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Sharapova, Lisicki, Kvitova, Azarenka roll into semifinals
WIMBLEDON, England Maria Sharapova looked like a champion under the Centre Court roof at Wimbledon, advancing to the semifinals at the All England Club for the first time since 2006 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Dominika Cibulkova on Tuesday.
Sharapova, the only Wimbledon champion remaining in the women's draw after the Williams sisters were eliminated a day earlier, won eight straight games to win the first set and take control of the second.
VIDEO: Venus, Serena look for positives
STORY: Nadal not seriously injured, will play
PHOTOS: The top shots from Wimbledon
The fifth-seeded Russian has not lost a set at this year's tournament, and she was nowhere near losing one Tuesday.
"It's been a few years since I got past the fourth round, and now I'm in the semifinals," said Sharapova, who won the tournament in 2004 and also reached the semifinals in '05. "So this a great chance for me to take it a step further."
Sharapova will next face German wild-card entry Sabine Lisicki. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by beating 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-1 on another wet day at Wimbledon.
"This is a player that's playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now and playing really great grass-court tennis, so it'll be a really tough match but I certainly look forward to it," Sharapova said.
Cibulkova held serve in the first game against Sharapova, but couldn't hold another. The only hiccup in the match for Sharapova came in the third game of the second set when Cibulkova broke.
Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title at the All England Club when she was only 17. She added the U.S. Open title in 2006 and the Australian Open title in 2008, but has not won another since — mainly due to shoulder problems.
"Well, to be in the semis of Wimbledon is a bonus," said Sharapova, who finished with 23 winners and five aces. "To be able to come back and play tennis after a big injury — I was just quite happy to be back on the court. So to achieve this is wonderful. But the tournament isn't over."
But with the Williams sisters, who have combined to win nine of the last 11 Wimbledon titles, both losing in the fourth round, Sharapova may be the one with the experience needed to win.
The rain briefly delayed the start of play Tuesday as the roof was closed, while the opening match on Court 1 started after a 2½-hour delay.
Once it did, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the second year in a row, beating Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2.
"At the beginning I was better and I played so good like matches before," said Kvitova, who had 54 winners to only 10 for Pironkova. "But then I get little nervous, and in my mind was something I don't know what was it. I was mentally down."
Pironkova, who eliminated Venus Williams from the tournament for the second year in a row, lost in the semifinals last year.
Later, fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka beat Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-1 to reach the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. The match began on Court 1 but play was suspended after one game because of the damp conditions. They completed the match under the roof on Centre Court.
With heavy rain causing a racket as it pelted down on the retractable white cover over the court, Lisicki used drop shots to perfection in the first two sets, becoming only the second wild-card entry to reach the women's semifinals at the All England Club.
"I cannot explain how I feel at the moment," said Lisicki, the first German Grand Slam semifinalist since Steffi Graf in 1999. "It was just such a tough road back and it's so wonderful to be standing on Centre Court in Wimbledon which I love so much. I'm just so happy."
Lisicki served for the match at 5-4 in the second and held three match points, but Bartoli saved them all. On the second, Lisicki went to her go-to drop shot but put it into the net.
Bartoli eventually broke back — when Lisicki double-faulted for the first time — and then won the tiebreaker.
"I was very disappointed with myself how I played at 5-4, that game, because I missed easily," said Lisicki, who has won 15 of her last 16 matches on grass and eliminated French Open champion Li Na in the second round. "I felt that I was the better player today and I knew I just had to focus and fight again in the third set to win it."
In the third set, Lisicki broke to take a 3-0 lead, and then again to make it 5-1. She won when the tiring Bartoli put a forehand into the net.
"My mind was trying extremely hard, but just my body couldn't do anything anymore," said Bartoli, who beat four-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round. "I still fought very hard, especially in that second set. … I have no regrets."
Lisicki, who finished the match with 52 winners to Bartoli's 12, reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club two years ago but lost to Dinara Safina.
Lisicki survived a scare early in the match, but it had nothing to do with tennis or even her opponent. After serving at 30-15 in the second game of the match, Lisicki shuddered when a loud blast of thunder rang out overhead.
She then lost the next two points and eventually the game, but recovered and broke for the second time in three games to take a 2-1 lead.
Lisicki is now 3-1 against Bartoli. Her only loss came in the first round at Wimbledon in 2008, a year after Bartoli reached the final at the All England Club but lost to Venus Williams.
The heavy rain in the afternoon forced six fans to change seats because of a leak in the permanent roof.
"There were three small leaks to the permanent roof, not the retractable roof," Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said. "The leaks resulted in six people being relocated."
Earlier Tuesday, Rafael Nadal said his left foot, which he injured during Monday's fourth-round win over Juan Martin del Potro.
Nadal completed an hour-long practice session Tuesday, hours after announcing he would play in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Mardy Fish.
"He will be 100%. Everything's fine," said Toni Nadal, his coach and uncle.
Also Tuesday, U.S. Open golf champion Rory McIlroy paid a visit to Wimbledon, meeting Andy Murray and John McEnroe. He sat in the Royal Box for the first two singles matches but left the grounds shortly after Sharapova won.
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text:
T.O. Manufacturing Core Upgrade
Unextractable Structure: This artifact (in structure form) can NOT be extracted from a planet using a Mylarai Build Extractor.
Care should be taken when using this artifact to ensure that you are using it effectively.
NPC-Dropped Artifact
Upgrades an existing Processing Core structure on your planet to a T.O. Manufacturing Core.
Available from: the Planetary Event NPC known as the T.O. HyperSeeker.
Artifact Type: Planet Structure
Set Duration: Permanent
Cost in Energy to Use: 50
Artifact Effects:
Size: 0 (Completed structure will be the original size of 1) Artifact: 1 (in addition to the original 1, for a total production of 2) Mining: 1 (in addition to the original 1, for a total production of 2)
* CAN NOT be extracted with a Mylarai Build Extractor.
Artifact Limits: 1 per planet
Alternate Uses: None
Scraps for: 12500 - 50000 CR
Share: No
Send: No
Image: T.O. Manufacturing Core Upgrade
Return to T.O. HyperSeeker
Return to NPC-Dropped Artifacts
Return to Special Buildings

subset: commoncrawl


text:
BSI Ups Ginsberg-Margo2/25/2004 8:38 AM Eastern
Broadband Services Inc. has promoted Joshua Ginsberg-Margo to vice president, product marketing, from director, business development.
In his new post, he will be responsible for product-development and marketing activities related to "CPEase," BSI's "CPE Lifecycle Management" program, as well as the vendor's other asset-management services.
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text:
The Red Accordion in its entire form and beauty.
Photographed on Lake St Clair in Michigan.
From March until June of 2012 I served as Artist in Residence at The Arts Academy in the Woods. I had worked on many mixed media paintings.
I took a part a lovely red Accordion which did not work any longer. It was given to me by a Canadian Accordionist. Pieces and pats of the Red Accordion are in much of the work that was created while serving as Artist in residence.


