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|3495 Winton Place, Rochester NY, 14623 in Building D, Suite 1
|Hours (as of May 2010 per Website)
|Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00AM to 5:30PM
|585 442 6530
|<windsorcottage AT frontiernet DOT net>
Windsor Cottage started as a furniture consignment shop on Monroe Avenue on September 11, 2001. The store was relocated to a larger showroom in 2006 and its merchandise was expanded to include new home decor accents and accessories.
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2009-08-20 18:02:21 Very poor customer service. Does not stand behind their products. The item we purchased was a gift, but it did not fit up the stairs to the room it was supposed to be in. The owner would NOT make an exception even though the homeowner (gift recipient) could not accept the item. A call was made to return the item and another would have been purchased, but the owner of Windsdor Cottage would not take it back. She was completely nasty to her customer. Do NOT- EVER- shop at this store if you want even decent customer service. —TraceyBayer


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Intense and sometimes inappropriate rage is a characteristic of borderline personality disorder (BPD). A person with this condition has difficulty regulating their emotions or returning to their baseline. Extremes of rage and other intense emotions may last longer than might be expected, from a few hours to a few days.
BPD is a deeply misunderstood disorder. People who have this disorder may be labeled manipulative, selfish or clingy. Psychologist Marsha Linehan, who developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) specifically to treat women with BPD, compares a person with BPD to a person with third-degree burns over 90 percent of their body: Because of their lack of emotional skin, the slightest touch can cause extreme agony.
For More Information About our Women's Treatment Center
Call (855) 409-0204 Now
The Emotional Dysregulation That Characterizes BPD
Emotional dysregulation is the hallmark of BPD. This mental health disorder impacts the way a person thinks and feels about herself and others. This leads to difficulty managing emotions and behaviors and to a pattern of unstable relationships.
Usually beginning in early adolescence, a person with BPD has an overwhelming and intense fear of abandonment and may go to extremes to try to avoid separation, which may be real or imagined. Other people and situations are viewed in black-and-white terms as all good or all bad. Seemingly minor disappointments or experiences can set off wide mood swings and rage, and may also lead to self-harm or suicidal threats.
Relationships and BPD Rage
Anger that is intense, uncontrolled or inappropriate can be a devastating symptom for someone who has BPD. They may be driven by a desire to be connected to others, yet loss of emotional control frequently drives others away. In some cases, the level of rage experienced can lead to violence.
Rage in a person with BPD can occur suddenly and unpredictably, often triggered by an intense fear of being alone. Fear of rejection can be so intense that they begin to anxiously expect rejection. Subtle cues that they associate with rejection can set off unexpectedly intense reactions. Besides fear of rejection, a person with BPD views things and people as either extremely good or extremely bad, and their opinion of someone can quickly change from friend to enemy.
Treating Rage in BPD
BPD was once thought of as a condition that was very difficult to treat, but evidence-based therapies can help people experience reduced symptoms and improved quality of life. Psychotherapy can help a person with BPD learn to manage rage and other emotions that feel uncomfortable as well as reduce impulsivity. It's possible to learn to observe feelings rather than act on them.
Types of therapy that have been successful in treating BPD rage include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) – This form of treatment consists of both group and individual sessions. It attempts to reconcile apparent contradictions, specifically acceptance and change. It helps identify thoughts and beliefs that are ineffective and teaches patients how to manage emotions, improve relationships and tolerate distress.
- Schema-focused therapy – This type of psychotherapy helps patients to shed their life views that aren't working and replace them with healthier behaviors and positive life patterns. Therapy includes role-playing, guided imagery and assertiveness training.
- Transference–focused psychotherapy – This therapy works toward helping patients integrate their views of themselves and others and has been found to significantly reduce anger.
- Mentalization-based therapy – This form of therapy helps a person with BPD separate their thoughts and feelings from people around them. It emphasizes thinking before reacting.
These and other forms of treatment can help a person with BPD experience less intense rage and other symptoms. With treatment, a person with BPD can gain control of out-of-control emotions and improve their ability to function.
If you or a loved one are struggling with a borderline personality disorder or anger issues, please contact us at (855) 409-0204 or submit the form below and a treatment specialist will contact you.

subset: commoncrawl


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Finalists from Illinois Tech, Iowa State and Penn State Judged Sept. 29 at NECA Convention
BETHESDA, MD — Three student chapter team finalists from the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) will compete in ELECTRI International's 2018 Green Energy Challenge in Philadelphia.
Presenting net-zero energy solutions for a chosen community facility, this year's NECA Student Chapter finalists include Iowa State University, the Illinois Institute of Technology and Penn State. Teams will be judged during oral project presentations on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 1:30 p.m. – 3: 30 p.m. during the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Convention & Trade Show, the industry's largest event.
"The competition demonstrates our students' ingenuity and commitment to sustainable practices, especially as our industry faces a critical workforce shortage," said NECA President David Long, president, Miller Electric Co., Jacksonville, Florida.
Chosen from hundreds of entries, this year's competition challenged the teams to prepare a proposal for a community facility outlining ways the facility could achieve net-zero energy consumption by incorporating energy saving measures and distributed energy resources. The challenge also included a community service requirement. Teams had to create a volunteer plan of action and demonstrate the activity and number of hours volunteered at the facility chosen for their team's project.
The annual Green Energy Challenge tests NECA Student Chapter teams' ability to analyze electrical construction management problems and create a comprehensive plan and budget for an appropriate retrofit. Students are challenged to develop technical skills that are vital to careers in electrical construction and professional skills including time management, written communication, and oral presentation.
This year's jury includes EC industry members Jeremy Foster, Lutron Electronics; Rob Turner, Turner Electric Service Inc.; Tom Feissle, Southwire; Adam Rude, ERMCO; Angie Hart, Rosendin; Tricia Ferry, VEC Inc.; Joel Smith, Greenlee; Kellie Holland, Empire Electric; Tony Tavia, Graybar; and Stephen Gianotti, Arcadia Electrical.
ELECTRI International's website includes last year's winners, the finalists' project proposals and poster competition winners.
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), is the voice of the $160 billion electrical construction industry that brings power, light and communication technology to buildings and communities across the U.S. Visit http://www.necaconvention.org.


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Tomorrowland Winter's main stage opened up Wednesday morning in the French Alpe D'Huez, and began a frigid and fun party. Festivals in the cold are not uncommon these days, with events like Snowta and Snowglobe becoming more popular, but Tomorrowland Winter is the first of its kind in a French ski resort in the mountains.
Wednesday's schedule included performances from DJ Snake and Afrojack on the main stage, along with class clown Salvatore Ganacci, and Israeli trance duo Vini Vici. Yesterday, you could bear witness to Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Martin Solveig, Armin van Buuren, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.
Today, on the final day of the festival, Martin Garrix, Lost Frequencies, Steve Aoki, Yves V and Double Pleasure close out the main stage.
It's all being live streamed now at live.tomorrowland.com.
Check out the schedule below so you don't miss a thing!
Note: 17h00 at Tomorrowland is 9h00 in California/12h00 in New York.


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The government's latest annual energy statistics show that renewable energy is consolidating its central role as a mainstream power source for homes, offices and factories.
The figures published in the energy sector's "bible" – the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) – confirm that 29.3% of the UK's electricity was generated from renewables in 2017– up from 24.5% in 2016.
Half of this came from wind alone, which provided 14.8% of the UK's power (8.6% from onshore wind and 6.2% from offshore) – up from 11% in 2016.
The publication also confirms that the carbon intensity of the UK's power supply has fallen to record low levels.
On average, a kilowatt hour of electricity generated last year produced 225 grams of C02, down from 483g in 2012. This reduction has been driven by a huge reduction in use of coal and the rapid growth of zero carbon renewables.
The contribution of onshore wind grew by 39% in 2017, while offshore wind grew by 27%. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which published the figures, said this was due to increases in capacity, greater load factors and higher wind speeds.
Energy UK chief executive Lawrence Slade, commented: "These figures underline just how rapidly the energy sector is transforming with low carbon sources providing the majority of electricity generation last year, bringing benefits for consumers, the economy and the environment.
"Such extraordinary progress in such a short space of time shows what can be done with a clear policy direction and the right framework to encourage investment and innovation.
"We welcome recent announcements from the Government on future Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions and the Crown Estate on potentially expanding offshore wind sites.
"But we want to go further and faster and achieve greater benefits, as outlined in our recent paper on the future of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) programme. And if we are to make the transition to low carbon at the lowest cost we must ensure there is an effective route to market for solar and onshore wind."
A spokesman for Renewable UK commented; "While it's great to see that the UK's cheapest power source, onshore wind, is making such a significant contribution to the nation's power needs, it is baffling that government is still excluding new onshore wind projects from the market place."
Read the full report; BEIS's DUKES 2018 report
27 Jul 2018


