text:
When JRPGs were struggling to evolve last generation, Xenoblade Chronicles came along and showed the genre still had a few tricks up its sleeve. It earned plenty of praise as one of the best role-playing games of last generation, currently holding a 92 score on Metacritic. Monolith Soft proved it could create a compelling world and innovate in the genre, thanks to its creative design and MMO-style combat.
Its successor, Xenoblade Chronicles X, doesn't just switch it up to an extensive sci-fi setting; it expands the scope of everything, building upon the solid foundation set by its predecessor. I recently spent five hours with the game, and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. If you thought Xenoblade Chronicles was big, you will be surprised just how much Xenoblade Chronicles X dwarfs it - and that's not even mentioning the extensive customization or Skells (mechs) that further enhance the experience.
Not much has been revealed about X's plot, except that a huge battle between two alien species above Earth has destroyed our home planet. Humans evacuated and have spent the past two years roaming space in emergency ships. However, the real story doesn't begin until your main character (you can customize your gender and appearance), crash lands on the planet of Mira. Without much memory of who you are, you're greeted by a woman named Elma, who shows you the ropes of life on this -mysterious continent called Primordia. A rocky grasslands region, Primordia is the first of five different continents that make up Mira.
Elma explains that when their ship, the White Whale, crashed here two months ago, the surviving humans began slowly building New Los Angeles. A good portion of Xenoblade Chronicles' plotline focuses on rebuilding society and finding survivors to revive humanity, but what's most intriguing are the mysteries Mira holds. The planet is teeming with dangers beyond enormous creatures; in fact, as you explore, you run into various alien species. Some will be hostile; others will join your base if you help them out. Can everyone coexist? This already seems more exciting than Xenoblade Chronicles' plot. We always question if there's life on other planets and if it would be friendly or not, and I like how X explores this concept.
Also noticeable right out of the gate is that X's dialogue has much more personality than Xenoblade Chronicles. Your dialogue choices elicit different responses depending on what you pick. These won't alter the storyline, but instead color the conversations you have with other characters. At one point, I try to take credit for keeping the area safe, and Elma quickly calls me on it. Later, we meet our second party member, Lin Lee, a 15-year-old mechanic. She's extremely gifted, but every so often says something that reminds you she's just 15, like when she talks about her Skell fan-fiction. The humor isn't overdone and is clever when it's used. Counting Elma and Lin Lee, a total of 16 characters can be recruited for your party. This includes all the DLC characters released in Japan; Nintendo is including them at no cost in the North American release.
Becoming A Member Of B.L.A.D.E.
The opening moments serve to ease you into the mechanics and all the different things you can do. It's a lot of information to take in, and even after spending five hours with the game, I was still learning the ropes. New Los Angeles, with its four districts, serves as your hub. After a few basic missions, you join up with B.L.A.D.E. (Builders of a Legacy After the Destruction of Earth). This group was created to maintain the burgeoning New Los Angeles and to explore for supplies and threats. Once you join, you get to pick from one of eight different classes, from mediators who help the townspeople to reclaimers who search for wreckage from the White Whale. Every class comes with its own perks, and just because you pick a class doesn't mean you can't do activities associated with others; this just gives you an area to focus on for potential upgrades for your character. Throughout the game, you earn division points for defeating enemies, completing missions, and opening chests. Bonus division points are awarded if you do missions in your specialization. Division points allow you to level up your B.L.A.D.E. rank, which grants you additional rewards and higher level probes.
B.L.A.D.E. has its own mission board, where you can retrieve different job requests. From the get-go, the board is overflowing with a variety of missions, on top of people handing you tasks. More than 400 quests exist, including story missions that advance the plot, affinity missions that improve your relationship with characters, and normal side quests such as rescuing characters or retrieving items. The narrative has a total of 12 chapters, but you can't advance unless you meet certain requirements. For instance, you might need to reach a specific affinity level with a character or explore 15 percent of the continent to proceed.
A variety of activities are available in Xenoblade X's vast open world, and they fit seamlessly into the overall exploration, such as placing probes (which also opens fast travel to those locations) and helping characters in peril. Who knows? Maybe you'll run into members of a new species and convince them to join up with you. At one point, I recruited a species and I was given access to brand-new weaponry.
One side quest tasked me with obtaining a red orb that was inconveniently placed in front of two level 35 tyrants. I was level five at the time, so there was no way I could afford to draw their attention my way, forcing me to slowly walk by them and figure out a way to stay out of their sight.
Various chests and places to mine resources are uncovered as you explore. You must tap "A" repeatedly to open these, but some chests remain locked until you level up this ability. Returning from Xenoblade are orbs littered on the field, which contain additional items. The jump button allows you to get up on higher ledges, but if you use it while running you can do a super jump that lets you float through the air. This quickly became my favorite way to explore.
All sorts of creatures inhabit the land, be they aggressive, neutral, or friendly. Paying attention to the color above them is essential; if it's red, you need to keep your awareness up. The joy of the game really stems from exploration; majestic, dinosaur-like creatures are all around. Other continents sport completely different looks. For instance, one is a jungle and contains alligators that leap out from the water to attack you. Another is a fire island that rains fire and allows you to explore inside volcanoes.
Each locale is filled with nooks and crannies, but quests leave a marker for you to track down. Better yet, after a few missions, you unlock the "follow ball." All you need to do is hold "R" and press "X," and a navigational ball leads you to your destination. This comes in handy when there are mountains or other obstacles in your way, showing you a fast path to get around them.
In addition to the single-player campaign, Xenoblade Chronicles X has two different online features. You can recruit other player-created character NPCs, who can then be used in your party. You also build affinity with these NPC rentals on the battlefield. However, the more exciting online feature is the ability to join squads. Squads hold 32 players and allow you to participate in squad quests, which let you team up with three other players to take on tougher content, such as the gigantic, super-powerful tyrants.
Before you can unlock squad quests, however, you must first complete squad missions. These special objectives need to be completed in a certain amount of time. All squad members see the list and once a member completes something on it, it gets marked as completed in the other squad members’ games. This allows you to divvy up tasks as you see fit. You can also exchange loot with your squad, so if you get gear or weapons that don’t suit your playstyle, you can let your friend reap the benefits.
Xenoblade Chronicles X's battle system doesn't change significantly from its predecessor. You activate skills on a cooldown meter while your character automatically uses regular attacks, akin to an MMORPG. But the battles are noticeably faster and smoother than before, something Monolith executive director Tetsuya Takahashi said was born out of this game having longer conflicts. "[We] wanted the pace of the combat to be faster, so those don't last too long," he says.
I took delight in finding the right grooves of attacks to create deadly combos. Positioning still matters greatly, and every art has a positioning bonus. For instance, an art bonus can provide a damage increase for a side attack, or a specific art may add a 50-percent damage bonus if the enemy is toppled. You can combine these for devastating combos.
Additionally, I enjoyed being able to alternate between melee and ranged attacks. My character had a deadly sword I could use up close, but if I wanted to play it safer, I could always swap to my gun and snipe from afar. I actually preferred the guns to the sword for this reason - and let's be honest, lasers are just cooler. The A.I. is also much better this time around; my allies rarely died and knew when to fall back and heal.
Arts can be customized to fit your playstyle. For the start of the game, you are a drifter that allows you to obtain a variety of different arts. Once you reach level 10, you have different branches you can break off into: enforcer, striker, and guerrilla. Enforcers support from afar, gaining access to a slew of ranged arts. Guerillas are like tanks who want to rack up damage; their arts are focused on damage buffs, evasion, and improved accuracy. Strikers go in guns blazing and are a mix of offensive and defensive skills, providing HP and melee power bonuses. The striker is the recommended class for beginners, while the enforcer is for more experienced players.
Those expecting to hop right into a mech might be disappointed; you don't get your Skell license until chapter six, halfway through the game. You also won't receive your first Skell until level 20, and you can't pilot it until researching the flight pack after chapter nine. "The main reason we didn't want players to have the Skell from the beginning of the game is that we wanted them to have the opportunity to fully explore the world on foot first," Takahashi says. "The world starts to feel quite a bit different once you have the Skell, especially once you experience different layers of the world vertically."
Nintendo skipped me ahead so I could test one out. Skells definitely make exploration a different beast; you can fly to floating islands and some structures have hidden caves that can only be accessed via flight. Skells also make journeying between continents much easier - I didn't even care about fast travel once I got mine.
Stepping into X is overwhelming for its sheer vastness and scope alone, but that's what makes it so thrilling. The game feels endless, but my desire to keep on playing and discovering new things never left me. My early look has me confident that this game will inspire massive playthroughs just like its predecessor, but X feels like it has even more to offer in terms of variety and size. Plus, who isn't excited to see Takahashi and company get back to their sci-fi roots à la Xenogears and Xenosaga?
Xenoblade Chronicles X also has plenty of late-game content to make your Skell worthwhile. It features numerous post-game monsters, like a level 99 baddie soaring in the sky, and online play makes it possible to take down deadly foes with friends. In addition, hidden dungeons, higher-level mechs, and powerful gear and weapons provide extra incentive to keep exploring. “One figure we’re hearing from people [in Japan] is that they’ve spent two to three times the amount of hours they spent on clearing the main story on end-game content,” says Monolith Soft executive director Tetsuya Takahashi.

