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Software Map
Tag cloud | Project Tree | Project List
ASTRO CLIMATE COSMO DSM ENGINEERING GPU HDF5 In-situ Visualization LLVM MATERIALS NVPTX OpenACC PLQCD PRACE-WP8 ParaView Polly SPH Steering VFD Xdmf adaptive mesh hydrodynamics astronomy astrophysics climate cosmology cuda mpi mvapich mvapich2 gpudirect dark matter halos dataset density functional theory eumetsat experimental fast multipole method finite difference method gaussian random fields geostationary gravity group finding hydrodynamics initial conditions meshless multiscale initial conditions n-body simulation parallel tree-code particle method plugin power spectrum satellite stencils structured grid weather prediction
3 projects in result set.
|ICARUS - ICARUS is a ParaView plug-in interfaced around the H5FDdsm driver for steering and visualizing in-situ HDF5 output of simulation codes. Work supported by NextMuSE/EU-FP7/2007-2013/GA-225967.
|Tags: DSM, Steering, In-situ Visualization, ParaView, Xdmf
Activity Percentile: 57
Activity Ranking: 4
Registered: 2010-10-25 13:28
|pv-meshless - ParaView plugin containing a number of useful classes that can be used in the processing of meshless data
|Tags: ParaView, plugin, meshless, SPH
|This project has not yet categorized itself in the Trove Software Map
Activity Percentile: 14
Activity Ranking: 7
Registered: 2010-09-02 14:50
|pv-splotch - A ParaView plugin which enables a splotch mapper for SPH visualization of Astrophysics data. The plugin is a wrapper around the splotch code -- providing a vtkSplotchRaytraceMapper which can be used for parallel rendering of large particle datasets.
|Tags: ParaView, particle method, SPH
|This project has not yet categorized itself in the Trove Software Map
Activity Percentile: 0
Activity Ranking: 0
Registered: 2012-04-05 09:40


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The Homeless Gentleman and the Bus Ticket
A couple of months ago, while walking back to the office, I encountered a homeless gentleman. This is somewhat of a rare occurrence on this side of downtown; there is not a ton of foot traffic, and so those looking for spare change generally tend to cast their nets elsewhere. He flagged me down. He was polite, but urgent. So I stopped, and he told me the story of the bus ticket.
His hands were trembling as he showed me the ticket, dated a day or two prior. His eyes were just this side of tears, and looked like they had been on the other side in the recent past. He had a beaten-dog voice, sad and panicky and very lonely. His story was this:
He had arrived in Dallas earlier that day — from where, he didn't say — and his final destination was Abilene — for what, he also didn't say — via Greyhound. Neither detail was essential to the story. But he wasn't allowed to board the bus to Abilene, because the ticket, which someone had purchased for him online, was for the wrong day. Or the wrong bus. Or the wrong something. Even he wasn't sure on this. The ticket didn't work, was his point. (Given the date, and since I was generally buying his story, because I have a heart made of cotton balls and water vapor, it was easy to see from the ticket that he was simply too late.) So he was in a city he wasn't familiar with, desperately trying to figure out a way to get on that bus and on to Abilene. And he had walked across downtown, looking for some help, and had thus far received none. Could I help him? he asked. He didn't say he was homeless (permanently or temporarily); the story did that.
His story took several minutes to unfurl, and I let him tell the whole thing, even though I knew the last line. He needed money, but he also seemed to want someone to just hear him out. Thanks to the ticket, and his generally bewildered state, it rang true. Everyone has, at some point, heard the shop-worn story about a car running out of gas and the need to get to some distant location, or, more often, the simple, straightforward plea. The former is generally delivered perfunctorily, like they feel they have to say something to give you an excuse, and the latter is all about volume. This was different. Maybe I'm just a sucker — okay, I'm definitely a sucker — but it was different.
At any rate, I couldn't help him. I didn't have any cash on me. I walked with him down to the end of the block and — the Downtown Dallas security detail probably won't be happy about this — I tried to point him in a direction where he might better be able to come by some cash. I told him about the shelters I knew of, in case he was stuck here for the night. I wished him well, and he trudged off. But he stuck with me for a bit, his wet eyes and choking voice lingering. I felt for him.
And then, two weeks later, he showed up on the same corner, around the same time, and he told me the exact same story.
He had the same ticket, but he still told me he had gotten off the bus that morning, and all the rest of it. Well, for as much as I listened. I gave him a couple of quarters and continued on my way. I felt like a bit of a chump, because I am, and because I had not only bought the original story but let it affect me. (I'm sort of predisposed to be affected, having done enough stories on our city's homeless and knowing so many who have died.) I walked off wondering: was any of it true, ever? Maybe. I don't know. Maybe he did miss that bus to Abilene at some point. I guess the key was the ticket, and more than likely, he had merely fished it out of the trash at the Greyhound station. I will say this: the second time he delivered the story, it was just as believable as the first. Had I not heard it before, I may have bought it then, too — even though now the ticket was wildly out of date, shaking a bit of the story's foundation.
I didn't see him again until last week. He was on Flora, behind the Belo Mansion, and he had someone else hooked on his tale. When I got close enough, I saw he had a bus ticket in his hand. I'm not sure if it was the same one he showed me; it looked like it, plus two more months of pocket wear. If it was, and if he was able to get anything out of the guy he stopped, he's probably the best actor I've ever met. And I have to say, I hope the story still works on someone. He's earned it.

subset: commoncrawl


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Iraq: Scores of Kurds killed and wounded in suicide attack as two US soldiers die in blasts
An Iraqi carrying explosives entered a police recruitment center and set them off Wednesday, killing some 60 people and wounding 150, press reports have indicated.
The attack took place in Irbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq, said police officer Shwan Mohammed. Casualty estimates varied. Gov. Nozad Hadi said 46 people died and 100 were wounded, while U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer James Drake said there were 50 dead and 100 injured. State-owned TV in Iraq and Al-Arabiya television put the toll at 60 dead and 150 wounded.
As ambulances and taxis raced to the scene and evacuated casualties to nearby hospitals. Several hospitals became so crowded that staff at one used a loudspeaker to give out the names and room numbers of the injured to people who rushed there frantically looking for relatives.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ansar al-Sunnah group claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a Web statement the attack was revenge for the Kurds' alliance with U.S. forces. The statement added the bombing was carried out by a suicide attacker in a bomb-laden car.
Elsewhere, two American soldiers died in roadside bomb attacks in Baghdad, the U.S. military said Wednesday. The two separate attacks on U.S. convoys in the capital took place Tuesday.