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Ensign Ashralle Sh'shrytral
|Ashralle Sh'shrytral
|Assistant Chief Security/Tactical Officer
|See All Mission Posts
|See All Awards
Character Information
Physical Appearance
|1.8 meters
|2.3 meters
|Hair Color
|Eye Color
|Skin Color
|Physical Description
|Ash has long white hair and blue skin. With the body of a gymnast, she is in shape and well-muscled, with long arms and a tight grip strength. Like all Andorians, Ash has sharp cheek bones and brow lines. When her hair is bound back, her face has the look of a hawk. The right side of her face also show slight scarring near her hairline and antenna.
|Rianlin (Ex-Bondmate and Male-Thaan), Beltour (Ex-Bondmate and Male-Chan), and Ethorra (Ex-Bondmate and Female-Zhen)
|Bel (Chan) and Okov (Thaan)
|Sero (Zhen) and Azhralle (Shen)
|Ossite and Kyssere
|Other Family
|Peria and Zyrao (Cousins)
Shan (Uncle and Starfleet Officer)
Personality & Traits
|General Overview
|Like all Andorians, Ash is highly emotional but bound by control and honor. She generally keeps people at a distance. You have to earn her trust and demonstrate that you are able to do your duty well. She wields her blunt nature like a weapon and her honesty has gotten her into trouble in the past. Ash is also competitive and disciplined. She learned to take pride in a job well done. Anything less was dishonorable.
However, once you get to know her, she warms up. In social situations, she can be loud and forward. If you have earned her friendship or loyalty, she will defend you to the death.
|Strengths & Weaknesses
|+Tactical mind and cool under pressure
+Strong sense of honor and moral code
+Physically active and expert in security and defense, particularly in close combat
-Can be extremely violent when provoked, even to friends and family
-Quick to judge, seeing the world in black and white
|Hobbies & Interests
|Beyond enjoying a good party, talking with friends, and being physically active (climbing, diving, etc...), Ash is also a fan of inter-space rallies and Klingon blood sports. Shockingly, she also enjoys making ice sculptors.
Though it is not considered totally polite in federation society, Ash (and Andorians in general) love a good brawl. During her time in the academy, Ash and her friends would seek out bars known for getting a bit rough. Brawls relieve stress and bring her closer to her friends. Since her rescue, it has been recommended that she mediate. Ash has followed these orders but doesn't get the same emotional release. It makes her antsy.
Character History
|Personal History
|Ash was born on Andor, the main planet of Andorian Empire. Though she was born in the capital city of Laiken (the more temperate region of the planet), Ash split time between the city where her Chan (first father) was a regional bureaucrat, winter at her Shan maternal grandparents' farm nearby, and summers in the northern islands on her clan members ice cutter.
After being schooled early on at home with her clan mates, Ash was sent to the famous Laiken military academy with her clan cousins. She succeed there and thought about enlisting in the Andorian Imperial Guard but was always drawn to the stars. One of her clan uncles Shan was a Starfleet officer and inspired her to go onto the academy, where she hoped to cure her restlessness. Her bondmates were reluctant, Rianlin most of all. Her mother wanted her to move on to the Imperial Guard. She convince her family that it was worth it and that after a tour of duty, she would return.
Ash found the academy to be exciting and excelled in her studies. At the academy, she had a core group of friends, often being a part of tactical training. These included two terrans named Una and Miguel. A Vobilite nicknamed Big T and a Trill named Noro. The group was headed by an arrogant but fun-loving Caitian S'Moew.
Once graduated, Ash was assigned to the exploratory section of Starfleet. Ash was an assistant chief tactical officer for star fleet on an exploratory vessel, Miranda-class. At the end of her five-year tour of duty, the ship was hit by flying debris and needed to be evacuated. She and another shipmate, an engineering grunt, were the only survivors able to safely crashland on an unexplored ice planet. They lived for four months before a nasty fall and infection killed her remaining shipmate. It then took her six months to find enough parts to call for help and be rescued. She has been put on full administrative recovery after surviving the crash of her last ship.
Unfortunately, not all was well at home. After been declared MIA, her lover and closest bond mate Rianlin, left and quickly became engaged to another bond set, effectively ending the bond marriage between Ash (considered dead), Beltour (Chan), and Ethorra (Zhen). Distraught over her death and seeking solace, he sought out a set of bondmates who need a thaan to complete the group's pregnancy. He and this new set are now expecting a child. His actions, though considered rash by Ash's family, hurtful to his bondmates, and in poor taste, were acceptable by Andorian standards.
However, now that Ash has been found alive, Rianlin's actions may have very serious consequences. The Andorians are an honor-bound society. Rianlin has not only broken his word but actively offended Ash's family's honor by leaving so quickly and having a child with another set when he never formally divorced Ash. It is a serious situation that demands reparations, usually in the form of blood combat or Ushann. As Ash is the offended party, her family is demanding that Rianlin fight one of their members (which is bad news because he isn't much of a fighter).
Ash, heartsick, declares that she will be the one to engage, as it is her primary right as the offend party. However, as the families gathered to witness the combat, Ash than announced that she is returning to Starfleet, effectively taking the challenge with her. While she is engaged in Starfleet, others cannot challenge Rianlin because of the primacy of her claim. She is hoping to use the time to decide whether or not she actually wants to kill, maim, hurt, or remove the challenge all together.
|Service Record
|-Graduated top of Class
-Assigned to Exploratory
-Five year tour, Miranda-class
-Crash and declared MIA
-Found, administrative leave
Player History
|Past Characters on Other Sims
|Current Characters on Other Sims


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Support Intelligent, In-Depth, Trustworthy Journalism.
Live data on national races for Senate, House and state governors
PBS NewsHour
PBS NewsHour
Demonstrations turned violent in New York City Friday as crowds clashed with police for a second night in a row. In Washington, D.C., police tried to dispel hundreds who had gathered in front of the White House, some who threw bricks and bottles at U.S. Secret Service members. Washington Post's White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker joins Hari Sreenivasan for more on President Trump's response.
Hari Sreenivasan:
For more on the protests in Washington D.C. and President Trump's response I spoke with Phillip Rucker the Washington Post's White House Bureau Chief.
Philip, it's not every day that we see protesters actually start going at the White House. I mean, it's a place in front of the White House that we've seen all sorts of protest. It's tradition. But last night seemed different.
Philip Rucker:
It sure did. What we saw was a number of protesters through the city of Washington converging on the White House and demanding racial justice.
We've seen similar demonstrations in a number of cities over the last 24, 48 hours. And it it came right up to President Trump's home. And he has been tweeting that he actually watched it all from the windows of the White House residence.
And his response, well, was classic President Trump, not what you'd expect?
It was not. You know his response to the protests in front of the White House on Friday night was to thank the Secret Service for their work containing the crowds, but also using some really interesting language.
He talked about the dogs being vicious, referring apparently to police dogs — a reference to the law enforcement tactics that we saw in the 1960s in this country. A really jarring reference for him to make, especially after the comments that he made about looters and shooters a day earlier in reference to Minneapolis.
That phrase is also something that segregationists used in the 60s. The president tried to clarify that that was not his intention yesterday, but it seemed a little confusing, even the clarification.
It was confusing. It's unclear what the president was trying to communicate when he used that phrase. But that, of course, is a phrase that the police chief in Miami back in the 60s would use in regard to going after robbers and other vandals in black neighborhoods in that city. It was very much a racially charged phrase.
The president claimed he didn't know the origins of the phrase, but it's unclear where he heard it from. But clearly, it was a dog whistle, as many of his supporters heard it.
These protests are happening and this conversation is happening when the president is also trying to steer the nation towards the topic of China, towards the topic of Twitter and censorship. While we still have a massive pandemic that hasn't ended.
That's right. What we've seen from the president the last few weeks is a deliberate effort to try to distract and divert attention from the pandemic and from what many public health experts see as the failures of the federal government to contain the spread of the coronavirus and save lives and focus instead on a number of diversions — from Trump's conspiratorial allegations about President Trump and Vice President Biden, to his deep spreading a debunked conspiracy theory about a cable show host, Joe Scarborough, being implicated somehow in the death of a young staffer more than two decades ago.
A number of distraction from the president seemed aimed, according to my reporting, at generating alternative headlines and storylines for him that he thinks would be helpful in the campaign, but ultimately end up trying to distract his supporters and other Americans from the crisis playing out everyday in our country.
Philip Rucker of The Washington Post, thanks so much for joining us.
Thank you.
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The holiday season is officially upon us! It's a time to enjoy family, friends and festivities, and it's also a time to remember those less fortunate and reach out a hand to help them. This year, you can give a... Continue Reading →
Updated Wednesday, October 31 Hurricane Michael caused extreme devastation along the Gulf Coast. The American Red Cross is helping now, and will be there in the weeks to come as people begin to recover and rebuild. FAST FACTS (as of... Continue Reading →
Updated Tuesday, October 9, 2018 Since Hurricane Florence made landfall, the American Red Cross has been working around the clock to operate shelters, assess the damage, deliver food and relief supplies, support disaster health needs and help people plan their... Continue Reading →
The American Red Cross is responding to devastating, prolonged flooding in the wake of Hurricane Florence, and needs financial donations to be able to support thousands of people affected by this disaster. Wherever you are, you can help by visiting... Continue Reading →
September is here, which means it's time again to "Give What Fire Takes." Make a donation each time you check out at Price Chopper/Market 32 this month. You'll help the Red Cross not only support local families affected by home... Continue Reading →


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Nellie V. Stiffy
Nellie V. Stiffy, 64, of Clarion, passed away early Sunday morning, August 2, 2020 at Clarion Hospital. Nellie was born in Callensburg on April 6, 1956. She was the daughter of the late John F. and Nellie T. Kellerman Bowser. She was a homemaker and enjoyed camping, cookouts, fishing, and riding her side by side. She was a graduate of Knoch High School. Surviving is her husband, Charles C. Stiffy, whom she married in Saxonburg on June 7, 1975. Also surviving are two children, Rodger A. and John C. Stiffy, both of Clarion; five grandchildren; two brothers, Thomas J. Bowser Sr. and his wife, Kathy, and Eugene "Geno" Bowser Sr., both of Parker; a sister, Margie A. Dawson and her husband, James, of Rimersburg, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. Private arrangements are under the direction of the Hile Funeral Home Inc., St. Petersburg.
To help defray funeral expenses, contributions may be made by visiting www.hilefh.com and choosing the donations tab above the obituary.