lowercased:
when jrpgs were struggling to evolve last generation, xenoblade chronicles came along and showed the genre still had a few tricks up its sleeve. it earned plenty of praise as one of the best role-playing games of last generation, currently holding a 92 score on metacritic. monolith soft proved it could create a compelling world and innovate in the genre, thanks to its creative design and mmo-style combat.
its successor, xenoblade chronicles x, doesn't just switch it up to an extensive sci-fi setting; it expands the scope of everything, building upon the solid foundation set by its predecessor. i recently spent five hours with the game, and i feel like i've barely scratched the surface. if you thought xenoblade chronicles was big, you will be surprised just how much xenoblade chronicles x dwarfs it - and that's not even mentioning the extensive customization or skells (mechs) that further enhance the experience.
not much has been revealed about x's plot, except that a huge battle between two alien species above earth has destroyed our home planet. humans evacuated and have spent the past two years roaming space in emergency ships. however, the real story doesn't begin until your main character (you can customize your gender and appearance), crash lands on the planet of mira. without much memory of who you are, you're greeted by a woman named elma, who shows you the ropes of life on this -mysterious continent called primordia. a rocky grasslands region, primordia is the first of five different continents that make up mira.
elma explains that when their ship, the white whale, crashed here two months ago, the surviving humans began slowly building new los angeles. a good portion of xenoblade chronicles' plotline focuses on rebuilding society and finding survivors to revive humanity, but what's most intriguing are the mysteries mira holds. the planet is teeming with dangers beyond enormous creatures; in fact, as you explore, you run into various alien species. some will be hostile; others will join your base if you help them out. can everyone coexist? this already seems more exciting than xenoblade chronicles' plot. we always question if there's life on other planets and if it would be friendly or not, and i like how x explores this concept.
also noticeable right out of the gate is that x's dialogue has much more personality than xenoblade chronicles. your dialogue choices elicit different responses depending on what you pick. these won't alter the storyline, but instead color the conversations you have with other characters. at one point, i try to take credit for keeping the area safe, and elma quickly calls me on it. later, we meet our second party member, lin lee, a 15-year-old mechanic. she's extremely gifted, but every so often says something that reminds you she's just 15, like when she talks about her skell fan-fiction. the humor isn't overdone and is clever when it's used. counting elma and lin lee, a total of 16 characters can be recruited for your party. this includes all the dlc characters released in japan; nintendo is including them at no cost in the north american release.
becoming a member of b.l.a.d.e.
the opening moments serve to ease you into the mechanics and all the different things you can do. it's a lot of information to take in, and even after spending five hours with the game, i was still learning the ropes. new los angeles, with its four districts, serves as your hub. after a few basic missions, you join up with b.l.a.d.e. (builders of a legacy after the destruction of earth). this group was created to maintain the burgeoning new los angeles and to explore for supplies and threats. once you join, you get to pick from one of eight different classes, from mediators who help the townspeople to reclaimers who search for wreckage from the white whale. every class comes with its own perks, and just because you pick a class doesn't mean you can't do activities associated with others; this just gives you an area to focus on for potential upgrades for your character. throughout the game, you earn division points for defeating enemies, completing missions, and opening chests. bonus division points are awarded if you do missions in your specialization. division points allow you to level up your b.l.a.d.e. rank, which grants you additional rewards and higher level probes.
b.l.a.d.e. has its own mission board, where you can retrieve different job requests. from the get-go, the board is overflowing with a variety of missions, on top of people handing you tasks. more than 400 quests exist, including story missions that advance the plot, affinity missions that improve your relationship with characters, and normal side quests such as rescuing characters or retrieving items. the narrative has a total of 12 chapters, but you can't advance unless you meet certain requirements. for instance, you might need to reach a specific affinity level with a character or explore 15 percent of the continent to proceed.
a variety of activities are available in xenoblade x's vast open world, and they fit seamlessly into the overall exploration, such as placing probes (which also opens fast travel to those locations) and helping characters in peril. who knows? maybe you'll run into members of a new species and convince them to join up with you. at one point, i recruited a species and i was given access to brand-new weaponry.
one side quest tasked me with obtaining a red orb that was inconveniently placed in front of two level 35 tyrants. i was level five at the time, so there was no way i could afford to draw their attention my way, forcing me to slowly walk by them and figure out a way to stay out of their sight.
various chests and places to mine resources are uncovered as you explore. you must tap "a" repeatedly to open these, but some chests remain locked until you level up this ability. returning from xenoblade are orbs littered on the field, which contain additional items. the jump button allows you to get up on higher ledges, but if you use it while running you can do a super jump that lets you float through the air. this quickly became my favorite way to explore.
all sorts of creatures inhabit the land, be they aggressive, neutral, or friendly. paying attention to the color above them is essential; if it's red, you need to keep your awareness up. the joy of the game really stems from exploration; majestic, dinosaur-like creatures are all around. other continents sport completely different looks. for instance, one is a jungle and contains alligators that leap out from the water to attack you. another is a fire island that rains fire and allows you to explore inside volcanoes.
each locale is filled with nooks and crannies, but quests leave a marker for you to track down. better yet, after a few missions, you unlock the "follow ball." all you need to do is hold "r" and press "x," and a navigational ball leads you to your destination. this comes in handy when there are mountains or other obstacles in your way, showing you a fast path to get around them.
in addition to the single-player campaign, xenoblade chronicles x has two different online features. you can recruit other player-created character npcs, who can then be used in your party. you also build affinity with these npc rentals on the battlefield. however, the more exciting online feature is the ability to join squads. squads hold 32 players and allow you to participate in squad quests, which let you team up with three other players to take on tougher content, such as the gigantic, super-powerful tyrants.
before you can unlock squad quests, however, you must first complete squad missions. these special objectives need to be completed in a certain amount of time. all squad members see the list and once a member completes something on it, it gets marked as completed in the other squad members’ games. this allows you to divvy up tasks as you see fit. you can also exchange loot with your squad, so if you get gear or weapons that don’t suit your playstyle, you can let your friend reap the benefits.
xenoblade chronicles x's battle system doesn't change significantly from its predecessor. you activate skills on a cooldown meter while your character automatically uses regular attacks, akin to an mmorpg. but the battles are noticeably faster and smoother than before, something monolith executive director tetsuya takahashi said was born out of this game having longer conflicts. "[we] wanted the pace of the combat to be faster, so those don't last too long," he says.
i took delight in finding the right grooves of attacks to create deadly combos. positioning still matters greatly, and every art has a positioning bonus. for instance, an art bonus can provide a damage increase for a side attack, or a specific art may add a 50-percent damage bonus if the enemy is toppled. you can combine these for devastating combos.
additionally, i enjoyed being able to alternate between melee and ranged attacks. my character had a deadly sword i could use up close, but if i wanted to play it safer, i could always swap to my gun and snipe from afar. i actually preferred the guns to the sword for this reason - and let's be honest, lasers are just cooler. the a.i. is also much better this time around; my allies rarely died and knew when to fall back and heal.
arts can be customized to fit your playstyle. for the start of the game, you are a drifter that allows you to obtain a variety of different arts. once you reach level 10, you have different branches you can break off into: enforcer, striker, and guerrilla. enforcers support from afar, gaining access to a slew of ranged arts. guerillas are like tanks who want to rack up damage; their arts are focused on damage buffs, evasion, and improved accuracy. strikers go in guns blazing and are a mix of offensive and defensive skills, providing hp and melee power bonuses. the striker is the recommended class for beginners, while the enforcer is for more experienced players.
those expecting to hop right into a mech might be disappointed; you don't get your skell license until chapter six, halfway through the game. you also won't receive your first skell until level 20, and you can't pilot it until researching the flight pack after chapter nine. "the main reason we didn't want players to have the skell from the beginning of the game is that we wanted them to have the opportunity to fully explore the world on foot first," takahashi says. "the world starts to feel quite a bit different once you have the skell, especially once you experience different layers of the world vertically."
nintendo skipped me ahead so i could test one out. skells definitely make exploration a different beast; you can fly to floating islands and some structures have hidden caves that can only be accessed via flight. skells also make journeying between continents much easier - i didn't even care about fast travel once i got mine.
stepping into x is overwhelming for its sheer vastness and scope alone, but that's what makes it so thrilling. the game feels endless, but my desire to keep on playing and discovering new things never left me. my early look has me confident that this game will inspire massive playthroughs just like its predecessor, but x feels like it has even more to offer in terms of variety and size. plus, who isn't excited to see takahashi and company get back to their sci-fi roots à la xenogears and xenosaga?
xenoblade chronicles x also has plenty of late-game content to make your skell worthwhile. it features numerous post-game monsters, like a level 99 baddie soaring in the sky, and online play makes it possible to take down deadly foes with friends. in addition, hidden dungeons, higher-level mechs, and powerful gear and weapons provide extra incentive to keep exploring. “one figure we’re hearing from people [in japan] is that they’ve spent two to three times the amount of hours they spent on clearing the main story on end-game content,” says monolith soft executive director tetsuya takahashi.


