis, paper by Elliott
It may have a role, or the observed stroke may depend on set up, timing and movements of the muscles through time and space.
Stretched muscle fibers have a longer length to contract and hence develop more force through active contraction.
Maintenance of a muscle fiber in a stretched state without immediate contraction would require that muscle to expend ATP [if not being acted on by an outside force], so the subsequent maximum force will always be less than after an immediate contraction.
I doubt that passive muscle shortening has as much as a 1% contribution to the power encountered in a stroke.
Don't agree. At times - especially around impact - its probably just the opposite. Power is measured instantaneously (at time t) so that the power of the legs when the ball is impacted on a serve is 0.
Prestretch can occur from one of two mechanisms:
1. Using gravity, or some outside force, to load muscles. (Eg. "Bending your knees quickly before going up for a jump shot in basketball.)
2. Using movements from one muscle group to cause lengthening of another muscle group. (Eg. Rapid hip and shoulder rotation during uncoiling can cause lengthening of the arm muscles, as the arm is left behind as the body swings around forward.)
I don't know about you, but I am concentrating on hitting that ball so much, I'm not really aware my legs are pushing off violently and my whole body is spinning rapidly about my center axis as I uncoil.
I certainly don't notice "free energy" or "prestrech".
I notice it on occasion but my old tight-muscle game with high-force arm sensations is how I hit 95+% of my strokes.
As above, I wouldn't consider it "free" in any event. I earned that prestretch by rapidly coiling and uncoiling in the first place, as well as timing my "knee bend" and leg push off. Correct, but its is 'free' at the time of impact since the leg & other muscle power that prestretched the impact muscles is now zero (or reduced). The high velocity power of the muscles shortening at impact is coming from various stretched muscles and maybe some concentric contractions, to be determined. The OP was to see if the prestretched muscles have an EMG signal, or not, while they are shortening.
The really interesting idea is in the speed of muscle shortening. If I understand the Hill Muscle Model, the stretched component produces higher force than the active (concentric) component as the muscle shortening velocity increases. At impact, when the muscle shortening velocities are at their maximum, the prestretched muscle component can be faster.
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 09-25-2012 at 06:31 AM.
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While Elliot implicates stretch shortening in his research, he doesn't do any EEG or other physiological analysis to prove his points in his review article "Biomechanics and tennis". http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577481/
He uses data from studies of others, and uses it as analogy to phenomena he sees in tennis players.
"In a stretch‐shorten cycle, elastic energy stored during the eccentric phase of the action (the stretch) is partially recovered, such that the concentric phase (shorten) is enhanced. This is also supported by the fact that the concentric action begins with the appropriate muscles under higher tension than would be created if they were to contract purely concentrically from a resting state. Research has shown that the benefit to performance from these two factors, particularly the muscle pre‐tension, is critical to success in sports such as tennis.6 Examples from selected strokes are:
Service: A subtle coaching point in maximising power in the serve is the timing of the leg drive with the racquet preparation for the drive to the ball. The eccentric stretch and pre‐tensing of the anterior shoulder muscles (particularly the internal rotators) is maximised by a vigorous leg drive which positions the racquet down behind and away from the lower back in preparation for the drive to the ball.
Groundstrokes: Rotation of the shoulders greater than the hips (creating a separation angle) and the positioning of the upper limb relative to the trunk during the backswing phase of these strokes, place appropriate muscles on stretch. This is why in the backhand a separation angle (one handed ∼30°; two handed ∼20°) is created in the backswing in preparation for the swing to the ball.7
Volley/service return: The split step, an integral part of preparation for a volley, service return, or groundstroke, places the quadriceps muscle (extensor at the knee joint) on stretch, permitting storage and subsequent release of energy to enhance quick movement in preparation for the subsequent stroke."
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577481/
The 6 reference applies to a study done in weightlifters doing a squat. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9451623
The 7 reference to Elliot's studies only showed that all the college players studied did not have a pause from their backswing to forward swing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14658135
There really is no study of the stretch shortening cycle.
"Elliott et al9 showed that speed of internal rotation of the upper arm was increased by about 20% for a no‐pause compared with a 1.5 second pause condition. In tennis it is therefore essential that only a short pause occurs between the backswing and forwardswing phases of stroke production or at maximum knee flexion during the serve."
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577481/
The 9 reference is to 9. Elliott B, Baxter K, Besier T. Internal rotation of the upper arm segment during a stretch‐shorten cycle movement. J Appl Biomech 1999. 15381395.395.
I don't have access to this article. But while it might be considered a proof of pre-stretch to observe an increase in power, it is hard to disprove that maintaining a stretch is not just the loss of muscle power as the muscle expends ATP to maintain that stretch. But perhaps the greater loss in power would be the interruption in a tennis player's smoothly coordinated movements by adding a hitch into his swing. I just am not sure how to measure a player and ask them to change just one component, and not be sure it is not changing other components of their swing. (Perhaps this is an analogy of the Heisenberg Principle that bedevils physics.)
Checking the ITF publication site, they list three volumes of Tennis and Technology from the years 2000, 2003 and 2007. Reviewing all of the topics at their meetings, I don't see a single reference to the stretch shortening cycle.
Doing a PubMed search for "stretch shortening cycle tennis" reveals only three references, and none really deal with this subject, except tangentially.
Therefore I still am not sure the stretch shortening cycle has really been well studied in tennis players.
I would welcome more information if you have it.
I don't have an answer to your question Is an EMG signal present when the muscle shortens using only pre-stretch?
I have to admit I have a bias about the way muscle fibers work from the study of Starling Curves in the heart. Basically, the more the heart muscles are "stretched" by quickly infusing more intravenous fluid into a subject, the higher the subsequent heart contraction, as measured by stroke volume or cardiac output.
I believe it is pretty well accepted that this increase in cardiac muscle contraction is all due to the muscle actually contracting harder, and none is due to a passive elastic spring back by the heart.
Thus my belief is that an EMG would be showing active muscle contraction in skeletal muscle during the stretch shortening cycle in tennis players, just as it had been shown during athletes doing squats:
"To isolate any difference muscular contraction history may have on concentric work output, 40 trained male subjects performed three separate isokinetic concentric squats that involved differing contraction histories, 1) a concentric-only (CO) squat, 2) a concentric squat preceded by an isometric preload (IS), and 3) a stretch-shorten cycle (SSC) squat. Over the first 300 ms of the concentric movement, work output for both the SSC and IS conditions was significantly greater (154.8 +/- 39.8 and 147.9 +/- 34.7 J, respectively; P < 0.001) compared with the CO squat (129.7 +/- 34.4 J). In addition, work output after the SSC test over the first 300 ms was also significantly larger than that for the corresponding period after the IS protocol (P < 0.05). There was no difference in normalized, integrated electromyogram among any of the conditions. It was concluded that concentric performance enhancement derived from a preceding stretch of the muscle-tendon complex was largely due to the attainment of a higher active muscle state before the start of the concentric movement. However, it was also hypothesized that contractile element potentiation was a significant contributor to stretch-induced muscular performance under these conditions."
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9451623
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My other post
Chas Tennis,
did you see my post
post #135?
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Please see my post #7 above
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(So that the readers don't have to figure things out or look for things, I suggest that you identify your point clearly and also find and spell out exactly where things are in the links that you give.)
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What if the passive stretch component can supply muscle shortening force and the active component can't for high racket head speeds. See the Hill Muscle Model & Force vs Velocity results for muscle shortening.
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 09-25-2012 at 09:07 AM.
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"In 1922, A. V. Hill (see Hill, 1970) first noted that activated muscles produce more force when held isometrically (i.e., at a length fixed) than when they shorten. When muscles shorten, they appear to waste some of their active force in overcoming an inherent resistance. This resistance could not result from the series elastic element because it resists lengthening not shortening. So Hill thought of this resistance as another kind of passive force in the muscle. He found that the faster a muscle shortens, the less total force it produces. Assuming a constant active force, Hill concluded that the faster shortening leads to a larger resistive force."