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GREG!!!! Where the heck have you been?? It's been very lonely in here. Kelly's busy as a frigging beaver, Chris has a new baby, no peeps whatsoever. I pretty much have been talking to myself. I like my own company and all, but even I get tired of me after awhile.
I'm off to run SOB again on Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed. This is the race last year where I didn't make an aid station cutoff and was pulled. It's a grudge match - me and that freaking mountain!
Okay, it's late and I gotta get some shut eye. Don't be such a frigging stranger - running or not.
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
2018: Mendocino Coast 50k - April 21
Good luck in your race.
Where's Kitrin?
"Run slowly, run daily, drink in moderation, and don't eat like a pig" Dr. Ernst Van Aaken. Sorry ultrasteve.
. . . testing my achilles when it feels good. It doesn't yet. Still injured.
Where's Kitrin?
Wow. Sounds like you really did a number on it then. That stinks.
No idea about Kitrin. She disappeared along with everyone else. It's just been little ole me and sometimes Chris. It's been lonely.
Hope your job is doing well. Drop in whenever you get a chance.
Hi! I've been a bad forum friend lately, sorry
Not getting much sleep these days. Still running as much as I can. Hoping to start ramping up the mileage to get ready for the Bear 100 in Sept.
The baby is doing well. She only sleeps 2-3 hours at a stretch though, so we're not getting a lot of quality sleep. I keep telling myself it's training for the overnight runs. I don't think it works that way though.
Greg, sorry to hear the achilles is still giving you fits. I'd imagine you're ready to choke strangers and kill kittens by now... I can't imagine going that long without a running fix.
Leslie: Kick some butt in your race. My first 50miler was like that. I DNF'd the first year and it haunted me for an entire year.... but I exacted my revenge and you will too! Most importantly, have a good time!
- Chris
Hey, is this your first 50 Leslie?
How do you feel? How has your training gone? You still getting the deluxe treatment with a personal trainer?
Good lord - it's not a 50-miler! Yikes. It's a 50k. Chris is the one banging out the 50 and 100 milers. And yes, I'm still working with a coach. Last summer he went to a coaching clinic to become a certified running coach and FINALLY!! He agreed with what I'd been requesting all along. This year we've been training in miles as opposed to time, i.e., last year the longest training run we had was 3.5 hours and whatever mileage you could accomplish in that amount of time. The theory was an old one where supposedly when you run any longer than 3.5 hours, it takes your body too long to recover. Well, I never understood this as I didn't see how running only 3.5 hours could get you ready for a run that, in my case with my first 50k, last over 8 hours. Didn't make sense and I kept questioning it over and over.
Now, after attending the clinic, he and my running buddy, Karen, agreed that mileage was the important thing. As she told me on one of our training runs, "It's the time on your legs that's important." Well, duh! That's what I've been saying all along. And yes, I did an "I told you so" to both of them. Had to.
So with all that being said, I feel much more confident (with the exception of the elevation) this year. My only concern is the aid station cutoff times, so I'll have to keep an eye on the clock. I'm taking the early 6:00 a.m. start, the first cut off is 11:45, the second is 1:15, and we have to complete the run by 2:30. We start at 6400', climb to 7100', and have over 4200' of elevation gain through the 31 miles. Being a sea level dweller, that kind of elevation leaves you feeling like someone's sitting on your chest, so we'll see how it goes. Relentless forward motion and keeping food in my mouth are my objectives. Lack of fuel did me in last year.
Chris - I've never had kids so can't sympathize with the lack of sleep, unless you count The Hub's snoring. But hey, I like your idea of using for all running training!
Greg - You've graced us with your presence not once, not twice, but three whole times in about 24 hours. Yea!
Okay - back to my regularly scheduled program of transcription for the next 2 or 3 hours. Ugh!
Hey Gang - I'm back, and, if I do say so myself . . . . I kicked SOB Butt! Finished in 7:39:13, and I am so frigging happy with that! My first 50k in March 2008 - 8:44:??, second at SOB in July 2008 - swept at Mile 22. This year, I came back with a vengeance. My hips are sore and I have a few blisters, but am otherwise happy, happy, happy.
Will tell more later. Right now, I want a nap. Later!
Holy cow, that's incredible! Nice job!!
Fill us in on details when you're recovered! :-)
Thanks, Chris. How's the new baby girl doin'?
6.7 recovery miles in about 1:40 this a.m. A little slow for me, but Karen wasn't in a mood to go any faster. Felt good.
We have my SIL and her hub here 'til Monday. Going inland this afternoon for a BBQ a winery should be fun.
Have a great weekend, all.
Hi Guys! Thanks for the busy beaver comment-I don't know what I've been doing. Work is keeping me busy, the kids are out of school and one is working the other I'm keeping somewhat busy thanks to some help from my parents but now he's home bored to death. Busy training-I'm 10 weeks out from my 100 miler? Something like that.
Last weekend was the VT100 which I crewed for Jack and he won!!! He had a great race-finished in 16:36 which is not a PR for him but within a 10 min range of the past 2 years finish time. He had one other runner hanging with him until mile 88 where he was finally able to slip away while he was in the John and won with about a 40min gap. Jack is the first VT male to ever win the VT100 in its 21 yr history and Ultrarunning suggested he could be the oldest winner of a major ultra ever at 51yrs old. I sent this info to the AARP Magazine-we'll see if they call for an interview .
My training is going well. I ran the Finger Lakes 50 mile on July 4. The mud was so deep and plentiful I finished in 10:04 about an hour slower than last year but still placed the same-second female overall and first master female. 13 out of 23 that finished-about half the field dropped to the 50K because of the mud-weenies!
My family life has been keeping me busy in that when you mix two divorced people and one has kids (teenagers now) things don't always go as smoothly as other families appear to be. I've been grappling with what to do internally and still haven't come up with any solution. This isn't exactly something I want to be posting on the internet so we'll leave it at this and things will work out somehow.
I do miss you guys but there's just not enough time in the day. Keep up the good work!
Happy Trails, Kelly
Holy cow! It's a Kelly sighting!!
BIG congratulations to both you and Jack. You two are quite the running duo. Let us know if AARP does an article on him, and please let us know how your 100-miler turns out.
Come back soon!


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Join fellow educators for a FREE Teacher Professional Development event at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Saturday, July 19. This event coincides with the Museum's Space & Science Festival, the annual five-day celebration of the sciences.
Presenting organizations include the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Hive Learning Network NYC, the Town of Ramapo Challenger Learning Center, New York Hall of Science, Solar One and Stony Brook University.
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Note: This article applies to LightSwitch in Visual Studio 2012 (LightSwitch V2)
It's common for developers to add static images and text to their screens to help guide their users through the application. Although you can easily add images that come a database to your screens, up till now, adding static images and labels has not been a straightforward task for LightSwitch developers in the past. With the release of LightSwitch in Visual Studio 2012, you can add images and text to your screen without writing any code, or having to first add the images and/or text to your database. This new feature makes adding images and text a snap.
Adding an Image to a Screen
Let's jump right in and see exactly how easy it is to add an image to a screen. Perhaps you want to add an image to complement a screen that creates new customers for the application. The LightSwitch project is quite simple, consisting of a single Customer table that has just two fields, first and last name. We'll use the New Data screen template to add a new screen, specifying the Customers table as the screen data.
On this screen, you want to provide a standard image that users will easily recognize as 'customers'. In the screen designer, pick a location where you want to add an image. For my example, I am going to add it to the Rows Layout that contains the FirstName and LastName elements in the content tree. When I click the Add menu button, the drop down menu is displayed. Notice two additional menus: Add Image… and Add Text…
For now, let's focus on the Add Image… menu. Click on that menu and you will see the Select Image dialog popup:
This dialog may be familiar since it's used to select the image for the application logo image, and the application icon. In this case, we'll add a new image by clicking on the Import… button. This brings up the standard Open dialog. As a quick demonstration, let's go to the Pictures library on your computer and select one of the sample pictures there (I have chosen the penguins image). Click OK on the Open dialog. Your Select Image dialog should now look like this:
As the image above illustrates, the penguins image is now added to the list on the left (and selected), and a preview is displayed on the right. Now click OK to accept this selection. Your content tree should look like this:
That's it! The image is added to the content tree, despite not being a data-bound element. That's all we need to do to add an image to our application. So, let's try it out. What happens when we run it? Hitting F5 yields the following:
As you can see from the image above, the penguins picture is placed just below the first and last name fields, and fills up the rest of the screen. As it turns out, the penguins image has a resolution of 1024×768, so no wonder it shows up so big.
Let's change a few things. First, let's find a more apropos image for this screen. I have a generic clip art image I am going to use, but you can use whatever image you wish. To specify a different image, first close the application and return to the screen designer. Making sure the image element in the content tree is selected, and examine the Properties window. You'll notice there is a link called Choose Image… (circled in red below):
Click on this link to bring the Select Image dialog back up. We'll probably not use the penguins image in our application anymore, so go ahead and delete it by clicking on the Delete button. A dialog prompt asks if you want to continue; click OK. Now, choose the image you really want to use, and click OK to dismiss the dialog. And finally, drag the image element in the content tree to above the first name element:
Now, let's use the properties in the Properties window to make sure the image shows up the way we want. By default, the Horizontal Alignment is set to Left, and the Vertical Alignment is set to Top. These are fine. But the Width and Height are set to Auto. Let's change these to the actual pixel size of our image. In my case, my image is 32×32, so I will set the Height and Width properties to be 32 pixels each.
While doing this, you may noticed another property called Show Border in the appearance category. By default, this is unchecked. If you wish, you can check this to add a border around your image. We'll leave it unchecked for now. Hit F5, and you should see something like this (depending on the image you chose):
This looks much better.
Add some Text to a Screen
Now, we're going to add some text next to our image. But first, we need to reorganize our screen a little bit. We're going to have a Columns Layout above the Rows Layout where our first and last name elements are located. This will allow us to place our text beside our image. So under the screen's top-level Rows Layout, add a Columns Layout, and drag it above the Rows Layout that contains the first and last name elements. then, drag the image element to this new Columns Layout. Your content tree should look like this:
Below the image element, click on the Add menu button, and select Add Text… from the drop down menu:
The Edit Text dialog now appears. Enter some text like this:
Click OK to accept the text. Before we run this, let's examine the properties for the text. In the Properties window, you'll notice the familiar properties used to control the look and feel of text in LightSwitch. The default settings are good enough for our purposes right now, but let's make one change. Set the Vertical Alignment to be Center.
Notice that like the image, there is a property called Edit Text… which will bring up the Edit Text dialog (see the circled item below). This will let you modify the text for this element.
There is one more change we need to make. Select the Columns Layout, go to the Properties window, and set the Vertical Alignment to Top. This will ensure that the Columns Layout does not take any more of the screen real estate then it needs.
Now click F5, and let's see how our application looks:
That's all there is to it.
Wrapping Up
In this post, I have demonstrated how you can add images and text to your application. This feature has added new menu items to the screen designer which allow you to add images and text to your content tree. To add an image, simply select the new Add Image… menu item; this pops up a dialog that lets you choose which image to add. The image (which is not data-bound) is then added as a new element to the content tree. Likewise, when choosing the new Add Text… menu item, an Edit Text dialog is displayed to allow you to add text to the screen. The text (which is also not data-bound) is then added to the content tree. The properties for images and text that have been added to a screen can be modified in the Properties window, just as you would expect. Both the image and text elements will have links in the Properties window. Clicking these links will re-display their respective dialogs, allowing you to modify the image or text. Images have an additional property, Show Border, that allows you to add a border to your image. Really simple. I hope you are excited as I am by this new feature, and you start experimenting with adding images and text to your applications!
-Andrew Lader, Visual Studio LightSwitch Team