text:
Extension allows you to set different colors in vTiger’s lists. For example Paid Invoices can be in green but lost Deals can be in red. Using this vTiger extensions you can create a lot of different colors in CRM. The colors works in related lists too.
Extension allows you to set different colors in vTiger’s lists. For example Paid Invoices can be in green but lost Deals can be in red. Use this vTiger extensions you can create a lot of different colors in CRM. The colors works in related lists too.
Extension shows related list's items quantity in Summary or Detail view.

lowercased:
extension allows you to set different colors in vtiger’s lists. for example paid invoices can be in green but lost deals can be in red. using this vtiger extensions you can create a lot of different colors in crm. the colors works in related lists too.
extension allows you to set different colors in vtiger’s lists. for example paid invoices can be in green but lost deals can be in red. use this vtiger extensions you can create a lot of different colors in crm. the colors works in related lists too.
extension shows related list's items quantity in summary or detail view.


text:
1. Alternatively referred to as three-dimensional, 3-D or 3D is a description of a visual object that has the appearance of depth and field. The picture is an example of a 3D ball that is overlaying a wireframe.
Tip: A great example of a free, open source 3D program, for anyone interested in the field of graphics and animation, is Blender.
Should I use "3D" or "3-D" in my writing?
Today, both versions of "3-D" and "3D" are widely used and vary depending on the style guide you follow. We follow the Microsoft Manual of Style and use "3-D" (with a hyphen) in our writing unless "3D" is part of a product name.
2. A 3-D accelerator is a graphics card with additional processing power and memory for improving the performance and enhancing the appearance of 3-D images. See our graphics accelerator for further information.
3. When referring to audio, 3-D is a method of describing sound that is seemingly coming from all directions.

lowercased:
1. alternatively referred to as three-dimensional, 3-d or 3d is a description of a visual object that has the appearance of depth and field. the picture is an example of a 3d ball that is overlaying a wireframe.
tip: a great example of a free, open source 3d program, for anyone interested in the field of graphics and animation, is blender.
should i use "3d" or "3-d" in my writing?
today, both versions of "3-d" and "3d" are widely used and vary depending on the style guide you follow. we follow the microsoft manual of style and use "3-d" (with a hyphen) in our writing unless "3d" is part of a product name.
2. a 3-d accelerator is a graphics card with additional processing power and memory for improving the performance and enhancing the appearance of 3-d images. see our graphics accelerator for further information.
3. when referring to audio, 3-d is a method of describing sound that is seemingly coming from all directions.


