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Everything posted by Azurath
Ways to check the content of a BRAM or SDRAMHello! I have an example design where I am writing values into a BRAM. I have confirmed through simulation that the values are stored correctly. However, what I want to do is to confirm that the values are saved running on hardware as well? I have been trying to debug using the TCF debugger and trying to check the Memory window on the uB but I am not getting anything sufficient or understandable. What should I do if I want to, for example, test my memory through the MicroBlaze, shall the D-cache and I-cache be enabled? Could you giv
Simulating VDMA,TPG and uBOk, found the example design concerning simulating the VDMA. If you place the VDMA block inside your block design, right click and press "open IP example" and dadam you will get the example design that contains the testbench for simulating the VDMA ( example design from the datasheet). I guess I can move further from there. Thx for the extra material though.
Simulating VDMA,TPG and uBHello, dear FPGA enthusiasts! Currently, I have been working with my OV7670 camera and can present it on an HDMI screen. However, this was done without a simulation. What I want to do right now is to use a TPG provided from Xlinix in my design and remove the OV7670 fully. However, the problem is that I really don't know how to go next since I am using uB together with a VDMA and TPG. I know that you can include the ELF file from the uB in order to simulate your design together with uB. My question to you is where I can find C code for the TPG used in the ne
Debugging the DDR3 pins?
Azurath replied to Azurath's topic in Suggestions & FeedbackYes I was actually struggling alot but I am not afraid of something just because it is complicated. Life is complicated itself, further we have Girls that are more complicated than the DDR3 algorithm itself :). Anyhow I want to see whether the picture I stored is saved in the SDRAM DDR3 and want to debug it somehow. My second thought is to use the UART and the processing IDE to print the picture but I don't know any other way to confirm that the DDR3 has stored all the pixel values correctly. Is there professional ways to debug a DDR3? Regards, John
Debugging the DDR3 pins?
Azurath posted a topic in Suggestions & FeedbackHello! I cannot debug the DDR3 outputs/inputs. I get the following error message. Bus interface connection '/mig_7series_0_DDR3' is connected to interface '/mig_7series_0/DDR3' with VLNV xilinx.com:interface:ddrx:1.0, which is not debug-able by System ILA IP. HDL attribute 'DEBUG' will not be set to this bus interface connection. Could anybody help me with this? I am going to check if my 640x480 picture is saved in the ddr3 but I have to use the ILA which does not work atm. regards, John
Nexys-Video-HDMI not working on vivado 2017.3Nope , I also had to upgrade the IPs so the block generation works now thx.
Nexys-Video-HDMI not working on vivado 2017.3Hello! I get the following error when I am going to run the createproject.tcl. Do I have to download an earlier version than 2017.3, if so is there a way to not do it since it takes me a lot of time to (uninstall and install) different versions. The error is: [Board 49-71] The board_part definition was not found for digilentinc.com:nexys_video:part0:1.1. The project's board_part property was not set, but the project's part property was set to xc7a200tsbg484-1. Valid board_part values can be retrieved with the 'get_board_parts' Tcl command. Check if board.repoPaths pa
Advices for camera and SDRAM integration on nexys videoOkay! Currently, I have working example and can write data and read data using the MIG7 interfaced together with a uB. However, since this is a soft core and runs with a certain speed , we wont get maximum speed here. I might be wrong and just want clarifications. regards, John
Advices for camera and SDRAM integration on nexys videoHello! I have been investigating how multiple clock domains work and how you can send data ASAP from a camera module to a SDRAM (taking a pic). I am currently using a Nexys-Video and a Zed board and wonder if I could get some tips. The problems I encountered during my research is: -The picture I take has to be stored ASAP, meaning I have to use the mig7 interface for the SDRAM and HDL code. However this will be hard since it requires me to understand how the MIG7 works and thus writing a HDL that is adjusted to work with it. - What is the maximum f


text: TV Times magazine - Edward the Seventh cover (7-13 June 1975) £24.99 Very good condition for age - very light cover wear London edition "BERTIE'S CROWNING MOMENT" - For the Prince of Wales, the waiting is over and his coronation is the brilliant highlight of Tuesday's episode of Edward the SeventhThree and a half page feature THE EROTIC WORLD OF JAPANESE TV - How just permissive is British TV? We take a look at Japan in Wednesday's World of Television and find that when it comes to s-exposure they are way ahead of us with sexy telly. But are Japanese viewers really happy and does Britain want the same?2 page feature MAGNUS PYKE - 2 pages FIONA WALKER - 1 page LINDA HAYDEN - 1 page KNITTING PATTERN - The sweater that makes Leslie 'a good hunk of a man'Men's sweater pattern with a band of Fair Isle over shoulder/chest area(modelled here by Leslie Crowther)One and a half-page instructions CYRIL FLETCHER - "Stars and their garden" feature2 pages

subset: commoncrawl


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Asarina erubescens"Creeping Gloxinia"
How is it that this fabulous, bountifully blooming vine is so little known? Overflowing with surprisingly large 3" flaring bright rose tubular blooms, long twining/trailing stems delight from mid-Summer till frost. Even when not in bloom, the densely held emerald triangular leaves are a luscious addition to your garden. This Mexican native is sheer bliss on an arbor or obelisk! Do provide compost rich soil. Great in large containers. Cut back to 1' in Winter. Hummingbird magnet! Grows up to 12' in a season.
Pt. Sun/Brt. Shade
Perennial USDA zones 9-10(maybe 8-10)


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|Course code:
Course title in Czech:
Special Forest Botany
|Course title in English:
Special Forest Botany
Mode of completion and number of credits:
Exam (5 credits)
Mode of delivery and timetabled classes:
|full-time, 2/2/4 (hours weekly/ hours weekly/ days in semester) (hours of lectures per week / hours of seminars per week)
part-time, 20/0/0 (h/h/days in semester) (lectures per period / seminars per period)
|Level of course:
Course type:
Type of delivery:
|Mode of delivery for our mobility students abroad:
|-- item not defined --
|Language of instruction:
Course supervisor:
|Course supervising department:
Ing. Tomáš Koutecký, Ph.D. (examiner, instructor, lecturer, supervisor, tutor)
doc. Ing. Radomír Řepka, Ph.D. (instructor)
Mgr. Radim Vašut, Ph.D. (instructor)
Timetable in this semester:
-- item not defined --
Aim of the course and learning outcomes:
Overview of system the lower and higher plants, fungi and their importance in ecosystems. Knowledge or ability to recognize of 350 species from forests, meadows, ruderal sites, weeds and fields crops, especialy species which have indicative value.
|Course content:
Learning activities and teaching methods:
Assessment methods:
The course ends with a written and oral tests for cerdit should consult a seminar paper.
To pass the credit must be met: One 50-minute written test (at least 50% knowledge, that is 50 points out of 100) in which the student responds in writing to the 2 questions (one from the systematic botany and one of the ecological plant groups). The test also includes oral part (2-10 questions required at least 50% correct answers). The final mark is the result of an average of 3 stamps (2 of written questions, one of the oral). Participation in the test is compulsory.
Assessment criteria ratio:
Recomended reading and other learning resources:
|Course listed in study plans for this semester:
-- item not defined --
|Course listed in previous semesters:
WS 2020/2021, SS 2019/2020, WS 2019/2020, SS 2018/2019, SS 2017/2018, WS 2017/2018 (and older)
Teaching place:


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This book's up for a Hugo this year, so I guess pretty much everyone who's at all interested has already read it.
This is the first book in the Temeraire series. At this point, to the best of my knowledge, there are two more books in the series; I have no idea if there are more coming. But, though it's part of a series, the book stands alone well enough; it's not, as sometimes happens, the first arbitrary chunk of a larger story chopped off at a random or even deliberately frustrating point. The basic concept of the series is the fight between Britain and Napoleon, with dragons. As alternate history, it's silly, and as high fantasy, the world isn't really solid enough to be examined too deeply, but as whimsy, it works. The author's bio says that she's seriously interested in the Napoleonic period, so the historical background is probably very good, but I know so little about the period that I can't tell. Except for the dragons and the obvious implications of dragons, there's nothing that I can recognize as not being period. And it's a story that appeals so strongly to my own inner child that I'm not sure how meaningful it is that I loved it. (In fact, I couldn't put the doggone thing down; I had a lot of other stuff I needed to do yesterday, and instead I was reading.) The (human) characters are kind of odd, but they actually fit my vague impression of the time pretty well, and for me at least, their behavior and actions does shine light on our modern society, even though the exact way they live their lives is really quite strange.
But mostly, it's about dragons. A version of dragons that are some of the most appealing since Pern.
Definitely fluffy, but delightful, and not completely without some real meat. Fast and engaging, but probably not enduring prose for the ages. 9 out of 10.
Will Laurence is the captain of a British frigate that has just defeated a French ship. The French ship was seriously undermanned from a hard voyage, and they fought much harder than was to be expected when they obviously had no chance. When they take the prize, the logs have been dumped overboard, but there's a dragon egg on board. The ship's surgeon knows a little bit about dragons, and reveals that the egg is likely to hatch quite soon. This is a big problem, partly because the ship doesn't have proper supplies, equipment, or expertise for raising a dragon, but mainly because of the attitude the navy has to dragons. Dragons are the basis for the air force, there's a war on, and the English face a big disadvantage in the dragon department, so a new dragon is vastly important to the country, but naval officers don't think of the dragon corps as at all appropriate for an officer and a gentleman. Once committed to a dragon, an aviator -- as dragonriders are called -- is pulled out of normal society far more completely than naval officers, and unlike the navy, a dragon is a lifetime commitment. All the officers view the idea of harnessing the dragon with horror. In the end, though, when the dragon hatches, it has no interest in the hapless victim of the short straw, and goes for Laurence instead. Laurence names the dragon Temeraire, and the surgeon identifies him as a Chinese Imperial, second only to the Celestial among Chinese dragons, so he's a very valuable prize. Laurence is devastated at first, but by the time the ship makes landfall at Madeira and the air force tries to assign Temeraire to a trained aviator, Laurence realizes that, rather than being happy to have his life back, he is devastated at the prospect of losing Temeraire, and when Temeraire refuses to accept the change of handler, captain and dragon touchingly vow to stick together. Still, Laurence is very nervous about being trained, and the air force is very nervous about bringing in an untrained aviator for such an important dragon. When Laurence and Temeraire arrive at Loch Laggan for their training, they quickly figure out why: first, the person running the show isn't human, it's a 200 year old dragon. And second, some of the dragon officers are female, and they mix as equals with the men. This is because the most militarily valuable line of English dragons, the Longwing, will only accept female handlers. These two factors are so alien to the standards of the outside society that they would turn England upside down if they were known, so they're kept quite secret.
At the beginning of the training, Laurence and his new colleagues very wary of each other, and the one person who seems to reach out to Laurence is a courier named Martin. Laurence starts playing chess with Martin and forming a friendship, but then he realizes that Martin has a very bad attitude toward his dragon Levitas, treating him with contempt rather than love. Laurence realizes that much of the reason he's being treated so coldly by the others is because they've ostracized Martin for his terrible attitude, and when he stops associating with Martin he starts to get on better with the others. Laurence and Temeraire's training proceeds as quickly as possible, and favorably. The first action they see is when they have to rescue a dragon who was injured on patrol. Laurence proves that he is both brave and an effective commander when he manages to prevent the stricken dragon's harness from failing (which would have caused several riders to fall into the sea). In the pressure of this action, Laurence and Granby, the current candidate for the position of his lieutenant, learn to respect each other (they got off to a very rocky start when Granby was cold to Laurence because he was a friend of the officer who tried to take over Temeraire, and Laurence took offense and reacted with naval discipline) and bury the hatchet.
Soon, Temeraire is integrated into Longwing Lily's wing. They're sent off to help patrol the Channel so that one of the other, experienced Longwing squadrons can go help Lord Nelson wipe out the French navy, but they're waylaid by a sneaky French patrol. Lily is injured, but due in large part to Temeraire's fighting capabilities, the attackers are driven off and they make it safely to Dover. There they encounter Choiseul, a French defector, who is at first a valuable addition to their patrol, but he turns out to be a traitor. He first seduces Lily's captain, Harcourt, who is very young (since Lily hatched years before she was expected to), and then uses her trust to try to kidnap her. Laurence and Temeraire foil the plot and finally force a confession from him. He was actually trying to arrange to steal Temeraire, who was supposed to have gone to Bonaparte personally. Apparently, he's convinced that England will fall in a few months, and further, he's convinced that Bonaparte will execute his dragon for treason, which drives him to this mad scheme. All the dragons are very upset in sympathy with the French dragon Praecursoris when his traitor captain is hanged.
Finally, the climactic battle is set up when Martin, the slovenly dragon-abuser, returns from a scouting mission on an injured Levitas. It seems Boney's been building aerial troop transports -- huge wooden boxes that four dragons can carry a thousand men at a time across the Channel. All the naval action, and the dragons pulled away from defending England to stop Villeneuve from bringing up French naval support for a sea invasion, is a strategic diversion for the now-foiled surprise aerial invasion. Laurence is getting Temeraire's crew together, but Hollis, his ground crew chief, is with Levitas. It seems that Levitas is dying, and the lout Martin is in the club drinking. Laurence grabs Martin by the collar and forces him to give his poor dragon some praise and comfort before he dies. Laurence solves the problem of the air force having to give Marin another dragon who's just hatching by recommending Hollis for the promotion. And then the wind changes to be favorable for the invasion. With most of their heavies off with Nelson, and with the French having far more dragons than England to begin with, the English defenders are hopelessly outnumbered, but they fight bravely anyway. Temeraire manages to damage one transport, but a couple of them land, and then, suddenly, Temeraire (who has just come into his full growth) discovers that he has a breath weapon after all. He puffs up and roars and sonically smashes one of the transports out of the air. And then he goes after the flagship transport, which might even have Bonaparte himself on board, and damages it enough that the rest of the invasion force retreats, with few enough landed that they can safely be defeated. Temeraire is not actually an Imperial, he's a Celestial, meant as a personal gift from the Emperor of China to the Emperor Napoleon. This foreshadows trouble with the Chinese in the next book, because it is against the all-important Chinese custom for a Celestial (the rarest of dragons) to be anything but the companion of an emperor -- which Laurence certainly is not. But England is, apparently, safe from Napoleon for now.


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Our country continues to pressure Iran to cease development of nuclear weapons. This is an important issue for world peace. However, we continue to ignore the 17,000-plus nuclear weapons that exist worldwide and their threat to human survival.
For example, if a limited nuclear war erupted between India and Pakistan using 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs (less than 0.5 percent of existing nukes), 20 million people would die in less than one week. In addition, China would lose 31 percent of its wheat production and 15 percent of rice crops for 10 years. The U.S. would suffer 12 percent loss of corn for 10 years, all due to the 5 million tons of soot thrown into the atmosphere blocking out much sunlight.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has called for the abolishment of nuclear weapons. It joins hundreds of organizations globally calling to eliminate nuclear arsenals. How much longer can we afford to ignore their pleas?
Dan Cressman


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Bond Lotus Esprit Up For Sale
One of three remaining Lotus Esprit props used in Bond movie, 'The Spy Who Loved Me' is up for sale
There's Bond memorabilia and then there's this, one of three Lotus Esprit props used during the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me. It's not the functional sub, nicknamed Wet Nellie, that's currently being morphed into an actual functional underwater car by Tesla boss and mad genius Elon Musk. Instead it's one of six Esprit props built and used in the film, with only Musk's being a drivable underwater sub. There are three remaining in existence. This one is the retractable wheel version that appeared onscreen.
This static piece underwent a complete overhaul on the reality show American Restoration, and features the folding wheels on the left side, and the underwater fins on the right. It's been up for sale a couple of times, most notably in a 2014 eBay sale, again for $1m USD. There were no takers then for a car that was once referred to as the only Lotus that doesn't leak, so it's back on sale again. If it's still a bit rich for your tastes, look out for a big Esprit splash here in Unique Cars soon.
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Sunrises are beautiful. The optics of light bending and scattering through out atmosphere, producing layers of rich red light fading up to pale blue can be an awe-inspiring start to the day. And people love to talk about it.
This map collects any geotagged Tweets that include the word sunrise from April 6th, 2014 then lays them out on a map tracing the moving border between darkness and light on our planet. Predictably, a surge of tweets chases the retreat of darkness. More unexpectedly, the tweets also cluster along the sunset-boundary, as light fades to black. I wonder how many languages share a common word for sunrise and sunset, blurring the phenomena into a twice-a-day event?
Click over here for the animated map where you can watch sunrise progress with respect to the day-night cycle, zoom in to areas of interest, and all that jazz. I find it particularly amusing to see find the extreme early-risers celebrating a pre-dawn start to the day, or what are inevitably ironic commentary on rising at the crack of noon.
The map was created by the Twitter data visualization team using the CartoDB mapping system. This isn't the first collaboration between the two — Twitter uses CartoDB so frequently to map how hashtags move around their system that they're listed in the case studies example section.
Tip via Dr Rebecca Williams @Volcanologist. For more science-centric prettiness, here's one highlighting the Soyuz rocket, and a peek at a sunset from space.
For a far more serious use of tracking hashtag spread, here's a look at how #BringBackOurGirls spread after the April 15th mass kidnapping.