- http://www.shadmehrlab.org/book/musclemodel.pdf
His equations are only valid for isolated muscle fibers after tetany, and on re-stretching muscle fibers:
"The gastrocnemius is the calf muscle, and somehow the frogs gastrocnemius became a prototype for skeletal muscles in the early days of motor physiology. Other muscles may differ in certain details, but the basic principles of striated muscle are highly conserved in evolution. In the
experiment described here, the muscle was stimulated electrically. As Figure 3A shows, the first excitatory input caused an initial isometric twitch. Later, during maximal activation, tetanus occurred, which represents the maximal sustained output that the muscle can produce. During maximal activation, the muscle was stretched (Figure 3B) and held in a fixed, stretched state for about one second, then released. Shortly after release, the stimulation stopped.
Immediately after the stretch, the muscles force level increased rapidly. According to the model, the series elastic element must have caused this increase because the active component had reached its maximal output prior to the stretchrecall that the muscle was in tetany.
After the stretch, the force in the muscle slowly declined to a steady-state value."
- http://www.shadmehrlab.org/book/musclemodel.pdf
I think you are trying to use his equations as proof of a large passive spring loaded force present in muscles.
But if you read from the above source, there is another neuromuscular mechanism built into muscle to account for the curves seen in Hill's early experiments:
" The contractile element of the spindle lies at the pole region, which receives synaptic inputs from γ-motor neurons and sensory innervation from a secondary (Group II) muscle-spindle afferents. The central region
called the nuclear bag regionlacks contractile properties and receives sensory innervation from primary (Group Ia) muscle-spindle afferents. Forces that stretch the muscle spindle result in length changes in the nuclear bag and pole regions, and the muscle-spindle afferents transduce this length change into firing rate...
Consider what the spindle afferents in the model should do if you suddenly stretch the muscle-spindle and maintain it at a given increased length. Remember that the parallel elastic element cannot change length immediately, due to its viscous component, but the series elastic element can. Accordingly, you should see a large initial increase in the discharge of the primary muscle-spindle afferent. Gradually, as the parallel elastic element overcomes the effect of its viscosity, it will increase in length. Because the sum of the lengths of the parallel and series spring-like elements equals the total length of the muscle spindle, and the spindle length remains constant after the stretch, length of the series elastic element should gradually decrease after the stretching stops. As a result of this relaxation in the polar region of the muscle-spindle, the nuclear-bad regions should gradually shortening, which should result in a reduction in the discharge of the primary muscle-spindle afferents. In fact, this predicted pattern of activitya rapid increase followed by a gradual decreaseresembles the discharge dynamics of primary muscle-spindle afferents during a sudden stretch (Figure 7). "
"Now consider how the velocity of stretch might affect the activity of the spindle afferents. Assume that you stretch a spindle 0.5 cm but at a very slow rate, 5 mm/s. In this case, the effect of the viscosity will be small and, accordingly, the parallel elastic element will lengthen almost as quickly as the series elastic element. In contrast, when you stretch the spindle rapidly, for example at a rate of 30 mm/s, the viscosity greatly resists stretch of the parallel elastic element and more of the total stretch in the spindle will be taken up by the series elastic element, at least at first. Therefore, during a rapid stretch, the primary muscle-spindle afferent will fire much more than during a slow stretch. These properties create the appearance of a velocity signal, as illustrated both in the model and in recordings from a cat soleus muscle in Figure 10."
"Role of the γ-motor neuron
As the model in Figure 7 suggests, activity of the γ-motor neuron contracts the spindle and affects the lengths of the series and parallel elastic elements. This contraction, in turn, affects the discharge of the muscle-spindle afferents.
If your muscle spindles did not have γ-motor neurons, their length changes would simply reflect the length changes in the extrafusal muscle. What benefit does the nervous system gain by having a muscle-spindle system in which length depends not only on the extrafusal musclesand therefore the angle of jointsbut also on the activity of γ-motor neurons? As you see in this section, activation of γ-motor neurons allows the CNS to bias the sensitivity of the primary spindle afferents and turns them into a sensor that measures movement errors."
"Figure 13 schematically summarizes the functions of the muscle-spindle and golgi-tendon-organ afferents in terms of a feedback control system. Inputs to α-motor neurons cause muscles to produce force that acts on tendons, shortens muscles, and changes joint angles. Muscle-spindle afferents sense changes in muscle-length, as biased by activity in the γ-motor neurons. The golgi tendon organs sense force changes, with their signal to inhibitory interneurons modulated by the descending inputs.
The feedback control system rejects perturbations and helps ensure that the limb follows the desired trajectory. Two locations in the model adjust outputs: one modulates the level of γ-motor-neuron activation, the
other does so for the interneurons that golgi tendon organs act on. Consider a situation in which the load exceeds expectations. For example, you see a milk carton you assume to be empty, so you decide to dispose of it. When you begin to lift the carton after grasping it, its weightthe load on your musclesis more than expected. The primemover muscles will shorten, but because of the increased load, they will not shorten as much as expected for an empty milk carton. You saw earlier that the γ-motor neuron activity is set based on the expected length change in the muscle. When the muscle shortens less than expected, afferent signals further activate the α-motor neuron, producing more force, and countering the effect of the load, at least to some extent. The force feedback system,
mediated by the golgi tendon organ, works similarly. As depicted in Figure 13, inputs signaling force from the golgi tendon organs inhibit activity in motor neurons via a spinal interneuron. This influence would have the effect of a negative feedback loop in which high levels of force result in decreasing the motor command and therefore moderating the force. By inhibiting the interneuron that the golgi tendon organ acts upon (unfilled arrow in Figure 13), descending inputs can modulate how effectively force feedback inhibits the α-motor neurons. Strong inhibition from the descending inputs imposes a high threshold for the force feedback pathway. Only if the force exceeds this threshold will the feedback pathway inhibit the α-motor neuron."
- http://www.shadmehrlab.org/book/musclemodel.pdf
I fear the complexity of function for large motor tasks is so complicated by the local and spinal feedback loops that trying to decipher what aspects are from passive recoil are not possible.
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References for Tennis -
Technique Development in Tennis Stroke Production (2009), Elliott, Red, & Crespo
Biomechanical Principles of Tennis Stroke Technique (2006), D. Knudson
There is a problem with applying squat results to this issue. While squats might use stretch at the bottom, the muscle shortening velocities are always limited because of the mass of the body. If the muscle shortens slowly then the active components of the contraction can keep up. This issue is discussed in the reference below.
Reference for Velocity & Training -
I read that squats are good strengthening for the motion of shot-putters but not as effective for the motion of throwing lighter objects such as Javelins (p. 31).
Science and Practice of Strength Training, 2nd ed., (2006), V. Zatsiorsky, W. Kraemer
The book has an interesting finger-snap demonstration (p. 27). Take your index finger and bend it. Straighten it as fast as possible. Now take your index finger and hold it back with your thumb. Apply as much force as you can and let the index finger snap forward. Doing it against a piece of paper would make the velocity difference stand out.
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 09-26-2012 at 02:02 PM.
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Research paper on the microscopic active & passive components.
With reference to the Hill Muscle Model -
I don't understand this 2002 research paper very well. It deals with research on the microscopic level into the active and passive muscle cell components and their velocity of shortening. Acton & mycosin, in sacomeres, are the source of the active muscle shortening component. Titin, a large protein molecule, is recently believed to be the source of the passive (elastic) forces.
The 2002 research paper is a study of the issue of the shortening velocity vs force of the active actin-myosin sarcomere in comparison to the passive Titin molecule. Probably more recent research has closed in on this important velocity of shortening issue.
For tennis, does this mean that above a certain muscle shortening velocity the force from the active component falls off and for the highest velocities - racket head speeds - the passive component force takes over?