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Angel Cruz, the familiar, friendly voice of an entire generation of gay porn twitteratis and a man who has been known to allow his penis to open up in ways we would consider both big and bigger on CocoDorm.com, has announced his newly acquired status as Press Director for Black Rayne Productions and an arrival of sorts onto the next rung of his career.
It's really a great honor to write about Mister Cruz - the writer, pictured here, working on, um, one of his characters - who was recently hired on as Black Rayne's Press Director and, in Black Rayne Productions' words, "[It's] the tradition of making headlines and building a team that will ensure it's success while riding its blazing-hot momentum in 2011, Black Rayne productions is happy to announce their new in-house press director Angel Cruz." But, really, who wouldn't want to ride his blazing hot momentum at some point in 2011?
Angel, who for a short time was a contributing editor for Men of Color Blog - a far too short a period of time - deserves much more recognition for his writing than he's willing to cede. He has wit, charm, intuition and class. (Thank you, The Chris Ward School of Superlatives!) I don't really even see where failure fits into any of this. It'll be exciting to watch Mister Cruz grow into a job he's a natural for!
So what does that mean for you, the lover of bareback porn ? Well, don't ask me. Ask Angel, their press director:
"My ability to write and draw traffic across all forms of social media is going to be essential in the success of Black Rayne. I am more than confident in my ability to do JUST that. And it doesn't hurt that we are putting out the hottest content right now."
Color us so there.