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Americans of all political stripes should expand their reading to include viewpoints they may not agree with, argues Ross Douthat in the New York Times.
Douthat prescribes three remedies for what he sees as our limited perspective:
1. Subscribe to a magazine with a viewpoint counter to your own
"So if you love National Review's political coverage, add The New Republic or The Nation to your regular rotation as well. If you think that The New Yorker's long-form journalism is the last word on current affairs, take out a Weekly Standard subscription and supplement Jeffrey Toobin with Andy Ferguson, Adam Gopnik with Christopher Caldwell ... And whenever you're tempted to hurl away an article in disgust, that's exactly when you should turn the page or swipe the screen and keep on reading, to see what else the other side might have to say."
2. Read things from far away
"Even in our supposedly globalized world, place still shapes perspective, and the fact that most American political writers live in just two metropolitan areas tends to cramp our ability to see the world entire. So the would-be cosmopolitan who currently gets a dose of British-accented sophistication from The Economist -- a magazine whose editorial line varies only a little from the Manhattan-and-D.C. conventional wisdom -- might do well to read the London Review of Books and The Spectator instead."
3. Read more "marginal and idiosyncratic voices"
"Start on the non-Republican right, maybe, with the libertarians at Reason magazine, the social conservatives at First Things and Public Discourse, the eclectic dissidents who staff The American Conservative. Then head for the neo-Marxist reaches of the Internet, where publications like Jacobin and The New Inquiry offer a constant reminder of how much room there is to the left of the current Democratic Party."
One of the guests on The Daily Circuit on Thursday, Jan. 31 took Douthat to task for a list or reading recommendations he thinks is too narrow. J. Peder Zane wrote in The Daily Caller,
"Open our minds, yes! But his list has so many usual suspects that it could have been cobbled together by Captain Louis from "Casablanca." This might be wise if the prestigious publications and writers he cites had the cure for what ails us. But, truth be told, they -- and, more accurately, the much larger mainstream in which they swim -- are part of the problem he is addressing."
Also on the program: Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, who wrote in a recent column, "I love opinions that I agree with, certainly, but often enough I enjoy even some I disagree with."


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Rejoice, For Laura Prepon Is Being Written Into More Episodes Of OITNB Season 2
It's been a rough three months for fans of Orange Is The New Black and tadpole eyebrows, as Laura Prepon was rumored to be leaving the show at first, but then confirmed to be returning for only one episode in its second season. We were angry, of course, at Laura betraying us after she'd gotten everyone so invested in her character, Alex Krause, but it was a confusing time because we didn't know where to direct that anger.
We tried being grumpy with Laura, but then she gave a statement that she was really looking forward to returning and we were like OH MAN WE CAN'T STAY MAD AT YOU. And then we tried shaking our fists at Scientology because of the rumor they didn't like her playing a lesbian character and asked her to leave the show, but people have been getting angry at them for years without result, so we gave it up pretty quickly. And finally we lapsed into a kind of stupor, drifting about our days as normal, but in a kind of fog. Living, sort of — but sleepwalking.
But awake, friend, awake! For it turns out Laura will return for not one, not two, not three, but four episodes in OITNB's second season! Huzzah and a hoopla! She starts filming this week in New York City, and she's even in talks to return for season three. Oh sweet Lord of Netflix Miracles, thank you. Thank you ever so much.
And we even get an explanation for all the dilly-dallying! When Laura first signed on for season one, she decided not to be a series regular because she wanted to keep her schedule free enough to give her time to direct her first film. So by the time the show blew up (becoming Netflix's most-watched series, interestingly enough), she was already dead-set on that idea, as devastating as that was to fans of the Alex – Piper – Larry love triangle.
BUT. After months of speculation and will-she-won't-she and fraught back-and-forths, it turns out that Laura's directing schedule isn't as prohibitive as they originally thought, and everyone is able to work around everyone else. GLORY! So now Alex is back in action, the story is steering away from just Piper and becoming more of an ensemble show, and all is right in the world. Oh and I can go back to sleeping soundly at night, at least until they announce the premiere date in 2014.
(Image: Orange Is The New Black)


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Michigan's job seekers receiving payments from the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) might have a slight delay in payments if their checks are made to an unemployment debit card or deposited directly into their bank account.
"It normally takes two to three business days for electronic payments to reach an individual's bank account or debit card," UIA Director Stephen Geskey said. "While MARVIN will accept the individual's certification, the holidays could cause processing delays by banks."
Unemployed workers are encouraged to continue contacting the UIA's automated Michigan's Automated Response Voice Interactive Network (MARVIN) system throughout the two weeks to claim their unemployment benefits.
Michigan's unemployed workers claiming supplemental jobless benefits must contact MARVIN by telephone or online once every two weeks to claim their unemployment benefits. When communicating with the MARVIN network, individuals must certify they continue to be unemployed and meet the eligibility requirements for unemployment benefits.
After the MARVIN contact, benefits are normally authorized and issued on the next business day.
During the Christmas and New Year's weeks, UIA will be using the following schedule for authorizing and posting unemployment benefit payments:
Reporting To MARVIN On:
Monday, Dec. 20 or 27
Look For Payment On:
Following Wednesday or Thursday
Reporting To MARVIN On:
Tuesday, Dec. 21 or 28
Look For Payment On:
Following Thursday or Friday
Reporting To MARVIN On:
Wednesday, Dec. 22 or 29
Look For Payment On:
Following Friday or Monday
Reporting To MARVIN On:
Thursday, Dec. 23 or 30
Look For Payment On:
Following Monday or Tuesday
Reporting To MARVIN On:
Friday, Dec. 24 or Dec 31
Look For Payment On:
Following Tuesday or Wednesday
Reporting To MARVIN On:
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Look For Payment On:
Following Tuesday or Wednesday
Saturday, Jan. 1 - MARVIN will not be available
Individuals who contact MARVIN by phone must report during specific times according to a Monday through Wednesday schedule based on the last two digits of their Social Security numbers.
If jobless workers in Michigan miss their normal reporting time, they may call anytime on Thursday or Friday between 7am and 7pm, and on most Saturdays between 7am and 3pm.
MARVIN can be reached toll-free at 1-866-638-3993.
MARVIN is also available online to those with free online web accounts at www.michigan.gov/uia. MARVIN online is available to users anytime during the reporting week from 7am to 7pm, Monday through Friday, and from 7am to 3pm on most Saturdays.
UIA will be closed on December 23rd, 24th, 30th and 31st, for state of Michigan observed holidays.
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David Jones has joined Blast Radius Toronto as vice-president of social strategy, leaving Proximity Canada, where he held the same title for just over one year.
In a blog post, Jones said that the opportunity to work at an exclusively digital agency was part of what enticed him to make the move.
"When presented with the opportunity to work at an agency that focuses exclusively on digital experiences with an equal representation of cutting-edge design, technology and engagement was an offer I couldn't refuse," Jones wrote.
(While Proximity is a sizable digital player in Canada, it often partners with its full-service sibling BBDO Toronto on non-digital projects.)
According to the blog post, the Toronto Blast Radius office is also getting Keith Liu, who is moving from the company's Vancouver to take over as its mobile strategy vice-president. In his new role, Liu will handle mobile, gaming and e-commerce strategy.
Before joining Proximity, Jones held positions both as digital communications vice-president at Hill & Knowlton Canada and senior vice-presdient of Fleishman-Hillard Canada.