Actin-myosin illustrations-
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 03-21-2015 at 02:49 PM.
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From the source you cite http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2290211/:
Opening line: "The shortening velocity of skeletal muscle fibres is determined principally by actomyosin cross-bridges."
Discussion: "Although the spring-like behaviour of titin implies that the protein is somehow involved in determining the shortening characteristics of stretched muscle, we know of no attempt aimed at quantifying the titin-based contribution to shortening velocity."
"The present study was initiated to measure this contribution in the single myofibril preparation, in which passive elastic recoil should essentially reflect the properties of no other structures than the titin filaments."
That is, this study was done one incredibly thin (microscopic) strand of muscle.
"Results also suggest that the passive recoil of elastic structures is significantly slowed down by the contractile elements. However, the retractive force of stretched titin filaments, which underlies the elastic recoil, may be important in that it acts as an additional driving force on the contractile system at short release steps and during shortening from longer physiological SLs."
The most the authors can say is that the the retractive force of titin filaments "may be important".
You may be interested in reading this 2011 review:
"Structure and Function of the Skeletal Muscle Extracellular Matrix"
Allison R. Gillies, B.S1 and Richard L. Lieber, Ph.D1,2
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3177172/
Here is the first line from the conclusion:
"The role of ECM in muscle mechanics and pathology is not well understood, but it is becoming more evident that changes in ECM are clinically significant. Further studies are required to define the detailed structure and composition of ECM, characterize its mechanical properties, and determine the way in which these relationships change in diseased states."
And specifially regarding biomechanical properties of ECM:
"As mentioned above, to date, measurement of ECM biomechanical properties has consisted of studying epimysial sheets that are easily dissected and tested or isolation studies that remove all components from muscle with the exception of endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium collagen fibrils. However, biaxial testing of ECM sheets or isolated collagen fibrils may not represent the in vivo loading or structural environment of ECM, and new methods are needed to accurately measure the in vivo mechanical properties of the composite ECM."
So it appears we are really only n the infancy of understanding the role of titin and other contractile elements in actual muscle function at a macroscopic physiological level.
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A biomechanical researcher has answered my question. He said that the passive (stretch) component of muscle shortening is not accompanied by an EMG signal.
When reading publications that discuss EMG measurements in association with muscle shortening keep in mind that passive shortening might contribute force without EMG signals.
I'd like to learn more about EMG signals and Titin with a good reference. Need a recent up-to-date reference that discusses the Hill Muscle Model and includes the passive Titin structure (stretch/passive contributor, the 'spring'). Does anyone have a suggestion?
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Stretch Shortening Cycle
This is probably Biomechanics 101 (?) -
The most important characteristic of the Stretch Shortening Cycle for athletics is that it provides muscle shortening force (from Titin) at higher velocities of muscle shortening than the active forces from myosin-actin sliding filaments.
See Force vs Velocity Curves for active and passive components and the Hill Muscle Model.
For hitting a tennis ball high velocities of muscles shortening are used. The use of the SSC may also be more reproducible leading to consistency. (?)
The skilled use of the SSC is probably the most important thing that distinguishes high performance in athletics.
This also seems reasonable if you visualize the Actin-Myosin as it moves to shorten the muscle. Videos are on the internet. Titin, a giant protein molecule in each muscle cell, is the rubber band, it was only recently discovered, and Titin is in each muscle cell. The view that the tendon stretches for the SSC in recent texts is probably completely wrong.
I'm not certain of this picture and hope that some college students taking Biomechanics 101 can help out, or better yet a biomechanical researcher can set things straight. (posting is anonymous)
If you don't agree please provide some references to research to back up your views.
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 06-03-2014 at 04:33 AM.
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Charliefederer: Thanks for the patient thorough review.
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1. the elastic element (which is often confused with the SSC):
this is elastic energy stored in the tendons (muscles don't really store elastic energy) which then snap back. this is entirely passive and re-uses some of the energy like a rubber band.
2. the actual stretch shortening cycle:
this is not a passive process. the SSC means that receptors are stimulated during the pre stretch which causes a nerve signal to the spine telling the muscle fibres to fire harder. this also happens involuntary but it still is an active contraction of the muscle.
generally the rubber band theory is rather flawed. some of the energy is re-used but most of the stretch in the muscle is dissipated into heat. most of the work is still active contraction.
that doesn't mean that the SSC is not important however. the stretching (I would not call it pre stretch since it is nothing that can be held for a longer period like a rubber band) does increase the firing power of the muscle (I think up to like 25% or so).
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I don't understand the complex detail of how the sarcomeres work. In 2012, what I found indicated that this area of research, related to Titin, was new and very active, mainly with understanding the role of Titin in passive muscle shortening. I thought that tendon stretch was not important for SSC because of very basic research involving studies of isolated muscle cells. The muscle cells themselves were producing enough stretch force to account for the observed forces without tendon forces. I am shaky now on remembering the information for that conclusion. The paper is probably in my threads.
I can't argue details of how Titin works. Titin is in the muscle cell (sarcomere) itself. There are some references and videos in my last post. Please read and look at the videos. My interpretation of the material that I read, including several papers, basic Hill Muscle Model descriptions and especially Force vs Velocity curves is that Titin is the source of SSC for force at higher velocities of muscle shortening.
There are some complications that I knew about in 2012 but decided that they were not important. For example, the Golgi tendon organs (senses force) are located, I believe, in tendons and they function especially to alert the body that the joint may be approaching the end of its range of motion. And that the body should automatically activate counter forces to stop the motion and protect the joint. Maybe this activation is used in squatting to get more lifting force at the bottom. (?) Squatting is a very slow form of muscle shortening because of the mass of the body. I also consider this Golgi response an active EMG muscle action. Muscle Tendon Unit proprioceptors (spindle sensors) also provide information by sensing muscle length. But I have a poor understanding of this complex phenomenology and don't want to spend time debating this subject because I don't know it. We need a biomechanical researcher to set us straight.
Also, a very interesting point, that I believe, is that Titin can do stretch shortening cycle at any muscle length not just near the end of the muscle's range of motion. I believe a demo is simple. Take a small mass, a can of soup, in your hand. Flex and extend the elbow very rapidly over a comfortable range, say, 10", around elbow flexion angle of 90°. The oscillation will have a natural oscillation frequency that is more comfortable. I believe that the very rapid oscillation is the stretch shortening cycle with forces from elastic Titin.
Speculation- Another issue is - if you stretch a muscle and then continue to apply stretch force - as in the service motion - does that increase, or somehow maintain the stretch? In which case, more energy would be available available than with stretch, wait a time with no force, then use the stretched muscle. Little or no energy dissipation for, say, the 300-400 millisecond delays for the serve. ?
My view is speculative since I don't understand this subject very well. Maybe the views are in agreement with the current biomechanical view. Even with Biomechanics 101. ?? I'm not a biomechanical researcher publishing something, so take it or leave it. But do look at my references in this thread and the others with the reply on Titin, the muscles cell videos and other references and comments. Research Titin and the Force vs Velocity curves on your own.
Pictures Titin.
Last edited by Chas Tennis; 03-21-2015 at 02:51 PM.
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thanks for that reference. The titin in an interesting molecule.
however I still think that you should not overlook the actual Stretch shortening cycle which is not an elastic component but a neuronal Signal after stretching that Triggers an active contraction.
the elastic component is probably important too though.
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Tapley's career-high 33 leads SDSU past USF
The Aztecs (10-1) will take it. They played like they have for much of this season, meaning they put the Dons (5-5) on the ropes and didn't put them away. A 23-13 lead became 23-21. A 38-28 lead became 38-33 when USF scored five points in the final 12 seconds of the first half. A 45-35 lead early in the second half became 45-43.
The Dons even had a possession to tie or take the lead, and couldn't.
Then Tapley started doing that little run.