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Lymphocyte apoptosis in children with central nervous system tuberculosis: a case control study
Studies of the apoptosis mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis have suggested that
A case-control study was conducted from January 2002 to June 2009. It included 18 children with CNS TB and 17 healthy controls. Spontaneous apoptosis of PBTs, including CD4+, CD8+ and CD8+/CD28+ T cells, was evaluated after 24 and 72 h of culture in complete medium, using the Annexin V detection test. Analysis was conducted before and after chemotherapy, and expression of the apoptotic markers CD95 (Fas) and Fas ligand (FasL) was evaluated.
Higher percentages of apoptotic T cells and CD4 lymphocytes were isolated from children with acute phase CNS TB than from children in the control group (p < 0.05). This difference significantly decreased after 60 days of specific treatment. In children with CNS TB, high levels of Fas ligand expression were detected in lymphocyte populations, associated with a high percentage of Fas positive cells, before and after treatment. In contrast to the CD4+ apoptosis profile, we did not find any significant difference in total CD8+ cell apoptosis between children with acute phase disease and the control group. However, the percentage of apoptotic CD8+/CD28+ T cells was significantly higher in the children with acute phase disease than in the healthy controls.
Our findings indicate that CNS TB in pediatric patients increases the sensitivity of CD4 and CD8+/CD28+ T cells to apoptosis, suggesting a hypoergic status of this infection. This could play a key role in the immunopathogenesis of this complicated form of TB. Interestingly, specific chemotherapy is able to normalize both apoptosis sensitivity and T-cell activation.
Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important communicable diseases and represents a major health problem in the developing world. Globally, approximately 1 million new cases and approximately 500,000 deaths due to pediatric TB are reported every year
In Italy, similar to many other industrialized nations, TB is a relatively rare disease. In the last few years, the incidence of TB has been less than 10 cases/100,000 population (in 2009 the rate was 7/100,000 population, corresponding to just over 4,200 cases) while according to WHO estimates, the prevalence of latent infections is 12% (corresponding to just over 7,200,000 latent infections)
While 90% of immunocompetent adult patients infected by the tubercle bacillus will not develop the disease during their lifetime, children have shown various clinical forms of infection and progressive disease
It is well known that the immune system of a child is too immature to stimulate a host protective response against intracellular pathogen growth. Some progress towards understanding the mechanism involved in immune responses to
Recent studies have demonstrated that
A number of alternative mechanisms of peripheral T cell apoptosis have been defined. The distinction has been made between active apoptosis, which follows stimulation and activation of the T cells, and passive apoptosis, which occurs as a result of withdrawal of the sustaining cytokines following activation
Understanding the specific mechanisms by which children's T cells fail to contain Mycobacterium TB infection could offer potential new targets for appropriate vaccines. In addition, studying the defects in infant immune responses that explain poor bacterial control may contribute more broadly to our understanding of severe forms of TB such as CNS TB.
In this study, we analyzed spontaneous T lymphocyte (PBT) apoptosis and the subsets CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+, including the analysis of apoptotic CD8+/CD28+ T cells, in the peripheral blood of children with CNS TB, before and after starting anti tubercular treatment and compared them with healthy control children.
Eighteen children with CNS TB (10 boys, 8 girls; mean age [± SD], 3.8 years [3.4]; range, 0.5-12 years] admitted to the G. Di Cristina Children's Hospital in Palermo, Italy, were selected according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Case Definition clinical and/or microbiological criteria between January 2002 and December 2009
Diagnosis was bacteriologically confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or culture of
Seven patients (38%) had pulmonary TB. The source of infection was documented for 9 patients (50%): it was grandparents for 4 patients, parents for 3 patients, a teacher for 1 patient, and a neighbor for 1 patient.
All of the children received antitubercular treatment for 1 year, consisting of 2 months of isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RMP), pyrazinamide (PZA) and streptomycin (SM) or ethambutol (ETB), followed by 10 months of RMP and INH
All the subjects enrolled in the study were negative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
A control group comprised 17 healthy children who were Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) skin test negative (10 boys and 7 girls; mean age [± SD], 5.6 years [3.2]; range, 2-12 years). The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the G. Di Cristina Hospital in Palermo (Italy) and informed consent was sought in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Patients were thoroughly informed about the procedures and written informed consent was obtained from each of them. Peripheral blood was drawn from children with CNS TB during the acute phase of illness, and 30-60 days and 90 days after starting chemotherapy. The follow-up time point after the start of antitubercular therapy was chosen on the basis of previous studies conducted by our group
Isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)
PBMCs were isolated by Ficoll-Paque density centrifugation from 20 mL of heparinized blood drawn from children with CNS-TB and from the healthy children in the control group.
PBMC cultures: PBMCs were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FCS at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2
Apoptosis detection and PBT phenotype analysis
T cell spontaneous apoptosis was determined after 24 and 72 h of culture in complete medium, using the Annexin V detection kit as previously described
Fas and Fas-L expression
Fas and FasL expression were evaluated by flow cytometry (Becton Dickinson) using antihuman PE-conjugated CD95 and antihuman FITC conjugated CD95L (Dakopatts) MoAbs. PE-conjugated (X-928, Dakopatts) and FITC-conjugated mouse antihuman IgG1 (X-927, Dakopatts) were used as negative controls. Fas and FasL expressions are shown as the percentage of positive cells.
Statistical analysis
Discrete variables were analyzed using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, as needed. The independent Student's t test and the Mann-Whitney U statistic test were used for parametric and non-parametric analysis, respectively. The paired-samples Student's t-test and paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for intragroup parametric and non-parametric analysis, respectively. All statistical tests were two-tailed and were applied at the 5% significance level. Data were analyzed with Epi Info software, version 3.2.2 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) and SPSS software (version 14.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
T lymphocytes, Fas and FasL during CNS TB
The mean (± SD) total lymphocyte and CD3+ lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood of patients in the acute phase of disease and in controls are shown in Table
Table 1
Peripheral blood lymphocyte populations* in acute CNS TB children and uninfected children (controls)
Acute phase
Lymphocytes (× 109/l)
CD3+ T -lymphocytes (× 109/l)
CD4+ T -lymphocytes (× 109/l)
CD8+ T -lymphocytes (× 109/l)
CD28+ T -lymphocytes (× 109/l)
* mean values (± SD)
Spontaneous apoptosis of PBTs isolated from CNS TB patients and from the healthy controls was evident after 24 h (p < 0.0005), and steadily increased after 72 h (p < 0.0005).
There was a significant increase in apoptotic CD3+ lymphocytes in the children with acute phase CNS TB after 24 (p < 0.0005) and 72 h of incubation compared with those in the control group (p < 0.0005). This increased sensitivity in CD3+ lymphocytes to apoptosis was still evident after 30-60 days of specific anti-tubercular therapy, but it was decreased in children treated for more than 90 days (Figure
Figure 1
Apoptosis in T-lymphocytes from uninfected children (controls), and children with CNS tuberculosis before and after specific treatment, at the different time periods
Apoptosis in T-lymphocytes from uninfected children (controls), and children with CNS tuberculosis before and after specific treatment, at the different time periods. Apoptosis was induced
Fas and FasL expression was significantly higher in the T lymphocytes of children with acute phase CNS TB than that in healthy control group children after 24 and 72 h of incubation (p < 0.0005, Figure
Figure 2
Fas (2a) and FasL (2b) expression during central nervous system tuberculosis in the illness group, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and in uninfected children (controls)
Fas (2a) and FasL (2b) expression during central nervous system tuberculosis in the illness group, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and in uninfected children (controls). Results are shown as percentage of Fas and FasL -expressing cells among T-lymphocytes after 24 h (solid line) or within 72 h of culture in complete medium (dashed line).
T Lymphocyte subset apoptosis during CNS TB
The mean (± SD) CD4+, CD8+ and CD8+/CD28+ T lymphocyte counts in patients during the acute phase of the disease and in the controls are shown in Table
Spontaneous apoptosis was evaluated in different CD3+ lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+, CD8+) of patients affected by CNS TB and in children in the control group. As shown in Figure
Figure 3
Apoptosis in CD4+ T cells from children with CNS tuberculosis, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and from uninfected children (controls)
Apoptosis in CD4+ T cells from children with CNS tuberculosis, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and from uninfected children (controls). Results are shown as percentage of CD4+ T cells after 24 h (solid line) or within 72 h of culture in complete medium (dashed line).
Comparative analysis of apoptosis in CD8+ lymphocyte populations in acute phase CNS TB children treated for 30-60 days and for more than 90 days and in the controls showed no significant differences after 24 and 72 h of incubation (p > 0.05).
Analysis of apoptotic CD8+/CD28+ T cells showed impaired cell apoptosis in the acute phase of disease (acute vs control after 24 and 72 h of incubation, p < 0.0005 and p = 0.002, respectively). The difference between CNS TB patients and healthy control children decreased after 90 days of specific treatment (p > 0.05, Figure
Figure 4
Percentage of CD8+/CD28+ T from children with CNS tuberculosis, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and from uninfected children (controls)
Percentage of CD8+/CD28+ T from children with CNS tuberculosis, before and after specific treatment at the different time periods, and from uninfected children (controls). Results are shown as percentage of CD8+/CD28+ T cells after 24 h (solid line) or within 72 h of culture in complete medium (dashed line).
The results of our study show that PBTs isolated from children with CNS TB had a stronger apoptotic response and underwent apoptosis more rapidly than those of healthy subjects, even after 3 months of antitubercular treatment. These responses were due to high levels of FaL expression in lymphocyte populations. Moreover, the number of Fas positive cells remained high even after starting treatment for TB. The reason for these findings may be because Koch's bacillus produces or induces substances in macrophages that increase the sensitivity of lymphocytes to apoptosis by increasing Fas expression or Fas-L for protection against antitubercular activity
We did not find any significant difference in the absolute number of T lymphocytes and their subsets in the peripheral blood in children with CNS TB and healthy controls. A previous study of adult pulmonary TB patients showed a significantly lower percentage of CD3+ and CD4+ cells, and a significantly lower ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ cells compared with healthy controls
CD4+ cells are critical in immunity against
The relevant role of CD4+ cells in the pathogenesis of CNS TB is confirmed by CD4+ cell counts and TB meningitis in the HIV population
CD8+ T cells can efficiently eradicate TB infection by inducing apoptosis of infected cells, and this cell death is mainly, but not always, mediated via the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptors (TNFR)
Interestingly, CD8+/CD28+ T cell apoptosis was significantly lower in the children with CNS TB before chemotherapy, suggesting a protective role of these cells in response to
Our study suggests that TB infection in children increases the sensitivity of CD4+ T lymphocytes to apoptosis and causes a decrease in CD8+ activated T lymphocytes. Interestingly, chemotherapy was able to normalize both apoptosis sensitivity and T cell activation. This could play a key role in the immune pathogenesis of the disease. Involvement of the CNS is a serious complication of TB and is most frequent in children aged between 6 months and 6 years, although it can occur at any age
To our knowledge, this is the only study to date to evaluate apoptosis in T lymphocytes from children with CNS TB. A better understanding of apoptosis regulation in TB is required to develop new immune-based therapies aimed at modulating apoptosis in infected patients. Considering the current, very poor laboratory support for the diagnosis and management of childhood TB, further studies with large numbers of subjects are required to define the clinical value of these assays.
List of abbreviations
FACS: Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting; CD: Cluster differentiation; FITC: fluorescein- isothiocyanate; PE: phycoerythrin.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
PD designed the study and drafted the manuscript. NC, FD, BP, DS and MG set up and conducted the study in the field and contributed to the interpretations of results. MM and MT were responsible for laboratory analysis. AC was responsible for the acquisition, statistical analysis and interpretation of data. The ethics application and funding applications were submitted by PD, AR and LT as the principal pediatric investigators. MC provided microbiological data. MT supported apoptosis laboratory results, supervised the study and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Global tuberculosis control 2010
The state of the World's children
Paediatric tuberculosis
Pediatric tuberculosis: global overview and challenges
Tuberculosis of the central nervous system
Pathogenesis of central nervous system tuberculosis
The immune response to BCG vaccination of newborns
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination of human newborns induces T cells with complex cytokine and phenotypic profiles
Increased expression of fas ligand in human tuberculosis and leprosy lesions: a potential novel mechanism of immune evasion in mycobacterial infection
Living on the edge: inhibition of host cell apoptosis by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Modulation of cell death by M. tuberculosis as a strategy for pathogen survival
Evasion of innate immunity by mycobacterium tuberculosis: is death an exit strategy?
Human Mycobacterium tuberculosis-reactiveCD4+ T-cell clones: heterogeneity in antigen recognition, cytokine production, and cytotoxicity for mononuclear phagocytes
Mycobacterial heat shock protein-induced blood T lymphocytes subsets and cytokine pattern: comparison of sarcoidosis with tuberculosis and healthy controls
Activation of apoptosis, but not necrosis, during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection correlated with decreased bacterial growth: role of TNF-alpha, IL-10, caspases and phospholipase A2
CD4+ T cells mediate IFN-gamma-independent control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection both in vitro and in vivo
The roles of Fas/APO-1 (CD95) and TNF in antigen-induced programmed cell death in T cell receptor transgenic mice
Pathways leading to cell death in T cells
Fas expression in conjunctival epithelial cells of patients with cystic fibrosis
Apoptosis of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells during experimental infection with Mycobacterium avium is controlled by Fas/FasL and Bcl-2-sensitive pathways, respectively
Case definitions for infectious conditions under public health surveillance
Epidemiological study of tuberculosis in Palermo, Italy: IS6110 fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated in the years 1994-1998
Prurigo nodularis due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Treatment of tuberculosis and tuberculosis infection in adults and children
An overview of the role of T cells in controlling tuberculosis infection in a pediatric population
Increased peripheral T-Lymphocyte apoptosis in Childhood tuberculosis
Interleukin-8 induces lymphocyte chemotaxis into the pleural space. Role of pleural macrophages
Monocyte and Lymphocyte apoptosis resistance in acute and chronic brucellosis and its possible implications in Clinical Management
A gamma interferon independent mechanism of CD4 T cell mediated control of M. tuberculosis infection in vivo
Changes in lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis
CD27low CD4 T lymphocytes that accumulate in the mouse lungs during mycobacterial infection differentiate from CD27high precursors in situ, produce IFN-gamma, and protect the host against tuberculosis infection
Early T-cell responses in tuberculosis immunity
CD4+ T-cell count and cerebrospinal fluid findings in HIV-infected patients with tuberculous meningitis
Role of antigen, CD8, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) avidity in high dose antigen induction of apoptosis of effector CTL
CTL-Mediated Killing of Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is Independent of Target Cell Nuclear Apoptosis
The role of CD8+CD28-regulatory T lymphocytes in pulmonary tuberculosis
The changes and the significance of cellular immune function in peripheral blood of patients with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis
Pre-publication history
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:


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Saturday, October 1, 2011
Aerobie Skylighter Lighted Disc Review and Giveaway - Ends 10-17-11
Do your kids love playing frisbee? I got an awesome one to tell you about! It's the Aerobie Skylighter Lighted Disc! It's great fun when the family gets together and plays frisbee. Just think, now it can be even more fun, since it lights up, so you can play in the dark! These Aerobie Skylighter Lighted Disc aren't just for kids, adults love them too!
For this review I received one of these Aerobie Skylighter Lighted Disc. I gave it to my grandkids and they had so much fun with it. They just loved how it lite up at night, it just made it all the more special!
About the Aerobie Skylighter Lighted Flying DiscExtend the fun of playing with an Aerobie flying disc into the night with the new Skylighter lighted disc. Its bright LEDs illuminate the clear center and the translucent colored rim to make the entire Skylighter appear bright in the night sky. With the patented Aerobie spoiler rim design, the Skylighter is easy for players of all skill levels to throw well. Its narrow profile and large 12 inch (30cm) diameter make the Skylighter fly far and straight.
As is the case with all Aerobie discs, the Skylighter has a rubber rim that provides a performance grip for strong throws and a soft edge to catch. Weight: 175 grams. Available in yellow, red, blue, and green. Ages 10 and up. Takes 2 lithium CR2032 3 volt batteries. Quality made in the U.S.A.
About AerobieDuring the 70′s and early 80′s while working as a consulting engineer and teaching part time at Stanford University, Alan Adler invented toys in his spare time and licensed his ideas to toy companies. Alan was also an avid sailor who taught himself aerodynamics in order to be able to design sailboats. His love of inventing toys and his new found knowledge of aerodynamics led him into the pursuit of better flying toys.
He began his interest in flying toys by studying ways to improve conventional flying discs that are descendents of the old Frisbee pie tins. His analysis and experimental work led him to the discovery that flying rings rather than discs have an advantage when it comes to balancing aerodynamic lift over a wide range of speeds. His work led him to a series of flying ring inventions. The first was the Skyro ring that he licensed to Parker Brothers.
Alan designed and built the first prototype of the Aerobie ring with its spoiler rim that balances lift over a wide range of throwing speeds in early 1984. The first throw of the Aerobie ring on Roble Field at Stanford showed Alan he had something special. The ring flew straight and true for an incredible distance, "as if sliding on an invisible sheet of ice." Onlookers were amazed.
The Founding of Aerobie, Inc.Alan knew the Aerobie ring could be a hit. He also knew the flying performance of the Aerobie ring was going to be dependent on maintaining aerospace quality standards in the manufacturing processes. He therefore founded Superflight, Inc (now Aerobie, Inc.). in 1984 to manufacture and sell his high performance sport toy inventions beginning with the Aerobie flying ring. For its first 20 years of existence, Aerobie Inc. was officially named Superflight, Inc. However, in recognition of the fact that all of the products were named Aerobie and everybody knew the company as Aerobie, as of 2005, their company's name is officially Aerobie, Inc.
Aerobie, Inc. TodayAerobie, Inc. is still owned by Alan and he still works on inventing new, exciting sport toys. We now manufacture thirteen Aerobie brand products and sell them through retailers of all types throughout the United States and to distributors in over thirty countries. All Aerobie brand sport toys are known for their extraordinary performance and quality. Their warehousing, packing, and shipping are all done in San Carlos, California.
The Future of Aerobie, Inc.They're always looking for new & exciting products. Since their first two golf discs, released in the Summer of 2003, have been quite popular, they expect to continue to develop their presence as a golf disc manufacturer. But they're looking for other new product ideas, as well. If you think of a sport toy you'd love to have, e-mail them and ask for their invention submission information. Maybe by next year your idea will be the best selling Aerobie brand product and you will be earning royalties!
***There are two Tweets you can do each day for extra entries, but must be 6 hours apart!
A product sample was received for review. I was not paid in any form of cash for this posting. The opinions expressed are my own and were NOT influenced in any way.
Giveaway ends October 17, 2011 (12:01 AM EST)The giveaway is only opened to the United States.
One person per household may enter.
One person per household may enter.
You must be 18 or older.
Free Sweepstakes and Contest
Posted by Bonny Sallee at 10/01/2011 11:45:00 PM
Labels: Aerobie, Giveaway, Outdoor Activities, Quick Tattletails Review, Toys
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You who are skeptical about the idea of crossing a spirit, or who don't believe that, if you are a fan of Allan Kardec, if you who love the ghost stories: come to live one that evening in Paris...
During its thousands of years of history, Paris has seen many facts; bloody murders, mysterious disappearances or appearances whose monuments and sometimes people still demonstrate today ...
During this two-hour tour, discover the "bloody barber" history who slaughtered passing strangers in the ancient capital of the Middle Ages, the history of the gypsy in the Bièvre street who had cursed a demolished house which the best Parisian estate agent Paris have never rebuilt.
The story of the cursed kings who touched the king of France and the Pope and their descendants or the story of Jean l'Ecorcheur, a disciple of black magic that will bring bad luck and curse to all those who will meet him.
A two-hour trip where you will discover the darkest side of the "Vieux-Paris", from the "île de la Cité" to the Louvre, through "le Pont Neuf" which still appear, during some evening when there are biting thunderstorms, the Season of the Witch ghost...
Each Friday and Saturday at 9PM upon reservation.
|Cancellation guarantee
|Satisfied or your money back
|Good Spot charter By Gîtes de France
16 € / per person
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Gaetan D.