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The incredible popularity of 20 Things 20-Year-Olds Don't Get made me reflect on the many important things about taxes most taxpayers don't get. Across a huge age range and even bigger economic spectrum, we all pay taxes. Yet we may not know key points.
To help put dollars in your pocket and ease your interactions with the tax system, these are far more important to your tax health than you might think.
1. Everything is Income. The IRS taxes all income from any source, whether in cash or in kind. Lottery? Taxed. Gambling? Taxed. You name it, it's taxed. If you find a diamond ring, you pay tax on its fair market value even if you don't sell it. See Who Pays Tax On Hef's Engagement Ring Sale?
2. Forms 1099 Really Count. Those little tax forms you get in January are keyed to your Social Security number. The IRS always gets a copy. Pay attention to them---the IRS sure does. See 1099 Or W-2?
3. Beware Foreign Accounts. Foreign bank accounts may generate income but you won't receive a Form 1099. Still, reporting them is key. If balances exceed $10,000 in the aggregate any time during the year, you also must file a Treasury Form TDF 90-22.1, also known as an FBAR, separate from your tax return. These days the scrutiny is high, and how you transition from failures to report in the past is delicate. See Undisclosed Foreign Bank Accounts? They're Even More Explosive Now.
4. Hire a Representative. Handling a tax case by yourself is usually a mistake. Hire an accountant or lawyer to handle it. Even simple audits can come off the rails or extend into other areas if you aren't careful. See Should You Lawyer Up Against The IRS? You Bet.
5. Pay Taxes Later. Most tax planning involves timing. You want to accelerate tax deductions and defer tax payments, subject to constraints such as the constructive receipt doctrine. If you have a legal right to pay and say "pay me later," it's taxed now. But you can condition payment, such as refusing to sell your house or settle a lawsuit unless you are paid next year. See What To Buy And Expense Before Year End.
6. Pay Small Tax Bills. If you get a small tax bill, pay it even if the IRS is wrong. What's "small" varies, but don't risk an audit or dispute escalating by fighting over small dollars. See 5 Steps To Keep The IRS Out Of Your Hair.
7. Reply to Every IRS Letter Unless it Says Not To. This is common sense. Keep a good record. Often, fighting the IRS is about attrition. See Got A Tax Notice? Here's What To Do.
8. Don't Talk To the IRS if They Visit. If the IRS comes to your home or business, decline to speak and tell them your lawyer will call. Take their card and be polite but firm. See When IRS Criminal Agents Come Calling.
9. Don't Lie. If you say anything to the IRS, don't lie. See When IRS Criminal Agents Come Calling.
10. The IRS Can Audit for 3 Years. The usual IRS statute of limitations is 3 years after you file your return. If you understate your income by 25% or more, the IRS gets 6 years. See IRS Statute Of Limitations---Is Your Return Safe?
11. Keep Your Records for 7 Years. Tax records are important. See Keep Tax Records In The Vault!
12. Keep Your Old Tax Returns Forever. Although you can probably throw out most tax records after 6 years, keep copies of your returns themselves forever. See Tax Return Filed? Now Consider Your Records.
13. Avoid Amending Tax Returns. Don't take amending tax returns lightly. Amended returns have a high audit rate, especially if they request a refund. See 5 Simple Rules to Follow When Amending Your Tax Return.
14. You Usually Don't Have to Amend Your Return. The IRS says you "should" amend your return if you discover a mistake after it's filed. But there's no legal obligation. The only time you really must amend is if you knew at the time you filed the original return that it was false. See Five More Tips For Amending Tax Returns.
15. If You Amend, You Can't Cherry-Pick. If you decide to amend, you can't cherry-pick which items to fix. The amended return must correct everything, not just the items in your favor.
16. File Returns Even if You Can't Pay. Many taxpayers don't file on time because they don't have the tax money. They would be much better off if they filed on time. Payment can come later, and might be the subject of an IRS installment agreement. Penalties too will likely be smaller if you file on time.
17. Don't Explain Too Much. Tax returns should be concise. If an explanation or disclosure is needed, keep it succinct. See Five Must-Do Steps Before Filing Your Taxes.
18. Don't Attach Too Much. Attachments to tax returns should be limited to tax forms and, where required, plain sheets of paper listing additional deductions, income, etc. Don't attach other documents. If the IRS wants documents it will ask. See Shhh, Home Office And Other IRS Audit Trigger Secrets.
19. Be Careful With Big Refunds. Getting a refund? Consider applying it to next year's tax payments rather than asking for the cash, especially if it is large. You'll have a lower profile with an initial or amended return. See Getting A Tax Refund? Ten Things To Know.
20. Get Some Advice. Whether you need practical procedural advice about a Tax Refund Too Good To Be True? Don't Spend It, advice about Independent Contractor Or Employee: Why It Matters, or you already know why tax opinions are valuable, get some advice from someone with experience in your issue. And don't wait until the last minute.
You can reach me at firstname.lastname@example.com. This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.
I handle tax matters across the U.S. and abroad (www.WoodLLP.com), addressing tax problems, tax disputes, writing tax opinions, tax advice on legal settlements,…
I handle tax matters across the U.S. and abroad (www.WoodLLP.com), addressing tax problems, tax disputes, writing tax opinions, tax advice on legal settlements, transactions, crypto, and many other matters. You can reach me at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Elephant Chair Four Legs
A series of chairs constructed of either polyurethane or upholstered seat with four legs in chrome or lacquered. Optional seat cushion is also available. The polyurethane seat with lacquered feet version is suitable for outdoor use. Also available with slide base, wooden base, trestle base and rocking chair.
polyurethane seat - 24.5"W x 23.5"D x 33.5/17.5"H
hide seat - 25"W x 23.75"D x 34/18"H
Seat available in white, black, beige, terracotta brown, brown, olive green polyurethane. Also available in leather.
Legs available in polished chrome, satin finish or lacquered in colors to match the seat.


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On the last morning of the last day Dontrell Stephens could still walk, the 20-year-old was bicycling across Haverhill Road, talking to a friend on a cellphone.
A truck slowed as he rode against traffic.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy Adams Lin was watching schoolchildren waiting for a bus.
Later, he would say he followed Stephens to give him a traffic ticket for not bicycling properly. But he also would acknowledge he was suspicious of Stephens, whom he had not seen in the neighborhood before that morning, according to court records.
He intended to stop him, ask for identification and find out where he had come from and where he was going. He considered frisking him. But Lin, who is of Asian descent, denied racially profiling Stephens, who is black, and wore his hair in long dreadlocks.
When Stephens turned down a side road, Lin followed, stepping on the gas, turning on the siren and then the lights. He thought the way Stephens rode his bike was suspicious. He thought the way Stephens got off his bike was suspicious.
And four seconds after Lin got out of his patrol car, he shot Stephens four times, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Lin said he opened fire because Stephens was reaching in his back waistband, possibly for a gun.
There was no gun.
An internal investigation and the State Attorney's Office have both cleared Lin of the September 2013 use of force. It was a good shoot, they ruled.
But the Stephens shooting illustrates key findings identified in a joint year-long Palm Beach Post/WPTV NewsChannel 5 investigation analyzing every officer-involved shooting in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast since 2000: In roughly one of every four shootings, Palm Beach County deputies fired at unarmed suspects. The Department of Justice has criticized jurisdictions where the percentage of shootings at unarmed suspects was sharply lower. Deputies disproportionately shot at young black men, a third of whom were unarmed. Non-deadly force options, such as Tasers or batons, were seldom used prior to shooting. PBSO rarely found fault with a deputy's decision to shoot, sometimes basing its decisions on cursory or incomplete investigations.
All of those issues figured prominently in the Stephens shooting.
Because Stephens is suing, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw can't discuss the case.
In a recent interview with The Post, though, Bradshaw acknowledged policies and procedures regarding shootings can always be improved as new "best practices" are adopted.
But Bradshaw said he believes PBSO has a firm grasp on its use of lethal force. And he emphasized another belief that he also voiced in the wake of the Stephens shooting: Do what the deputy says and no will be injured.
Just what Lin told Stephens to do, though, remains up in the air. The crucial seconds before the shooting when Lin and Stephens speak to one another can't be heard on the recording from the patrol car's dashboard-mounted camera.
The gunshots can.
Trip to store for energy drink
In September 2013, Stephens had no job. He had recently served a few months in jail on a drug charge. But he also had no shortage of friends and a cousin who had offered to let him stay on her couch. He had a little brother whom he played ball with, and whose shoes he was wearing when he hopped on a borrowed bike to get an energy drink at a corner store.
Nearby, Lin was sitting in his patrol car at Haverhill, watching schoolchildren waiting for a bus.
He had worked hard to get there. PBSO's Community Policing Deputy of the Year in 2010-11, Lin had applied at several law enforcement departments in South Florida before PBSO hired him in 2004 and, after a 2007 tour in Afghanistan, welcomed him back.
Stephens said later he had probably seen the deputy before he started biking across Haverhill, holding up a cracked black flip phone while talking to a friend.
Lin saw a truck slow to avoid hitting him.
That alone warranted a citation, Lin said later. But the deputy also said he was suspicious because he caught a glimpse of Stephens' face — enough to convince him Stephens was a stranger to the neighborhood.
Stephens turned down a side street toward his friend's house.
Lin turned in after him. Believing Stephens was running away from him, he "chirped" his siren, turned on his lights and hit the gas.
When Stephens then biked between a mailbox and a fence toward his friend's house, a shortcut Lin could not easily follow in his patrol car, the deputy considered that further evidence of Stephens' intent to flee.
The dashcam video shows that Stephens looks back, then continues about 20 more feet to his friend's house, where he gets off the bike. Lin is now even more convinced that Stephens is about to take off on foot, not because he got off the bike, but because he put both feet over the same side to do so.
"The manner he stopped and got off his bicycle was consistent with someone who had run from me in the past," Lin said in a deposition: a "rolling run" where someone jumped off with both feet on one side and just kept going.
What happened next happened fast, and mostly out of sight: Lin runs from his car. The deputy is out of range of the dashcam and can't be seen. Stephens walks toward the deputy, then also disappears from the dashcam video. There is no audible recording of either.
Three seconds pass.
The audio suddenly snaps with the sound of pops. Stephens abruptly moves back into view, almost as though he is turning to run.
He isn't running. He's falling.
In his right hand, he is clutching the cellphone.
Lin walks over to him and orders him to roll over on his stomach. He maintains a shooting stance a few feet from the wounded man, until backup arrives.
"He was hiding behind the car," a clearly shaken Lin said at the scene. "I'm just giving him commands, I'm taking cover behind this car as I'm giving him commands, all of a sudden his left hand goes like this.
"He starts backing away from me and as soon as he backs away I'm like, 'Get on the ground. Get on the ground.'
"And I'm like 'Oh, s—t.' And I just threw three rounds."
Video shocks deputy
It is the description of events Lin will tell and retell. He said Stephens had nothing in either hand, reached toward his back waistband and, Lin thought, raised what looked like a gun, "a dark black object," in his left hand.
Stephens did have something in one of his hands, but it was not a gun, not in his left hand and it had been visible all along: It was his broken cellphone, seen on video as he crossed the road, as he approached his friend's house and in his right hand as he approached the deputy, arms at his side.
Lin later would say he was shocked to see the phone when he reviewed the video recording.
Without specifically discussing the Lin case, Bradshaw points out that video doesn't always accurately reflect everything that is going on. Dashcams are OK, he said, "but they're not the whole ballgame."
Still, it's a crucial point. The shooting could be ruled justified whether Stephens had a gun or not, as long as Lin had good reason to believe he was about to be shot or killed.
Courts have ruled that reaching for a gun — or even what appears to be a gun — after being commanded to stop moving can give an officer a valid reason to use lethal force.
But no one can hear what Lin commanded or what Stephens said. And if Stephens had nothing in his left hand and an identifiable cellphone in his right, as the video indicates, the rationale for shooting him is weakened.
Written reports clearing Lin by PBSO and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office don't address those discrepancies, and neither questions whether the armed pursuit of a bicyclist who had impeded one vehicle was appropriate.
Although Stephens never touched Lin, PBSO initially wrote up Stephens for criminally assaulting the deputy who shot him. That charge was later changed to refusing to obey a lawful order.
Stephens' suit against PBSO and Lin is pending.
Lin was cleared to return to duty four days after the shooting. He remains with PBSO and has taught community policing and officer safety.
And though he regrets Stephens' injuries, the deputy said in a deposition that he would take the same shot again.
"What he (Stephens) did to me that day is what his choice was," Lin said. "He decided to reach with his left hand and pointed at me like it was a gun.
"I saw a black object. I'm not going to wait for a muzzle flash to show in my face. I'm not going to be behind the eight ball."
Tribune Content Agency