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January 30, 2013
Adam Barnhouse sorts and prices books in the working area of Saint Vincent dePaul in The Dalles. Mark B. Gibson photo
Stories this photo appears in:
Charitable stores worry over Goodwill
When a Goodwill Industries donation trailer showed up in The Dalles, it made those connected to local thrift stores nervous.
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About This Activity
This activity has been cancelled.
This is the perfect class for all levels that want to improve and eventually compete. Technique, footwork and fun drills are the fundamentals. Juniors will be divided by age and level according to their ability. Minimum 4 students. All students must bring an unopened can of tennis balls to the first class. In case of inclement weather, call City of Tustin mudline at (714)502-8010 two hours prior to the start of class. Questions call Fabian Grassini and Staff 714-227-1286.
LHHS Tennis Courts
Fabian Grassini
Organizer Info
Saddleback Valley USD Community Services Department


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Berry's spark, Boesch's blast propel Tigers
Berry's spark, Boesch's blast propel Tigers
It's not the spot they want, but the way they're going, they could have a shot at that this weekend.
"Everybody's rolling right now. It's contagious," said Quintin Berry, the man at the forefront of the roll. "We're playing great baseball."
The Tigers' eighth win in nine games pushed them four games over .500 (47-43) for the first time since they were 10-6 on April 22. Thanks to a White Sox loss at Boston, Detroit moved within 2 1/2 games of the American League Central lead.
Once the Twins finished off a 19-7 win over the Orioles, Detroit passed up Baltimore for the newly created second AL Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, they'd be visiting the Angels for one game to advance to the Division Series.
They'd be heading in with momentum. Having Berry as the catalyst for it wasn't in the game plan, but they're going to run with him.
"He's a different dimension for those guys," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who knows something about the pressure fast players can put on a team.
The Tigers, on the other hand, haven't had much of that during Jim Leyland's tenure as manager. He's taking advantage of it now. He wasn't happy about the jumps Berry got on his two stolen bases that set up the tying run ahead of Brennan Boesch's go-ahead homer, but he'll take the results.
"He's been absolutely fantastic for us," Leyland said. "He's done a terrific job, there's no question about it. That gives us another way to score some runs sometimes. But the thing that I'm impressed with is that he's knocked in some big runs. He's had good at-bats and knocked in some big runs."
That's what he dreamed of doing during seven years in the Minor Leagues.
"That's all I wanted to do is be able to help a team win," he said. "I'm just happy for that."
He did all of that on Monday by taking advantage of what the Angels were giving him.
When Ervin Santana had seemingly settled in after a four-run fifth inning and a 5-2 lead, Berry noticed third baseman Maicer Izturis playing him in the middle of the infield dirt with two outs and nobody on.
"I haven't seen that pretty much all year," Berry said. "That's the first time I've seen anybody play me back like that. I definitely wasn't going to let that go by."
Berry dropped a bunt on the first pitch he saw, extending the inning for a Miguel Cabrera walk and back-to-back RBI singles from Prince Fielder and Delmon Young to pull the Tigers within a run.
Izturis was playing much closer when Berry came back up in the seventh. Instead, he laced a line-drive single off Hisanori Takahashi. That brought veteran LaTroy Hawkins into the game, and put Berry in motion.
"I saw [Howard] Kendrick and I knew the pitcher had a real slow leg kick, so I knew I could steal it from a dead standstill," Berry said. "With his leg kick and Kendrick backing off, I thought I had a good chance to get it."
It was the steal of third after a Cabrera groundout and intentional walk to Fielder that was really close.
"Usually when you've got Miggy or Prince up, you let them swing," Berry said, "but I thought it was a good opportunity for Delmon. I thought it was a good opportunity to get to third, get a sac fly."
Replays showed Izturis had the ball in time to make a tag. Berry got his hand in just ahead of it.
"I knew I was in there, but it was close," Berry said. "Sometimes when you make it close like that you never know what the human eye's going to see."
Said Leyland: "Not that he wasn't safe, but with a jump like that, he could've been thrown out easily."
Young rewarded him with a fly ball to deep center field, scoring Berry easily and bringing up Boesch with a man on for the potential go-ahead run.
Boesch's ninth home run of the year continued the makings of a second straight summer tear. He has gone 13-for-30 with two homers and nine RBIs over an eight-game hitting streak.
"You just keep battling every day. Baseball's that way," Boesch said. "You just get another opportunity the next day to contribute. If you don't contribute the day before, you come back the next day. ... That's how I try to go about my business. Hopefully I contribute to wins, and today was one of those times."
After Mark Trumbo's fourth home run in five games whittled the lead to 8-7 in the eighth, Berry struck again with a ground ball through the middle, scoring Austin Jackson. With that, Berry had his second three-hit game in three days, and his seventh in 46 games this year.
Berry's hardest-hit ball all night was snagged on a leaping catch from Torii Hunter in right field, which started a double play. He joked after that he wanted to keep it on the ground.
"He's obviously been a spark -- and he's hitting in a great spot," Scioscia said. "You're hitting in front of Cabrera and Fielder, that's not too bad a spot. ... He's a spark for them, he gives them a dimension of speed with he and Jackson at the top of the lineup, and they're using it. They used it tonight."
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
TVNewser: The strangest mea culpa press conference ever: Gov. Mark Sanford admits to affair.
FishbowlLA: W's Gabe Doppelt is moving to Tina Brown's The Daily Beast's LA bureau. This is the first time Doppelt and Brown have worked together — Doppelt started her career as Brown's assistant at Tatler and also worked as an editor at large at Brown's Talk magazine.
New York Magazine: We were blown away by the in-depth reporting that went into Matthew Cole's account of New York Times reporter David Rohde's kidnapping and the measures taken to try to get him out.
wowOwow: "60 Minutes" contributor Lesley Stahl interviewed CNN's Christiane Amanpour about foreign reporting and the crisis in Iran. "If I'm kidnapped I want you, personally, to lead the charge and make sure people know about it," Amanpour told Stahl, in response to the David Rohde kidnapping.
Vanity Fair: Matt Pressman examines why the public hates the media


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JACKSON, Miss., April 26 (UPI) -- Tornadoes that sped through the southern United States killed at least 12 people, left dozens injured and carved a trail of destruction, officials said.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, in an apparent reference to a specific location hit by a tornado, described it as "the obliteration of a small community," ABC reported Monday on "Good Morning America."
Officials report counting 61 tornadoes in nine states as the storm moved through Mississippi and into Florida and South Carolina Sunday. Thirty-two twisters were reported in Mississippi, where winds above 160 mph were clocked and one tornado had a base 1 1/2 miles wide.
Federal emergency teams went to tornado-ravaged Mississippi Monday to survey areas where storms killed 10 people and injured dozens, The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger reported.
Baseball pitcher Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros was in Mississippi to look for his mother, Jean Oswalt, who was uninjured, ABC reported. He also worked to clear debris.
"Everything back here was gone," Jean Oswalt said. "It was just kind of like the world had come to an end."
Residents told media outlets they survived by seeking refuge in their bathrooms, kitchens and cars.
In Weir, Miss., Ron Sullivan said he was inside his grocery store with his wife and four customers when a tornado blew through the building, tossing him into a cinder block wall that later collapsed.
"When it hit the building, it literally was an explosion," he said. "It was gone immediately."


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Image copyright: Melvyn Cousins
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I was thinking of the trellis attached to our house, but on second thoughts I might try the garden wall, thanks Barbara...Sue
I planted two wisteria on my house, they grew slowly for a couple of years, then went mad and grew into the cellar and the attic, lots of leaves and very few flowers, I had to get rid of it before it ate my house,.
Thanks Joyce. I haven't got green fingers neither and I love plants. Love this house with the beautiful wisteria, oh well I can only dream...Sue
Gorgeous house, great chimneys and wonderful wisteria!!! I love it to but I kill all plants!! Thanks Sue!! :)))(time, 8:29)HAPPY BIRTHDAY waxwing!!! You made it to Medicare!!! LOL
Hi waxwing, a Happy New Year to you and a big Happy Birthday. I had my 65th at the beginning of December, in my head I'm still in my 30/40's....I wish.I might try again with the wisteria and make sure it has a lot of tender care and maybe even talk to the plant (like Prince Charles and he has a wonderful garden).I managed to stay up and watch the fireworks go off at midnight in London - what a show. I do seem to have a lot of puzzles still on my site, keep going waxwing, I hope you enjoy each one. Thank you for all your kind comments and we will see where 2013 takes us...Sue
Hi Sue! This is the way wisteria is supposed to look but never does unless you devote yourself to lots of care and constant pruning!! I wanted to tell you that I'm determined to solve every one of your puzzles - I've done hundreds and there are hundreds more to go, but I must catch up with you. Happy New Year - and today I'm 65 years old. I never thought I'd make it!
Hi Faye, thank you for your good wishes for 2013. Let's hope it will be a good one and as you say with plenty of laughs. Not too long before you're this side of the Atlantic, I hope we can meet up wouldn't that be something...Sue
Hi, Sue,Just want to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year and hope that 2013 is filled with family, friends, fun, and laughter. I'm looking forward to the possibility of actually meeting new friends come summer! Cheers. Faye :)))
I've got a Readers Digest on gardening and I'm going to look up how to grow Wisteria successfully and give it another go. Thanks...Sue
I have tried several times to grow wisteria with no luck. I'm glad to see someone has good luck with it.Beautiful.
Thank you BarbaraL, I'm glad my puzzle came up. I love wisteria and have tried to grow it but it never takes...Sue
Lovely picture, thought I would try the random puzzle, and this was it