He had 13 points over the next 6½ minutes and, for the first time in a long time, the image in SDSU's rear-view mirror was actually getting smaller at the end of a game. The win was the Aztecs' 30th straight against a school from California.
"It was nice to see that we could take a 10- or 12- or 14-point lead and add to it," Fisher said, "and not see it dwindle."
The tournament's single-game scoring record is 36 points, by Hawaii's Dwain Williams against Saint Mary's in 2009. Tapley drained a 3 to give him 33 points with 6:07 left, and on the next possession he took a dribble handoff from Jamaal Franklin on the right side, turned and stroked another 3.
It went in.
It didn't count. Franklin was whistled for an illegal screen, and Tapley would take only one more shot – a desperation heave at the shot-clock buzzer.
"I heard the crowd yelling, 'Get the record, get the record,'" said Tapley, who shot 13 of 19 overall, 6 of 10 behind the arc. "Yeah, I wanted to get it, but I wasn't pressing to get it."
No one else on SDSU finished with more than 11 points. Jamaal Franklin, sidelined earlier in the week with a bad back, started and played 32 minutes, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four turnovers, two steals and a block.
He made it to the final minute without getting another technical foul, then got one with 53 seconds left for hanging on the rim. It is his fifth T of the season and his second in as many games for hanging on the rim, and Fisher immediately subbed him out.
"I told all of them, 'You get a T, you're coming out,'" Fisher said, noting that he doesn't consider a T for hanging on the rim as wayward chirping at an official. "This was different (than unsportsmanlike conduct), but you still don't want it to happen."
Fisher went with a nine-man rotation for most of the game that didn't include the newly eligible James Johnson. The 6-9 sophomore transfer got in with 1:23 to go and scored on a left-handed hook … Dwayne Polee II shared a nice embrace after the game with his father, who is USF's director of player development. "It's terrible," Dwayne Polee Sr. said. "You want to win a game, and your son is playing for the other team. It was kind of hard. I wish we could have played better, but at the end of the day it's good to see my son." …

subset: commoncrawl


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Icelandic geyser blows a gigantic blue bubble (PHOTO)Comment
Iceland's Great Geysir forms a perfect turquoise bubble before it bursts violently into the air.
The Fly Geyser, evidence of alien life in Nevada? (PHOTOS)Comment
A geothermal company drilling in Nevada inadvertently created the Fly Geyser, a puke-colored volcano that looks to be from another dimension.
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Watch a demo video of the RF28HFEDT
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Our 28 cu. ft. ultra-large capacity French Door refrigerator has enough room to fit up to 28 bags of groceries*.
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The Twin Cooling Plus™ feature maintains both high levels of refrigerator humidity to keep perishable fruits and vegetables fresher longer, and dry freezer conditions means less freezer burn for better tasting frozen foods.
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*Samsung received the highest numerical score for French door refrigerators in a tie in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Kitchen Appliance StudySM. Study based on 15,380 total responses measuring 10 French door refrigerators brands and measures opinions of consumers about their new appliance purchased in the past 24 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in January-March 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
Dual Ice Maker
Two independantly controlled ice makers - one in the fridge, one in the freezer - produce almost two times the ice of our single ice maker model for added convenience.
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LED lighting beautifully brightens virtually every corner of your refrigerator so you're able to quickly spot what you want. Plus, it emits less heat and is more energy-efficient than conventional lighting. The sleek design saves more space than traditional incandescent light bulbs.
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PNP starts hearing of 22 cops in Quezon 'rubout'
MANILA, Philippines— Philippine National Police's Internal Affairs Service said Thursday the Summary Hearing Board on the Atimonan, Quezon "rubout" last January could probably be concluded within the month.
Police Director Alexander Roldan, IAS chief, said the hearing will start on August 5, and would be conducted twice in a week every 1:30 p.m. at the PNP's national headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
The proceedings, however, are not open for media coverage, he said.
Roldan said the process would look into the possible administrative liabilities of 22 police officers, including former Intelligence chief, Police Superintendent Hansel Marantan, and Police Chief Superintendent James Melad, former Calabarzon regional director.
"I have instructed the Summary Hearing Board to give utmost priority to the Atimonan Case…[they] may be able to finish resolving the said case within this month," Roldan said.
Meanwhile, reacting to earlier reports that the entire process seemed to be moving slow, Roldan said the case had been "very complicated" considering the fact that it has eight defense lawyers for each respondents.
He, however, noted that they have finished the most difficult part of the case and have threshed out the difficult issues.
Based on PNP regulations, all administrative cases must be resolved within 90 days since the start of the investigation.
The Atimonan "rubout," where 13 people were killed, occurred January this year.
The respondents were also slapped with criminal charges. Involved officers may be dismissed from the service if found guilty.
Murder raps filed vs 25 cops, soldiers in Atimonan rubout case
PNP report: No shootout
Palace body OKd Atimonan operation
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King Island - Straddling The Strait King Island lies at the western entrance to Bass Strait, midway between Victoria and mainland Tasmania in the 'roaring forties' latitude. Statistical overview King Island was just one of four communities in Tasmania defined as a remote area in the 2001 Census. Of these, King Island had the highest level of Internet use with 18 per cent of the Island's population using the Internet at home and 29 per cent from any site during Census week. Levels of Internet use on King Island were 6-8 percentage points lower than for Tasmania as a whole. While the age and income profiles of the population of King Island are similar to remote Tasmania overall, King Island has a higher proportion of families comprised of a couple with children. Background King Island shows the benefits of a strong synergy between a community development project and a forward-looking tourism board. The small community of about 1800 people is mostly engaged in high quality beef and dairy farming. Cray fishing is also and important industry and abalone, giant crab and oysters are exported from the island. Kelp harvesting, an abattoir and a cheese factory complement the peaceful green image that attracts many tourists. Tops for Tourism Two key web sites for the island provide complementary functions, and cross-link to each other. Overall, the tourism and community sites reveal a community with more action per capita than most in their region. Tourism is a major driver of the local economy. Local events like the King Island Imperial 20, a marathon race held in March each year, the Queenscliff to Grassy Yacht Race and the King Island Open Golf Tournament draw annual attention. The Island's serene environment, natural beauty and wealth of history are also key tourist attractions. The marketing ability of the Internet has helped this small isolated island at the bottom of the world to become an appealing and prosperous holiday destination. Today's travellers expect to be able to research, book and pay for their travel and accommodation before arriving. King Island tourism not only provides this, but through a unique cooperative venture the island's tourism businesses have gone one step further and created a centralised one stop Tourism website. Photographs, pricing breakdowns, availability information and bookings for all of King Island's holiday destinations and attractions are provided on the site. This gives holiday-makers fast convenient 24-hour access to information, reservations and payment. The self-serve nature of Internet communications also means that managing the booking dates etc is in the hands of the holiday-maker, while the database of each hotel, bed and breakfast establishment, boat house etc is automatically updated as online bookings are made. The convenience of researching and organising a holiday online has been a strong element in King Island's tourism success and has also brought noticeable cost saving for business owners. The shared facility initially channels all payments through a single account, markedly reducing the transaction and banking costs for each provider. Visitors can interlink the accommodation, activities and services (such as car hire) of a range of businesses into one holiday and one convenient payment. The success of this online partnership has also translated into a range of offline business joint ventures that further strengthen the Island's economic base. Community building - Online and Off The Island's community has also worked hard to develop strong cooperative partnerships both on and offline. The community website shows this commitment to harnessing new technology for displaying and supporting social capital. It functions very much like a community Intranet, and recognises the mobile lives of King Island residents. For example, an active visitors book and noticeboard allows locals to keep in touch with the community while away from the island and to find out what's happening on the Island at any given time. Screening sessions at the Town Hall movie theatre are a regular feature as are exhibitions and virtual tours of King Island's features and information on community events. One of the features of the site while writing this profile was the Class of '77 reunion. The reunion was held in early 2003 and the site included meeting times, event discussions, old photographs of class members and calls for missing classmates. For class members, potential reunion organisers and others the site is definitely worth a visit. The Community website also contains practical information about local health