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October 17, 2013
Organizers of the Baldwin City Maple Leaf Festival have found craft and food booths draw crowds and crowds draw craft and food vendors. Larger Sunday crowds have help boost festival attendance and business for 300 booths at the event.
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Build 18 and a half inch Calves by Carl Richford – 1972
Edited by: Strength Oldschool
Just as many classic books seem to contain the wisdom of the ages, so bodybuilding wisdom seems to have been around for a long time, if only people were willing to apply it. There are no new and sensational result producers. Just the same old stuff, sometimes in new packages.
The occasion for this comment is my return to training after three years being busy with other things. One of the areas I've never had any trouble developing was my calves, so that is one of the things I'm conscious of in other bodybuilders. And sure enough, the No. 1 bodybuilding specimen in the gym I'm now training in has a Mr. America upper body and calves like lollypops. So, he cleans up all the local contests and blows it at anything regional or above.
Why? Same reason now as 20 or 10 years ago. Calves are easy to develop if you are willing to stop and analyze their function, impossible to develop if you mess around as most bodybuilders do.
[Pic above:] The Calves of Arnold Schwarzenegger
A typical calf man, fresh from his 300-pound bench press, figures he'll really pile on the weight on that old calf machine, and this will develop his calves. Meanwhile, he usually uses about one-third of the range of motion of the calf…and can you see anyone developing a chest with one-third bench presses? Furthermore, he slouches his back bends his knees, leans forward…all three factors combining to take the force of the weight off the calves and distribute it throughout the body. Just like a fellow doing reverse-grip cleans and calling them biceps curls. How many top bodybuilders do you know who train with one-third bench presses or reverse-grip cleans?? Well?
Come on, you can admit it ….everybody does it. Most bodybuilders do not apply a full range of motion or isolation to their calf exercises. With these body parts, as with all others in the body, correct exercise form comes first and weight second. That's why Art Jones' machines are good…they force you to use correct exercise motion.
[Pic above:] The Massive Calves of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Well, to get back to calves, let me describe the common way of doing calves, and the right way. Most bodybuilders use a calf block that is too low and therefore get a limited range of motion because their heel contacts the floor before they can get a full stretch at the bottom or the movement. The average bodybuilder piles on too much weight, uses a calf machine with bowed and slouched back, and unlocks his knees and bounces through a very limited range of motion. With the knees locked and weight directly over the calf (more on this later), begin with the foot at maximum height, heel as far up as you can go. Then, go down through a full range of motion, so the heel touches the floor each and every rep. My foot is 11 inches long (I'm 6′ 2″ and it is 8 inches from the ball on my foot, which is on the block, to the end of the heel. The block I use is 6 inches high. A good rule of thumb is that the block should be at least half as long as your foot. This may sound like a lot, but simply because you haven't tried it yet.
[Pic above:] Bodybuilding Legend Harold Poole
Here is a recommended training routine to get the maximum from your calves. As for myself, I train for health mainly, rather than any contest. I did get my calves up to 18 1/2 inches while training for a while with Harold Poole, but I maintain now a 17 1/2 inch calf with a little light stretching twice a week. And, that's cold in the morning, not after pumping up.
Exercise No. 1: To get your calf used to this stretching, start out by first using the proper-height block, and simply stretching your foot downward, first one leg then the other. For your first workout, simply do this, for your calves will be quite sore afterwards. Second workout, simply do the same; go up as high as you can, the down to maximum. Do several sets of stretches, alternating feet.
Exercise No. 2: Once you are used to this, begin a regular calf exercise of one-legged calf raises. Simply hook one foot around the other ankle, and then do 3 sets of 10 reps, maximum stretch up and touch your heel to the floor each and every rep. Build up to 4-5 sets of 10-12 reps, remembering at all times that form is the number one essential in this exercise and that any cheating or adding weight or sloppy form is out. After you can do it correctly at all times, then and only then may you hold a light dumbbell in the other hand, for added weight. Remember at all times also to keep the knees locked and back upright.
Exercise No. 3: If you have done No.1 and No.2 properly and have not been just fooling around you should get both improved size and shape for a number of months. the calf development should be low and full.
[Pic above:] Donkey Calf Raises
If at this time you think you need more, go on to the Donkey Calf Raise. Again use the high block, again keep the knees locked at all times, again have the weight over the calves, making sure you place your training partner back on the hips, not on the small of your back. Again, the point of this exercise is how you do it, not how much weight you use. If you train alone a variation of the Donkey Calf Raise can also be done on the vertical leg press machine by lying on your back and doing toe presses against the foot platform .If you do it properly, you will get very real and very sensational calf gains. If you horse around with improper form, you will not…it's as simple as that.
Additional exercises: do not even consider doing exercises on the calf machine. The calf machine encourages poor form in a large variety of ways. You have to bend forward, slouching your back and thus taking the force of the weight off your calves. It also tips your body forward, encourages bending the knees, and sets you at a poor angle for properly and fully flexing and extending the muscle. The only other exercise worthwhile is running. Regular jogging, for distance, will help you increase calf size, not to mention burn off fat and help the thighs also.
A comment on this article by a Strength Oldschool fan...
" Carl Richford begins this article by revealing, "One of the areas I've never had any trouble developing was my calves…."
I'm 59, and have been a lifelong-drug-free bodybuilder since 1972 when I began at age 16. I'm extremely thin-boned in my legs for my height (7.875″ ankles at 5'8″ height) with very short calf bellies (meaning I have longer-than-average Achilles tendons connecting shorter-than-average gastrocnemius and soleus bodies). I have below-average calf genetics. So, I've always had to fight to build calf mass proportionate for my frame.
I have no doubt that Richford was sincere when he advised what he did for building calves, but, fact is, his ideas are next to useless for most people needing to build mass. The methods worked for him because, as his beginning statement evidences, he was born with good calf genetics. His calves therefore responded to methods which WON'T work for many if not most people, with average or below-average calf genetics.
I know this from personal experience. In my forty years — yes, FORTY years — of seeking more calf size, I experimented for long periods with various methods. I agree with Carl that correct form is important (primarily in NOT rebounding from the bottom position of a rep off the spring of the Achilles tendons, and, in using controlled reps up, top, down, and at bottom). But I disagree with Carl that bodyweight calf work works for the average guy.
Among my various efforts for calves through the decades, I've used bodyweight-only one-legged calf raises like he described, starting with similar reps and sets, for three days in each seven days. I actually progressed up to workouts of multiple sets of as many as 55 (fifty-five) reps in the first set, 40 reps the next set, 25 the third set, etcetera. After six months, my calves had grown ZERO.
My advice, after forty years of studying, listening, observing, and personal experimentating , is to TRY Richford's methods for four months (I'm assuming here a healthy man who's about age 19 who has already put in at least one full year of consistent, progressive training on basic compound movements, with proper eating and rest, but who realizes his calves are lagging) ; if after four months no significant results come, then, Richford's methods won't work for your genetics.
For most drug-free guys with average or worse calf genetics, the only possibility of adding substantial calf mass is HEAVY WEIGHT on that very calf machine Richford dismisses.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good example of someone (who even actually HAD above-average calf genetic potential) who built proportionate calf size by using massive poundages — Reg Park advised Arnold to use the heavy poundage method, because heavy poundages are what Park himself had used to build his calves. . Arnold took Park's advice and immediately began using 600 lbs for standing calf machine raises; Arnold progressed to using over 1,000 lbs in order to add the calf mass he became known for having. Arnold used Donkey raises too — but, again, HEAVY ones, with TWO 200+ guys sitting on his back.
People with excellent calf genetics such as Richford can gain from the methods Richford describes, but, most can't, especially not guys with average or below-average calf genetics. So, sure, give Richford's methods a try, but, if you get little or no results after a solid four months, realize his methods won't work for your genes. Give progressively heavy calf machine raises a try. The average guy can progress to at least 600 lbs.calf raises for multiple sets of 12-20 over a couple of years of gradual poundage increase. " ~ Joe Santus
** Voice your own comments below on Calf Training on what you think works and doesn't work.
Keep training hard,
Strength Oldschool