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I drew this for my bestie Snowflakes when she was bummed out about L's death. She's the girl hugging him!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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ine enthusiast and Watkinsville resident Roy Finch likes pairing fine wines with sumptuous meals, so in Oconee County where law prohibits the sale of alcohol by the glass, Finch carries his own beverage when he dines out.
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Finch, a regular at Le Maison Bleu in downtown Watkinsville, joins many other people who enjoy imbibing spirits and providing their own while eating at some of Oconee County's popular full-service dining establishments, such as Le Maison Bleu, Roberto's Restaurant and Gautreau's Cajun Cafe.
"I would think at least half, if not three-quarters of our customers bring their own," said Peter Anderson, a co-owner of Le Maison Bleu in Watkinsville. "Some nights it's where every table has a bottle."
The practice of B.Y.O.B (bring your own beverage) at Oconee restaurants does not violate the law either, contends Anderson, who said he checked with Oconee County officials and reviewed the city's and the county's ordinances regulating the sale of alcohol.
"There is nothing specifically stating, in either the county or the city laws, that I cannot allow people to bring in their own beverage," Anderson said.
Confirming Anderson's understanding of the laws, Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said B.Y.O.B. has never been an issue in the county.
"The county has never enacted an ordinance against it," Berry said. "There is nothing that says you can't do it."
Berry said B.Y.O.B. has become fairly routine at some Oconee County restaurants.
"I was in the Cactus Cafe the other day," Berry related. "And a guy came in and ordered a beer, and the waitress told him he could go next door to Bell's and buy some and bring it back."
The state of Georgia, which does not regulate the act of citizens carrying their own beverages into a business, concedes such matters to local jurisdiction, said
Charles Willey, a spokesman with the Georgia Department of Revenue. Unless a city or county ordinance expressly addresses the matter of taking alcoholic beverages into a place of businesses, Willey said, an individual can carry his own bottle into a restaurant, even one that is licensed to sell alcohol by the drink.
"Whether or not a restaurant will allow it, that's another matter," Willey noted.
Willey also pointed out that a business cannot keep any beverage brought in by a customer. The restaurant can provide set-ups - soft drinks and mixers - glasses and ice, but can't keep possession of the drink. The customer, however, can take any leftover wine or beer with them, Willey said.
Anderson and other Oconee restaurant proprietors have found that allowing customers to bring their own wine, beer or liquor adds to the dining experience and has helped develop a regular clientele for the businesses.
"People seem to love it," said Taffy Gautreau, owner of Gautreau's, "They would rather bring their own."
Anderson said permitting customers to bring their own wine or alcohol in can be especially helpful to new establishments, mainly from a marketing standpoint. By bringing his own alcoholic beverage, a diner can save 20 percent to 25 percent on what he might pay in a restaurant licensed to sell by the drink.
A Gautreau's customer, who asked not to have his named used, said the B.Y.O.B. policy saves him a lot of money at dinner, which he appreciates, but doesn't understand why Oconee County residents are willing to lose the tax money that would come from licensing alcohol by the drink at restaurants.
Supplying his own fruits of the vine satisfies Finch, who sees several advantages, including cost savings, to a B.Y.O.B policy.
"At restaurants, generally there is a substantial markup on wines, and that can range from a relatively reasonable markup to some instances of 200 (percent) to 300 percent from retail," Finch explained. "If you like to drink good wine, a $50 bottle could cost you $150 or more in a restaurant."
Bringing his own wine also allows Finch to choose from an unlimited wine list from retail shops, he says, and he can take his time choosing a vintage.
"The real advantage is when you bring in a nicer bottle of wine," Finch stated.
Athens attorney Gene Mac Winburn, who has quit drinking alcohol for health reasons, regularly dines at Le Maison Bleu and Roberto's. Winburn said that before he stopped drinking wine, he would often purchase a bottle at the Publix next to Roberto's before going to dinner at the Italian restaurant.
His familiarity with Le Maison Bleu's menu also enabled Winburn beforehand to select a fitting wine to go with what he expected to order on his trip to the restaurant.
Most restaurants that allow their customers to bring their own beverage charge a "corking" fee, or set-up cost for the service they offer. At Gautreau's, for example, patrons would pay $4 for having each bottle of wine uncorked at the restaurant. Beer and liquor require glasses, for which the restaurant charges $1 per person for each glass needed.
Le Maison Bleu charges a $5 corking fee and $1 per glass for anything else, Anderson said.
Several nearby counties - Oconee, Oglethorpe, Madison and Jackson - abstain from permitting by-the-drink sales in their unincorporated areas. But without ordinances prohibiting B.Y.O.B., customers could theoretically take their own beverage to restaurants provided the owners of the businesses allowed it.
Some cities in those counties do allow businesses to sell alcohol by the drink. In Madison County, the city of Comer issues permits only for the sale of beer and wine by the drink. Jackson County cities of Commerce and Jefferson allow the sale of alcohol by the drink.
Athens-Clarke and Barrow counties issue permits for the sale of alcohol by the drink, but Barrow's laws prohibit someone taking their own beverage into a place licensed to pour by the glass. Winder is one of the few incorporated areas in Barrow County that will issue licenses for pouring alcohol.
In Clarke County, where restaurants and bars sell drinks abound, there are instances where a business does not have a license, and the owner allows customers to bring their own beverage. Azucca (formerly Caliente Cab) built a loyal clientele who brought their own beer or wine to the cafe.
Now Barberitos in Five Points has adopted a B.Y.O.B. policy. Manager Tyler Patterson said the restaurant has experienced a small loss of business from people who realized the business could not sell alcohol. The store is too close to a single-family neighborhood and therefore is not allowed to obtain a pouring license.
Patterson said franchise owner David Weeks, who also owns the Barberitos franchise on Epps Bridge Parkway in Oconee County, checked into the regulations in Athens-Clarke and realized they could allow customers to bring their own drinks in Five Points, too. The business posted a sign encouraging the practice, and Patterson said they can keep the wine or beer chilled for customers while they eat.
Patterson said they probably have one or two people a week who take advantage of the policy.
Athens-Clarke officials indicated no wording was worked into county alcohol ordinances regarding customers carrying their own bottles into restaurants.
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Cannabis stroke link
Smoking cannabis can double the risk of stroke in young and middle-aged adults, a study suggests.
Scientists in New Zealand looked at 160 stroke victims aged 18 to 55 who had been admitted to hospital and undergone urine tests. They were 2.3 time more likely to have traces of cannabis in their urine as other hospital patients who had not suffered strokes.
Militant shot dead
Russia said it had shot dead the last surviving militant involved in twin bombings that killed 40 people on the Moscow metro in 2010 during a night-time sweep of a forest hideout in the volatile North Caucasus.
The National Anti-Terrorism Committee released a video showing the mangled body of alleged militant Gusen Magomedovon lying in the underbrush.
Battle for king's bones
Two English cities are doing battle over the bones of King Richard III. This week scientists announced that a skeleton found under a parking lot in the city of Leicester belonged to the king, who died in 1485. Officials say he will now be reburied in Leicester Cathedral.
But York, 100 miles to the north, is laying claim to the monarch, who belonged to the House of York and had strong ties to the city. Leicester is refusing to yield, and the two cities have launched rival petitions to the British government.
Calling other Earths
Earth-like worlds may be closer and more plentiful than anyone imagined.
Astronomers report that the closest Earth-like planet may be just 13 light years away. That planet hasn't been found yet, but it should be there, based on the team's study of red dwarf stars.
McDonald's forks out
An Australian branch of McDonald's will become the first in the world to offer diners the option of plates, cutlery and table service.
The outlet in Warilla, near Sydney, won approval from the fast-food company's HQ in Chicago to test a more formal service for five weeks. The couple who run the outlet got the idea after offering their parents cutlery during their weekly visits. It caught the attention of other patrons who requested similar service.
Irish Independent


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Claude Frank
Claude Frank began piano studies in his native Germany and continued in France and then the United States with Artur Schnabel and Karl Ulrich Schnabel. He studied composition at Columbia University and conducting with Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood.
Since his debut with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in 1959, he has performed with most major symphony orchestras in the United States, Europe, and South America, and he has toured on six continents. He has recorded all thirty-two Beethoven piano sonatas for RCA, as well as Mozart concertos and chamber music.
His wife was the late pianist Lilian Kallir. Their violinist daughter, Pamela, graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in 1989 and is now a member of the faculty.
Mr. Frank is on the faculty of the Yale School of Music, and he joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1988.