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LIFT support gear is engineered using durable, breathable materials. We offer support and brace options for back, wrist, elbow, knee and ankle.
WARNING:Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
Copyright © 2022 GTS Interior Supply - All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | California's Proposition 65 | Accessibility Statement | COVID 19 Statement
GTS Interior Supply 10819 120th Ave. NE, Kirkland WA, 98033 US


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The majority of therapeutics clinically available for cancer treatment are platinum-based and work via a DNA alkylation mechanism that leads to cell apoptosis. But a number of cancers are resistant to apoptosis and not treatable with platinum-based drugs.
In this paper Peter Sadler (University of Warwick), Steve Shnyder (University of Bradford) and teams have developed an organometallic half-sandwich osmium complex that displays significant anti-cancer activity with negligible toxicity in vivo. Osmium is also a platinum group metal but has a completely different mode of action and appears to operate via redox mechanisms – making these complexes candidates for further investigation and potentially clinical trials.
Read more about this exciting find here – the article is currently free to access:
Anti-colorectal cancer activity of an organometallic osmium arene azopyridine complex
Steve D. Shnyder, Ying Fu, Abraha Habtemariam, Sabine H. van Rijt, Patricia A. Cooper, Paul M. Loadman and Peter J. Sadler
Med. Chem. Commun., 2011, Advance Article


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Woman fought off abduction attempt in southern Minnesota
A woman from Texas is safe after fighting off a man who tried to abduct her Friday afternoon in southern Minnesota.
The Faribault County Sheriff's Office says the attempted abduction happened at a rest stop off of Interstate 90 near Blue Earth, when a 43-year-old woman from Corpus Christi, Texas called 911 informing police that a man had tried to pull her into the woods.
Deputies arrived and were informed by the woman that she was walking on a trail south of the rest stop when the man tried to grab her. She did not know the man.
The suspect is described as being 5'11'' or 6-feet tall with a muscular build and numerous tattoos, including a scorpion on his right forearm.
Sheriff Mike Gormley told the Mankato Free Press that DNA samples were collected from the scene and the investigation is ongoing.
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Cat Food Wet - Tuna in Jelly for Adults is for kittens of 1 - 12 months and provides complete nutrition for your pet kitten. A complete and balanced cat food, Whiskas gravy is designed to take care of your pet's daily nutritional requirements and provide it with all the required vitamins and minerals along with moisture and nourishment for healthy growth and happy life. Whiskas gravy has a texture and aroma that appeals to the palate of your feline, and attracts even fussy eaters in for a filling and fun meal time! Whiskas cat food is ideal for kitten breeds from Persian Cat, British Shorthair to Siamese Cat.
Tuna Composition, Meat And Animal Derivatives, Fish And Fish Derivatives, Minerals, Various Sugars.
A cat's love for fish is thoughtfully blended with loads of calcium, phosphorus, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, in each pack. It helps maintain its fur and provides it with healthy bones and body growth, healthy immune system, and energy for play. Ensure your cat gets a complete, balanced meal by feeding its daily nutritional requirement as follows - Morning: 1 pouch | In-Between: 15g of dry food | Evening: 1 pouch


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The Ambitious Dollar
The Ambitious Dollar is a personal finance and professional development blog.
The Ambitious Dollar is a personal finance and professional development blog.
The Ambitious Dollar is a personal finance and professional development blog.
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The Ambitious Dollar takes intimidating financial concepts and breaks them down into easy-to-understand advice. The awesome examples and relatable, personal stories make it interesting and fun to read. These concise articles are definitely worth your time!
Well written financial blog for everyone to follow. Mistakes can happen with important life choice's, reading Ms. Kershner's blog has been a real eye opener in helping to get back on track.
I LOVE THIS BLOG! It's has very informative and easy to read posts. It's exactly the resource I need to better understand my personal finances and options going forward! Definitely would recommend to a friend!!
I stumbled across the Ambitious Dollar and I am very glad I did. It is clearly written, concise and to the point. It offers a very practical outline for financial success for a busy person. If you follow any financial blog, follow the Ambitious Dollar!
This blog is so helpful, especially for someone like myself who is not well-versed in personal finances! So glad to have this blog as a reliable resource! 10/10 would recommend!
The Ambitious Dollar does an excellent job of taking intimidating financial concepts and explaining them in a digestible way. Highly recommend.
The Ambitious Dollar breaks down financial topics in bite size doses that are easy to understand. The topics are interesting and have me looking forward to each new post every week!
This is a super helpful blog with easy to understand tips for everyone. Great resource for financial info!
This blog has given me the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to improve my finances. It explains it so simply and so well you can't help but feel empowered and ready to secure your financial health! Thank you for all the wonderful advice and teaching me things I didn't even know!
The Ambitious Dollar is an insightful, well written, and confidently articulated blog with its intent being to educate individuals on all manner of things related to finance. The information is well-researched and thoughtfully crafted to make fundamental financial planning more intuitive to the average reader. The articles are thought provoking and detailed enough for readers to gain insight, but also brief and concise for easy reading.
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Viticcio Toscana Bere 2013
Winemaker Notes
Pair with: ideal with pasta and pizza, it is recommended as an everyday wine.
Blend:34% Sangiovese, 33% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon
Critical AcclaimAll Vintages
Viticcio has been making wine since 1964 among the rolling green hills of Tuscan wine country in Greve in Chianti, between Florence and Siena.
The winery's vinicultural production began with the desire to capture and embody the potential of Chianti Classico, and it wasn't long before Viticcio wines became renowned for their true and high quality expression of the Tuscan terroir. Since then, the winery has grown to encompass 120 hectares of estate-owned land among the hills of Chianti Classico and Maremma.
Today the Biba family carries forward the production of Viticcio winery, making wines that express the most authentic link between nature and man. They are driven by passion and enthusiasm to make their wines classic and elegant, yet with a fresh outlook on the terroir.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country's best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany's best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.


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Introduction 0:24
Why Visual Journals?
Breaking Kids Out of Routines 1:10
Utilizing Prompts and Creating Inspiration
How and Why to Use Prompts 2:35
Giving Kids a Creative Jumpstart 2:13
Brain Dumps and Banks of Ideas 3:32
When and How Journals are Utilized 3:40
Assessing Visual Journals 2:56
Choosing Media
Keeping Material Choice Open 2:02
Challenging and Pushing Students 4:05
Ideas for Combining Materials 5:55
Extending Ideas into Bigger Work
Layering, Depth, and Adding Meaning 4:52
Helping Students Explore Their Artistic Identity 4:33
Conclusion 0:26
Unlock Certificate: 5 Questions
2 PD Hours
1 Discover new prompts and inspiration to guide your students' journaling.
2 Explore various media for visual journaling, and see how it can form the basis for more in-depth artwork.
3 Learn how visual journaling can play a role in students' creative and artistic development.
Visual Journaling is a great way for students to explore and experiment with their work. But what does visual journaling actually look like in the classroom? In this PRO Pack, Jenn will show you specific strategies to help your students develop creative and meaningful work in their visual journals. See how to help students work with various media and set themselves up for success with bigger work. Finally, have the chance to explore strategies for how to challenge your students and push them in their creative development.
Connected K-12 Art Educator Framework Competencies
7. Media and Techniques
A. Selects best practices when teaching media and techniques to students
C. Designs opportunities for students to experiment with materials and skills
8. Creativity
A. Designs experiences to practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills
B. Designs instruction to allow for freedom of expression and independent thought within student work
9. Connections
C. Values how the arts connect with other disciplines and provides opportunities to experience those connections
Connected National Visual Arts Standards
Anchor Standard #1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard #2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Jennifer Russell
High School Art Teacher and PRO Facilitator
With an impressive amount of visual overstimulation and color, Jenn Russell welcomes her students into her art room at Hebron High School in the Lewisville Independent School District. She loves jokes of the popsicle stick variety, chocolate, tchotchkes, and color (did we mention that?). She is a newly minted and still lost on a daily basis mom to a little boy named Nate, or #ARussellSprout as he is known to his followers. When she has time, you can find her reading, dabbling with pencils or in the great Texas outdoors with her camera.
Visual Journal Prompts
50 Visual Journal Prompts
Brain Dumps
8 Ideas for Using Visual Journals
Creating a Junk Journal
11 Materials Perfect for Journaling
4 Tips for Successful Compositions
How to Get Your Students to Enjoy Visual Journaling
50 Visual Journal Prompts to Promote Drawing and Creative Th...
6 Easy Ways to Incorporate Text in Your Visual Journal
The 10 Best Supplies for Visual Journaling


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New research at Stanford University encouraged middle school teachers to take on an "empathetic mindset" when students were being disciplined. The study found that the number of pupils who were suspended across the academic year halved, from 9.6% to 4.8%….
A crucial part of teaching young people is to create positive relationships with students, said Okonofua and Walton, particularly students who are struggling. But some school environments have "zero-tolerance" policies concerning student behavior. In turn, this exposes some teachers to a "default punitive mindset."
"It is heartbreaking," Walton said. "Teachers are caught between two models, a punitive model that says you have to punish kids to get them to behave and an older model that goes to the heart of the profession, which says that teaching is all about building strong relationships with children, especially when they struggle."
Grace Smith