service providers, sport and recreation clubs, community organisations and local government. Not all of these are online, but some have e-mail addresses where further information can be requested. With 14 community groups and 12 sporting groups listed, there is every indication of high interactivity among residents. One example, the link to 'equine dentistry', goes to a well-developed web site, with photos, free e-mail advice, and an online forum that discusses issues such as 'bridle teeth'. King Island's school children use the Internet to communicate with other classes on the mainland and internationally. Basic programming and computer skills are a part of the every day curriculum. The Internet is also a valuable research tool for children and adults, with online books and journals complementing the King Island library holdings. Ongoing adult education is an area that can be difficult to resource particularly in isolated communities. However many Australian universities offer online language classes, writing courses and distance education. Charles Sturt University offers educational resources for Higher School Certificate students and tertiary courses and other national and international universities offer online-only courses. Professionals in an isolated community must rely on strong communication between peers and industry bodies to keep abreast of changes in their field. Online periodicals and journals, discussion groups and research make the task much simpler and information can be transferred much faster than by mail. One resident said, "The Island has experienced some enormous social and economic benefits from residents completing further education without having to leave the community. Lifestyle commitments and family and farm commitments often hold people to the Island "but that's no reason to stop learning". A Centre of Activity Online activity on King Island is some of the strongest in the region and has in part been stimulated and constantly renewed by the education projects and activities run through the island's Access Centre. Initially a telecentre, the Centre received Networking the Nation funding to assist in the set up of the facility and to support a part time community coordinator. Like most Access Centres, the King Island centre provides residents with access to computers and the Internet, and free one-on-one training. Visitors to King Island can also use the Internet at a modest cost. This Access Centre offers a number of additional value- adding services. Skills development workshops are run through the centre and aimed at specific groups such as older residents and small businesses managers. These have greatly assisted the community to experience the benefits online services marketing and information can bring to a small community. The Access Centre sports a large range of up-to-date equipment including graphics, web design and video editing software, a digital camera, a flight simulator and a CD burner. Access to such 'high-tech' creative tools has inspired youth on the island to make strong use of the new media. This is reflected in the Youth Access site, with its bright yellow 'Wassup?' and special events sections. The site is used to help coordinate the cartoon club, screenings of movies and general chat about projects like the new skate park mural. There is also a growing range of links to 'cool' youth sites nationally and internationally. Help @ Home Part of the King Island Access Centre's success in creating a technology savvy community has been its management of a help line for Internet users at home. The Access Centre's coordinator and a number of the island's IT-skilled residents have made their time and skills available to help set up new equipment and assist with problems and advice. Many of these volunteers received their initial training at the Access Centre, just one indicator of how such projects can generate social capital. The Centre's location has been an unexpected advantage, as it is co-located with the King Island Regional Development Organisation. The tourism centre has allowed the Access Centre coordinator to set up a network of IT-skilled workers throughout the building and further afield to answer help desk calls as part of their normal work load. Scheduling of assistance by rostered helpers can then be arranged either after hours or on the spot, depending on availability. Shared responsibility and good co-ordination between volunteers has created a reliable help desk service for residents, alleviating many of the initial worries new users experience when setting up their first Internet connection. A help desk facility particularly in a small community can be the difference between a family's decision to test the Internet water today or wait another year. Co-location has also encouraged each office to become more creative in their use of new computing technologies and certainly more sophisticated in the services they provide. Networking both physically and online has allowed many King Island organisations to take advantage of the skills and knowledge contained within the community. This has produced flow-on effects beyond each organisation and has helped to build a strong economically and socially advantageous Internet presence for King Island. Prepared by NOIE in February 2003. Information current as at February 2003.
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By LEE ADAMS
WINONA — Billy Anderson "Andy" Austin, 58, of Kilmichael, died of heart failure, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011 at his home. Funeral services are 10 a.m.
By CARL SMITH
Eight-term incumbent Oktibbeha County Sheriff Dolph Bryan was defeated Tuesday by Steve C. Gladney in the Democratic runoff for sheriff.
By COLLEEN MCCARTHY
By STEVEN NALLEY
Keith Head has at least one good reason not to hate Mississippi's humidity.
The key to offensive success in the Mississippi State Bulldogs spread offense is the quarterbacks.
By JOEL COLEMAN
The Starkville Academy softball team piled up hit after hit at home against Hillcrest Christian on Tuesday.
From Staff Reports
Eupora wins big over Winona
EUPORA – The Eupora softball team pounded out 22 hits in a 17-0 home triumph over Winona on Tuesday.


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Cardin: Obama should push harder for D.C. voting rights
President Barack Obama has been calling for democracy in Egypt, but a U.S. senator says that the president should be doing more for voting rights for D.C. residents.
Tags: Ben Cardin , Mark Plotkin , politics program , U.S Helsinki Commission
Gray and Obama discuss voting rights, education
D.C. Mayor-elect Vincent Gray discussed bringing jobs to the District and the city's quest for congressional voting rights during a lunchtime meeting with President Obama Wednesday at the White House.
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D.C. Council Chair and Democratic nominee for mayor Vincent Gray met with one his many constituents Thursday. However, this supporter was far from your ordinary taxpayer.
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"You take about 40 or 50 concrete Jersey barriers and you shut those bridges down for a day. You get those people's attention on Capitol Hill," says Doug Sloan, a candidate for D.C.'s non-voting delegate's seat.
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D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton says progress on the D.C. Voting Rights Act needs to be made before Congress begins its "lame duck" session.
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Congressional leaders plan on bringing a revived D.C. voting rights bill to the House floor next Thursday.
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D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton says she thinks 2010 is the year a bill giving the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives will become law.
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- Record Label: RCA
- Release Date: Jun 11, 2013
User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Mixed: 2 out of 9
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Jul 25, 2013Respectable in execution, but not as recommendable compared as some of their previous works, Damage is nevertheless a serviceable effort from a still very talented band.
Jul 17, 2013Jimmy Eat World has become a purveyor of modern rock that just so happens to have a noisier background that jerks like me won't let it live down. This permits recognition of well-penned, upbeat numbers like Appreciation" and "How'd You Have Me." [No. 100, p.55]


text:
Snip-n-Drip Quick Connect and Faucet Adapter
Customers Also Bought
Additional Quick Connect and Faucet Adapter for Your Snip-n-Drip Soaker System
- VIDEO: Garden Row Snip-n-Drip Soaker System
- Includes quick connect and faucet adapter
- Easy, no-tools installation
Designed for use with our Snip-n-Drip Soaker System, this quick connect coupler has one end that screws onto a faucet or the end of your hose, while the other end accepts 1/2" Snip-n-Drip garden or soaker hose. Handy when you are customizing your system, or use as replacement parts. Easy to install and re-useable.
- ABS polypropylene plastic
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
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Reviewed by 4 customers
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Have over 20 trees on your drip system and use the adapters to water groups of 5, I just leave the fitting* on the last of the group (with an end cap on the other end) and swap group to group using the snap-on* to the hose adapter. Trees are mostly along the perimeter of the property. I do wish I could just purchase the snap on part, because I just leave the adaptor on the feeder hose.
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- Hose Connector
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I did not need the hose connecter after all. Returned for a credit.
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This is just such a simple and effective product. My little vegetable garden is set for the season. Thank you.
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Great product to setup your gardening water system. So far I am very satisfied.
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There are no special shipping restrictions or charges associated with this item. For detailed information about our delivery methods and charges, click here.
We're proud of the fact that this item is shipped to you directly from our warehouse in Vermont, by one of our 250 employee-owners. In-stock items are packed with care and shipped within the next business day to ensure prompt delivery to your home and garden!