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Vanessa Willis (Bootylicious Coffee)
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A surprisingly straightforward concept that literally delivers the freshest quality Lavazza coffee from the rear of a Volkswagon Beetle. Our Mission is to fill a niche that currently exists for a high volume, quality driven and professional mobile coffee business. We use a combination of enthusiasm, expertise, innovation and team work. Our superb state of the art Fracino coffee machine ensures we offer our customers a fresh cup of quality coffee each and every time. In addition, we offer a truly scrumptious menu for the people to enjoy on the go. Bootylicious Coffee: it's not just business, it's passion.


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|22nd March 2017, 00:29
has no CT
(Forum King)
Step it up people
I've not posted since 2015 and I'm still top 15 posters all time, even after the purge? Y'all need to step it up!
Also, then I won't feel so bad about the zero life I had in high school...
But on a serious note, any of you long time people who are still around, who may remember me, hit me up in PM here. If you have a reddit account, let me know, that's where I spend most of my time now, /u/dlink is me. Shocking, I know. I don't post on that account much, but I keep tabs on it.
I've missed the community here. This was one of the the first places I felt comfortable being me.
Anyways, I'm stuck at home. Quarantined thanks to a nasty bout of bronchitis. I thought I'd return to the ol' stomping grounds and see who is still around. <3
|22nd March 2017, 23:50
Balled and Chained
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 5,198
There are two things that I remember most clearly about you:
1. You wouldn't date a girl who wasn't fit, or you'd dump one if she let herself go.
2. You posted a link here (or at Pab's) to a video on efukt, and I'm still keeping tabs on their new videos to this day.
I don't have a web presence other than here. Everyone I know keeps in contact with each other via social media and as I'm not there, I miss out on everything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining and I don't mind; I'm just telling you how it is.
To put into perspective how old we all are, ShyShy Jr is in her final year of high school.
P.S. You joined in September, so you're still a newbie.
"My heart hates uggos." –J.D.
|23rd March 2017, 03:38
mostly harmless
Major Dude
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,809
hello. i will also expose a shard of my weirdness woes. i dont internet much these days all together. up till a week or so past it had been more than a month since i had been in front of an internet proper. i think witnessing the ravages of myspace on people around me soured me on social media before it was a thing. i have always meant to jump in on twitter though. i just havent. i like to put up some of the notable things from the internets here. im fairly certain im not sharing it with many, but it's still fun to go back and find some things i left here again.
|23rd March 2017, 05:09
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 3
Heart city playing cards How to rise in Chinese fire, this is about from Heart city playing cards is genetic Began to speak of Texas of United States of origin of heart city playing cards, this kind Poker game Yi Xue nan essence is regarded as by people gradually recreational play goof, this entertainment play is as happy as baccarat card game be pulled euqally gambling house introduces Si wei jia si, china is passed into in Macao gambling house finally, knew this game game gradually in China.
How does fire rise heart city playing cards
Later, passed 60 years again, player of poker of city of a gang heart takes this thing to Las Vegas. Because heart city playing cards learns easily simply, as happy as baccarat card game, but have a good command of hard again, need acme thinks and mental agitate, play rise to be stimulated particularly, then Las Vegas introduced this game. Is Las Vegas what? Everybody is tacit. Then, heart city playing cards begins to be in complete beauty popular. At that time the book of playing cards of city of a heart, want to sell 100 U.S. dollors, first-rate still sell.
Be in China, that must be attributed to controlled 2008, of SNS website fervent. At that time most two websites of fire, happy net and everybody net, one is aimed at a white-collar, one is aimed at a student, it is China's earliest mountain fastness edition Facebook. To increase user viscosity, they rolled out of all kinds socialization game, everybody had not played to also should have listened to —— to grab a car, the good friend of buying and selling, …… that steal food of course, still include heart city playing cards.
How does fire rise heart city playing cards
Heart city playing cards attracted one swarm vermicelli made from bean starch in China at a draught. The writer also begins to know heart city playing cards at that time, be in at that time everybody net, recommend the game that " good friend also is playing " to you every time, often have heart city playing cards. Subsequently, group of heart city playing cards is increasing, also begin popularity in China. What face as a result of happy net, everybody net is group of Chinese office white-collar, undergraduate, the fashionable that heart city playing cards is in China, basically be in the group of these high end.
Passed again 6, 7 years, each district city also had competition of his heart city playing cards, charity of the championship contest of Chinese playing cards that for instance Wang Feng enters and station of APPT CHlNA Nanjing is surpassed. And game of poker of city of the heart on the net is increasing also, include Tecent.
|31st March 2017, 01:57
The Big Bad Boots
(Forum King)
spambots still can't copypasta a single coherent thought at once, i see.
I hate everyone, so you don't have to.
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Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Services
Mount Sinai pediatric developmental and behavioral experts provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children with:
- Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorders
- Learning disabilities
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Child behavioral problems
- Speech and language problems
- Cerebral palsy
Our team of physicians, nurses and social work professionals place special focus on treating young patients as well as providing families with the guidance and support they need to address their child's condition. Our aim is to make the most advanced health care available to special needs children and provide patient and family-centered care.
Eyal Shemesh, MD is Division Chief of Developmental and Behavioral Health in the Mount Sinai Department of Pediatrics
Clinical Division, General Info, and to Schedule Appointments:
Tel: 212-241-6710
Fax: 212-427-4561
For billing questions, please call:
Tel. 212-987-3100
Mailing Address
Division of Developmental and Behavioral Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Mount Sinai Health System
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1198
New York, NY 10029-6574
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Best Of :: Arts & Entertainment
Arlo's Ballroom has turned out to be exactly what owners Ryan Supek and Sara Van Buskirk intended: "a dance dive in an old grandma's house," as Supek told the Houston Press last November, a few weeks before it opened. Situated in a large, repurposed East End dwelling that had been both a crack house and juke joint (two, actually) over the years, Arlo's is as neighborly a nightclub as you're likely to find. Holding just under 100 people, Arlo's offers inexpensive drinks, swanky interiors (disco ball and chandeliers), knowledgeable DJs and an unpretentious vibe that's made it an instant hit with Houston's post-college bohemians.
READERS' CHOICE: Numbers Night Club
Commercials on local TV were never supposed to make viewers pause to ponder the profound philosophical questions of life...until Texas Mattress Makers came along. The camera lingers lovingly over mattresses in production at the company's East End factory-showroom, as a disembodied voice asks a few simple questions in a tone that implies he's talking about a lot more than a good night's sleep: "What is a mattress?" "Where does it come from?" "How does it make you feel?" Soothing and sleepy, the narrator's voice barely reaches above a whisper, the exact opposite of Mattress Mack's hyper-caffeinated, high-volume late-night pitches of yore. Brilliant.
You can almost feel the smoke of a different era still hanging in the air at the Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club. On the stage, you'll likely find a full-bodied blues band with a twanging guitar, fierce keys and throaty vocalist who, yes, sounds like he may have just smoked a pack. Not a single wall, table or tile is without chipped paint in this dark joint. Old photos and posters of Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Dr. John leave little room for white space anyway. And in the center of it all are a few middle-aged couples dancing and twirling around so impressively in front of the stage that if you're young and single you think, "Life goals," and if you're old and married you think, "Why can't I do that?" This isn't a place where you go to gab — there's simply too much to absorb.
READERS' CHOICE: The Continental Club
The lack of interior space at Satellite Bar isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially because it means you get a good, close-up look at the local and national acts taking the stage. This East End venue is the best place in town for experiencing a show right in your face, whether you like hardcore punk rock, electronic dance music or stand-up comedy. And there's a big backyard if you need to take a break for some air.
Mari Carmen Ramírez is on fire, leading the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in relentless pursuit of the best and brightest modern and contemporary art from Central and South America. Ramírez, the Wortham Curator of Latin American Art and director of the International Center for the Arts of the Americas, has a keen eye, and the museum's "Contingent Beauty" exhibit was an edgy showstopper with themes of poverty, political oppression and violence. We saw exciting installations, like the starfish-studded Woven Water: Submarine Landscape by María Fernanda Cardoso; the minimalist Stress (in memoriam) by Yoan Capote (incorporating thousands of human teeth); and Óscar Muñoz's video projection chronicling the desaparecidos. Both cerebral and beautiful, it was the sort of exhibit that stays in your mind long after it closes.
In its first year, Satellite Bar has already built a reputation for putting on shows that don't disappoint. The dark dive hosts mostly local and Texas bands, serving up everything from funky space rock to shoe-gazing fuzz. The small stage is tucked into the corner across from the bar, which offers an extensive selection of craft beers from breweries across the country. But the real draw at Satellite is its huge backyard: There are fire pits, tables and festive lighting, and every now and then, management sets up an outdoor stage. Satellite is exactly where you want to be on one of those clear, sweater-weather nights.
READERS' CHOICE: House of Blues