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The Skoda Superb has been the go-to premium D-segment sedan for many Indian business folks but that doesn't give away the fact that this segment is slowly losing its sheen all thanks to the growing popularity and acceptability of full-size SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour that come at a similar price band.
We at MotorBeam tell you what has changed on the Superb and also check how does it drive and is it really worth your money?
The third generation Superb adopts a sharper yet minimalistic design language. The car shouts premiumness all around.
The projector headlights with crystal-like detailing and LED DRLs look stunning, to say the least.
There is the signature butterfly grille finished in chrome and a muscled bonnet.
The front bumper houses the fog lights with cornering function.
The strong crease running from the front fender to the tail-lights tells you that the car has grown in terms of dimensions.
Opt for the top-spec L&K trim and you get spectacular-looking 17-inch Stratos alloy wheels.
The tail-lights too get LED detailing and we feel it is from the rear angle that the Superb looks fantastic.
The simple, minimalistic and yet premium approach has been continued to the interior as well.
The dashboard layout might remind you of the Octavia.
You get a 3-spoke steering wheel, 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 12-speaker Canton audio system and an instrument cluster with a large MID display.
The touchscreen is easy to use and the Canton audio system churns out an impressive quality of audio.
You also get AUX, USB, SD Card and Bluetooth with SmartLink connectivity.
There is a 3-zone climate control system that chills the cabin in a jiffy and the front seats get ventilation feature too.
The seats offer stupendous amount of comfort and support and even space.
Space is in excess and even seven footers are not likely to complain.
There is acres of legroom, decent headroom and shoulder space enough for three to sit abreast.
Storage spaces are everywhere, front armrest, cup holders, rear armrest with cupholders and more.
Practicality is the name of the game and you get a massive 625-litres of boot.
While the boot is electrically operated, you can also wave your leg below the bumper to open the boot.
Skoda's 'Simply Clever' tagline wasn't given just like that.
You get clever touches in the car like Skoda branded umbrellas and roll up sun visors for rear windows and windscreen.
Other features on offer are 12-way electrically adjustable front seats (driver sear gets memory function), perforated leather upholstery, electromechanical parking brake, park distance control, panoramic sunroof, tyre pressure monitoring system and adaptive headlights.
The Superb comes powered by a 2.0-litre diesel and a 1.8-litre TSI petrol motor.
However, we are driving only the diesel here and hence we will only talk about the oil-burner's performance.
The 2.0-litre TDI mill produces 177 PS of power at 3600 RPM and 350 Nm of torque at 1500-3500 RPM.
The powertrain comes coupled with a 6-speed automatic DSG gearbox with Tiptronic function.
This engine is the most powerful diesel motor from Skoda in India.
The powerplant has some sort of lag lower down but the mid-range is strong.
It feels very refined and is barely audible inside the cabin, redlining all the way to 5000 RPM. The gears shift with the utmost of urgency.
The Superb has an outstanding ride quality and just soaks in the potholes and bad roads.
The 215-section tyres further contribute to the soft and cushy ride.
However, push the sedan hard in a corner and you will notice the slight body roll.
While handling is slightly compromised, the Superb makes for it with the responsive steering feedback.
You get Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual driving modes that alter the way the car's steering, engine and transmission respond.
Absolutely no compromise on safety, the Superb comes loaded with 8 airbags, ABS with EBD, multi-collision brake, ASR, Traction Control, ESC, front and rear parking sensors and electronic differential lock.
Coming to the carmaker's after-sales service, it hasn't been all the more satisfactory but Skoda claims to improve on that front.
As an overall package, the Skoda Superb is impressive.
It looks premium, cabin is luxurious and spacious while the drive is also quite well sorted.
If you are not a fan of SUVs and are looking for a car in the Rs 35-40 lakh price bracket, look no further than the Superb as the recently launched Passat is slightly under-stated and moreover priced higher than the Superb.


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>>Script Language and Platform: SQL Server 2000
This script will use xp_cmdshell and the DOS FTP commands to send a local (or network) file to a remote FTP site. It can use either a URL or an IP Address as its destination. This script should be able to use wildcards in file names, but this has not been tested. A trusted connection may be an option, but this also has not been tested.
Be careful when you display passwords in your scripts!
Author: Pat Johnson
Download Script:
Disclaimer: We hope that the information on these script pages is valuable to you. Your use of the information contained in these pages, however, is at your sole risk. All information on these pages is provided "as -is", without any warranty, whether express or implied, of its accuracy, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose… Disclaimer Continued
Back to Database Journal Home


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Making its debut this week in the U.S. is the Galaxy Tab Active 2, a tablet designed specifically for business use anywhere.
As you'd expect, the tablet passed military-grade tests to ensure its ready for industries where extreme conditions are likely. The Galaxy Tab Active 2 can handle various levels of pressure, temperature, and drops. Its entire body is also water- and dust-resistant with a removable back panel to quickly replace the battery.
The Galaxy Tab Active 2 isn't very impressive on paper. Announced last year for select markets, the tablet is arriving stateside with underwhelming specifications. The tablet features an 8-inch WXGA (1280×800) TFT display, an unbranded octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of storage with a microSD card slot, 8MP and 5MP cameras, a 4450mAh battery, and Android 7.1 Nouat.
Samsung did throw in a water-resistant S Pen and some tailored software, but that's not doing much. Then again, it's not a tablet meant for entertainment. This is a work machine.
If you're a regular consumer, keep shopping for a tablet. The Galaxy Tab Active 2 is being sold exclusively through Samsung's sales team for businesses. And it carries a steep price not because of the specs but because of the software and durability. Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active 2 is priced at $420.
Verizon and AT&T are also set to sell an LTE model that costs $520.
Who knows when Samsung will introduce a new consumer-focused tablet, but the tablet market seems to be shrinking. Few companies are seeing shipments hold steady, though Samsung is one of them. Seeing a new Galaxy Tab with high-end specs and a design rivaling the iPad Pro would be pretty neat, too.
Add magic to your living space with these string lights
String lights add personality and soft light to your living space. Here are some of the best.
Disguise your little one with the help of a themed costume
From roaring lions to hoppy bunnies, costumes speak to every child's unique spirit. And we've collected our favorite options.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports up to 100X zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom, but is it any good? Can a phone really product usable photos at 100x zoom? We've got our Galaxy S20 Ultra already so join us to find out!
Spoil the father in your life with these amazing finds
It's easy to honor dad when you've found the right gift, but the right gift isn't always easy. To assist, we've compiled a list of the best presents around.


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During the holiday season, Villa La Quiete reopens to the public with a set dates of special openings from Saturday, December 7 through Monday January 6, 2020. The normal visitor's path will be further enriched with the setup of the villa's historical Nativity scene, which this year will be inside the church.
The historical Nativity
The Nativity of Villa La Quiete is a precious documentary of the artistic treasures of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is during that period that the setup of Nativity scenes became very popular and spurred an artistic movement in the construction of the scene of Jesus's birth. The Nativity here shows many interesting elements from that period: precious textiles clothe the characters, very detailed attention to the little particulars, the entire scene is set up to express and generate great emotion.
The decisive carved expressions and details in every lock of hair and beard of the commoners also permit scholars to identify that the Nativity was created around the middle of the 18th century, a period when these particular characteristics became popular in the creation of Nativity scenes.
The Villa
Villa La Quiete is a reminder of the history of the Medici House, devotion and female education. It preserves the historical and artistic heritage linked to the Montalve, a congregation founded in the 17th century by Eleonora Ramirez de Montalvo, which became nuns in 1939 and lived and looked after the Villa for over three centuries. The Italian gardens date to Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici's reign as she chose the villa as her place of retreat in the summers. The villa is located in Via di Boldrone 2, Florence and can be reached with ATAF bus #20 from the center in Florence.
Days and hours for visits
Saturday 7 and Sunday 8, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15, Saturday 21* and Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29
Saturday 4 and Sunday 5, Monday 6
ONLY ONE VISIT ON EACH DAY at 3:30pm
The guided visit lasts about an hour and 30 minutes.
December 21 is a special day
* Only on Saturday, December 21st will there be THREE guided visits: at 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:30pm, with each group visit lasting about an hour and 30 minutes.
During this special day, visitors will have the special opportunity to "meet" Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, the Palatine Electress, who lived at Villa La Quiete during the last years of her life. The special meeting will be during each of the guided visits. At the end of each visit, visitors will get the chance to also taste morsels from recipes taken from the recipe book "Mangiar di Monache" compiled and used by the villa's inhabitants, the Montalve nuns.
Entrance and the guided visits are complete FREE, but you do need to book ahead of time as each group has a maximum amount of participants.