text:
Central nervous system (CNS) disorders like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, as well as psychiatric disorders have treatment options, but many have to cross the blood-brain barrier and in doing so can lose potency.
With therapeutics for CNS disorders being both small molecules and biologics, vehicles to deliver the drug to the CNS is the biggest challenge. However, innovations like intranasal administration and viral vector systems are being put to work.
To uncover some of the challenges and innovations occurring in CNS, BioPharma-Reporter (BPR) spoke with Raj Mehra (RM), CEO of Seelos Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on therapeutics for such disorders.
RM: Some of the biological approaches have been proven to be ineffective, not because of efficacy but because the drug delivery systems are not able to get enough of the drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
An approach that has been advanced is the vector system, that’s one way to get delivery where you want it [to the CNS]. However, it has some side effects – issues that need to get flushed out in the next few years.
The other approach that looks very promising, and few have explored until now, is getting the drugs administered intranasally.
Whether the drug is in a liquid formulation or solid, you can practically put those [formulations] in a device that can [be administered in an] intranasal spray.
What we’ve seen is that it is one of the quickest and fastest ways to get the drug into the CNS by bypassing the gastrointestinal effect, and a smaller dose can provide a much better efficacy. Fast-acting drugs delivered intranasally are going to be a big trend.
RM: People did not think about it, people thought that if a drug is not orally available, “How about coming up with a subcutaneous delivery or come out with a patch?” The patches had mixed records, but subcutaneous delivery has a decent record.
When people tried to address the CNS space, they realized its limitations. If you were to do an antibody approach [to address the CNS then] you’d need a large amount of dosing to assume that .1% will eventually cross the blood-brain barrier. So, that approach limitation is what made people start thinking: “Can we pursue other approaches in the intranasal formulation?”, and people saw remarkable efficacy.
One of the approaches to address aggregates in the CNS disease is an antibody approach – which are large biologicals.
The issue was when you have an antibody approach, they have created antibodies that are very specific disease aggregates, only leaving the monomers alone which are needed for the body, and contains and reduces these aggregates (i.e. you can have a disease-modifying potential for a disease like Parkinson’s).
That [disease modifying potential] we have been waiting and hoping for forever. The issue that we saw there is that antibodies do not cross the blood-brain barrier easily; so if you were to come up with a 20g dose, you hope to get 20mg into the CNS.
So, that’s one approach and the other approach is a small molecule approach. We are going to pursue a small molecule approach where you don’t need the high dose, and the delivery mechanism could be either intranasal or it could be a vector approach -- but these things need to be worked upon.
But that’s what we are looking forward to because up until now all the therapies available for Parkinson’s were just treating the symptoms – none of them were stopping the disease or halting the progression. Now we understand it but the challenge [remains] the delivery mechanism.
RM: It’s becoming more like a drug and device – you don’t just have a pill that you deliver orally, you have a drug that needs to be formulated for a device.
On the formulation side, it always comes back to the same old issue: if your drug is small molecule than it’s relatively easy to fit into the transporters because your drug is either water-soluble, or it is not soluble but you can come up with nanoparticles and new technologies that can make it palatable for it to be transported to the CNS.
However, the biologics will have some challenges. These transporter systems [needed for the CNS innovations], generally speaking, have a limitation as you can’t have a big biologic easily available to be transported.
So, the challenge will be most of the work that should be done on the CNS side for formulation -- coming up with a relatively small footprint of the drug that can be easily put into the vehicle.
You will have those inherent limitations until down the road, perhaps, we can overcome that. So, the formulations have to be relatively small footprint therapies.
RM: I think we need to urge our large pharma companies to step up to the plate and not just remain focused on oncology because the CNS diseases are becoming much more prevalent and as deadly.

lowercased:
central nervous system (cns) disorders like multiple sclerosis, alzheimer’s disease, parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, as well as psychiatric disorders have treatment options, but many have to cross the blood-brain barrier and in doing so can lose potency.
with therapeutics for cns disorders being both small molecules and biologics, vehicles to deliver the drug to the cns is the biggest challenge. however, innovations like intranasal administration and viral vector systems are being put to work.
to uncover some of the challenges and innovations occurring in cns, biopharma-reporter (bpr) spoke with raj mehra (rm), ceo of seelos therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on therapeutics for such disorders.
rm: some of the biological approaches have been proven to be ineffective, not because of efficacy but because the drug delivery systems are not able to get enough of the drugs across the blood-brain barrier.
an approach that has been advanced is the vector system, that’s one way to get delivery where you want it [to the cns]. however, it has some side effects – issues that need to get flushed out in the next few years.
the other approach that looks very promising, and few have explored until now, is getting the drugs administered intranasally.
whether the drug is in a liquid formulation or solid, you can practically put those [formulations] in a device that can [be administered in an] intranasal spray.
what we’ve seen is that it is one of the quickest and fastest ways to get the drug into the cns by bypassing the gastrointestinal effect, and a smaller dose can provide a much better efficacy. fast-acting drugs delivered intranasally are going to be a big trend.
rm: people did not think about it, people thought that if a drug is not orally available, “how about coming up with a subcutaneous delivery or come out with a patch?” the patches had mixed records, but subcutaneous delivery has a decent record.
when people tried to address the cns space, they realized its limitations. if you were to do an antibody approach [to address the cns then] you’d need a large amount of dosing to assume that .1% will eventually cross the blood-brain barrier. so, that approach limitation is what made people start thinking: “can we pursue other approaches in the intranasal formulation?”, and people saw remarkable efficacy.
one of the approaches to address aggregates in the cns disease is an antibody approach – which are large biologicals.
the issue was when you have an antibody approach, they have created antibodies that are very specific disease aggregates, only leaving the monomers alone which are needed for the body, and contains and reduces these aggregates (i.e. you can have a disease-modifying potential for a disease like parkinson’s).
that [disease modifying potential] we have been waiting and hoping for forever. the issue that we saw there is that antibodies do not cross the blood-brain barrier easily; so if you were to come up with a 20g dose, you hope to get 20mg into the cns.
so, that’s one approach and the other approach is a small molecule approach. we are going to pursue a small molecule approach where you don’t need the high dose, and the delivery mechanism could be either intranasal or it could be a vector approach -- but these things need to be worked upon.
but that’s what we are looking forward to because up until now all the therapies available for parkinson’s were just treating the symptoms – none of them were stopping the disease or halting the progression. now we understand it but the challenge [remains] the delivery mechanism.
rm: it’s becoming more like a drug and device – you don’t just have a pill that you deliver orally, you have a drug that needs to be formulated for a device.
on the formulation side, it always comes back to the same old issue: if your drug is small molecule than it’s relatively easy to fit into the transporters because your drug is either water-soluble, or it is not soluble but you can come up with nanoparticles and new technologies that can make it palatable for it to be transported to the cns.
however, the biologics will have some challenges. these transporter systems [needed for the cns innovations], generally speaking, have a limitation as you can’t have a big biologic easily available to be transported.
so, the challenge will be most of the work that should be done on the cns side for formulation -- coming up with a relatively small footprint of the drug that can be easily put into the vehicle.
you will have those inherent limitations until down the road, perhaps, we can overcome that. so, the formulations have to be relatively small footprint therapies.
rm: i think we need to urge our large pharma companies to step up to the plate and not just remain focused on oncology because the cns diseases are becoming much more prevalent and as deadly.