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A picture tells a story just as well as, if not better than, a lot of written words.
This phrase emerged in the USA in the early part of the 20th century. Its introduction is widely attributed to Frederick R. Barnard, who published a piece commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising with the title "One look is worth a thousand words", in Printer's Ink, December 1921. Barnard claimed the phrase's source to be oriental by adding "so said a famous Japanese philosopher, and he was right".
Printer's Ink printed another form of the phrase in March 1927, this time suggesting a Chinese origin:
The idea that a picture can convey what might take many words to express was voiced by a character in Ivan S. Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons, 1862:"Chinese proverb. One picture is worth ten thousand words."
"The drawing shows me at one glance what might be spread over ten pages in a book."


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Return Policy: All stocked items may be returned to us if the item has not been used and is in original packaging. In order for returns to be accepted, your items must be returned within 30 days from receipt. Please note when placing an order you agree to our return policies. Please contact a customer solutions specialist before returning an item. We will create a return authorization for you and send you an e-mail with instructions on how to complete the return. You will be credited 24-72 hours upon receipt and inspection of returned product(s). Products returned may be subject to restocking fees. All parts are non-refundable.
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text:
Hope is stubborn, but usually willing to help out when it's necessary. When Brian cannot be persuaded to help, Hope is usually his voice of reason and his conscience. She often acts with very careful consideration until her emotions take control. She is constantly under threat of capture by both humans and digimon alike. The ones who seek her capture refer to her as 'The Light' or simply call her 'Light'. Is this a reference to her representing the Crest of Light? Or something more? She was the third digidestined to arrive in the Digital Wastes and was found wandering around in the Wases by Brian and Agumon. They decided to travel together and soon met up with her partner, Gatomon.
Appearance: Hope has shoulder length blonde hair with blue streaks and blue eyes. She wears a light blue t-shirt and denim jeans.


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Calculating the average jitter (Wired)
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Other AWK Scripts will be uploaded soon...!!!


text: To get from Catanzaro to Scicli by train you can catch one of the 2 trains that everyday travel between these two cities. The first train to Scicli leaves from Catanzaro at 06:38 and the last train departs at 07:58. If you choose a local train the trip lasts on average 12:26 hours. For your trip from Catanzaro to Scicli by train you can choose to leave from one of Catanzaro main stations: Catanzaro On Wanderio you can compare all schedules, fares and railway companies to Scicli and book the best itinerary starting from Catanzaro.


text:
Awkward. They were scrolling through a random Twitter feed, trying to show pics of the helicopter crash, when a big ol' penis pic make an appearance.
You can go to Deadspin if you want to see the (NSFW! DUH!) video.
Better than earthquake reaction videos! Fox affil accidentally shows a penis https://t.co/ZkbSqHGOs3 (nsfw obvs) pic.twitter.com/cGnvd1VsjU
— Slade Sohmer (@SladeHV) March 18, 2014
And... follow me on Twitter @karahleigh_buzz
Photo credit: apdk / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
What I Do, Job-wise: So. Much. Other than playing on-air every day (and on DO YOU HATE IT? Sunday nights), you might get an e-mail response from me if you write in asking to know the name of a song or whether we're looking for interns. I'm all over the place, like a ninja, but less stealthy.


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working out and PE
Hey guys,
I was wondering if anyone had any experience starting both PE and intensive workout routine simultaneously?
So far I have been working out for a week, but I am cautious to start PE because I want to truly commit to it. Plus, I don't have much privacy so I have get around that. I just got out of a relationship and it seems shes already found someone, so much for true love right? So I want to improve the shit outta myself, and getting her a little jealous wouldnt be so bad either.
"Been that way for years and years, a slave to broken hearts and sex appeal."


text:
Be advised the owner may run your charge card for the entire stay of your reservation well before your arrival. Be aware there is a 72-hour cancellation policy for your entire stay in the small print on the Contact Us page of the website. Be...More
Getting you more information on this room
Getting you more information on this room
"I'd go for the lower portion of the Lake House for a romantic retreat--you feel like you're on a boat!"
"You'll love the cottages. Very private and unique. They all have kitchens if you don't want to go..."