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Getting straight to the point; what I'm trying to do may be simple to someone, but not I. Basically I want to place the jump point (the yellow arrow from the outside to an interior) in different places. For example, if I wanted to enter the club in the middle of Glen Park, how I would I go about placing that yellow arrow where I need. Also, is it possible to handpick which arrow goes to which interior, so I can just place them in different spots? My overall goal is to have more amenities available around the city in places that never had an interior before. Another example. If I were in the desert; I see a yellow arrow in the side of the mountain. I walk into it, and find that I'm inside of a tattoo parlor. I exit the tattoo parlor, and I'm back in the desert, with the yellow marker still there (permanently).
I'm very precise about description, so if I have confused anyone, do say so. I'm trying to make this game as realistic as possible. Like Final Fantasy 9 where you can basically go anywhere that has a door, I will attempt to apply this feature to places that look like they should enterable; and I will place there an interior that suites it the best (burglar homes, bars, clubs, gyms, banks, ect). If anyone is willing to help me out with this, I would greatly appreciate it. Let me know wssup, and I thank you in advance
Interior Placer
Started by pjratekjng, Jul 29 2012 08:15 PM
2 replies to this topic
Posted 29 July 2012 - 11:01 PM
Ok, this makes alot of sense. Thank you for your response, it definitely has been helpful.
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Obesity has been linked to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, with elevated markers of systemic inflammation. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is a transmembrane adhesion molecule involved in leukocyte migration to sites of inflammation. In human obesity, elevated expression of the soluble form of ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) is positively correlated with abdominal fat deposition. Increases in adiposity have also been correlated with macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. Here we investigate adipose tissue production and transcriptional regulation of ICAM-1 in a mouse model of dietary obesity. After feeding mice a high-fat diet, ICAM-1 expression in serum and adipose tissue was analyzed by ELISA, Northern blotting, real-time quantitative PCR, and flow cytometry. After 6 mo on the high-fat diet, sICAM-1 levels significantly correlated with body weight and abdominal fat mass. ICAM-1 mRNA was expressed in adipose tissue of mice, with significantly higher levels in males than females. After only 3 wk, there were adipose tissue-specific increases in mRNAs for ICAM-1, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in male mice. Analysis of the stromal-vascular fraction of male adipose tissue revealed CD11b-negative cells with increased surface ICAM-1 and CD34. We also found two populations of F4/80+, CD11b+, ICAM-1+ cells, one of which also expressed CD14 and CD11c and was increased in response to a high-fat diet. These results indicate that within 3 wk on a high-fat diet, male mice exhibited significant increases in pro-inflammatory factors and immune cell infiltration in adipose tissue that may represent links between obesity and its associated inflammatory complications.
- sICAM-1
- CD11c
- adipocytes
- macrophage
intercellular adhesion molecule-1/CD54 (ICAM-1) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily (37, 40) and is expressed on a wide variety of cells constitutively or under conditions of inflammation (13). One well-documented function is as a leukocyte adhesion receptor that, in response to inflammatory stimuli, is typically expressed on the surface of endothelial cells, where it mediates the migration of leukocytes into tissues (21). ICAM-1 is also expressed under inflammatory conditions on a variety of parenchymal cells [e.g., hepatocytes (16) and cardiac myocytes (39)] and supports cytotoxic adhesive interactions with leukocytes (14). In addition, ICAM-1 contributes to adaptive immunity, serving as an accessory adhesion molecule on antigen presenting cells (27). A soluble form of ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) is found to enter the systemic circulation, as a result of proteolytic cleavage at the cell surface, releasing the extracellular domain (44). sICAM-1 is considered one of the prototypic markers of inflammation, and its expression is elevated in a broad array of disease states, including bacterial sepsis (3), type II diabetes (19), pre-eclampsia (11), and atherosclerosis (5). sICAM-1 levels are also increased in response to a "Western-style" diet, i.e., one that is either high in atherogenic lipids (5, 26) or hypercholesterolemic (35). Several studies in humans have shown that sICAM-1 levels are also elevated in obesity, and are positively correlated with central adiposity (28, 43, 51) and insulin resistance (23, 41). The function of sICAM-1 is unclear, but there is evidence that it may play a modulating role in inflammation (18).
Since ICAM-1 is involved in leukocyte migration and can be cleaved to produce sICAM-1, we sought to investigate ICAM-1 production in adipose tissue in a murine model of obesity. We examined sICAM-1 production in response to a high-fat diet, ICAM-1 and chemokine expression in adipose tissue, and changes in adipose macrophage populations. We demonstrate sex-dependent increases in ICAM-1 expression, specific to adipose tissue, as well as changes in discrete populations of adipose tissue macrophages as early as 3 wk after feeding mice a high-fat diet. The increase in ICAM-1 expression in adipose tissue, as well as the accumulation of specific adipose tissue macrophage subsets early in the onset of obesity, may be linked to complications, such as type II diabetes and atherosclerosis, which are increasingly seen as having inflammatory characteristics.
Of interest to the current study is the finding that macrophages accumulate in adipose tissue of animals on a high-fat diet in a sex-dependent fashion (32, 50). In those studies, macrophages in adipose tissue were primarily identified by expression of F4/80 (22). In the current study, we have used additional immune and stem cell markers to define characteristics of the stromal-vascular (S-V) cell fraction of adipose tissue. A marker of hematopoietic origin, CD11b, is of interest since it binds ICAM-1. CD14, another commonly used marker for monocytes and macrophages, binds bacterial LPS and is expressed on cells of monocytic lineage and is downregulated on cells that develop into mature myeloid dendritic cells (34, 52). CD11c is often considered a hallmark of dendritic cells (8), however, several reports have shown that some macrophage subsets can also express CD11c (20, 31). Using this panel of markers, we have identified for the first time increases in CD11c-positive macrophages in adipose tissue, in response to a high-fat diet.
Animal protocols were approved by the Baylor College of Medicine Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and mice were cared for according to the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. All experiments utilized C57Bl/6 mice that had been weaned at 3 wk of age, housed at two to four per cage, and given food and water ad libitum. Mice were fed a high-fat diet (no. 112734; Dyets Inc, Bethlehem, PA) containing 21% fat (milk fat), beginning at 6 wk of age, or a standard chow (no. 5053; LabDiet, St. Louis, MO) containing 4.5% fat. Mice were maintained on the diet for 24 wk for long term studies, or 3 wk for short-term studies. Mice were then anesthetized, weighed, and blood samples, obtained by cardiac puncture, were collected into nonheparinized or EDTA-treated tubes for an automated, complete blood count (Center for Comparative Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX). Nonheparinized blood samples were allowed to clot, were centrifuged, and serum was removed for ELISA analysis. Perigonadal fat pads (epididymal fat pad in males and periovarian plus periuterine fat pads in females) were removed, weighed, and either frozen in liquid nitrogen for the preparation of RNA, or digested with collagenase for isolation of adipocytes and S-V cells.
ELISA analysis.
sICAM-1 was analyzed in serum using a mouse sICAM-1 ELISA kit (Endogen Pierce, Woburn, MA). Briefly, 50 μl of a 1:100 dilution of serum was incubated on the ELISA plate for 2 h, followed by washing and incubation with secondary reagents as supplied. Plates were read using a Spectramax Plus Microplate Spectrophotometer and Softmax Pro analysis software (Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, CA).
Northern blot analysis.
Adipose tissue was homogenized in TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA) and RNA prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions, including the optional centrifugation for removal of excess lipid. Standard Northern blot analysis was performed using 20 μg of RNA per lane and full-length mouse ICAM-1 cDNA as the hybridization probe. Results were quantified using a Storm 860 (with ImageQuant 4.2A software) phosphor image analysis system (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, CA).
Real-time quantitative PCR.
Adipose tissue, spleen, and lung samples were homogenized in QIAzol lysis reagent, and total RNA was isolated with the RNeasy Mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Quality of RNA was verified by agarose gel electrophoresis. Synthesis of cDNA was performed with the 1st Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit for RT-PCR (AMV) (Roche, Indianapolis, IN), using 500 ng of total RNA and random hexamer primers per manufacturer's recommended concentrations. For the amplification of ICAM-1, IL-6, TNF, CDH5 (VE-cadherin gene), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), 1 μl of cDNA was added to corresponding 20 × TaqMan MGB probe-primer sets for each message, multiplexed with primers for ribosomal 18S and 2× TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). PCR was performed in a 7500 Real Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) using the manufacturer's suggested thermal settings: one cycle of 2 min at 50°C followed by 10 min at 95°C, and 40 cycles of 15 s at 95°C, 60 s at 60°C. Relative mRNA expression was calculated by comparative Ct-method. Ribosomal 18S RNA was used as the endogenous control. Mice fed the control diet were used as the calibrator and set to 100%.
Isolation of adipose tissue S-V cell fractions.
Perigonadal adipose tissue was excised, minced and placed in 3 ml of Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer (KRB) per gram of adipose tissue. The KRB contained 10 mM glucose and 4% BSA plus 840 U/g collagenase Type I (Worthington Chemicals, Lakewood, NJ). The solution was gassed with 5% CO2 and was incubated at 37°C, with gentle agitation for 40 min. The tissue slurry was then filtered through chiffon mesh into a 50-ml tube and rinsed with KRB. The lipid-laden adipocytes floated to the surface, and the underlying infranatant fraction was removed. The infranatant fraction was centrifuged at 500g to pellet the S-V cells, which were then resuspended and washed 2× with 30 ml of PBS with 10 mM glucose. Cells were then resuspended in 500 μl of PBS plus glucose for further analysis.
Flow cytometry.
The S-V cell fractions of five mice were pooled, and either incubated with antibody at 4°C in the dark for 30 min as a whole population, or separated by CD11b expression by magnetic cell sorting (MACS) (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA) per manufacturer's instructions. In short, cells were incubated for 15 min at 4°C with a buffer containing PBS, with 2 mM EDTA and 0.5% BSA, and 10 μl of magnetically labeled anti-CD11b MicroBeads. Cells were then washed with 1 ml of buffer, centrifuged at 300 g for 10 min, resuspended in 50 μl, and separated by MACS MS column (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA). Cells were then washed and stained in PBS with glucose, with the following antibodies for 30 min at 4°C: ICAM-1 clone, YN1/1.7.4; CD34 clone, RAM34; CD14 clone, Sa2–8 (eBioscience, San Diego, CA); F4/80 clone, CI:A3–1 (Serotec, Raleigh, NC); CD11b clone, M1/70; and CD11c clone, HL3 (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA). Cells were incubated with nonspecific IgG to assess background fluorescence (BD Bioscience, San Jose, CA). Flow cytometry was performed using a BD-FACScan (Becton-Dickinson, San Jose, CA).
Results are expressed as means ± SE. Regression analysis techniques were used to assess the relationship between weight and abdominal fat (independent variables) with sICAM-1 (dependent variable). The effect of sex on this relationship was assessed by including an interaction term. Two-way analysis of variance was used to assess the effects of diet, sex, and their interaction on abdominal fat, weight, and sICAM-1. Male to female, or control to high-fat comparisons of real-time PCR, as well as mean fluorescence of ICAM-1, were compared using Student's t-test.