text:
Add chlorine or all-fabric bleach, if possible. How to Get Candle Wax Out of Carpet. If the wax is still soft, freeze it by applying an ice cube wrapped in a small plastic bag, and then scrape off... 28/12/2006 · Best Answer: Using an ice cube in a bag cool the wax so it will chip off easily then soak up residual wax by putting some paper towels over the stain and heating with an iron keep using fresh papertowels and heating until stain is gone.
28/12/2006 · Best Answer: Using an ice cube in a bag cool the wax so it will chip off easily then soak up residual wax by putting some paper towels over the stain and heating with an iron keep using fresh papertowels and heating until stain is gone.

lowercased:
add chlorine or all-fabric bleach, if possible. how to get candle wax out of carpet. if the wax is still soft, freeze it by applying an ice cube wrapped in a small plastic bag, and then scrape off... 28/12/2006 · best answer: using an ice cube in a bag cool the wax so it will chip off easily then soak up residual wax by putting some paper towels over the stain and heating with an iron keep using fresh papertowels and heating until stain is gone.
28/12/2006 · best answer: using an ice cube in a bag cool the wax so it will chip off easily then soak up residual wax by putting some paper towels over the stain and heating with an iron keep using fresh papertowels and heating until stain is gone.


text:
What happen to my face?!
I got a new pet!
UGH! My mind is killing me!

lowercased:
what happen to my face?!
i got a new pet!
ugh! my mind is killing me!


text:
You can get some seriously wonderful candle chandeliers - either to hang from the ceiling or some that stand on the floor as a large centrepiece.
I have seen a few ( some very, very expensive! ) that I would just love to stock. At the moment I have not yet taken the plunge, but watch this space!
In the mean time have a look at some in the Daily Telegraphs site www.telegraph.co.uk. So much better than the electric light version!

lowercased:
you can get some seriously wonderful candle chandeliers - either to hang from the ceiling or some that stand on the floor as a large centrepiece.
i have seen a few ( some very, very expensive! ) that i would just love to stock. at the moment i have not yet taken the plunge, but watch this space!
in the mean time have a look at some in the daily telegraphs site www.telegraph.co.uk. so much better than the electric light version!


text:
If your air conditioner was installed before 2010 and you don’t know what R22 is then you should probably find out more. R22 refrigerant is a chemical that keeps the air coming from your air conditioning system cool, so it’s certainly incredibly important. Most air conditioning units older than 10 years have an AC refrigerant called R22 that’s commonly identified as Freon*, and is referred to by the EPA as HCFC-22. In this blog, we’ll use the name R22. This refrigerant was introduced in the 1950s and became the leading AC refrigerant in the residential heating and cooling industry.
Several decades later the world realized that R22 refrigerant was aiding in the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. That’s not great. So, the U.S. EPA, in cooperation with other agencies and groups around the world, initiated a phase out of several ozone-depleting agents as part of an international agreement known as the Montreal Protocol. The regulation lists many HCFCs and CFCs (different types of refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer), but R22 is considered one of the worst offenders.
In 2003, the phase out of R22 production and imports commenced. By the beginning of 2010 the production and import of R22 became prohibited. However, servicing current, existing equipment is still allowed while there is an available supply of R22. To confirm the public’s compliance with the new law, all sales of R22 must be bought by a certified technician. Production and import of R22 will be continually reduced by law until 2020, when all production and import will be eliminated. Only recycled R22 refrigerant will be obtainable to service existing air conditioners after 2020.
If this sounds like a case study on supply and demand, then you are on the right track. As you might assume, older air conditioners more often have leaks and need repairs. Any air conditioners that are older than 2010 are more likely to use R22, which means there’s a lot more demand for it, and a restricted supply. Prices have only increased due to scarcity.
Recall that in order to obtain R22, you’ll need to be an EPA-certified technician. So, the average homeowner isn’t able to purchase a cylinder themselves. Plus, there are some stern regulations now on how refrigerant should be reclaimed and recycled, which raises the price. This expense is passed on to the homeowner as companies are forced to cover the increased overhead related to R22 repairs. There are requirements for importing, labeling, record keeping, reporting, destruction and reclaiming of R22 from existing systems.
The cost of R22 is considerably increasing because of the diminishing supply, and new refrigerant will no longer be available for use at all after 2020, except from recycled quantities.
If you’re thinking, “Wow, this is starting to sound expensive,” you’re correct, it is. This is why when our technicians come out to review your unit we check to see what refrigerant your unit uses, and lots of cases, we’ll advocate for an upgrade as a result of the increasing cost of sustaining an R22 air conditioner.
If you have an air conditioning system that was built before 2010, your AC will typically have R22. However, if you installed your air conditioner after January 1, 2010, then your system may not have R22. You can check the type of refrigerant your system runs on by checking the appliance’s nameplate. This nameplate is usually found on the outdoor condenser of your central air conditioning system. If you can’t locate it, you can grab your user’s manual. Otherwise, you can contact your local Service Experts center. If you have a maintenance agreement with us, we also have your information on hand and a tech can let you know right away if your unit uses R22.
The industry has changed from R22 to R410a, which you may recognize by the brand name Puron. Throughout this article, we’ll use the name R410a (although Puron is a familiar brand, there are other companies that make R410a). There are some key benefits to switching from an R22 air conditioning unit to one that uses R410a. It provides a higher safety rating and an ozone depletion rating of zero, and it performed slightly better on energy-efficiency tests than R22.
You may have read about “drop-in” replacements for R22. We strongly against against this route. Usually a homeowner who is anxious about the cost of replacing their unit seeks out an alternative, and this sounds like an easy solution. It typically costs the homeowner more money, and virtually always voids the manufacturer warranty. The truth about “drop-ins” is that there is no “drop-in” solution where you simply swap out the refrigerant. The phrase “drop-in” is referring to retrofitting a unit, which when done right can cost the homeowner as much, or more, money than purchasing a new unit that uses R410a. In part, this is because different refrigerants function at different pressure levels and require different parts to run, which forces the technician to replace the most expensive components of your system to fit with the new refrigerant. If this critical step is avoided, your system will quickly stop working, and you’ll be forced to install a new unit anyway.
Your manufacturer will typically not pay for the parts to make this transition because retrofitting your AC system will likely void the warranty. It’s typically just a temporary fix, but purchasing a new upgraded AC system will probably benefit most homeowners in dependability, satisfaction, and long-term comfort.
It’s smart to discuss pricing offers with your HVAC provider if you’re concerned about cost. At Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, we have financing available that makes a replacement affordable, and we watch for any manufacturer and utility rebates that would make it easier to swallow a surprising replacement. To reduce the chances of an emergency on a hot day, lots of our customers choose to do a pre-emptive replacement, and replace an old unit before it breaks down. If you’re considering that route as well, then you’re in good company!
If your heating and air conditioning system was built after January 2010, the R22 phase out problem may not apply to you, because it’s likely that your system uses the new, approved replacement refrigerant, R410a. However, systems installed after 2010 could potentially use R22, so it’s ideal to check with an HVAC Expert. You can always look for and the refrigerant type by reading the nameplate on your condenser (the condenser is the outside unit).
To be clear, the EPA regulates the production and use of this refrigerant, but not your unit. You are not required by the law to replace your air conditioner. Ultimately, your AC will quit running and it will need to be replaced, and only R410a units will be available for sale.
The best option is to buy a new, upgraded air conditioner, specifically if your current air conditioner is already more than 10 years old. Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning has lots of financing options that help to meet your budget, and again, we look out for rebates from HVAC manufacturers and local utilities to make it even easier. New AC equipment will also be more efficient and offer you superior comfort, helping to reduce your energy costs.