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Status: Closed
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
San Juan Nursing Home Inc provides extended-stay nursing care to seniors with varying levels of disabilities in San Juan, TX.
Please call San Juan Nursing Home Inc at (956) 787-1771 for more information or to schedule an on-site visit.
Be the first YellowBot user to add photos or videos of San Juan Nursing Home
San Juan Nursing Home Inc is an average sized, not for profit, nursing home with 118 beds based in San Juan, TX. At last check, the facility had 116 residents indicating that it is 98% occupied which is more than average within the state of Texas. The provider accepts both medicare and medicaid programs, and provides resident and family counseling services.
This nursing home is not located in a...
I don't have any idea how their care is. I called them to see if a relative was there and they said they cannot give that information over the phone. I wanted to go visit him since his condition worsened. They told me to call his family. If I had known their numbers, I would have called them. I am a relative...I can very well imagine if a friend (that only knows him w/out the family) would try...
San Juan Nursing Home, a nursing home in San Juan, TX received a 1 out of 5 overall rating from CMS of the Dept of Health and Human Services on May 14th 2015. This score means that San Juan Nursing Home is rated much below average overall based on health inspections, nursing home staffing and quality measures.
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Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear
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Preview (read now) Add to my own site Add to my wishlist Author's page Publisher's page
more500 Places to See Before They Disappear enables passionate travelers and the eco-conscious to learn about and plan a visit to see rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever. Here are one-of-a-kind landscapes, fragile ecosystems, rare bird habitats, places to see the last remaining species of big game in the wild, cityscapes in peril, vanishing cultural kitsch, petroglyphs, and more—500 thoughtfully-chosen treasures that will inspire and enlighten travelers of all ages.
Each entry explains why it's been included, gives its history, the nature of the threat against it, brief practical information on how to visit, and what visitors can to do protect it. A Geographical Index allows travelers to locate attractions across the world. Photos throughout the book help bring destinations to life.less
Wiley; Read online
Title: Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear
Author: Holly Hughes
Title: Frommer's 500 Places to See Before They Disappear
Author: Holly Hughes
More Reference
Choosing Civility 2010 US$ 9.99
Life on the Mississippi 1883 US$ 3.47 499 pages
The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006 US$ 13.99 464 pages
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|Like Dr. Cortex said, give the twenty crystals you've collected to me.
|~ N. Gin to Crash Bandicoot.
|So, you want to go a few rounds? When this is over, we'll see who's obsolete
|~ Dr. N. Gin
Doctor N. Gin is an insane physicist and the former right-hand man of Dr. Neo Cortex, replacing Dr. Nitrus Brio after the events of Crash Bandicoot. As of Crash: Mind over Mutant, he has been replaced (without his knowledge) by the very person he succeeded.
Pre-series history
N. Gin's Peter Lorre-esque accent and taste for polka music suggest that he is of European ancestry, though no other evidence of this exists in the games. According to him, N. Gin has or had a superficial brother named George (a reference to entertainer Liberace), and has ruined at least one prom. As a child, N. Gin was a classmate of Neo Cortex and Nitrus Brio in Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil. After working at a stapler factory for a time, N. Gin went on to become a world-renowned physicist in the defense industry. However, due to a budget cut, one of his missile projects ended up faulty and, as a result, went awry, lodging itself into N. Gin's head. With his intellect, N. Gin was able to stabilize the weapon and reconstruct it as a life support system at the cost of his sanity. Because the missile is still live, it activates whenever N. Gin is stressed or angry, leaving him with a large headache (a trait inspired by creator Jason Rubin's own chronic migraine headaches). Shortly after the missile incident, Doctor N. Gin was taken in by Doctor Neo Cortex to replace the double-crossed Doctor Nitrus Brio.
Naughty Dog era
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Doctor N. Gin studies a large Crystal found by Cortex after his defeat to Crash Bandicoot and discovers that 25 smaller Crystals are needed alongside this "Master Crystal" in order to power Cortex's new "Cortex Vortex" device. When Crash is ordered by Doctor Cortex to give the Crystals he has gathered to N. Gin, N. Gin attempts to take the Crystals by force, only to be sent spiraling into the vacuum of space when Crash destroys his prized mech.
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
In Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, Doctor N. Gin constructs a superior model suit of mobile armor that can transform into a space fighter and dock with a huge weapon platform.
N. Gin uses this machine to confront Coco Bandicoot on the Moon, only to fail once again, falling out of his mecha; he screams 'Aaargh! Not- again!' During his second form Pura comes into view in Coco Bandicoot's craft, seemingly adding another gun to it.
Traveller's Tales era
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, N. Gin is an attendee of Uka Uka's bad guy convention, and is ultimately the one who reveals the secret of Crunch Bandicoot, Cortex's new superweapon. For the rest of the game, N. Gin serves as an obstacle in some of the levels.
Crash Twinsanity
In Crash Twinsanity, Doctor N. Gin appears during the first boss battle, piloting the Mecha-Bandicoot in an attempt to eliminate Crash. When all of its weapons are destroyed, the Mecha-Bandicoot stomps a hole into the floor and falls into a cavern. N. Gin is later seen as the captain of his own battleship. At the crow's nest, N. Gin tries to destroy Crash with a barrage of missiles, occasionally tossing a TNT Crate. This leads to the eventual collapse of the crow's nest, causing N. Gin to land on his head onto a pile of TNT Crates, creating a large explosion that sinks the battleship. N. Gin is last seen teamed up with N. Tropy and N. Brio, with all of them trying to steal the Evil Twins' riches. However, they are driven out by Spyro the Dragon, who burns them with flame from his mouth.
Radical Entertainment era
Crash of the Titans
In Crash of the Titans, N. Gin opposes Doctor Cortex's replacement by praising Cortex's stationery. N. Gin is next seen in his weapons factory, which appears on the outside as a version of the Statue of Liberty modelled after N. Gin. This factory constantly bombards the surrounding area with all kinds of explosives in an attempt to hinder Crash. Inside the factory, N. Gin communicates to his workers through the factory intercom, making announcements, singing inspirational songs or alerting the workers of Crash's presence. In the factory's crown, N. Gin spends his days performing on his enormous pipe organ. When confronted by Crash and Aku Aku, N. Gin indirectly reveals to them that he has mixed feelings over Cortex's replacement to Nina. One side likes Doctor Cortex and the abuse he brings to him and wishes for his return, while another side approves of Nina's new way of doing things, believing that she is a more efficient leader than Cortex. Eventually, the two sides reach a compromise, and tell Crash of Uka Uka's whereabouts in hopes that he will also free Cortex, planning to shower them with doom later on.
Crash: Mind over Mutant
In Crash: Mind over Mutant, N. Gin leads an attack on Crash Bandicoot when Coco and Crunch become addicted to Cortex's and Brio's personal digital assistant, fleeing to a small observatory on Wumpa Island afterwards. When Crash and Aku Aku catch up to him, N. Gin reveals that ever since Doctor Cortex escaped the Doominator, he has been secretly watching the Bandicoot family and collecting information on them, hoping to be rewarded with the ownership of Wumpa Island if Cortex is triumphant in his current plot. For some reason, he also expresses a desire to eat Coco, calling her "delicious". After Crash fends off N. Gin's army of Ratnicians, N. Gin is sternly told by Aku Aku to leave the island, to which he reluctantly complies.
Crash Team Racing
Doctor N. Gin is a playable character in Crash Team Racing, driving a purple high-acceleration kart. His home track is N. Gin Labs. The epilogue states that N. Gin opened a custom auto parts store in Toledo, Ohio, only to have it close down after a massive recall due to the damage caused by his patented "Clear-the-Road" missile system.
Crash Bash
In Crash Bash, Doctor N. Gin appears as an obstacle in a "Ballistix" level, launching balls at random players.
Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
In Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure, N. Gin battles Crash in the skies with a weapon platform similar to the one he piloted in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. He is later merged with Doctor Cortex, Tiny and Dingodile, and becomes Mega-Mix. After chasing Crash down a space station hall, Mega-Mix is left inside the space station, which explodes with the villains in it.
Crash Nitro Kart
N. Gin is a playable character in Crash Nitro Kart, driving for Cortex's team in a kart with high turning prowess. In one cutscene, N. Gin considers creating cybernetic sharks as new henchmen after racing Nash.
Crash Tag Team Racing
N. Gin is a playable character in Crash Tag Team Racing. In the game's story, N. Gin convinces Neo Cortex to join in the search for Von Clutch's missing Power Gems so that he can use Von Clutch's theme park as a new base of operations (although Cortex later claims the idea as his own).
Crash Boom Bang!
N. Gin has a cameo appearance in the "Silhouette Quiz" minigame in Crash Boom Bang!.
During his first appearances, N. Gin is portrayed in a similar light to that of Cortex's previous henchman Doctor Nitrus Brio: he is less impulsive than Doctor Cortex or Uka Uka and prefers to think over the situation rather than rushing to a solution, which usually leads to a loud rebuttal by his superiors whenever he questions their way of doing things, as shown in the opening cinematics of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, the latter in which N. Gin actually contemplates the fact that Crash Bandicoot might simply be too powerful for him and the others to defeat.
N. Gin's behavior becomes more deranged by Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Twinsanity, becoming prone to fits of giggling. In the games starting with Crash Tag Team Racing, Doctor N. Gin is depicted as a bipolar, sado-masochistic and extremely effeminate madman, prone to fits of yelling, sobbing, giggling and acting with feminine mannerisms and making doomsday weapons out of odd items such as fuzzy slippers. He is shown to have low self-esteem and cross-dressing tendencies, at one point asking Crash to buy him a ballerina outfit so that he can feel more attractive.
N. Gin briefly shows a misogynistic side when he informs Crash of his sister's whereabouts in Crash of the Titans, expressing disgust at the thought of girls and eventually is disgusted of Coco. This contradicts with a statement he makes over his factory's intercom, in which he expresses a desire for women. On a miscellaneous note, N. Gin enjoys muffins and cupcakes, but hates preppies, citing their music and wavy hair as reasons for his ire against them. While N. Gin is a masochist, he only enjoys pain if it is bound to logic, demonstrated by his reaction to Neo Cortex spitting scalding hot tea all over his face despite having dumped his entire tea cup prior to that. He is shown to be schizophrenic due to his regular mood changes and crazy personality that he seems to do not care about it.
Doctor N. Gin is a stocky, red-haired (black in Crash Tag Team Racing and dark blue as of Crash of the Titans) cyborg with only half a face. He wears an identical attire to Cortex, with a notable difference being a numerous amount of large bolts located all over his lab coat. A distinguishing feature of his is the large missile protruding from the right side of his head. After the incident that provided the missile, N. Gin reconstructed it as a life-support system, turning nearly half his head into metal. The missile is still live, and was only thought to activated only when N. Gin was stressed or angry, but as revealed in Crash Tag Team Racing, he can activate the missile at will, usually to stabilize a vehicle. While the eye located on the non-mechanical side of his head is somewhat small, the eye on the other side of his face is large, circular, and with a small black pupil occupying it (although in Crash Nitro Kart, this eye is replaced by a black electronic eye with a red pupil). In terms of height, N. Gin is somewhat shorter than Cortex, but appears to be as tall as him in Crash Tag Team Racing. In the same game, N. Gin's skin takes on a grayish tone, as opposed to the peach/pink of earlier games (Doctor Cortex once described N. Gin as "having bad complexion"). An alternate costume in the game depicts N. Gin in a ballerina outfit, bought by Crash to increase his effeminacy and self-esteem. In Crash of the Titans, N. Gin's skin and hair color take on a bluish scheme, and the pupil on the robotic half of his face is larger. Besides these differences, N. Gin looks similar to what he did in past games. According to the Nintendo DS version of Crash of the Titans, N. Gin is 1.25 meters tall (4 feet, 1 inch) and weighs 63 kilograms (139 pounds).
As a child in the Academy of Evil, N. Gin is shown to have a paper airplane stuck in his head, foreshadowing the missile lodged in his head later in his life. This is revealed in an unlockable piece of concept art in Crash Twinsanity.