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Spring 2015
Here we are in the closing months of another school year. I have enjoyed my visits to schools, teacher conferences, libraries and community events.
In February I spent two weeks in Hawaii including a three day artist in residence program at Punahou School and a presentation at the HMEA music conference. In March I was a featured presenter at the CEESA conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia and also did artist in residence programs at the American International School of Budapest and Pechersk School International in Kyiv, Ukraine. Below are some of the programs I have been doing this year.
- Songs and Stories Around the World
- Building Bridges of Peace and Hope Through Songs and Storytelling
- All Around Us: Exploring Nature Through Songs and Songwriting
- Help Stop Bullying by Teaching Empathy and Tolerance
- Integrating Music into the Common Core Standards
- Making Connections: Global Awareness and Partnerships
I will also be sharing stories, songs, photos and video from my recent trip to Africa at the end of the 2013-14 school year. The trip included climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with our daughter Maggie, doing school programs at the International School of Moshi in Tanzania, and spending five days with teachers and students at the Mukwashi Trust School in Zambia. The climb of Kilimanjaro was part of the "High Hopes and Common Threads" Project that included writing and photos from over 1700 children from more than 50 countries around the globe. I'm very excited about sharing these "good news" stories with children and teachers.
My sincere thanks and admiration to all you teachers who continue to give so much of yourselves while being asked to adapt constantly and juggle more and new responsiblities. Our children are very fortunate that teachers are such a dedicated and professional group.


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To those moaning about STO and the experience thus far
View Single Post
Archived Post
Lt. Commander
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 120
# 1
To those moaning about STO and the experience thus far
Hi guys and girls,
Lets take a moment to rationalize the current situation in regard to the pages and pages of anti cryptic threads and frustration towards the online game that's been open for less then 3 days now.
I've come across a few frequent comments that everyone seems to incorrectly agree with.
The server is full and busy and everyone's instant comment (comment #1).... "buy a new server! buy better hardware"
Maybe they are going to buy more servers and expand on their architecture. If they do, they can't click their fingers and make a server appear, it has to be ordered, integrated into the network, then attach it to the network as a stable node and hope it works straight away. Designing and maintaining a network of computers to handle high traffic is difficult and takes time. I saw someone suggest redesigning the network architecture.... you want the game to be taken down for weeks to redesign, rebuild, retest a new system architecture? Lots of time, not just a few hours, it takes days (sometimes weeks) to tweak a system and its database to be responsive and stable. It takes more time to ensure that the system passes many stress tests. And guess what, you can't change a server while its running, that's why its taken offline to make the changes. You want the system to stop crashing, but you want to play too. Can't have both. Its gotta be taken down and limited until they get the full system stable.
frequent comment #2 - "You under estimated the traffic. cryptic. you soo dumb... "
The only way to properly stress test a system is to open the doors to the hundreds of people. You can't predict server traffic or the behavior of the system. If you know anything about servers and network maintenance then you'll understand the difficulties and have probably not complained. If you don't know anything about systems (and have complained) then perhaps you should reconsider your attitude since you don't really know what you're talking about. If I were in a restaurant and complained the food was bad. great... I didn't like it. I'm not a cook so I'm not gonna suggest how it should be cooked better. I'm pretty sure the Chef would tell me to leave.
comment #3 - "Why isn't there a backup"
Why have a backup of a system that is still under development? You want to be left in a buggy system that crashes while they give all their attention to another system? You'll then complain of being neglected. You already complain that they don't communicate which leads me onto comment #4
comment #4 - "We never hear anything from Cryptic"
Would you like a cycle of messages from cryptic that says "its fixed... enjoy" ... "oh... problem, system down"
"but you said it was fixed.. grrr flame... anger"
"ok sorry, back up" ... "oh, down"... "up","down"
Don't you think its better to let them work on the system and come back later when they're happy to say.. "alright... I think we're good now, thanks for bearing with us."
comment #5 "This is one of the worst launches"
It's also one of the largest launches, with a large player base and a large system. When Eve came out it wasn't as big as it is now, same goes for WoW and that's to name but two. There's a lot in this system. WoW is only on the ground... Eve is ONLY in space. This game integrates both, that's two different control systems and graphical systems.
And as for comments related to "Cryptic should have planned for more, should have overestimated the traffic" and comments like that... What do you know of their budget? What do you know what they can or can't do at this stage. Maybe they are using the lifetime subscriptions to build more servers? Bottom line is, they prepared the best they could. Every software company does.
I'm not brown nosing cryptic guys. I test software and I test networks so I know what its like. be patient, stop posting ignorant comments that just poor more bad karma onto the forums. Give it some thought before you post and think about what I said at a technical level.
Personal comment:
These problems are to be expected anything different is naive on the players part, not Cryptic's part. I hope cryptic uses this time (and I know that's what they're doing) to get the system into a scenario that can deal with the traffic come release date). and we all better hope they get it fixed because if they don't, they run the risk of bad rep in the magazines, which means a possible reduction of peeps playing, which could mean less attention to the game (based on profit), and so that means, less patches, upgrades and future development. So for gods sake people, put up with the delays. there's another weekend next week, and the week after that.
And as a small warning (as in, don't say you weren't warned) the system may be stabilised by Tuesday, (maybe) but if its not. 2-2-2010 American non pre-order joins the pool. On the 5-2-2010, the European crowd joins the pool and then the following weekends after that more will trickle in. So expect more delays and changes to the system to compensate for it. Remember... its not possible to predict the behaviour of thousands of people on the system. No automated software can do it, only us. So be happy you're a statistic that helps fix the system, be even more happy that they're working (probably around the clock) to fix these issues. Oh, and don't forget, the people fixing these servers have families and lives to go home to after work too. So give them a break.


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The hottest hues
Bench and 2bU pick some cool pieces to inspire your summer getups. Our faves: colored chinos
Combat duty
Military inspiration is here to stay, though it evolves every season. Mix camo print with chambray and finish off with staple military green pants.
Boy blue
Funky meets classy in this floral chambray shirt, complementing a pair of navy blue pants.
Color mix
Blue green pants are tricky to wear; best to don them with a basic shirt so the look isn't over the top.
Ruggedly rustic
Perhaps one of the season's most popular colors, this rustic brown pair of pants goes well with almost everything. Go a little ethnic with a graphic tee.
A classic
One can never go wrong with a pair of the classic chinos; pair with the ever-reliable graphic tee-and-chambray combo.
Photography Toff Tiozon
Styling Luis Carlo San Juan
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SMP Levels Norah Jones Piano Solo Sheet Music: 1 items found
Norah Jones - Come Away with Me
By Norah Jones. For Piano/Keyboard. Piano Solo Personality. SMP Level 6 (Late Intermediate). Softcover. 40 pages. Published by Hal Leonard (HL.306966)
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I always enjoy this thread. Let's have 'em.
Printable View
I always enjoy this thread. Let's have 'em.
I have two relatively surprising 3rd place finishers on my bracket.
Steven Monk at 165 (I almost had Massa placing 5th, but decided that was too crazy)
Micah Burak at 197 (after losing to Campo in the first round)
Cody Yohn makes the Semi-Finals, and finishes in 4th.
I had Dieringer in the semi's anyone else have that?
After a 1st round loss to Logan Stieber, Brandon Gambucci (Duke) wrestles to a 8th place finish. Definitely see him making R12.
i have dieringer in the semis also
I think anyone seeded 1-8 can win 74
PSU 5 finalists
8 AAs including Jimmy Lawson
Dong over DSJ
Heflin over Perry
Sheptock over Bennett


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I just wanted to comment your blog and say that I really enjoyed reading your blog post here. It was very informative. Keep it up and I'll be back to read more soon.