sICAM-1 levels were analyzed in sera of mice that were obese due to maintenance on a long-term (6 mo), high-fat diet. The average weights were 48.7 ± 1.0 g for males and 44.1 ± 1.8 g for females. Overall mean sICAM-1 levels were higher in the male mice (50.5 ± 2.8 μg/ml) than in females (42.2 ± 2.6 μg/ml) (P = 0.05). When related to body weight, sICAM-1 levels increased an average of 10 μg/ml for each 10 g increase in body weight, with correlation r = 0.50 (P < 0.001). This relationship did not differ statistically between males and females (Fig. 1A). When related to abdominal fat pad weight, which is an index of adiposity, sICAM-1 levels were also positively correlated with increasing amounts of abdominal adipose tissue (r = 0.40) (Fig. 1B), with an average increase in sICAM-1 of 4.6 μg/ml per gram increase in abdominal fat pad weight (P = 0.03). Slopes did not differ significantly between males and females (P = 0.60), but the mean sICAM-1 level for males was significantly increased compared with females (P = 0.003). Others have reported (25) and we have confirmed that C57BL/6 mice do not spontaneously increase sICAM-1 levels between 3 and 10 mo of age, a time frame inclusive of the ages of those mice with dietary obesity. These results demonstrate that in an animal model of obesity, as in humans, there is an association between sICAM-1 levels and abdominal adiposity. We sought to determine if adipose tissue is a potential source of sICAM-1. Northern blot analysis showed that ICAM-1 mRNA was expressed in the adipose tissue of both male and female mice after 6 mo on a high-fat diet (Fig. 1C).
To evaluate early events in adipose tissue of animals on a high-fat diet, male and female mice were fed a short-term (3 wk), high-fat diet and compared with mice maintained on a standard chow diet. Mice fed the high-fat diet showed significant increases in body weight (Fig. 2A) and abdominal fat pad weight (Fig. 2B), with males accumulating slightly more fat. However, the ratio between abdominal fat mass and body weight remained the same between male and female mice (Fig. 2C). Comparing mice fed the control diet to mice fed a high-fat, short-term diet, automated WBC analysis revealed an increase in whole blood monocytes from 0.061 × 103 ± 0.007 cells/μl to 0.089 × 103 ± 0.012 cells/μl, respectively (P < 0.05, n = 10). The high-fat diet also resulted in a decrease in the overall percentage of lymphocytes from 81.79% ± 0.53 to 77.87% ± 1.67 (P < 0.02, n = 10). Real-time quantitative PCR of total RNA taken from adipose tissue showed that ICAM-1 mRNA expression is increased over 3.5 fold in male mice fed the high-fat diet (P < 0.001), compared with mice fed standard chow (Fig. 2D). Female mice fed the high-fat diet did not show a significant increase in ICAM-1 message levels. These results show that male mice not only have higher ICAM-1 expression after long-term, high-fat feeding, but males appear to show earlier responses than females. Furthermore, increases in ICAM-1 expression in the males appears at this early time to be limited to adipose tissue, since elevated expression was not found in either the spleen or liver (Fig. 2E).
Increases in ICAM-1 message seen in the adipose tissue of male mice fed a short-term, high-fat diet were then compared with other pro-inflammatory cytokines. As noted in Fig. 3A, male mice, but not female mice, exhibited marked upregulation of MCP-1 in adipose tissue. Studies were repeated in male adipose tissue and revealed that ICAM-1, MCP-1, and IL-6 message levels significantly increased (P < 0.01), while no significant increase was seen in TNF message levels (Fig. 3B). No significant increase in message was seen in the expression of VE-cadherin (mouse CDH5 gene), a cell surface protein expressed on vascular endothelial cells.
We then isolated the S-V compartment of male adipose tissue in an attempt to localize and quantify cell surface expression of ICAM-1. Three regions of clustered cells were revealed by flow cytometric analysis of forward vs. side scatter patterns, arbitrarily labeled regions 1–3 (Fig. 4A). Region 1 contained lymphocytes consistent with the previously published results (7, 32). ICAM-1 expression in this region was low, compared with cells in regions 2 and 3 (Fig. 4B). Only region 3 revealed a significant increase in cell-associated ICAM-1 after a short-term, high-fat diet (P < 0.001). Region 2 contained 10% of the total cells within the 3 regions, and most of these cells expressed CD11b and ICAM-1 (Fig. 4C). Region 2 showed a small decreasing trend in the number of CD11b positive and ICAM-1 positive cells while region 3 showed significant increases. Region 3 contained ∼45–50% of the total S-V fraction in both the control adipose tissue and adipose tissue from animals on high-fat diet. This region contained a heterogeneous population of CD11b-positive and -negative cells (Fig. 4D). Feeding animals a high-fat diet increased the proportion of ICAM-1/CD11b-positive cells in region 3 from 31.5% ± 2.8 to 58.6% ± 3.1. The mean anti-ICAM-1 fluorescence of CD11b-positive cells was not increased (Fig. 4E), indicating that increases in ICAM-1 message, as detected by real-time PCR, may be accounted for in part by an increased proportion of ICAM-1/CD11b-positive cells. In contrast, the CD11b-negative population of cells in region 3 revealed increased binding of anti-ICAM-1, indicating possible upregulation of ICAM-1 expression in this nonhematopoietic cell population.
To further characterize the S-V compartment, isolated cells were separated into CD11b-negative and -positive fractions (Fig. 5A). Compared with the total cell count, we detected 2.5% ± 0.45 cells in region 2 and 27.0% ± 2.5 cells in region 3 remaining in the CD11b-negative fraction (Fig. 5B). CD11b-positive cells in region 2 and region 3 showed marked differences in cell surface markers (Fig. 5C). Region 2 cells were CD11c negative, CD14 low and F4/80 positive, while region 3 cells were CD11c positive, CD14 positive and F4/80 positive. These relative expression patterns of cell surface markers did not change significantly between control mice and mice fed a high-fat diet (Fig. 5D). Taken together these data indicate that there are two distinct myeloid populations in adipose tissue. Only the CD11c/CD14-expressing population of region 3 increases in response to a high-fat diet.
Consistent with observations in Fig. 4E, the CD11b-negative fraction of region 3 increases the cell surface expression of ICAM-1 in response to the high-fat diet (Fig. 6A). There were too few cells in region 2 of the CD11b-negative fraction to quantify. We were unable to detect any endothelial cells in region 3 by anti-ICAM-2, or anti-VE-cadherin antibodies (data not shown). Interestingly, we found a cell surface protein expressed on many stem cell-like progenitor cells, CD34, expressed on 43.2% ± 2.6 of CD11b-negative cells (Fig. 6B), a portion of which coexpressed ICAM-1(Fig. 6C). The proportion of CD34-expressing cells increased to 50.1% ± 2.3, in response to a high-fat diet (Fig. 6, B and C).
Our results show that plasma sICAM-1 expression is increased in mice following 6 mo of a high-fat diet. These concentrations correlate with abdominal fat pad weight in both males and females. This is consistent with reports in humans in which increased levels of soluble ICAM-1 have been correlated with several pathological conditions, including obesity and obesity-related disorders (28, 43, 51). We show that adipose tissue, after 6 mo of a high-fat diet, expresses ICAM-1 mRNA, indicating that adipose tissue ICAM-1, via proteolytic cleavage (9, 33), may be a possible source of the circulating sICAM-1 that is seen in obesity. Comparing these data to a 3-wk, high-fat diet, we find that male mice express significantly more ICAM-1 and MCP-1 message than female mice and that this increase in ICAM-1 message was evident in adipose tissue, but not in spleen or liver at this early time point. Similarly, male mice show an increase in mRNA expression of IL-6, but not TNF. It is unclear why female mice, while still exhibiting a similar ratio of fat deposition after 3 wk on a high-fat diet, demonstrate a lesser cytokine response, but such intrinsic mechanisms may potentially underlie the sex-specific differences in fat deposition and susceptibility to obesity-related complications seen in humans.
The male-specific increase in ICAM-1 message seen, is reflected, at least in part, as an increase in cell surface protein expression on CD11b-negative cells of the S-V fraction. A population of these cells express CD34, and upregulate their CD34 expression in response to a short-term, high-fat diet. It is also recently thought that CD34, in addition to being expressed on hematopoietic progenitor cells (2), might be expressed on cells with adipocyte differentiation potential (36). We show for the first time in an in vivo model, a population of CD34+ cells in adipose tissue that increases their CD34 levels in response to a short-term, high-fat diet. Peripheral blood hematopoietic cells expressing CD34 are thought to potentially have an active role in immune function by producing cytokines such as MCP-1, RANTES, IL-1β, and IL-8 (45). These cells could potentially be a source of the MCP-1 seen at 3 wk of a high-fat diet, assisting in the local activation, differentiation, or recruitment of macrophages into adipose tissue.
In addition to the CD34+ cells, we identified two distinct populations of macrophages within adipose tissue that are F4/80+, CD11b+, and ICAM-1+. This is the first demonstration of relatively rapid changes in a specific population of macrophages in adipose tissue, corroborating longer term studies that have correlated increases in adiposity with increased F4/80+ macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue (32, 50, 53). Only the F4/80+ populations expressing CD11c and CD14 increase in response to a high-fat diet. This is the first time to the authors' knowledge that CD11c-expressing macrophages have been reported in adipose tissue. These CD11c-expressing cells may represent a unique inflammatory signaling subset of macrophages in adipose tissue.
Obesity and its complications exhibit many characteristics in common with chronic inflammation (47). Furthermore, evidence is rapidly accumulating that the links between adiposity and heightened immune cell activity are responsible for at least some manifestations of the metabolic syndrome, particularly atherosclerosis (1, 29). Soluble ICAM is associated with obesity in humans, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (41, 51). We show that similar to humans, mice on a long-term diet increase sICAM-1 levels. Transgenic mice which over express sICAM also show increased susceptibility to weight gain on a high-fat diet and these mice also demonstrate a decreased capacity to recruit neutrophils and macrophages into sites of inflammation (48). These results are similar to reports from ICAM-1 knockout mice (12, 38), however, these knockout mice have since been shown to express alternatively spliced forms of ICAM-1 that can be found in a soluble form (24, 46). These isoforms have been shown to have the capacity to act as accessory molecules in CD4+ T-cell signaling (33). Heightened levels of soluble forms of ICAM may play an immunoregulatory role in an obese state, leading to obesity-related disorders.
How excess body fat triggers inflammatory-like responses is not clear, but it is thought to involve elevated levels of cytokines, particularly TNF and IL-6 (54). Several cytokines such as TNF, IL-1, and IL-6 have been shown to upregulate expression of ICAM-1 (4, 30) and MCP-1 (15, 17). We demonstrate that at 3 wk, an increase in IL-6 and MCP-1 occurs before TNF upregulation, in response to a high-fat diet in adipose tissue. We also show an increase in the numbers of whole blood monocytes, consistent with reports that CD11b+ monocytes are increased in mice fed a 6-mo, high-fat diet, or after treatment with MCP-1 (42). ICAM-1 and MCP-1 both act to facilitate transmigration and chemotaxis of monocytes and macrophages into sites of inflammation. Knockout mouse models of CCR2, the receptor of MCP-1, have shown that CCR2 deficiency results in decreased macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue (49). Although both the adipocytes and the S-V cell fractions have the potential to secrete MCP-1 and IL-6 (10, 17), there is evidence that the primary source of these cytokines, in response to a high-fat diet, is the S-V fraction, possibly from macrophages and preadipocytes (6, 18).
Macrophages reside in all tissues and take up tissue-specific form and function. Adipose tissue contains macrophages and macrophage precursors, but their functions have not yet been defined. We have shown sex-specific inflammatory responses to a high-fat diet within adipose tissue. Here we have demonstrated an increase in the expression of cytokines and ICAM-1 in adipose tissue that may assist in the recruitment and signaling of macrophages in an obese state. In addition, our identification of a previously unrecognized macrophage subset within adipose tissue, suggests that these cells have important roles within an expanding fat mass. Elucidating these mechanisms is key to understanding adipose tissue biology, as well as links between inflammation and obesity-related complications.
This work was supported by grants from the United States Department of Agriculture 6250–51000-046–01A (to H. J. Mersmann and C. W. Smith), an NIH Training Grant in Pediatric Gastroenterology DK07664 (to R. L. Robker) and an Individual National Research Service Award DK60381 (to R. L. Robker) Partially supported through grant numbers DGE-0086397 and DGE-0440525 of the National Science Foundation (to D. K. Brake).
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
- Copyright © 2006 the American Physiological Society