text: BANGALORE, INDIA, March 19, 2001: Fifty-seven-year old Colonel S.S. Rajan set on a "padayatra" or foot journey, to cover a distance of 16,000 km in order to spread the message of peace, and to retrace the hallowed footsteps of Adi Shankara, as part of the spiritual renaissance. "Walking has its own challenges," says the retired additional chief engineer of the Army. "This is my tapasya (spiritual austerity)," he said. In a span of two-and-a-half years he will be visiting 180 places including sites in Pakistan and Bangladesh. "The aim is to promote unity in every corner of the sub-continent," he said.


text:
The Forrester Wave™: Records Management, Q2 2009
CA, Autonomy, Open Text, IBM, Oracle, And EMC Lead A Competitive Market
June 23, 2009
Why Read This Report
In Forrester's 89-criteria evaluation of records management vendors, we found that CA, Autonomy, Open Text, IBM, Oracle, and EMC lead the pack with strong physical and electronic records management capabilities and a growing, diverse customer base. While CA and Autonomy highlight their impressive cross-repository capabilities, Open Text, IBM, Oracle, and EMC leverage their core enterprise content management platforms and support optional federated records management (FRM) functionality. HP and Interwoven are Strong Performers with proven offerings for specific markets, but their capabilities to support retention management across a broad array of assets is less extensive, and they lack the FRM capabilities that differentiate the Leaders. As enterprises seek to mitigate legal risk and expand the scope of content under retention management, information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals must pragmatically align their requirements to maximize value and fit for their needs.
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Table of Contents
- Compliance And eDiscovery Demands Drive Records Management
- Records Management Evaluation Overview
- Vendors With A Strong Cross-Repository Focus Hold The Competitive Edge
- Vendor Profiles
- Supplemental Material
- Related Research Documents
Recommended Research
Five Trends Are Changing Records Management Technologies And Practices
April 18, 2013 | Cheryl McKinnon
Q&A: President Obama's Memorandum On Records Management
February 2, 2012 | Brian W. Hill
Message Archiving Retention Policies Current Trends, Attitudes, And Challenges
May 25, 2011 | Brian W. Hill


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40' Chris Craft Roamer 40 Heritage Express Cruiser 2007 Yacht for Sale
Chris Craft Roamer 40 Heritage Information:
- 40 Chris Craft 2007 Roamer 40 Heritage
- Vessel Length: 40 feet
- Vessel Builder: Chris Craft
- Vessel Model: Roamer 40 Heritage
- Vessel Year: 2007
- Vessel Name: GrandFinale
- Vessel Type: Express Cruiser
- Vessel Price: $ Contact for Price
- Vessel Location: NorthPalmBeach FL
For more information contact:
Steve Gallagher
Contact Form:
40 Chris Craft Roamer 40 Heritage 2007 Details:
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