I think the newest release is
I think the newest release is so good. There is so much that was added to it. You will definitely benefit from using it. The creator has done such a great job with it. removing ink stains
good work
Your article was a good read, and I like the way you write. By the way, let me recommend you an chinawholesale as an awesome X-mas gift. Hope you'll like it.
Thank you very
ev boya tadilat
dış cephe boya mantolama
çatı onarım tadilat
Free Starbucks Coffee
Pink Pony
what a load of pretentious
what a load of pretentious pheasantries
Peter-less puppy
Peter-less puppy
Well it is hard to choose one
Well it is hard to choose one but i will go for the top 3
Prancing Peacock
Primal Piranha
Psychic Platypus
Peter-less puppy
Peter-less puppy
I would like to Second that
I would like to Second that vote for Precocious Penguin.
Proud Panda
It would be a great marketing stunt to call the new version "the Proud Penguin" :)
passionate pussycat
Prompt Puma
poisonous Pachyderm
Perky Penguin.
Perky Penguin.
Psychodelic Platypus
Psychodelic Penguin?
whatever + penguin!!
No matter what the first word might be (proud, precocious, pervasive, pompous, pedantic, prophetic) the second word should be PENGUIN! :-)
I would like to see Priapic
I would like to see Priapic Panda personally.
Polly Parrot - Wakeup Polly
Polly Parrot
- Wakeup Polly Parrot, Wakeup...thud - There he moved. He's not dead, he's pining.
Puny Pronghorn
Puny Pronghorn
Precocious Penguin
Precocious Penguin (Prophetic, Poetic, Productive or Progressive work for me, too)
I'm going to just call it "Precocious" as if I didnt get the memo.
Postdoctorate Ptarmigan.
Also, where's the love for Pretend Pegasus?
Pervasive Penguin
It were extremely hard to
It were extremely hard to vote, they are all very funny... HAIL LINUX!
phuking phlat
phuking phlat
12.04 name
Primeval Primate !!!!!
Paranoid Panther
Paranoid Panther
Prescient Prawn
Prescient Prawn
Waiting for "R"
I wasn't that concerned with 12.04, but if the schedule holds, 13.04 "R" will be released on my birthday. I'm hoping (although rather doubt it) that the animal in question that release is "raccoon", which is my favorite animal (note the raccoon in my avatar).
Laugh at life or life will laugh at you.
Pink Pussy ;-)
Pink Pussy ;-)
More Proper...
Pissed-off Peacock
Passed-away Pig
Poultry Penguin
Painted Pigeon
repeat... GNOME3/Unity interface sucks.
Good one!
Good one!
Pink Panther
Pink Panther
If someone was going to use "perverted" should have combined it to make "Perverted Pig" hehehe.
I'm surprised nobody is using some powerful animals like Panther or Puma.
What about Poignant Porcupine?
Pubic Panda
Pubic Panda
palatable parakeet
palatable parakeet
Pugnatious Porcupine
Pugnatious Porcupine
Ponderous Possum
Pow! :)
Posthumous Platypus
Posthumous Platypus
pretentious puffer
pretentious puffer
Precise Pangolin
Precise Pangolin
Tools and Technologies for Scale and Reliability
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|Non-Linux FOSS: Vienna, Not Just for Sausages
|Jun 02, 2015
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|May 26, 2015
- Non-Linux FOSS: Vienna, Not Just for Sausages
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- New Linux Based OS Brings Internet of Things Closer to Reality
- Dr Hjkl on the Command Line
- Initializing and Managing Services in Linux: Past, Present and Future
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- Goodbye, Pi. Hello, C.H.I.P.


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Big thanks to Adam for sending us over one of his new Roadkill toys Twitchy. We think that he is awesome and also very cute, considering his guts are all hanging out.
Apparently he was run over by a milk float last Thursday, near the Hanger Lane Giratory System. He was then peeled off the road and put into a hermetically sealed body bag (which is comes packaged in) to stop the maggots getting in. He also comes with a toe tag, giving you the particulars of his demise. His next of Kin, Grind the Rabbit, has signed the release form for Twitch to start being sold.
He is availble from playlounge and iksentrik now for just £25, top top quality worth every penny!! Come on he just wants a loving home :(
Similar posts
Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - 11:09pmOnly Steff Bomb could make a skin-bound, inked-in-blood tome of evil look as cute as a button. This depravedly cuddly plush is part of Galleries1988's upcoming show, Crazy For Cult, which opens December 12.
Friday, November 14, 2014 - 12:40pmFOE Gallery hosts their fourth annual fabric art group show in collaboration with renowned fiber artist Lana Crooks, titled "Common Threads."
Thursday, November 6, 2014 - 2:04pmA fresh crop has emerged from the Tolleson & Crooks farm: plush Beetlings!


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Hang tight!
Recipe by Bird
"Oh so yummy, and massively addictive!! A sweet layered dessert with a pretzel crust and a pineapple topping."
Hmm. None of these ingredients are on sale today.
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1/2 cup
1/2 cup
butter, melted
1 cup
crushed pretzels
1 (8 ounce) package
cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (8 ounce) tub
frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons
1/4 cup
1 (8 ounce) can
crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
I've made this so many times, I'm reviewing it again. It is so good, I could eat the whole pan. I change it a little...I bake the crustat 350 for about 9min and use an 11x7 pan,3/4c crushed pretzels. For the cream filling I use fat free cool whip and fat free or light cream cheese and only 1/4c sugar. For the topping I use a large can of pineapple chunks and just put then in the food processor first. No sugar needed in the topping and because of using large can instead of 8oz, I use 3T cornstarch.
This is a good dessert recipe but was too sweet for my taste and didn't 'wow' me like it did other reviewers. I can't see me making this again.
40 Ratings
Absolutely delicious!! Made this for a family get-together and it was a definite success. Really liked the pineapple better than other similar recipes that use the strawberries. I actually baked the pretzel/sugar/butter crust mixture in the pan on 350' for 10 mins. I wanted to be sure it was crunchy & not gritty. Yum! Yum!
a little too sweet, but a delicious dessert that can be used for company. Used 16-oz crushed pineapple instead of 8 oz.
I've made this several times for different family gatherings. I made this for Easter and each year, I am assigned this dish. It never makes it to the leftovers table. During a family funeral, I made 1 pan and before the entire event was over, I had made 4 pans. It was the first dessert to disappear.
This was wonderful! I had so many compliments it was crazy. Very easy, inexspensive, and it was great tasting. Thanks so much for sharing!
I got this recipe years ago & had lost it. Thanks Bubba! This is a fantastic recipe for taking to a coomout or potluck. I usually double the recipe & put it in a 9x13.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Bubba's Pretzel Salad
Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 317
Calories from Fat: 173
All the little bites, cocktails, casual dishes, and desserts you want for your next get-together.
Bake those overripe bananas into a delicious, easy loaf of quick bread.
Delicious recipes, party ideas, and cooking tips! Get a year of Allrecipes magazine for $7.99!
See how to make an astonishingly delicious dessert salad.
It's salty! It's sweet! Your family will love this dessert salad.
See how to make a simple dessert salad starring pistachio pudding.


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Gift Premium Subscription To Drunkenkyle
Join Date:01-20-2012
Last Activity:03-21-2012 11:05 PM
- Single
- Glendale
Posted in thread: Sometimes more is too much on 02-29-2012 at 05:07 PM
The extra aging will really tie the beer together....lol.Lol
Posted in thread: Saddleback Valley Pale Ale on 02-13-2012 at 01:45 AM
Hit the OG right on the nose. airlock is going crazy right nowthanks for the recipe
Posted in thread: Saddleback Valley Pale Ale on 02-09-2012 at 10:44 PM
brewing this tomorrow
Posted in thread: HomeBrewTalk 2012 Big Giveaway on 02-08-2012 at 09:48 PM
Posted in thread: This is the only way to sterilize your carboy on 02-08-2012 at 01:45 AM
Posted in thread: 2nd batch brew of Kiltlifter clone on 02-08-2012 at 12:58 AM
the 4 peaks version?