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Tag Archives: health
When the good part of life hits you hard
What do you do when good stuff hits you hard? Have you ever had moments when you just sit back and think, "holy smokes, I have it good?" There are piles of crap pulling for my attention. Gross, right? Crass, … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged Christian, depression, Facing death, faith, family, fear, focus, healing, health, hope, liver transplant, organ donation, Organ transplant, recovery, Scott Linscott, transplant 2 Comments
Wasting my bonus days
I think I'm wasting my bonus days. Or, at least, I think I'm wasting too much of them. Imagine you have a giant bowl of mashed potatoes and are a huge spud fan. If you have a gallon of mashed potatoes, you … Continue reading
Posted in burnout, change, diet, direction, recovery, transplant recovery Tagged attitude, bonus day, depression, direction, focus, full life, healing, health, help, hope, investing time, life after transplant, life coaching, liver transplant, Organ transplant, prayer, recovery, relationships, time, time management, transplant 1 Comment
Life: have you tried turning it off and on?
Reboot. It's the first word used by technology nerds in answer to a multitude of questions: "Why is my phone doing …?" "Why is my TV not …?" "Why is my computer so …?" "Why is my toaster …?" Have … Continue reading
Posted in burnout, change, depression, discouragement, exercise, Find God Tagged direction, faith, healing, health, it is well with my soul, life after transplant, liver transplant, priorities, recovery, Scott Linscott, seven habits, transplant, transplant recovery, tyranny of the urgent Leave a comment
CAUTION: Homeopathic rant ahead
I'm ticked off. Pissed actually. I don't like rants and I am not a fan of drama but, for the love of Pete, could we maybe tone down the homeopathic aggression maybe a notch or ten? Yeah, I'm biased on … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged American Liver Foundation, antioxidant, Big Pharma, chronic illness, Chronic pain, cirrhosis, copper bracelet, Donate Life, drink, essential oil, healing, health, homeopathic, Liver, Liver disease, liver transplant, magnetic healing, medicine, recovery, scams, Scott Linscott, supplement, transplant, vaccines 2 Comments
Reliving my transplant nightmare
Remember that book I was working on writing? I let it sit, untouched, from September 2013 until December 2014 when I gave it to my friend Jan Perry to read and clean up. She was my second reader. It's about 60,000 … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease, Organ transplant, pain Tagged American Liver Foundation, chronic illness, Chronic pain, cirrhosis, Donate Life, dreams, Fatty liver, health, Liver disease, liver transplant, NASH, nightmare, organ donation, Organ transplant, PTSD, recovery, Scott Linscott, transplant 7 Comments
Facing burnout. Moving from surviving to thriving.
My last post was January 1. That's not a good sign for me. You know how that scratchy throat or that slight pressure behind your eyes sometimes is a symptom of a bigger problem, a virus? When I stop writing it's … Continue reading
Posted in recovery, time management, transplant recovery Tagged anxiety, anxiety attack, be still and know, burnout, chronic illness, cirrhosis, facing burnout, faith, Fatty liver, healing, health, hope, life after transplant, Liver, Liver disease, liver transplant, living donor, NASH, organ donation, organ donor, Organ transplant, peace and rest, recovery, Scott Linscott, transplant Leave a comment
Holy Freak-out, Batman! What just happened?
Sheesh, that was out of control. It felt like I was a combat veteran in one of the thriller movies I like to watch. You know the scene? A car backfires and the loud bang sends the vet into a … Continue reading
Posted in burnout, change, Liver disease, recovery Tagged chronic illness, Chronic pain, direction, faith, fear, healing, health, help, hope, life after transplant, Liver disease, liver transplant, purpose, recovery 3 Comments
Killing myself is against the rules
Here I am. Full circle. Eighteen months after a liver transplant saved my life I am in the process of going back to work full time. I have three options to consider; hard, harder and hardest. Of course, … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged balance, disability, exercise, health, liver transplant, recovery, rest, returning to work, workaholic 7 Comments
Flashback to Oct. 31, 2011 and my biggest fear
At the end of October 2011, I posted the following blog entry about my biggest fear. I am reposting it now, after accepting a position as Interim Pastor at First Baptist Church here in Westbrook. Last week was spent preparing … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged chronic illness, Chronic pain, cirrhosis, depression, fear, health, hope, Liver disease, organ donation, Organ transplant, transplant 3 Comments
Is it time to put it all behind me? Forget it?
I can't help but be amazed by the passing of time and how it changes things. Last summer I attended two weddings and left both early. Both were major accomplishments for me since I was just weeks post transplant. Everyone … Continue reading
Why I am so sure God is there for you
I'm not sure I can communicate how I'm feeling about a milestone I hit today but I'll give it a shot. It feels kind of like I'm bragging or saying, "Look at me! I'm a big deal" but that's not … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged bicycle, bike ride, biking in Maine, Christian, chronic illness, Chronic pain, cycling, faith, Fatty liver, finding peace with God, focus, getting in shape, healing, health, help me find God, how do I find God, inspirational story, Jesus, life after transplant, Liver disease, liver failure, liver transplant, Maine, Maine coast, meeting goals, NASH, organ donor, Organ transplant, recovery, riding, road cycling, Scott Linscott, testimony, transplant recovery, weight loss, where can I find God, where is God, where to find God 7 Comments
I've got the green light … Now what?
A week ago Josh and I walked through the doors at Lahey Hospital and headed to the transplant wing. When we walk around Lahey we do it like we built the place. We know where everything is because we've spent … Continue reading
Posted in change, Christianity, hope, Lahey Clinic, Liver disease, pastor, transplant, transplant recovery Tagged Christian, chronic illness, church planting, direction, faith, focus, healing, health, hope, Lahey Clinic, Liver, Liver disease, liver transplant, Maine, ministry, NASH, New England, organ donation, pastor, planter, vision 3 Comments
I can't breathe …
There's a 50 pound bag of cement sitting on my chest. No, wait. There are two. They are so heavy that I can barely breathe. Crushing. Suffocating. But, the strange thing is that even though I feel like I have … Continue reading
Posted in chronic illness, End Stage Liver Disease, Fatty liver, Fatty Liver Disease, Liver disease, liver keys, NASH, organ donation, Organ transplant, transplant Tagged chronic illness, cirrhosis, death, Donate Life, Facing death, Fatty liver, fear, Graft verses Host, GVHD, health, Liver disease, liver transplant, loss, organ donation, Organ transplant, transplant 29 Comments
Life is full of ironies. This one gives me chills.
Well, ain't that ironic? Some ironies make me tilt my head. Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? Why do they call them apartments when they are so close together? Shouldn't they be closements? Iceland is green and … Continue reading
Posted in chronic illness, End Stage Liver Disease, facing death, Find God, hope, Jesus, Organ transplant, transplant Tagged chronic illness, cirrhosis, Donate Life, Facing death, faith, gospel, healing, health, help, hope, inspirational story, ironic, ironies, irony, Liver disease, liver transplant, Motivation, organ donation, Rotary, speaker, transplant 4 Comments
Side effects, milestones, purpose, road trip and answered prayer…
I've just hit a milestone. Most of you won't think it's a big deal, but I do. My transplant docs just reduced the daily dose of my anti-rejection medicine from 8 milligrams to 6. YAHOO! Why am i so thankful? … Continue reading
Posted in Liver disease Tagged chronic illness, cirrhosis, direction, faith, Fatty liver, health, help, help for someone needing a transplant, hope, Liver, Liver disease, liver transplant, living liver donor, love your liver, Maine pulpit supply, organ donation, Prograf, purpose, recovery, side effects, speaker, transplant, transplant data 1 Comment


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Local Sports Journal
Hesperia split its doubleheader with Remus Chippewa Hills with a 15-1 loss in the opener and an 8-5 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, Remus Chippewa Hills rallied with eight runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the fifth.
Katie Annis led Hesperia with a RBI double and Alexis Castillo had a double.
The Panthers responded in the nightcap with four runs in the first inning and added a run in the second inning and three more in the fourth.
Rachel Farber was 3-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Holly Whelan had three RBI and Paige Lavin had a double and an RBI.
The winning pitcher was Annie, who struck out three and gave up one earned run and no walks.


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Pupils must not be forced to eat halal Church tells schools
By JONATHAN PETRE
The Church of England has told its schools to ensure they are serving non-halal food after concerns that a number are only providing meat slaughtered according to Islamic law.
The official guidance was issued after Church members complained that the use of halal meat was effectively 'spreading sharia law' across Britain.
The Church's financial arm has also come under pressure to withdraw its investments – worth millions of pounds – in supermarkets that do not clearly label halal food.
Halal meat: The Church of England is unhappy that not all supermarkets clearly label meat slaughtered under Islamic law
The moves follow disclosures by The Mail on Sunday last year that halal products were widespread in schools, hospitals, pubs and sporting venues but members of the public were not informed.
Halal Britain: Schools and institutions serving up ritually slaughtered meat
More than 10,000 Christians, many of whom have reservations about eating meat from animals that are bled to death while an Islamic prayer is recited, have signed a petition calling for proper labelling.
Animal rights campaigners have also expressed anger because animals are often not stunned before their throats are cut with a sharp knife.
Concern: A organisation established by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has called for clearer labelling of halal meat
Alison Ruoff, a long-standing member of the Church's 'parliament', the General Synod, said: 'The Church is only just waking up to this. We have been pathetic and mealy-mouthed but we should be really concerned about this.
'There is a lot of fear about upsetting Muslims but as a Christian you have to stand up for Christian values. Because we are unwittingly eating halal meat, we are spreading the practice of sharia law.'
An influential official body representing both Muslim and Christian leaders also said non-Muslims should not be compelled to eat halal meat.
The Christian Muslim Forum, set up by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams four years ago, said there were concerns about 'some public authorities which provide only halal products in schools and other institutions'.
It said in a statement: 'We urge all food outlets, catering organisations and public authorities to label halal food properly, for the benefit of both non-Muslim and Muslim consumers.'
John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford and chair of the Board of Education, which runs more than 4,000 Church schools, told the General Synod in London last week that guidance had been sent across the country. The guidance said if halal meat was served in schools it should not be the only option and suppliers should be changed.
Mrs Ruoff has challenged the Church Commissioners, who manage the Church's £4 billion assets, to sell its shares in supermarkets that did not clearly label halal food.
The Rev Patrick Sookhdeo, an Anglican cleric who runs the international Barnabas Fund charity for Christians facing persecution, said some extremist Muslims viewed the growing use of halal food as part of their efforts to 'impose' sharia law on the West. ( Article Source)