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We've all done it.
We all did it. History suggests, we'll do it again. We cleaned out our cupboards of junk food. We joined a gym, group fitness class, Jazzercise, or any other great New Year's commitments. We bought new gym clothes, protein shakes, fat burners, awesome leg warmers and some new headphones, because you really want to be in the zone. We talked ourselves up and now it's time. We are here and right about to reach that moment when our resolve may start to fade.
"So what do I do!?" you ask. Well, you read this blog for starters. Then you come to the realization that a healthy lifestyle requires a full-blown behavioral change. Changing your behavior is a good deal tougher than wearing your shiny new shorts, but you knew that. It's why you're still reading, right?
Understanding Your Goal
First, it is important to acknowledge that meeting a goal or changing behavior is not all about "will-power." Instead, it's about truly understanding your goal, being realistic about the steps it will take to achieve, and understanding that there will be bumps along the path.
Let's look at your goal. Make sure you know what your goal really is. You might think you want to lose 10 pounds, for example.
But ask yourself: "Why?"
- Is it that you want to fit in clothes you bought last year?
- Or is it that you want to like what you see in the mirror when you're naked in the bathroom?
- Do you want to feel differently?
- How will your life be different if you accomplish this goal?
- Do you think that losing weight will result in having more confidence, more energy, less pain in your knees or your back?
Be clear. Then, rephrase your goal to most accurately express what you really want.
Now ask:
- How will you know when you have reached your goal?
- Is there a way to measure your success? Losing weight is easy to measure. How happy you are or how much more energy you have might be harder to quantify, but think about it.
- Will you be heading to the gym more regularly (3 days/week instead of one)?
- Will you be waking up refreshed in the morning instead of having to drag yourself grudgingly out of bed every day?
- Will you call friends more often to make plans or accept a proposal to go out on a date?
Next let's look at the steps you will need to take to accomplish your clearly expressed goal. It is important to take small steps - ones that will allow you to be successful as you move along the path toward your goal.
Taking the necessary steps.
Step 1: Pick one small change you can make that will send you in the right direction. It could be as small as packing your lunch one day a week if you go out to lunch all the time, or it could be deciding to add a fourth day to your current gym regimen of 3 days/week. If you can make this one change and keep it up for several weeks, then add another small change. If not, look at what challenged you and adjust your goal to something smaller, easier, or more relevant to your actual desired outcome and values. You want to set a goal you can accomplish so that you will experience success and be motivated to continue on your journey. Slowly, many small shifts in your behavior will result in more noticeable and lasting change.
Step 2: If you stumble, get up! Get over it and get back on track! I'll tell you a secret. Your personal trainer eats cake. Your dietician drinks beer. Your accountant loses receipts. The point is that no one is perfect in anything that they do. Ask Peyton Manning how his record-breaking season ended up if you want a good example. The point is you look at what you did, ask yourself if the outcome was worth it, and make a more educated decision the next time a challenge presents itself.
Step 3: If you have a plan, stick to it. If you don't have a plan, get one. If you don't know where to get a plan, ask for help: Everything we learn in life we learn from someone else. We, more or less, spend our lives replicating things we have seen or heard others doing. It's not a bad thing - the more we see the more we learn. So, find someone to teach you how to stay on the right track. Instead of trying and stumbling, go ask a fitness professional. Your membership came with two free personal training sessions, so go use them this week.
Step 4: Overcoming a "Relapse": In any behavior change endeavor, you will encounter challenges and you will sometimes revert to your old habits. Recognize that this is a normal part of the process. It is more helpful to forgive yourself your transgression than to berate yourself for a perceived failure. If you eat something you decided you wouldn't or miss a day at the gym, rather than giving up on your goal, remind yourself of what it is you are trying to accomplish and why, and start fresh the next day.


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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — If you love Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith and want to support a good cause, you may want to consider buying his new T-shirt.
Local printing company Maryland Screen Printers has designed a Torrey Smith shirt. Proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund in memory of his younger brother, Tevin Jones.
Jones was killed in a motorcycle accident last Sunday.
The shirt hit store racks Thursday.


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Summer activities!
Having had a great time in Burgundy with Swing Shift, I had a few days in Varna, Bulgaria and a week playing piano at a jazz summer school in the Loire. Both great.
Having fitted all this around folk gigs at Horsham, Patching, Brighton Blind Veterans (an amazing place on the hill) and the wettest gig ever at poor Ansty's summer fete (yes, it was Bank Holiday Monday), I then sang the last two Eastbourne bandstand gigs.
Then I was unexpectedly offered a gig with Lightning Mike Pappenheim and the boys at the Empress, Littlehampton and have just done a barn dance with the Village Band at the Baptists church in Worthing.
A busy month ahead with the Village Band and an opportunity to meet up with old college mates on 4th October at the Star in Steyning, where I am sitting in for Peter Rhodes, their resident pianist.


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Overall context
Two broad trends have been seen on central London's roads over the last eight years: a significant reduction in motor traffic and a significant rise in cycling. Motor traffic in central London has fallen by around 17% per cent since 2006/07. Along the Superhighway route, the reduction has been greater, with motor traffic levels falling by 24% since 2006. However traffic flows in central London have stabilised in the last year.
Cycling in London has more than doubled in the last decade. Bikes now make up around a quarter of rush hour traffic in central London - but there are few special routes or facilities for them.
This scheme aims to allocate road space more in line with the actual usage of the road network. At present, around 50% of all traffic going across Blackfriars Bridge in the morning period is cyclists. The great majority of the road space would still be for motorists but part would be reallocated to cyclists. It aims to reduce conflict between cyclists and motor vehicles and to provide safer, more comfortable journeys for cyclists.
However, there are impacts – both benefits and disadvantages - for other users, which this document describes in more detail. The information is accompanied by a table of data here. The numbers included in the text below are taken from column D, showing the difference between the current situation on–street and the situation expected if the scheme were to be implemented. Column B outlines the expected situation by December 2016 if the scheme were not built, taking account of the impact of other schemes planned for delivery by this date.
Pedestrians and environment
There would be a net increase of over 3,000 square metres of pedestrian space – widened footway, traffic islands and bus stops - along the route.
New street furniture and planting, including nine new benches and 38 new trees would create a more pleasant and pedestrian-friendly boulevard environment on Blackfriars Road. There will be a wide central island, with some of the new trees on it, separating the traffic and the cycle lane, shifting traffic noise and fumes further from pedestrians on the western pavement.
A number of changes would be made to pedestrian crossings, which collectively would offer significant safety improvements for pedestrians crossing at those points. Six crossings would be shortened. Three crossings are currently two-stage (requiring pedestrians to wait in the middle of the road); these would become one-stage to allow pedestrians to cross in a single movement. Pedestrian countdown would be installed at 12 signalised crossings along the route and there would be 10 new traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings. Signal timings would be altered at some existing crossings, which would increase the time pedestrians wait to cross the road by up to 24 seconds in some locations.
General traffic (excluding buses)
There would be longer journeys for motor vehicles at the busiest times of day on this route, and for some roads which cross the route.
The traffic modelling analysis looks at journey times at the busiest single hour in the morning and evening peaks. The model assumes that traffic volumes in central London will remain at current levels. Traffic in central London has fallen over the last eight years, though it has recently stabilised. It also includes the impact of the advanced traffic signal management programme which will change signal phasing to more effectively regulate the flow of traffic into central London.
Travelling northbound from Elephant & Castle to Farringdon Station, average journey time in the morning peak would rise by 41 seconds, from 11 minutes 28 seconds to 12 minutes 9 seconds. In the evening, in the same direction, journey times would increase from 10 minuets 56 seconds to 15 minutes 12 seconds. Travelling southbound from Farringdon Station to Elephant & Castle, average journey time in the morning peak would rise from 10 minutes 50 seconds to 14 minutes 43 seconds. This journey in the evening would increase slightly from 12 minutes 17 seconds to 14 minutes 20 seconds.
We have also modelled a journey for general traffic between Stamford Street and Queen Victoria Street. Journeys for general traffic starting on Stamford Street and travelling north over Blackfriars Bridge to Queen Victoria Street would increase from 3 minutes 45 seconds to 15 minutes 43 seconds in the morning, and from 3 minutes 20 seconds to 12 minutes 41 seconds in the evening. Much of this increased journey time would be on Stamford Street itself, approaching the junction with Blackfriars Road. Journeys heading south in the opposite direction would be quicker by 2 minutes 11 seconds in the morning and by 1 minute 41 seconds in the evening.
We plan to further reduce journey time delays using a number of other techniques which we successfully used during the Olympic Games. These include:
The figures given above do not include the effects of these further techniques. However, experience of pilot schemes suggests they could be of substantial help in further reducing journey time impacts.
Parking and loading
Although there would be a 45 metre reduction in parking for general traffic, there would be an additional 90 metres of dedicated loading bay and an additional 6 metres of motorcycling parking.
Traffic modelling has been undertaken for four bus routes which go through the scheme area and which broadly represent the impact of the scheme on bus journeys.
A new bus gate on Westminster Bridge Road would help minimise delays on bus routes 12, 53, 148, 453 and C10 heading southeast along London Road towards Elephant and Castle.
Where there are negative impacts on journey times for bus routes impacted by the scheme, a programme of work is being developed to save time elsewhere along the affected route by addressing delays and giving priority to buses at certain pinch-points. Floating or "island" bus stops would be provided for TfL bus stops where these stops area alongside the cycle track.
Broader public transport benefit
The cycle superhighway would have a capacity of around 3000 cyclists an hour in both directions. This is the equivalent of the capacity of 10 London Underground trainloads (based on seating capacity) or around two and a half trainloads (based on crush-standing capacity). Adding this new capacity to London's transport network provides a viable alternative transport option for those making journeys north-south through the city.
Explanatory note on accompanying traffic modelling data table
TfL has used traffic modelling techniques to calculate the expected journey time changes on certain routes through the scheme area at the busiest hour in both the morning and evening peak. The data table outlines the expected journey times through three modelled stages;
The data table includes information for two sample routes through the scheme area for general traffic, four bus routes which go through the scheme area to represent the impact of the scheme on bus journeys, one cycling route along the Cycle Superhighway route and five example pedestrian crossings.
Further detailed modelling information is available on request by emailing your requirements and contact details to email@example.com.
Complementary Measures
The impacts calculated through the traffic models do not take account of a range of additional complementary measures that would have beneficial impacts on journey times for buses and general traffic.
Click here to go to the main North-South Cycle Superhighway page