Posted in thread: Just started a boil, need some advice asap! on 02-08-2012 at 12:57 AM
thats weird, should have w/ yeast
Posted in thread: To The New Brewers: A collection ...... on 02-07-2012 at 12:34 AM
bumping for a great thead
Posted in thread: Really high hydrometer reading? on 01-28-2012 at 10:41 PM
You may never see the airlock bubble, many never bubble. It's not a magic ferementation gauge,
it's a vent to release excess co2 if it needs it. Rate of bubbling, lack of bubbling, starting
and stoppi...
Posted in thread: Really high hydrometer reading? on 01-28-2012 at 10:38 PM
Read this, it was written just for you, and about 25 million other new brewers who's first post
is about this. ;)Attention new brewers, yes your original gravity reading is wrong. Don't


text:
First Human Voice Now Heard From Mars
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
For the first time in history, the voice of a human has been transported back from Curiosity on the surface of Mars.
It wasn't an alien, but a prerecorded message from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Mars. NASA announced during a press conference that Curiosity successfully sent back the audio soundbite Curiosity was carrying with it on Mars.
"Since the beginning of time, humankind´s curiosity has led us to constantly seek new life"¦new possibilities just beyond the horizon," Bolden said from Mars in the audio file.
"This is an extraordinary achievement. Landing a rover on Mars is not easy — others have tried — only America has fully succeeded," he continued. "The investment we are making"¦the knowledge we hope to gain from our observation and analysis of Gale Crater, will tell us much about the possibility of life on Mars as well as the past and future possibilities for our own planet."
During the conference, NASA also unveiled some new images taken by its rover, including some breaking news images that were coming in straight from Mars while reporters were in the room.
Mike Malin, Principal Investigator of the Mastcam, said that NASA has received several hundred images back from Curiosity.
Since landing on Mars, the rover's cameras have been undergoing some tests and calibrations to ensure the highest quality pictures are taken from the 350 million mile away planet. Malin said that NASA has been getting the Mastcam into better focus, and now images are coming in that are showing the Gale Crater region with more precision.
One of the images unveiled during the press conference shows a very detailed layout of what the Martian surface looks like around Curiosity right now. Malin said this image was "geologically exciting to me, and also very pretty."
John Grotzinger, the project scientist, said when you look down from orbit, you get a sense of what your looking at on the ground, but you don't know exactly what its going to look like. He said of the image Malin showed off that "everything in that image is a science target for us."
Paul Mahaffy, Principal Investigator with the SAM Instrument, said that Curiosity's nose has been going through tests, and so far it's checking out good.
SAM is sniffing around the Red Planet, looking for atmospheric gases, ultimately trying to find isotopes and major constituents of gases.
When asked by redOrbit if SAM would be capable of giving us on Earth an idea of what Mars smells like, Mahaffy said yes. He said NASA is looking for evolved sulfur compounds from rocks, as well as sulfur dioxide.
He told redOrbit he believes that certainly with the variety of chemicals they will be able to obtain through SAM that we will be able to have an idea of what Curiosity's surroundings smell like.
Also during the conference, Chad Edwards, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chief Telecommunications Engineer, told reporters that in 20 days, Curiosity has sent over seven gigabytes of data from Mars back to Earth.
Previous rover missions at this time would have only sent back two or three gigabytes of data, but Edwards said new capabilities of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Curiosity has allowed for higher data rates than previous missions.
"Curiosity will bring benefits to Earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers, as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future," Bolden said as the first human voice to ever be heard from Mars to end his speech.


text:
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|Proposals for The Cross Papers Fellowship focused on community college teaching and learning due June 10.
|Gordon Research Conference on Undergraduate Biology Education Research (UBER): Investigating and Implementing Evidence-Based Reform. Apply by June 14.
|NWABR's Annual Life Science Research Gala - Speak up for Research, June 19.
|AP Biology Teacher Academy at Stanford's Summer Teaching Institute. Register by July 6.
|Stanford Summer Teaching Institute. Register by July 6.
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|Plant Biology Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, Minnesota. July 26-30.
|BrainU 101 professional development workshop for high school science teachers. Starts July 27.
|Webinar: Nature's Notebook in the classroom—what can phenology help me teach, and how to I get started? August 20.
|REIL-Biology Workshop on course-based research at ASCB 2015. Apply by November 1.


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Digital Underground - Sittin on the Hitz
Artist: Digital Underground
Producer: InershA [for Track Bastards Productions]
Album: The Greenlight EP
Avg Rating: 2.1 ( 24 votes )
Last week my computer monitor and I had a staring contest after an Email from the legendary funk-rap group Digital Underground popped-up in our Bible-sized inbox. New music from Digital Underground in 2010? Couldn't be. After all, the pioneering Oakland-based ensemble released their final album, ...Cuz A D.U. Party Don't Stop!!, in spring 2008, shortly after officially disbanding. Well, after a little research and a few Emails to their label, Jake Records, it turns out that Sittin on the Hitz is the first release off the group's forthcoming (and final) EP, The Greenlight. Featuring the weirdly comical rhymes of D.U. leader Shock G (you know, the guy with the Groucho Marx nose) and production from InershA, Sittin on the Hitz is far from a "hit record" by today's standards, but nonetheless it's an offering that longtime fans should be able to appreciate. The Greenlight, a collection of never-before-heard material, unreleased remixes, and a live recording of Same Song with Tupac Shakur, will be available for purchase on May 18.
Written by DJ Z on Apr 25, 2010
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If you liquidate all of the Roth IRAs you own, or all of the 529 accounts you hold for the benefit of a single child, and what you realize is less than you put in, you can claim a loss, but not on Schedule D, where you report capital losses. Instead, the loss is claimed on Schedule A as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. Such deductions can only be taken to the extent they exceed 2 percent of your adjusted gross income and aren't allowed at all in the alternative minimum tax calculation. Still, if you put a big slug of money into a 529 before the market tanked, the deduction might be useful. Plus, you can put money back into a 529 later--just wait more than 60 days so the IRS won't treat this as a rollover, says Jim Van Grevenhof, a senior tax analyst at Thomson Reuters.
Losses on the sale of your primary residence? Not deductible. Congress has given some relief, however, to those who renegotiate their mortgages or lose their homes to foreclosure. In such cases, the lender is likely to forgive some debt, which traditionally counts as income to a taxpayer--unless, that is, he's in bankruptcy or insolvent. If you've received a 1099-C from a lender reporting cancellation of debt income, check out Form 982; you may be able to take advantage of a provision passed in 2007 excluding certain forgiven mortgage debt from income.
Another tricky issue: getting money out of pretax retirement accounts without incurring the normal 10 percent early withdrawal penalty, for reclaiming money before age 59 1/2. The penalty is on top of any regular tax you might owe.
If you're strapped for cash, or fear you will be soon, you can still take back any contributions you made to an IRA for 2008, so long as you do this before filing your return and report any earnings on that contribution (yeah, sure) as income. In addition, you can withdraw any year's contributions to a Roth IRA without penalty, since they were all made after tax.
If you lose your job, a few special rules may help: If you're 55, you can access money in a pension plan such as a 401(k) without the 10 percent penalty. (You will still owe regular income taxes on the payouts.) No similar exemption exists for IRAs, but there are narrower ones. You can take money from an IRA, without penalty, to pay bills for higher education, for certain medical expenses and if you've been collecting unemployment for 12 weeks, to pay health insurance premiums. For details, see IRS publication 590, "Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)".
Meanwhile, if you can't pay all you owe come April 15, file your return or a request for an extension anyway. If you don't file, there's a 5 percent per month penalty on the balance due, whereas if you file (or request an extension) and can't pay, the penalty is just 0.5 percent per month. (Both penalties top out at 25 percent of the amount due and are in addition to interest.)