lowercased:
if your air conditioner was installed before 2010 and you don’t know what r22 is then you should probably find out more. r22 refrigerant is a chemical that keeps the air coming from your air conditioning system cool, so it’s certainly incredibly important. most air conditioning units older than 10 years have an ac refrigerant called r22 that’s commonly identified as freon*, and is referred to by the epa as hcfc-22. in this blog, we’ll use the name r22. this refrigerant was introduced in the 1950s and became the leading ac refrigerant in the residential heating and cooling industry.
several decades later the world realized that r22 refrigerant was aiding in the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. that’s not great. so, the u.s. epa, in cooperation with other agencies and groups around the world, initiated a phase out of several ozone-depleting agents as part of an international agreement known as the montreal protocol. the regulation lists many hcfcs and cfcs (different types of refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer), but r22 is considered one of the worst offenders.
in 2003, the phase out of r22 production and imports commenced. by the beginning of 2010 the production and import of r22 became prohibited. however, servicing current, existing equipment is still allowed while there is an available supply of r22. to confirm the public’s compliance with the new law, all sales of r22 must be bought by a certified technician. production and import of r22 will be continually reduced by law until 2020, when all production and import will be eliminated. only recycled r22 refrigerant will be obtainable to service existing air conditioners after 2020.
if this sounds like a case study on supply and demand, then you are on the right track. as you might assume, older air conditioners more often have leaks and need repairs. any air conditioners that are older than 2010 are more likely to use r22, which means there’s a lot more demand for it, and a restricted supply. prices have only increased due to scarcity.
recall that in order to obtain r22, you’ll need to be an epa-certified technician. so, the average homeowner isn’t able to purchase a cylinder themselves. plus, there are some stern regulations now on how refrigerant should be reclaimed and recycled, which raises the price. this expense is passed on to the homeowner as companies are forced to cover the increased overhead related to r22 repairs. there are requirements for importing, labeling, record keeping, reporting, destruction and reclaiming of r22 from existing systems.
the cost of r22 is considerably increasing because of the diminishing supply, and new refrigerant will no longer be available for use at all after 2020, except from recycled quantities.
if you’re thinking, “wow, this is starting to sound expensive,” you’re correct, it is. this is why when our technicians come out to review your unit we check to see what refrigerant your unit uses, and lots of cases, we’ll advocate for an upgrade as a result of the increasing cost of sustaining an r22 air conditioner.
if you have an air conditioning system that was built before 2010, your ac will typically have r22. however, if you installed your air conditioner after january 1, 2010, then your system may not have r22. you can check the type of refrigerant your system runs on by checking the appliance’s nameplate. this nameplate is usually found on the outdoor condenser of your central air conditioning system. if you can’t locate it, you can grab your user’s manual. otherwise, you can contact your local service experts center. if you have a maintenance agreement with us, we also have your information on hand and a tech can let you know right away if your unit uses r22.
the industry has changed from r22 to r410a, which you may recognize by the brand name puron. throughout this article, we’ll use the name r410a (although puron is a familiar brand, there are other companies that make r410a). there are some key benefits to switching from an r22 air conditioning unit to one that uses r410a. it provides a higher safety rating and an ozone depletion rating of zero, and it performed slightly better on energy-efficiency tests than r22.
you may have read about “drop-in” replacements for r22. we strongly against against this route. usually a homeowner who is anxious about the cost of replacing their unit seeks out an alternative, and this sounds like an easy solution. it typically costs the homeowner more money, and virtually always voids the manufacturer warranty. the truth about “drop-ins” is that there is no “drop-in” solution where you simply swap out the refrigerant. the phrase “drop-in” is referring to retrofitting a unit, which when done right can cost the homeowner as much, or more, money than purchasing a new unit that uses r410a. in part, this is because different refrigerants function at different pressure levels and require different parts to run, which forces the technician to replace the most expensive components of your system to fit with the new refrigerant. if this critical step is avoided, your system will quickly stop working, and you’ll be forced to install a new unit anyway.
your manufacturer will typically not pay for the parts to make this transition because retrofitting your ac system will likely void the warranty. it’s typically just a temporary fix, but purchasing a new upgraded ac system will probably benefit most homeowners in dependability, satisfaction, and long-term comfort.
it’s smart to discuss pricing offers with your hvac provider if you’re concerned about cost. at service experts heating & air conditioning, we have financing available that makes a replacement affordable, and we watch for any manufacturer and utility rebates that would make it easier to swallow a surprising replacement. to reduce the chances of an emergency on a hot day, lots of our customers choose to do a pre-emptive replacement, and replace an old unit before it breaks down. if you’re considering that route as well, then you’re in good company!
if your heating and air conditioning system was built after january 2010, the r22 phase out problem may not apply to you, because it’s likely that your system uses the new, approved replacement refrigerant, r410a. however, systems installed after 2010 could potentially use r22, so it’s ideal to check with an hvac expert. you can always look for and the refrigerant type by reading the nameplate on your condenser (the condenser is the outside unit).
to be clear, the epa regulates the production and use of this refrigerant, but not your unit. you are not required by the law to replace your air conditioner. ultimately, your ac will quit running and it will need to be replaced, and only r410a units will be available for sale.
the best option is to buy a new, upgraded air conditioner, specifically if your current air conditioner is already more than 10 years old. service experts heating & air conditioning has lots of financing options that help to meet your budget, and again, we look out for rebates from hvac manufacturers and local utilities to make it even easier. new ac equipment will also be more efficient and offer you superior comfort, helping to reduce your energy costs.


text:
How far is 4837 8a Ave from 330 E Columbia St?
Your Travel Plan Starts at 4837 8a Ave, Delta, BC V4M 1S8, Canada.
Want to know the your planned distances for yor journey on a google map? You can see the Distance from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster!
Want to see your travel plan on the large map? You want to see a bigger Map here- Map from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster!
You need travel road driving directions to help better plan your travel? Refer the Directions from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster!
Want to plan your travel by air from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St? Check the Flight distance between 4837 8a Ave and 330 E Columbia St New Westminster.
Travel time is very important to execute your tour plan. Plan your trip by getting approximate times here - Travel Time from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster.
Planning to fly from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St? Do want an estimate of the Flight Time from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster.
Do you want to know what is more, road distance or flight distance? You can find out How far is 330 E Columbia St New Westminster from 4837 8a Ave.
After getting your travel planned, you would also like to get the 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster Route planned with the help of a routeplanner.
After having the entire plan for your journey, you would also like to get an estimate of the travel expenses. You can check the Trip Cost from 4837 8a Ave to 330 E Columbia St New Westminster.