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The UC College of Medicine, founded in 1819 by medical pioneer Daniel Drake, MD, is one of the oldest medical schools in the nation.
From graduate degrees to continuing education, the college offers a broad spectrum of educational opportunities.
The UC College of Medicine is continuing its upward path in cutting-edge research to enhance discovery sciences and facilitate translation of these discoveries to improve health and clinical care while recruiting new faculty. The new undergraduate program fosters scientific curiosity and investigation for our students. We are creating an environment of advanced clinical care that surpasses any in the region.
The College of Medicine features 26 academic departments, offering clinical, education and research opportunities.
The UC Cancer Center focuses on disease-based centers of excellence to offer a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care, education and research.
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The UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute builds upon its nationally known cardiovascular diseases discoveries to make significant contributions to research, education and patient care.
The Center for Integrative Health and Wellness promotes the value of treating the whole person and works to provide evidence-based wellness initiatives across the Academic Health Center and into the community through education, research and clinical care.
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Saundra Regan, PhD
Research Division Director


text: Back & Neck Pain Nucleus Pulposus and How It Helps Your Spine By Anne Asher, CPT facebook linkedin Anne Asher, ACE-certified personal trainer, health coach, and orthopedic exercise specialist, is a back and neck pain expert. Learn about our editorial process Anne Asher, CPT Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Grant Hughes, MD on July 26, 2016 linkedin Grant Hughes, MD, is board-certified in rheumatology and is the head of rheumatology at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Learn about our Medical Review Board Grant Hughes, MD Updated on January 29, 2020 Print More in Back & Neck Pain Symptoms Causes & Risk Factors Diagnosis Treatment Living With Prevention Exercise Spinal Conditions Most of us are not interested in the details of our spinal anatomy until we get injured. The nucleus pulposus is one such anatomical detail. It normally stays out of our awareness, living between two vertebrae, where it plays a major role in providing the spine with shock absorption during movement. It is one of the design features that prevents, or at least reduces the possibility of, an injury, or the pain that could otherwise come with bone on bone contact. PixologicStudio / Getty Images What Is the Nucleus Pulposus? Okay, maybe your interest is piqued. What is this nucleus pulposus? The answer is, it's part of the intervertebral disc. The nucleus pulposus is the soft filling located in the center of the disc. It is contained by a strong covering consisting of 3 concentric layers of tough fibrous tissue. The covering is called the annulus fibrosus. Nucleus Pulposus as Shock Absorber The intervertebral disc is regarded by most experts as a shock-absorbing cushion that lives between adjacent spinal bones. But without the centralized nucleus pulposus, this shock absorption function is greatly diminished. The intervertebral disc moves as you move. For example, when you arch your back, the disc migrates forward a bit; when you twist, the disc twists, too. The strong outer fibers of the annulus fibrosus have the effect of packaging the nucleus pulposus and keeping it safely inside. But it's the nucleus that allows the disc to be so moveable, and to respond to your movement with movement of its own. Spinal Action Your spinal movements are supported by the water balloon-like shape and consistency of the disc, which in large part is due to the characteristics of the nucleus pulposus. When you bend, twist, arch or tilt your spine, the nucleus is busy doing something similar to a swiveling action. which allows it to accommodate these actions. Let's take the example of bending forward to pick something up from the floor. This action may involve a motion called forward spinal flexion, which is basically rounding over at the spine. When you bend forward this way, the spinal bones come closer together in front, which pushes the movable nucleus toward the back. Many times per day, the repeated spinal actions of twisting, tilting, arching, rounding, etc. contribute to activities with which you are likely intimately acquainted. The shortlist includes shifting your position while you sit, working out and playing sports, unloading groceries and putting them in the fridge, and much more. Disc Injury With persistent or excessive spinal flexion, the disc may be pushed too far back. If the fibers of the annulus fibrosus are weak or torn, the nucleus may escape between them. When it does, it may come into contact with the nearby spinal nerve root, causing pain and other symptoms. This injury is called a herniated disc. Generally, the nucleus pulposus will escape in a combination side and back direction, which approximately corresponds to the location of the very sensitive nerve root with which it may come into contact. The two most common causes of a disc herniation are degenerative changes in the disc, which you may know as wear and tear, and trauma to the disc. Disc degeneration occurs with age; it weakens the fibers of the annulus, allowing the nucleus to either distend or bulge, or to herniate. Aging and the Nucleus Pulposus As mentioned above, disc degeneration tends to come with age. It also accompanies, to a lesser extent, injuries to the area. In young people, the nucleus pulposus is made mostly of water. So for this age group, a herniation due to trauma is more likely than in older people. But as we get older, the disc, especially the nucleus pulposus dries out. This dehydration leads to a significant loss of disc height. By the time you're 60 or 70, your discs may be composed entirely of fiber. In this case, the shock absorption function of the disc is, for the most part, lost. A Word From Verywell The near-liquid consistency of the nucleus fibrosis makes it responsive indeed. But another function one of its functions is to buoy the spine; this helps prevent pressure on the bones. A good rule of thumb when protecting your discs from injury on a day to day basis is to do your best to avoid forward spinal bending. Many times, you can replace that particular movement by bending at your hips, knees, and ankles. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Massa, R., et. al. Herniation, Disc. NCBI Bookshelf. Oct 2017.