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Probably the most important metric for systems is their availability. You can use reports about availability to centrally display the availability of your monitored systems, instances, hosts, and databases. In the context of interactive reporting, there are four reports available to give you a quick overview of the development of these availability values over time:
System Availability ()
The report displays the availability of the selected system. A system is available if the message server of the system answers an HTTP request, and at least one application server is active at the message server.
The report takes account of unavailability because of planned downtime (see also Managing Work Modes). System availability can take the following values:
Not available during a planned downtime
Monitoring pause – There are no availability values during planned downtimes of the SAP Solution Managers system.
Unplanned downtime
No availability information available. Availability undefined
Instance Availability ()
The report outputs the availability of the instances of the selected system.
Host Availability ()
This report displays the availability of the hosts on which there are instances of the selected system. The availability is determined using an ICMP ping.
Database Availability ()
The report specifies the availability of the database.
For information about how you can specify the desired systems and the time interval to be displayed, and how to call interactive reporting, see Using Interactive Reporting.
For information about the different display options for the reports for ABAP systems with regard to metrics, threshold values, and instances, see Interactive Reports for ABAP Systems.


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From a 'pathetic saddo' to a published author
'The publication of my first book, The Cry of the Wolf - still in print after all these years with Andersen Press - turned me overnight from a pathetic saddo who wrote reams of stuff no one ever read into a published author. It's a narrow line.
Fifteen years! It goes to show what a hard thing good writing is, Sometimes writers do fall from the sky complete, like a shower of frogs - although it is usually frogs that fall, and not, say T S Eliot - but most of us have to work at it.
That's the bad news, but there's good news too, which is that it's not hard - like you have to have a huge brain or even be all that talented. It's hard like you have to practise...
The good news for writers is, we don't have to spend all our hours actually writing. We practice when we read. By the time you're an accomplished reader, you're probably already a quarter of the way there. But the rule remains. Practise and you'll get there. Don't and you won't. I've known many wonderfully talented people who were desperate to write but failed simply because they couldn't take the rejection. That's something else- you're going to need a skin like a rhinoceros.'
Melvyn Burgess, author of The Hit, in The Times