lowercased:
how far is 4837 8a ave from 330 e columbia st?
your travel plan starts at 4837 8a ave, delta, bc v4m 1s8, canada.
want to know the your planned distances for yor journey on a google map? you can see the distance from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster!
want to see your travel plan on the large map? you want to see a bigger map here- map from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster!
you need travel road driving directions to help better plan your travel? refer the directions from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster!
want to plan your travel by air from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st? check the flight distance between 4837 8a ave and 330 e columbia st new westminster.
travel time is very important to execute your tour plan. plan your trip by getting approximate times here - travel time from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster.
planning to fly from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st? do want an estimate of the flight time from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster.
do you want to know what is more, road distance or flight distance? you can find out how far is 330 e columbia st new westminster from 4837 8a ave.
after getting your travel planned, you would also like to get the 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster route planned with the help of a routeplanner.
after having the entire plan for your journey, you would also like to get an estimate of the travel expenses. you can check the trip cost from 4837 8a ave to 330 e columbia st new westminster.


text:
Promotes excellence in who the students are and what they know.
Recognize and maximize the individual potential of each student to achieve excellence.
Act in accordance with the institutional values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness caring, and citizenship.
Communicate in English and Spanish and promotes bilingualism.
Institute and maintain a classroom environment that promotes student learning.
Uses assessments to support student learning.
Use teaching strategies that are based on research.
Establish and promote appropriate student behavior.
Continuously reflect on their teaching practices.
Recognize and support the school´s governance, follow and respect its norms, and look after the reputation of the School in different scenarios.
Participates in activities which are legally and socially accepted.
Here you may find everything that happens at our school, publish news and check student homework.
This integrated system allows you to check your schedule and publish grades.

lowercased:
promotes excellence in who the students are and what they know.
recognize and maximize the individual potential of each student to achieve excellence.
act in accordance with the institutional values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness caring, and citizenship.
communicate in english and spanish and promotes bilingualism.
institute and maintain a classroom environment that promotes student learning.
uses assessments to support student learning.
use teaching strategies that are based on research.
establish and promote appropriate student behavior.
continuously reflect on their teaching practices.
recognize and support the school´s governance, follow and respect its norms, and look after the reputation of the school in different scenarios.
participates in activities which are legally and socially accepted.
here you may find everything that happens at our school, publish news and check student homework.
this integrated system allows you to check your schedule and publish grades.


text: We are all Newtown…my heart just breaks watching this movie. I’m behind you whatever you need!!

lowercased: we are all newtown…my heart just breaks watching this movie. i’m behind you whatever you need!!


text: By Perceval Leon. Wall Stickers. Published at Monday, April 01st, 2019 - 11:47:15 AM.

lowercased: by perceval leon. wall stickers. published at monday, april 01st, 2019 - 11:47:15 am.


text:
There is NO embassy/consulate of Vietnam in Puri, India. Travellers from Puri can contact the nearest embassy of Vietnam in New Delhi for visa information.
Indian nationals and foreign visitors living in Puri, India can choose between applying for a visa through the embassy of Vietnam in New Delhi or applying online for an approval letter to pick up the visa on arrival.

lowercased:
there is no embassy/consulate of vietnam in puri, india. travellers from puri can contact the nearest embassy of vietnam in new delhi for visa information.
indian nationals and foreign visitors living in puri, india can choose between applying for a visa through the embassy of vietnam in new delhi or applying online for an approval letter to pick up the visa on arrival.


text:
Offshore activities have a long history meeting and overcoming challenges. As oil and gas exploration moved offshore, innovation was fuelled by the technologies developed in the maritime industry. Now, offshore wind activities are realising the benefits of lessons learned during the development of offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms.
Technologies developed for large offshore oil and gas platforms to withstand wind, wave action, and many other types of harsh marine conditions have been successfully used by the offshore wind industry around the world.
In particular, Bentley Systems, Incorporated, an Exton, Pennsylvania-based firm, has enabled this successful skill and technology transfer through SACS structural design software system.
SACS offshore structural analysis and design software was developed in parallel with the offshore oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico when that industry segment emerged in the 1970s and expanded in the 1980s. SACS grew and evolved as jackets became larger and were placed in deeper and rougher waters.
The technology was used on the Block Island project in the United States to solve specific challenges. During the planning phase of the Block Island Wind Farm, designers were keenly aware of the challenges posed by storms that frequent the Rhode Island coast in summer and winter. Operating company Deepwater Wind chose Louisiana-based Keystone Engineering, developers of the Inward Battered Guide Structure (IBGS) or “Twisted Jacket”. The first IBGS, an oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico, survived Hurricane Katrina with no damage. Now, the “Twisted Jacket” has become the preferred foundation for two out of three U.S. Department of Energy-funded offshore wind projects.
For the Block Island project, arriving at the optimal solution would require thousands of test simulations using purpose-designed software.
Keystone selected Bentley Systems’ SACS software, in part because the organisation had extensive experience with Bentley while designing for the offshore oil and gas industry, but also because Bentley was able work with Keystone to modify SACS specifically to analyse wind turbine structures.
Among the requirements for Block Island Wind Farm foundations were the ability to withstand a Category 3 hurricane and to compensate for aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loading complexities – in addition to possible issues arising from turbine control.
From experience in the oil and gas industry, the four-pile IBGS jacket structure is well understood, but an additional factor would be to accommodate loading and vibrations from the spinning turbines.
The team considered different loads and combinations of loads, including current, waves, wind, and the actual load on the spinning turbine – all of which combined to create a large number of load cases. Bentley and Keystone engineers evolved the SACS technology to make it easier to define the different load combination permutations – dramatically speeding up the computation time.
Using Bentley’s SACS Wind Turbine software, Keystone ran test simulations, repeating each test with slight variances to ensure the final design could withstand a “1,000-year storm”. Different load scenarios and weather conditions were simulated and over 10 million test scenarios were performed.
Keystone engineers worked on five, 24-core computers – operating around the clock for 10 days – to conduct nearly 2,500 simulations, including more than 30 million time-steps and 25 load cases, along with general operation, start-up, shut-down, installation, storm conditions, and fault maintenance cases. Bentley’s SACS software allowed the engineers to streamline the design and analysis within the simulations and minimise the possibility of any errors. With updates to the software, the latest edition of SACS leverages cloud-computing to streamline this process even better.
Following the simulations and data analysis, Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc., a company with a history of working with Keystone, began foundation fabrication. The steel lattices and piles that hold up the Block Island wind turbines share many of the same features as traditional oil and gas offshore structures.
The first jackets were completed in June 2015 and they began the journey to Rhode Island. The first “loadout” – the process of moving foundation sections from land onto a cargo barge – was completed in just two days without a hitch.
After the jackets left Gulf Island’s facility, travelling about 1,800 miles from the Gulf of Mexico to Rhode Island, installation of the foundations took place in the summer of 2015 and the first turbine was erected in August 2016. Commercial operation began in December of that year.
The turbines were put to the test in March 2017, with winter storm Stella producing winds of more than 70 miles per hour and extreme wave action. Not surprisingly, the asset management systems worked as planned, with the turbines automatically shutting down when the wind reached 55 miles per hour. Once the wind subsided below the cut-off threshold, the system automatically resumed operation without any damage.
The experience gained in the oil and gas industry by engineering and construction firms, as well as software solution providers like Bentley Systems, transfers effortlessly to new developing markets such as offshore wind farms.
The results of this transfer of knowledge and technology have already been proven on projects like Block Island, where the end result was an anchored jacket system that is 15% lighter than those used in the North Sea; installation costs that were 20% less than conventional systems; and products that can withstand the harsh conditions of an offshore wind farm, much like an offshore oil and gas platform.
This “new” industry is clearly an attractive revenue stream for E&C companies looking to diversify in the wake of the offshore oil and gas industry downturn.
The original white paper version of this article “Applying oil and gas skills and technology lessons learned to offshore wind” is available at bentley.com.
Anne-Marie Walters, industry marketing director, Bentley Systems, joined Bentley in 2004 as a global marketing director. In this capacity she is responsible for the marketing and positioning of Bentley’s solutions and products that address the needs of many industries including oil and gas, process & discrete manufacturing, power generation and mining.