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High complementarity between plant microRNAs (miRNAs) and their messenger RNA targets is thought to cause silencing, prevalently by endonucleolytic cleavage. We have isolated Arabidopsis mutants defective in miRNA action. Their analysis provides evidence that plant miRNA–guided silencing has a widespread translational inhibitory component that is genetically separable from endonucleolytic cleavage. We further show that the same is true of silencing mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) populations. Translational repression is effected in part by the ARGONAUTE proteins AGO1 and AGO10. It also requires the activity of the microtubule-severing enzyme katanin, implicating cytoskeleton dynamics in miRNA action, as recently suggested from animal studies. Also as in animals, the decapping component VARICOSE (VCS)/Ge-1 is required for translational repression by miRNAs, which suggests that the underlying mechanisms in the two kingdoms are related.
MicroRNAs are 20- to 24-nucleotide (nt) RNAs that regulate eukaryotic gene expression posttranscriptionally. Bound to ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins, miRNAs guide RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) to partly or fully complementary mRNAs (1). Two modes of negative regulation by RISC exist: (i) translational repression, sometimes coupled to accelerated mRNA decay, and (ii) RISC-catalyzed endonucleolytic mRNA cleavage ("slicing"). The degree of miRNA-mRNA complementarity is a key determinant of the mechanism used, such that perfect complementarity enables cleavage, whereas central mismatches exclude slicing to promote translational repression (2, 3). Unlike most animal miRNAs, most plant miRNAs show near-perfect or perfect complementarity to their targets, and slicing is believed to be their predominant, or exclusive, mode of action (4). Accordingly, Arabidopsis AGO1 binds miRNAs and displays slicer activity toward miRNA targets, and strong ago1 loss-of-function mutants overaccumulate miRNA target transcripts (5–7). Nonetheless, many questions regarding miRNA-RISC composition, loading, and target identification persist, mostly because AGO1 remains the only factor known to be implicated in plant miRNA action. It is also unclear whether near-perfect complementarity within plant miRNA–target pairs actually excludes translational inhibition, as is commonly inferred, or whether it allows slicing to occur in addition to translational inhibition.
To address these issues, we carried out a forward genetic screen for Arabidopsis mutants defective in silencing of a constitutively expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) mRNA containing a miR171 target site immediately downstream of the stop codon (Fig. 1A) (8). In seedlings, GFP is silenced by endogenous miR171, except in the vasculature and in the roots where miR171 expression is low (8). Twenty-one recessive mutants defective in miR171-guided silencing were identified by gain of GFP expression in leaves (Fig. 1B); none had mutations in the miR171 target site. Eight nonallelic mutants showing consistently higher GFP expression than the parental line GFP171.1 [wild type (WT)] after two backcrosses (fig. S1) were studied in further detail.
mbd and mad mutants. Two mutants (class I) had strongly reduced levels of several miRNAs and were referred to as microRNA biogenesis deficient (mbd1 and mbd2) (fig. S1 and Fig. 1C). miRNA biogenesis in Arabidopsis involves processing of primary miRNA transcripts by a nuclear-localized complex of DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1), the double-stranded RNA binding protein HYL1, and the zinc finger protein SE. Excised miRNA/miRNA* duplexes are then stabilized through HEN1-catalyzed 2′-O-methylation [reviewed in (9)]. A G-to-A transition in mbd1 (renamed dcl1-12) disrupts a splice donor site in the DCL1 gene, which strongly reduces the accumulation of correctly spliced DCL1 mRNA (fig. S1). mbd2 (renamed hen1-7) has a missense mutation resulting in a Gly-to-Glu change in the HEN1 S-adenosyl methionine–binding motif, which is predicted to abolish small RNA methylation (fig. S1). The remaining six mutants exhibited normal miRNA levels and were classified as microRNA action deficient mad1 to mad6 (Fig. 1C). mad1 to mad6 showed low miR160* accumulation, indicating intact strand separation and miRNA* degradation (Fig. 1C). All mad mutants map to loci not previously implicated in RNA silencing (table S1). Thus, our screen identifies known miRNA biogenesis genes and unknown factors required for miRNA action.
Two classes of mad mutants. Because miR171 is perfectly complementary to its target site and guides slicing (8, 10), GFP mRNA levels were expected to be elevated in mad mutants as compared with WT plants. Indeed, dcl1-12, hen1-7, and mad1 to mad4 mutants exhibited higher levels of GFP mRNA and protein than WT plants, whereas the mRNA and protein levels of the non-miRNA target Hsc70 were unchanged (Fig. 2, A and B). The elevated GFP mRNA levels resulted from defective slicing, because the ratios of GFP full-length mRNA to GFP 3′-cleavage fragments were higher than in WT plants (fig. S1). By contrast, mad5 and mad6 mutants had low GFP mRNA levels similar to those in WT plants, yet had much higher GFP protein levels (Fig. 2, A and B, and fig. S1). The overaccumulation of GFP protein was specifically due to defective miR171-directed repression because an mRNA lacking the miR171 target site (GFPno miR) produced similar GFP levels in mad5, mad6, and WT plants (Fig. 2C). Accordingly, accumulation of the non-miRNA targets RbcS, HSC70 (Fig. 2B), and CDC2A (fig. S1) was unchanged in the two mutants as compared with WT plants. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses of representative mutants revealed that mad1 and mad3 overaccumulate endogenous transcripts known to be targeted by miRNAs other than miR171, whereas little or no difference was observed in mad5 (Fig. 2D). These data indicate that mad1→mad4 mutants carry lesions in genes required for miRNA-guided transcript degradation (class II mutants). By contrast, miRNA-guided slicing occurs normally in mad5 and mad6 (class III mutants), yet both fail to silence the synthetic GFP171.1 target at the protein level. We propose that the low GFP accumulation in the transgenic line GFP171.1 is due to at least two distinct mechanisms mediated by the perfectly complementary miR171: (i) slicing leading to reduced transcript levels and (ii) inhibition of protein production from the remaining unsliced mRNAs. We further propose that class III mutants are specifically defective in the second process.
Widespread translational repression by plant miRNAs. Many plant miRNAs, including miR171, target mRNAs within coding sequences, whereas most animal miRNA sites are located in 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs). Moreover, SPL3—one of only two examples of plant mRNAs translationally repressed by miRNAs—is targeted in the 3′UTR (11–13). Consequently, a concern was that the strong effects on protein levels might have been a result of the artificial miR171 target site position in the 3′UTR of GFP171.1, which, moreover, is a constitutively expressed transgene. Therefore, we compared mRNA and protein accumulation of several endogenous miRNA targets, representing all possible target site locations within mRNAs [5′UTR, coding sequence (CDS), and 3′UTR]: two transcription factors targeted by evolutionarily conserved miRNAs (SCL6-IV/miR171/CDS and SPL3/miR156/3′UTR), three stress-related genes also targeted by conserved miRNAs (CSD1/miR398/5′UTR, CSD2/miR398/CDS, and APS1/miR395/CDS), and one target of a nonconserved miRNA known only in Arabidopsis (CIP4/miR834/CDS).
mad5 and mad6 mutants displayed increased protein levels from all these target transcripts. By contrast, both mutants accumulated WT mRNA levels of SCL6-IV, SPL3, CIP4, CSD1, and CSD2 (Fig. 3, A to C and E), although elevated CSD2 mRNA levels were detected in one of three experiments (fig. S2). mad6, but not mad5, also consistently showed about fourfold higher APS1 mRNA levels (fig. S2). Accumulation of miR171, miR156, and miR398 was unchanged or slightly increased in class III mutants as compared with WT plants (Figs. 2A and 3C), whereas miR395 and miR834 were below the detection limit of Northern analyses (14, 15). Overaccumulation of CSD1 and CSD2, as compared with that in WT plants, was observed in mutant seedlings grown under low Cu(II) availability, allowing miR398 accumulation but not in the presence of high Cu(II) levels, which prevents miR398 expression [Fig. 3, C and D (16)]. The correlation between presence of miR398 and deregulation of its targets indicates that class III mutants are specifically affected in miRNA-guided regulation. We note that dcl1-12 did not exhibit much stronger overaccumulation of CSD1 and SPL3 protein as compared with that observed in mad5 and mad6, despite clear reduction of the corresponding miR398 and miR156 levels. We conclude that (i) translational repression is a widespread mode of plant miRNA action, irrespective of the degree of complementarity or location of target sites within mRNAs; (ii) this process can be genetically uncoupled from miRNA-directed slicing, as in mad5 and mad6; and (iii) certain plant miRNAs exhibiting perfect or near-perfect complementarity to a single target site can repress mRNA expression predominantly at the translation level.
MAD5 encodes the microtubule-severing enzyme KATANIN. Positional cloning showed that mad5 carries a G-to-A transition in the start codon of KTN1 (Arabidopsis Genome Initiative number: AT1G80350), causing strongly reduced KTN1 protein levels (Fig. 4A). KTN1 encodes the P60 subunit of the microtubule-severing enzyme KATANIN. Transformation of mad5 with a genomic KTN1 fragment (17) restored GFP171.1 silencing (Fig. 4, A and B). Molecular analyses of three previously characterized ktn1 mutant alleles—fra2, lue1, and erh3-3—showed that each overaccumulates CSD2 and SPL3 proteins without corresponding increases in mRNA levels (Fig. 4C). These results demonstrate that MAD5 is allelic to KTN1. Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)–dependent microtubule severing is the only known function of KTN1, and because the mutant ktn1 protein produced in erh3-3 (Fig. 4C) carries a missense mutation in the ATP binding site (18, 19), our data suggest that microtubule dynamics play a role in miRNA-guided translational inhibition but not in miRNA-guided cleavage.
Requirement of the mRNA decapping factor VCS. Components of the decapping complex—DCP1, DCP2, and Ge-1—are required for miRNA-guided translational repression in animals (20). Mutations in Arabidopsis DCP1, DCP2, and the Ge-1 homolog VCS are lethal in ecotype Col-0, but as-yet-unidentified modifier loci in ecotype Ler suppress seedling lethality of decapping-deficient vcs alleles (21, 22). To test whether plant miRNA–guided translational repression involves components similar to those required in animals, we examined these mutant alleles for miRNA target accumulation. Our analysis included both the homozygous, viable vcs-1 in Ler, and heterozygous individuals of the seedling-lethal vcs-7 mutant in Col-0.