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Liquid lipsticks may promise long-wear but may not exactly be the most comfortable, especially if you have drier lips. Enter powder lipsticks, which can be worn over lip balm or nourishing lipsticks to create a lip look that suits your style.
The Best Lip Balms That Will Give Your Pout A Natural-Looking Tint
Nine Must-Have Lipsticks For That Natural, Perfect Pout
The Best Nude Lipsticks To Flatter Asian Skin Tones
For natural-looking pout:
Hydrate lips with lip balm first, then dab on the powder lipsticks from the center and blend it outwards. This will create a just-bitten lip look, similar to the ombre lips which are really popular in Korean beauty looks.
For intense colour that stays:
Just like layering powder eye shadow over a similar shade of cream eye shadow, applying powder lipsticks over cream lipsticks will set the colour and help it last much longer. Plus points for being able to change up the texture of your lipsticks just by adding on powder.
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Nonretinal/nonpineal photosensitivity has been found in the brain of vertebrates, but the molecular basis for such a "deep brain" photoreception system remains unclear. We conducted an extensive search for brain opsin cDNAs of the zebrafish (Danio rerio), a useful animal model for genetic studies, and we have isolated a partial cDNA clone encoding an ortholog of vertebrate ancient (VA) opsin, the function of which is unknown. Subsequent characterization revealed the occurrence of two kinds of mRNAs encoding putative splicing variants, VA and VA-Long (VAL) opsin, the latter of which is a novel variant of the former. Both opsins shared a common core sequence in the membrane-spanning domains, but VAL-opsin had a C-terminal tail much longer than that of VA-opsin. Functional reconstitution experiments on the recombinant proteins showed that VAL-opsin with bound 11-cis-retinal is a green-sensitive pigment (λmax ∼500 nm), whereas VA-opsin exhibited no photosensitivity even in the presence of 11-cis-retinal. Immunoreactivity specific to this functionally active VAL-opsin was localized at a limited number of cells surrounding the diencephalic ventricle of central thalamus, and these cells were distributed over ∼200 μm along the rostrocaudal axis. Taken together with the previous study on the locus of the teleost brain photosensitivity (von Frisch K, 1911), it is strongly suggested that the VAL-positive cells in the zebrafish brain represent the deep brain photoreceptors. The VAL-specific immunoreactivity was also detected in a subset of non-GABAergic horizontal cells in the zebrafish retina. The existence of VAL-opsin, a new member of the rhodopsin superfamily, in these tissues may indicate its multiple roles in visual and nonvisual photosensory physiology.
Various nonmammalian vertebrates have photoreceptor cells not only in the retina (rod and cone) but also in the extraretinal tissues such as pineal complex, deep brain, and skin (Yoshikawa and Oishi, 1998). These nonvisual photoreceptor cells seem to play important roles in diverse physiological responses including photoentrainment of circadian rhythms, detection of seasonal changes in the photoperiod, and regulation of body color. Several lines of evidence suggested that opsin-type molecules contribute to the nonvisual photoreception of vertebrates (Deguchi, 1981; Lythgoe et al., 1984; Foster et al., 1985), and in fact, opsin-type molecules have been identified in the pineal complex (Okano et al., 1994; Max et al., 1995;Blackshaw and Snyder, 1997; Mano et al., 1999), dermal melanophores (Provencio et al., 1998), and the deep brain region of the pigeon (Wada et al., 1998), frogs (Provencio et al., 1998; Yoshikawa et al., 1998), and mouse (Blackshaw and Snyder, 1999). Despite evident expression of opsin-type molecules in the deep brain region, their roles in light-regulated physiological responses have not been precisely determined because of (1) no clear evidence for physiological responses attributable to the deep brain photoreceptors (in amphibians and mammals) or (2) infeasibility of genetic approaches (in birds) or both. With respect to these points, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a useful animal model for future genetic studies on the deep brain photoreceptive functions, which have been well characterized especially in teleosts (von Frisch, 1911; Scharrer, 1928; Oksche and Hartwig, 1975; van Veen et al., 1976; Hartwig and van Veen, 1979;Kavaliers, 1980; Tabata et al., 1988, 1989).
The pioneering study on the vertebrate deep brain photoreception (von Frisch, 1911) demonstrated that a light-induced change in skin color of a teleost (European minnow) is not abolished by the removal of the eyes and pineal complex, and the light sensitivity was ascribed to the "deep brain photoreceptor" located at the ependyma of the diencephalic ventricle. Despite this clear evidence, the molecular identity and detailed location of the teleost deep brain photoreceptor remain unknown. In the present study, we find a gene expression of VA-Long (VAL) opsin, a novel variant of vertebrate ancient (VA) opsin in the zebrafish brain. VA-opsin was originally identified in the salmon as an ocular opsin (λmax: 451 nm), with its function unknown, and the gene expression has been detected in a subset of horizontal and amacrine cells in the retina (Soni and Foster, 1997;Soni et al., 1998). Here we report that VAL protein is localized to a limited number of diencephalic cells and retinal horizontal cells, the location of the former being consistent with that of the deep brain photoreceptor described by von Frisch (1911). Together with the light sensitivity reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal in vitro, it is strongly suggested that VAL-opsin contributes to the deep brain photosensitivity as well as retinal physiology.
PCR-based cDNA cloning. The RNA fraction extracted from the brains of light-adapted zebrafish (Danio rerio) was used for oligo(dT)-primed synthesis of the cDNA, and it was applied to PCR with the degenerate primers Op-Fw and Op-Rv (Yoshikawa et al., 1998), which were designed to amplify DNA fragments encoding various vertebrate rhodopsin family members. This PCR amplified two kinds of partial cDNA fragments: one encoded a pineal opsin termed exo-rhodopsin (Mano et al., 1999), and the other (Z9–20) encoded the zebrafish ortholog of VA-opsin (Soni and Foster, 1997). In the subsequent 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) of Z9–20, two kinds of cDNA fragments (V14E9 and V14E3) were obtained. The sequences of V14E9 and V14E3 were identical to each other in 119 nucleotides of their 5′-ends, but they showed a divergence in the rest of the 3′-ends. In contrast, 5′-RACE, by using internal primers of Z9–20 with the zebrafish brain cDNA template, amplified a single DNA fragment (V16E23). On the basis of the sequences of Z9–20, V14E9, V14E3, and V16E23, we assumed the presence of two kinds of VA-opsin mRNAs (VA and VAL) in the zebrafish brain. Finally, the two variants of VA-opsin mRNAs were identified by amplification of the entire coding sequences of VA and VAL, using the zebrafish brain cDNA as a template. The primers used were (1) the internal primers of V16E23 [5′-TCAGGGAGA(C/A)ATC(T/C)GAACTG-3′] and V14E9 (5′-AACTGAAATCAAATGCTCACTC-3′) for amplification of VA sequence or (2) the internal primers of V16E23 [5′-TCAGGGAGA(C/A)ATC(T/C)GAACTG-3′] and V14E3 (5′-CACTGAGATGAAGACTCTGC-3′) for amplification of VAL sequence. In this final series of PCR, four independent clones from each of the three independent amplifications of either VA or VAL were sequenced on both DNA strands. The nucleotide sequence data have been deposited to the DNA Data Bank of Japan/European Molecular Biology Laboratory/GenBank nucleotide sequence databases with the accession numbers AB035276 (VAL-opsin) and AB035277 (VA-opsin).
Preparation of recombinant proteins and spectroscopic measurements. The zebrafish VA- and VAL-opsin were produced in human embryonic kidney cells 293S as described previously (Kojima et al., 1996), with the aid of a eukaryotic expression vector pUSRα (Kayada et al., 1995) derived from pUC-SRα (Shimamoto et al., 1993). Briefly, five 10-cm-diameter dishes of 293S cells were co-transfected with the opsin expression vector and pRSV-TAg and cultured for 48 hr at 37°C. Then, the cells expressing VA or VAL were collected in 400 μl of buffer Pm (50 mm HEPES-NaOH, 140 mm NaCl, 3 mm MgCl2, 1 mmdithiothreitol, 1 μg/ml aprotinin, 1 μg/ml leupeptin, pH 6.6, at 4°C). Subsequent procedures were performed under a dim red light (wavelengths >660 nm) or in the dark. The collected cells were mixed with 4 nmol of 11-cis-retinal and incubated at 4°C for 5 hr, and proteins were extracted by the addition of 500 μl of 2% dodecyl-β-D-maltoside dissolved in buffer Pm. Then the extract was mixed with neutralized hydroxylamine (at a final concentration of 50 mm) and incubated at 0°C for 2 hr for conversion of free 11-cis-retinal into retinal-oxime. A difference absorption spectrum before and after bleaching of the sample with an orange light (>520 nm) at 0°C for 60 sec was recorded with a spectrophotometer (model MPS-2000; Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan).
RT-PCR. For detection of VA and VAL mRNAs in the zebrafish tissues, RT-PCR was performed by using TaqGold polymerase (PE Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and oligo(dT)-primed cDNA template (synthesized as described in the previous section). The primers used were (1) 5′-TATGTGTTCATGAACAAACAG-3′ and 5′-ACAAGTCAGTTTTAATGATGC-3′ to amplify a 236 base pair fragment derived from VA mRNA or (2) 5′-TATGTGTTCATGAACAAACAG-3′ and 5′-GACACACTTTGTTCTCAGG-3′ to amplify a 238 base pair fragment from VAL mRNA. The cycling protocol used was 94°C for 30 sec, 55°C for 30 sec, and 72°C for 30 sec for 35 cycles.
Preparation of antibodies. For preparation of region-specific antibodies, three kinds of fusion proteins were designed: (1) MBP-VC, which is composed of maltose-binding protein (MBP) and the C-terminal region of VAL (termed VC region; Q303-M377) (see Fig. 1A,C), (2) GST-VC, composed of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and VC, and (3) GST-VN, composed of GST and the N-terminal region common to VA and VAL (termed VN region; M1-S31) (see Fig.1A,C). MBP-VC was expressed inEscherichia coli BL21 strain with the aid of a prokaryotic expression vector pMAL-c2 (New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA) and purified by affinity chromatography using amylose resin (New England Biolabs). GST-VC, GST-VN, and GST were expressed in BL21 with the aid of a prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-5X-1 (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Tokyo, Japan) and were purified by affinity chromatography using glutathione-Sepharose 4B (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). Five female mice (BALB/c strain, 5 weeks old) were immunized with purified MBP-VC or GST-VN. For affinity purification of antisera, GST-VC, GST-VN, and GST were separately immobilized to glutathione-Sepharose 4B according to the method reported by Bar-Peled and Raikhel (1996). Then, the antibodies specific to the VC region (VC antibody) were purified by using the GST-VC-immobilized Sepharose to eliminate anti-MBP activity. As for the antisera to GST-VN, anti-GST fractions were removed by passing through a GST-immobilized Sepharose column, and the antibodies specific to the VN region (VN antibody) were purified by using GST-VN-immobilized Sepharose.
Preparation of tissue sections. Tissue sections were prepared as described (Barthel and Raymond, 1990) with some modifications. Adult zebrafish were maintained in light (14 hr)/dark (10 hr) cycles, and decapitated 6 hr after the onset of the light phase. Then, the heads including the eyes and brain were immersion-fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, 5% sucrose in phosphate buffer (PB; 0.1 m Na-phosphate buffer, pH 7.4) for 2 hr at room temperature (23°C). After they were rinsed with 5% sucrose in PB, the tissues were cryoprotected with increasing concentrations of sucrose (10, 15, and 20%) in PB, embedded in a solution of 2:1 mixture of 20% sucrose (in PB) and the OCT mounting medium (Sakura, Tokyo, Japan), frozen by using liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80°C until use. Finally, 10-μm-thick sections were cut out from the embedded tissues, mounted on gelatin-coated glass slides, and air-dried.
Immunofluorescence analyses of tissue sections. The sections on glass slides were pretreated with a blocking solution [1.5% horse or goat normal serum, 0.3% Triton X-100 in PBS (10 mmNa-phosphate buffer, 140 mm NaCl, 1 mmMgCl2, pH 7.4)], and then incubated with a primary antibody diluted in the blocking solution at 4°C for 3 d. After they were rinsed with PBS, the sections were treated with a secondary antibody for 20 hr at 4°C and again washed with PBS. Then, the sections were coverslipped with a solution of 1:1 mixture of 50% glycerol (in PBS) and Vectashield Mounting Medium (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA). The primary antibodies used were VC antibody (diluted to 0.6 μg/ml), VN antibody (diluted to 0.4 μg/ml), AS-Rh [(Kawata et al., 1992) a mouse antiserum raised against purified bovine rhodopsin, diluted 1:10,000], and GAD antibody (AB108, Chemicon, Temecula, CA; a rabbit antiserum raised against feline glutamic acid decarboxylase, diluted 1:1000). For a control staining, the primary antibody was eliminated or replaced by a mouse IgG fraction (diluted to 0.6 μg/ml) purified from preimmune sera by Protein G-Sepharose column chromatography, or replaced by rabbit preimmune serum (diluted 1:1000). The secondary antibodies used were the horse anti-mouse IgG antibody conjugated either with FITC (diluted to 7.5 μg/ml) or with Texas Red (diluted to 15 μg/ml), and the goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody conjugated with FITC (diluted to 7.5 μg/ml), all of which were purchased from Vector Laboratories. TO-PRO-3 (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR), diluted to 0.2 μm, was used for staining of cell nuclei.