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Jumat, 20 November 2015
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Langganan: Postingan (Atom)


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An elder of a religious sect in Texas has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting a girl under the guise of a cervical cancer exam.
A state district judge sentenced Yedidiyah (yeh-deh-DYE'-uh) Hawkins on Wednesday. The 41-year-old House of Yahweh elder was convicted in October of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
The girl says she was 11 when Hawkins examined her with a gynecological instrument at a home in 2005. A former sect member testified that Hawkins was worried the girl was not a virgin.
Witnesses say Hawkins has no medical training, and prosecutors say he bought the instrument from a sex toy Web site.
Hawkins' defense attorney says Hawkins is being vilified because of his religious beliefs.


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Professor receives distinguished ABA award in dispute resolution
Suffering in law school is an unfriendly reminder that the high stress of conflict resolution can often get the best of a student. But a leading researcher and professor in alternative dispute resolution at the University of Florida Levin College of Law recognized this problem many years ago and researched an alternative tool to deal with even the trickiest of problems. All you need: a specific state of mindfulness.
His work has paid off, and he will soon be recognized by the American Bar Association for his scholarship and leadership in this field.
Leonard Riskin, Chesterfield Smith Professor of Law, will be honored with the ABA's Section of Dispute Resolution award for Outstanding Scholarly Work on April 6 at the section's 15th annual spring conference in Chicago.
This conference brings dispute resolution leaders, arbitrators, mediators, attorney advocates, neutral providers, consumers and scholars together to network and attend presentations and workshops.
Since coming to UF Law in 2007, Riskin has served as professor, mentor and director of the Initiative of Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution. The ABA will honor him based on his extensive work in alternative dispute resolution with a focus on the perspectives that lawyers bring to the work.
"When I first started teaching in law school I noticed that there was a huge amount of suffering among law students, lawyers and clients. Some of the suffering, I thought, resulted from extreme adversarial perspectives and behavior," Riskin said. "I thought that mediation was a way to reduce unnecessary adversarialism and suffering."
Riskin began to write about and teach mediation in the early 1980s, and from that he became interested in mindsets lawyers use when addressing problems.
"A lot of my work has been designed to encourage or help law students, lawyers and mediators become more aware of what mindset they are using, and how that mindset affects the way they understand problems and the way they might try to deal with them," Riskin said.
Eddie Mordujovich (JD 09), a business specialist at Koss Olinger Consulting LLC, worked as a research fellow in the Initiative of Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution during his time at UF Law.
"What I learned with Len was how to not only use negotiation strategies and interpersonal conflict resolution strategies well, but to be in a frame of mind that is solid enough during the heat of negotiation to be able to actually put that knowledge into practice," Mordujovich said.
He added that he has applied Riskin's work in mindfulness and alternative dispute resolution to his former career in filmmaking and even during divorce negotiations with his former wife, which Mordujovich believes spurred both parties to reach a constructive outcome in a short time.
"This recognition by the ABA is particularly well-deserved given the light Riskin's work sheds on bridging the gap between knowledge of effective negotiation techniques and the ability to put that knowledge into practice in the heat of the moment, when it is most needed," Mordujovich said.
Riskin is the third recipient of the ABA Dispute Resolution Section's award for Outstanding Scholarly Work since its creation in 2011. Harvard Law School professor Frank E.A. Sander and Georgetown University professor Carrie Menkel-Meadow received the award in years past.
"I feel honored because I very much admire the two previous recipients," Riskin added. "I'm very lucky to have studied and worked with wise and thoughtful people from whom I learned a great deal. I especially appreciate working with my UF faculty colleagues and students."