vcs-1 mutants exhibited elevated levels of SPL3, SCL6-IV, and CIP4 protein with little or no increase in corresponding mRNA levels (Fig. 5A). No effect was observed on CSD1 and CSD2 protein levels (fig. S3). The vcs-7 mutation was dominant at the molecular level, despite the recessive seedling lethality phenotype. Thus, vcs-7 heterozygotes showed overaccumulation of SPL3 and SCL6-IV proteins (fig. S3). In addition, as compared with WT plants, vcs-7 heterozygotes showed CSD2 protein overaccumulation under low Cu(II) availability, without increases in CSD2 mRNA levels (Fig. 5B). The increased protein levels of miRNA targets in vcs mutants were the result of defective miRNA action, because (i) non-miRNA targets (Hsc70, CDC2A) accumulated normally in vcs mutants (fig. S3); (ii) CSD2 overaccumulation in vcs-7 correlated with the presence of miR398 (Fig. 5B); and (iii) upon introgression into the GFP171.1 line, but not into the GFPno miR line (both in accession C24), vcs-7 led to increased GFP protein accumulation in seedlings (Fig. 5, C and D). We conclude that, as in animals, the decapping component VCS is required for miRNA-guided translational repression in plants.
Involvement of AGO1 and AGO10. Next, we asked what AGO protein(s) might be responsible for miRNA-guided translational repression in plants. Four of 10 Arabidopsis AGO proteins play established roles in small RNA–directed functions: AGO4 and AGO6 mediate DNA methylation, and AGO7 is involved in biosynthesis of some trans-acting siRNAs, whereas AGO1 can function as a miRNA-guided slicer [reviewed in (9)]. AGO2, AGO5, and AGO7 do not interact with most miRNAs (23, 24). Mutations in AGO10/PNH/ZLL—the closest paralog of AGO1—have been isolated based on their defective shoot apical meristem phenotype (25). ago1 and ago10 mutants show overlapping developmental defects, and strong alleles are synthetically lethal, suggesting their involvement in similar pathways (26). To test the possible role of AGO10 in translational repression, we used the frameshift ago10 mutant allele, zll-15 (ecotype Ler). CSD2 mRNA levels were slightly higher in zll-15 than in WT plants, but CSD2 protein levels were disproportionately higher under low Cu(II) availability (Fig. 6A). CSD2 overaccumulation correlated with the presence of miR398 [as conditioned by Cu(II) availability], and the non-miRNA targets Hsc70 and CDC2A were unaffected, which suggests that this effect is miRNA-dependent (fig. S3). SCL6-IV also showed elevated protein levels in zll-15, with SCL6-IV mRNA and miR171 accumulation remaining unchanged (Fig. 6A). The levels of SPL3 were unaffected in zll-15 (fig. S3), and we did not detect CIP4 in either Ler or zll-15. These results suggest that AGO10 is involved in translational repression of only some miRNA targets and that one or several additional AGO protein(s) might contribute to this process.
Hypomorphic ago1-27 mutants (ecotype Col-0) exhibit near WT accumulation of many miRNA target transcripts, yet display morphological defects similar to dcl1 mutants (7, 27), suggesting that AGO1 could be involved in translational repression. CSD2 accumulation was increased in ago1-27, but this correlated with higher CSD2 mRNA and distinctly lower miR398 levels (fig. S3). By contrast, miR156 and miR171 levels were only moderately reduced in ago1-27, whereas the SPL3 and SCL6-IV mRNA levels showed corresponding moderate increases, as compared with those in WT plants (Fig. 6B). Nonetheless, ago1-27 exhibited disproportionately higher SPL3 and SCL6-IV protein levels. ago1-27 mutants also displayed elevated CIP4 protein levels with no appreciable difference in mRNA accumulation, but we could not verify any possible effect on miR834 accumulation due to its low abundance. Protein levels of the non-miRNA targets Hsc70 and CDC2A remained unaltered (fig. S3). These results suggest that AGO1 may indeed contribute to miRNA-directed translational repression of SPL3, SCL6-IV, and CIP4 [see also supporting online material (SOM) text].
RNA interference (RNAi) has a translational component in plants. Having established that perfect or near-perfect complementarity is generally compatible with single miRNA species guiding translational repression in plants, we asked whether silencing by populations of siRNAs could also involve translational repression in addition to slicing. To this end, mad6 and ago1-27 were introduced into the SUC-SUL (SS) silencing system. In this system, phloem-specific expression of an inverted-repeat (IR) construct triggers non–cell autonomous RNAi of the endogenous mRNA SULFUR (SUL), resulting in a vein-centered chlorotic phenotype. SUL silencing is strictly contingent upon loading of DCL4-dependent 21-nt siRNAs into AGO1 (28). Therefore, the strong dcl4-6 mutant was used as a control in those experiments.
The mad6 and ago1-27 mutations suppressed SUL silencing (Fig. 6C and fig. S4). Molecular analyses of mad6 showed a strong decrease in SUL siRNA accumulation, accompanied by a mild increase in SUL mRNA. Nonetheless, SUL protein levels were appreciably higher than those in the SS reference line (fig. S4), which suggests that SUL silencing does not rely exclusively on mRNA degradation. In ago1-27, the SUL siRNA levels were unchanged as compared with those in the parental SS line (Fig. 6D), and SUL mRNA levels were nearly as low in ago1-27 as they were in the parental SS line. SUL protein levels, however, were clearly higher in ago1-27 mutants (Fig. 6D). This represented suppression of SUL silencing because, without the SS transgene, SUL protein levels were unchanged in ago1-27 plants as compared with WT plants (fig. S4). We conclude that the hairpin-derived SUL siRNA population mediates translational repression in addition to mRNA degradation.
Discussion. Imperfect pairing with central mismatches in small RNA–target hybrids promotes translational repression because it excludes slicing. It is a common inference that, conversely, near-perfect complementarity excludes translational repression because it enables slicing. This has contributed to the notion that plant and animal miRNAs act in fundamentally different ways. Our finding of a general translational component in plant miRNA and siRNA action demonstrates this inference to be erroneous and provides a genetic foundation to several key observations. First, translational repression by near-perfectly matched miRNAs has been reported twice in Arabidopsis (11–13). Although regarded as exceptions, those examples may well define a stereotype of plant small RNA action. Second, artificial miRNAs can produce phenotypes indistinguishable from genetic knockouts of their targets, despite incomplete target mRNA reduction (29). Third, experiments with an inducible RNAi construct identified an extended time window during which target mRNA had returned to its original levels, while protein activity remained suppressed (30).
We propose that translational repression is the default mechanism by which small RNAs silence messages, both in plants and animals. Near-perfectly matched small RNAs may in addition engage in slicing such that their regulatory output results from a combination of both mechanisms. The CIP4-miR834 interaction demonstrates that, while necessary, near-complete pairing is not sufficient for slicing to contribute substantially to silencing in plants. miR834 is part of a large group of recently identified nonconserved ("young") miRNAs, many of which are presumed to be nonfunctional because their putative target mRNA levels are unchanged in dcl1 and hen1 mutants (31). Rather, inspection of the CIP4 protein levels suggests that such young miRNAs might be primarily channeled to translational inhibitory pathways. Nonetheless, these examples do not undermine the importance of slicing in plant biology: The pronounced morphological defects of slicer-deficient ago1 mutants (SOM text) and mad1→mad4 mutants, as compared with the mild developmental phenotype of mad5 and mad6, suggest that miRNA-guided slicing, not translational inhibition, is indispensable for plant development (fig. S5).
Differences in position, number, and pairing degree of miRNA target sites have been used to substantiate contrasted views of plant and animal miRNA action. However, the unbiased genetic analysis conducted here shows that these features have little or no influence on either the mode or efficiency of miRNA-directed repression. The premise that miRNAs in plants act mostly via slicing has prompted the use of near-perfect complementarity as the exclusive criterion for identification of plant miRNA targets (14, 31, 32). Our results suggest that the existence of extensively mismatched miRNA targets regulated mostly at the protein level now warrants serious consideration (33). Studies of many rice "orphan" miRNAs with no obvious complementary target transcripts could provide a means to investigate this important issue (34). Finally, because hairpin-derived siRNA populations in plants act partially via translational inhibition, it is conceivable that the same is true of plant viral siRNAs, which are thought to confer immunity mainly via slicing. The possibility also emerges that RNAi in animals might generally involve translational repression: In one example of RNAi in Sertoli cells, the siRNA target was indeed repressed exclusively at the protein level (35).
The finding that AGO1 may concurrently slice and translationally inhibit a given mRNA pool raises the question of how slicing is avoided during translational inhibition. It also remains unclear whether the two mechanisms coexist within the same cells, or whether they can be spatially and/or temporally separated. Tissue specificity of plant miRNA and target expression could also influence the prevalence of one process over the other. The identification of MAD5 as KTN1 suggests that dynamic reorganization of the microtubule network is important for miRNA-directed translational repression and is supported by several lines of evidence: RNAi of tubulins in Caenorhabditis elegans compromises target regulation by distinct miRNAs (36), whereas Drosophila Armitage, which is required for RISC assembly, is a microtubule-associated protein (37), as are FMR (necessary for miRNA-directed translational activation) and the ribosome-interacting AGO-like protein Seawi (38–40). Finally, many mRNA decay factors that colocalize with the decapping complex in cytoplasmic processing (P) bodies interact with tubulin or with microtubule polymers in yeast (41, 42). Identifying the P-body component VCS as integral to nondegradative translational repression in plants is important in two respects. First, it reveals some level of mechanistic similarity between plant and animal miRNA-mediated repression. Second, it suggests that RNA decay could be coupled to the action of at least some plant miRNAs, as established in animal cells (20, 43). An outstanding question pertains to the biological importance of translational inhibition in plants. Studies on human cells suggest that one key aspect lies in the reversible nature of this type of regulation (44). This may be particularly adapted to coordination and resetting of stress-responsive gene expression, an emerging function of many plant miRNAs (45).
Supporting Online Material
Materials and Methods
SOM Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Table S1


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