Two isoforms of zebrafish VA-opsin ortholog
To identify an opsin-type photosensitive molecule expressed in the zebrafish brain, we conducted an extensive PCR-based screening of cDNAs prepared from the whole-brain RNA fraction (see Materials and Methods). Then we isolated a cDNA clone (Z9–20) encoding a part of a putative opsin, of which the deduced amino acid sequence was highly similar (75% identical) to that of salmon VA-opsin (Soni and Foster, 1997). To obtain a full-length cDNA, 5′- and 3′-RACE were used, resulting in isolation of two distinct cDNA variants. The deduced amino acid sequences (and the corresponding nucleotide sequences) of these variants were identical to each other within the first 303 residues, and they showed a divergence in the C-terminal sequence (Fig.1A). These two forms were probably derived from alternative RNA splicing from a single gene (see Discussion), and the common core sequence (M1-Q303) showed higher similarity (73.4% identity) to salmon VA-opsin (Soni and Foster, 1997) than to any other known opsin sequences (<50% identity). Interestingly, one of the isoforms had an extremely short cytoplasmic tail, just like salmon VA-opsin, and hence this isoform is most likely to represent a counterpart of salmon VA-opsin. The cytoplasmic tail of the other isoform was 67 amino acids longer than that of VA-opsin, and thus we named it VAL-opsin (VA-Long-opsin). Such a longer cytoplasmic tail is a common feature among all the members of rhodopsin family except for VA-opsin. Furthermore, the proximal region in the cytoplasmic tail of VAL-opsin had several characteristic residues (Fig.1B, open triangles), which are well conserved among the members of vertebrate rhodopsin family except for salmon and zebrafish VA-opsin. These suggest a functional difference between VA- and VAL-opsin.
Functional reconstitution of VAL-opsin with 11-cis-retinal
A possible functional difference between the two isoforms was examined by preparing recombinant proteins produced in the human embryonic kidney cells 293S. After being reconstituted with 11-cis-retinal, which is a common chromophore of the rhodopsin family, VA- and VAL-opsin were subjected to photobleaching experiments in the presence of hydroxylamine (Fig.2). On light irradiation, VAL-opsin with 11-cis-retinal showed a significant change in the absorption spectrum, and the difference absorption spectrum before and after complete bleaching had its maximum at ∼500 nm (Fig. 2, curve2). This represents photobleaching of a green-sensitive pigment (VAL-opsin with bound 11-cis-retinal) into opsin plus all-trans-retinal-oxime. On the other hand, no photobleaching signal was detected in the VA-opsin sample (curve1). These data indicated that only VAL-opsin can bind 11-cis-retinal and form a functional (light-sensitive) pigment under the conditions.
VAL-opsin expression in the diencephalon
To investigate localization of functionally active VAL-opsin in the zebrafish brain, we prepared an antibody recognizing the C-terminal tail of VAL-opsin (Fig. 1C, VC region). Judging from the structure, this VC antibody is specific to VAL-opsin because the VC region shows no significant homology in sequence to any part of VA-opsin and any known opsins in the zebrafish. The specificity was confirmed by an immunoblot experiment, in which the VC antibody immunoreacted to the recombinant VAL-opsin (∼50 kDa band) expressed in the 293S cells but not to the recombinant VA-opsin (data not shown). An extensive search for VC immunoreactivity in the cross sections of whole brain of the zebrafish revealed the existence of a limited number of VC-positive cells in the diencephalic region, or more exactly in the central posterior thalamic nucleus (Fig.3B, CP), which was proximal to the diencephalic ventricle of central thalamus. Noticeably, their cell bodies and axon-like fibers were both immunoreactive (Fig.3D), a pattern reminiscent of the opsin immunoreactivity in the cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons in the pigeon deep brain (Wada et al., 1998). Our analysis of the serial sections demonstrated that the VC-positive neurons in CP are distributed over ∼200 μm along the rostrocaudal axis. These neurons could represent the deep brain photoreceptor cells in the zebrafish (see Discussion).
VAL-opsin expression in the retina
The RT-PCR-based examination of tissue-specific gene expression of VA- and VAL-opsin indicated that both were expressed not only in the brain but also in the eye (Fig. 4,+RTase). We detected no amplified product when the reverse transcriptase treatment was eliminated (Fig. 4, −RTase), confirming no detectable contamination of genomic DNA. Then, we investigated localization of VA and VAL proteins in the zebrafish eye (Fig. 5). The VC antibody labeled a subset of horizontal cells in the distal margin of the inner nuclear layer of the retina, but not the rod/cone photoreceptor layer (Fig.5B). The VAL-opsin localization in the retina was confirmed by using another antibody, VN, which was raised against the N-terminal region common to VA- and VAL-opsin (Fig. 1C). The VN antibody consistently labeled a subset of horizontal cells. This antibody also immunoreacted to a small fraction of amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer (Fig. 5C). These amacrine cells were not detected by the VC antibody, suggesting the specific localization of VA-opsin.
The horizontal cells in teleosts have been physiologically and histologically classified into several classes (Dowling, 1987). One of the good histochemical markers for the classification is glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), which is responsible for synthesis of GABA (Lam et al., 1979). By using an antibody to GAD, we examined whether the VAL-opsin-expressing cells are GABAergic. The GAD antibody labeled a subset of horizontal cells in addition to a subset of amacrine cells (Fig. 6B), just as reported previously (Connaughton et al., 1999). As shown in Figure6C, however, the GAD- and the VC-immunoreactive horizontal cells were mutually exclusive, indicating the presence of VAL-opsin in non-GABAergic horizontal cells. Judging from their location and non-GABAergic feature, the VAL-opsin-expressing cells seem to represent the rod-type horizontal cells, which are generally found in the teleost retina (Dowling, 1987). In these analyses, we noticed that the VAL-opsin-expressing horizontal cells were regularly distributed in the layer (Fig. 7) and that their relative signal intensity showed a dorsoventral gradient, i.e., the signal intensities in the horizontal cells are stronger in the dorsal part of zebrafish retina (data not shown). The cellular distribution of VAL-opsin in the zebrafish retina is not random but seems to be spatially regulated for an unknown function (see Discussion).
The present study demonstrated that VAL-opsin, a newly identified variant of VA-opsin, can bind 11-cis-retinal in vitro and form a green-sensitive pigment (Fig. 2) and that VAL-opsin is localized to a limited number of cells in CP of the zebrafish deep brain (Fig. 3). Because 11-cis-retinal, a common chromophore of vertebrate opsins, has been detected in the deep brain regions such as telencephalon (Foster et al., 1993) and diencephalon (Masuda et al., 1994), our reconstitution experimentsin vitro strongly suggest the photosensitivity of VAL-opsin-expressing cells in the zebrafish CP. To our knowledge, little is known about the neuronal function of CP in teleosts, and a role for transmitting auditory information is only suggested (Echteler, 1984, 1985; Striedter, 1991). On the other hand, von Frisch (1911)demonstrated that a fish deep brain photoreceptor responsible for the regulation of skin color is present in the ependyma of the diencephalic ventricle. This location nicely fits the localization of VAL-positive cells in the ependyma or subependyma of the diencephalic ventricle of the zebrafish brain. Like the minnow (von Frisch, 1911), the zebrafish skin becomes pale in the dark and darkened on exposure to light. Therefore, one of the physiological roles of VAL-opsin in the zebrafish deep brain could be the skin color regulation that is dependent on environmental light conditions.
Our finding of the zebrafish VA/VAL-opsin provides the first example for alternative RNA splicing generating opsin isoforms with distinct amino acid sequences. This contrasts with the alternative splicing of mouse rhodopsin mRNAs in the 3′-untranslated sequence, leaving the protein sequence unaltered (Al-Ubaidi et al., 1990). The amino acid sequences of VA- and VAL-opsin are different from each other only in the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail (Fig. 1A), and this boundary between the common and the isoform-specific region (Fig.1B) corresponds exactly to the splice site conserved among vertebrate opsin genes (Nathans and Hogness, 1983; Nathans et al., 1986; Max et al., 1995). Our preliminary sequence data of the zebrafish VA/VAL-opsin gene (data not shown) indicate that the zebrafish VA-opsin mRNA is produced by an intron retention at this splice site, whereas the VAL-opsin mRNA is spliced at this conserved splice site. Because the cytoplasmic tail is different between zebrafish VA- and VAL-opsin, we anticipated a functional difference between the two isoforms. In the case of other G-protein-coupled receptors such as the prostaglandin EP3 receptor (Namba et al., 1993) and the endothelin ETBreceptor (Elshourbagy et al., 1996), similar alternative splicing produces multiple receptor isoforms with distinct cytoplasmic tails, each of which is coupled with a distinct set of G-protein subtypes. In contrast, the present results demonstrated all-or-none difference in ligand (11-cis-retinal) binding ability between the isoforms (Fig. 2), although it remains unclear why zebrafish VA-opsin formed no photopigment with 11-cis-retinal. A plausible explanation is that the recombinant VA-opsin was misfolded and thus failed to bind the chromophore, because the proximal region of the C-terminal tail (Fig.1B, closed circle), which includes the splice site of zebrafish VA- and VAL-opsin, has been shown to play a critical role in the proper folding and stability of bovine rhodopsin (Weiss et al., 1994).
Consistent with the previous study on salmon VA-opsin (Soni et al., 1998), we also detected the expression of VAL-opsin in a class of horizontal cells of the zebrafish retina. What is the role of VAL-opsin in the retinal horizontal cells? In spite of no evidence for the supply of 11-cis-retinal to retinal horizontal cells, the spatially well ordered distribution of VAL-positive cells in the inner nuclear layer seems to indicate its functional contribution to retinal physiology. In general, gap junctions between neighboring horizontal cells enable electrocoupling among the cells to form a large receptive field (Murakami et al., 1995). The pores of gap junctions in the horizontal cells are closed in the presence of background illumination, making the receptive field narrower (Piccolino, 1986). It has been accepted that such an effect of light on the teleost horizontal cell is mediated by dopamine released from a class of interplexiform cells, but the presence of an alternative pathway (dopamine independent) is also suggested (Baldridge and Ball, 1991; Umino et al., 1991). We can speculate that VAL-opsin in the horizontal cells may participate in the light-sensitive regulation of gap junctions. It is equally possible that VAL-opsin plays a role in resetting the phase of the retinal circadian clock, which regulates the rhythmic production of melatonin in the zebrafish retina (Cahill, 1996). Recent studies on transgenic mice lacking rods and cones (Freedman et al., 1999; Lucas et al., 1999) have demonstrated that non-rod/non-cone photoreceptors in the eyes can reset the circadian clock phase. Just like cryptochromes (Miyamoto and Sancar, 1998) and melanopsin (Provencio et al., 2000) found in the ganglion and inner nuclear layers, VAL-opsin present in the horizontal cells is a candidate for the circadian photoreceptor resetting the clock phase. In addition to VAL-opsin, VA-opsin also showed highly specific distribution in the zebrafish retina (Fig. 5), but its physiological role is totally unclear at present. The failure to reconstitute VA-opsin-based photosensitive pigment with 11-cis-retinal in vitro (Fig. 2) might indicate a nonphotoreceptive function in the zebrafish.
In summary, functionally active VAL-opsin, a novel variant of VA-opsin, is present in the diencephalic cells and in the retinal horizontal cells, suggesting its multiple roles in visual and nonvisual photoreceptive physiology. The identification of functional opsin in the zebrafish brain opens a new way to the molecular and genetic characterization of the deep brain photoreception system.
This work was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture. H. M. is supported by a research fellowship of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science for Young Scientists. We thank Prof. J. Nathans (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) for providing pRSV-TAg and 293S cells, Prof. M. Tachibana (The University of Tokyo) and Dr. M. Murata (National Institute for Physiological Sciences) for valuable discussion about VAL-positive cells, and Drs. T. Okano, K. Sanada, and T. Yoshikawa, and F. Shimizu (this laboratory) for helpful comments and providing PCR primers and other materials.
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Yoshitaka Fukada, Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan. E-mail: sfukada{at}mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp.


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