lowercased:
offshore activities have a long history meeting and overcoming challenges. as oil and gas exploration moved offshore, innovation was fuelled by the technologies developed in the maritime industry. now, offshore wind activities are realising the benefits of lessons learned during the development of offshore oil and gas rigs and platforms.
technologies developed for large offshore oil and gas platforms to withstand wind, wave action, and many other types of harsh marine conditions have been successfully used by the offshore wind industry around the world.
in particular, bentley systems, incorporated, an exton, pennsylvania-based firm, has enabled this successful skill and technology transfer through sacs structural design software system.
sacs offshore structural analysis and design software was developed in parallel with the offshore oil and gas industry in the gulf of mexico when that industry segment emerged in the 1970s and expanded in the 1980s. sacs grew and evolved as jackets became larger and were placed in deeper and rougher waters.
the technology was used on the block island project in the united states to solve specific challenges. during the planning phase of the block island wind farm, designers were keenly aware of the challenges posed by storms that frequent the rhode island coast in summer and winter. operating company deepwater wind chose louisiana-based keystone engineering, developers of the inward battered guide structure (ibgs) or “twisted jacket”. the first ibgs, an oil and gas platform in the gulf of mexico, survived hurricane katrina with no damage. now, the “twisted jacket” has become the preferred foundation for two out of three u.s. department of energy-funded offshore wind projects.
for the block island project, arriving at the optimal solution would require thousands of test simulations using purpose-designed software.
keystone selected bentley systems’ sacs software, in part because the organisation had extensive experience with bentley while designing for the offshore oil and gas industry, but also because bentley was able work with keystone to modify sacs specifically to analyse wind turbine structures.
among the requirements for block island wind farm foundations were the ability to withstand a category 3 hurricane and to compensate for aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loading complexities – in addition to possible issues arising from turbine control.
from experience in the oil and gas industry, the four-pile ibgs jacket structure is well understood, but an additional factor would be to accommodate loading and vibrations from the spinning turbines.
the team considered different loads and combinations of loads, including current, waves, wind, and the actual load on the spinning turbine – all of which combined to create a large number of load cases. bentley and keystone engineers evolved the sacs technology to make it easier to define the different load combination permutations – dramatically speeding up the computation time.
using bentley’s sacs wind turbine software, keystone ran test simulations, repeating each test with slight variances to ensure the final design could withstand a “1,000-year storm”. different load scenarios and weather conditions were simulated and over 10 million test scenarios were performed.
keystone engineers worked on five, 24-core computers – operating around the clock for 10 days – to conduct nearly 2,500 simulations, including more than 30 million time-steps and 25 load cases, along with general operation, start-up, shut-down, installation, storm conditions, and fault maintenance cases. bentley’s sacs software allowed the engineers to streamline the design and analysis within the simulations and minimise the possibility of any errors. with updates to the software, the latest edition of sacs leverages cloud-computing to streamline this process even better.
following the simulations and data analysis, gulf island fabrication, inc., a company with a history of working with keystone, began foundation fabrication. the steel lattices and piles that hold up the block island wind turbines share many of the same features as traditional oil and gas offshore structures.
the first jackets were completed in june 2015 and they began the journey to rhode island. the first “loadout” – the process of moving foundation sections from land onto a cargo barge – was completed in just two days without a hitch.
after the jackets left gulf island’s facility, travelling about 1,800 miles from the gulf of mexico to rhode island, installation of the foundations took place in the summer of 2015 and the first turbine was erected in august 2016. commercial operation began in december of that year.
the turbines were put to the test in march 2017, with winter storm stella producing winds of more than 70 miles per hour and extreme wave action. not surprisingly, the asset management systems worked as planned, with the turbines automatically shutting down when the wind reached 55 miles per hour. once the wind subsided below the cut-off threshold, the system automatically resumed operation without any damage.
the experience gained in the oil and gas industry by engineering and construction firms, as well as software solution providers like bentley systems, transfers effortlessly to new developing markets such as offshore wind farms.
the results of this transfer of knowledge and technology have already been proven on projects like block island, where the end result was an anchored jacket system that is 15% lighter than those used in the north sea; installation costs that were 20% less than conventional systems; and products that can withstand the harsh conditions of an offshore wind farm, much like an offshore oil and gas platform.
this “new” industry is clearly an attractive revenue stream for e&c companies looking to diversify in the wake of the offshore oil and gas industry downturn.
the original white paper version of this article “applying oil and gas skills and technology lessons learned to offshore wind” is available at bentley.com.
anne-marie walters, industry marketing director, bentley systems, joined bentley in 2004 as a global marketing director. in this capacity she is responsible for the marketing and positioning of bentley’s solutions and products that address the needs of many industries including oil and gas, process & discrete manufacturing, power generation and mining.


text:
Summer is officially over in grey London and I’m back from the holidays with a light touch of tan and more energy to start dealing with the usual workload again. I’ll enjoy these last rays of sun with a special guest: my little sister, who’s staying with us for a little while. She’s definitely bringing some fresh air and a touch of Italian style to my house.
As for the holidays, I had an amazing time under the sun, catching up with as many friends as humanly possible, doing shopping and eating tasty Italian pizza with the family. With the help of L, we ticked off a couple of things-to-do on our wedding list as we spent hours building wedding favours, choosing our menu and discussing with the photographers. Now it’s all about the final touches and I’m feeling quite thrilled, I can’t wait!
The true highlight of the holidays though was the surprise hen party that my friends and sisters organised for me. Let me start by saying I had the best party I could possibly imagine and I’ll never stop saying I’m so grateful to have such wonderful friends and sisters. Now, to the fun part!
The party was totally unexpected. My best friend texted me a couple of days before my flight to Italy telling me that on the following Sunday afternoon we were going to the mountains and I believed her. I thought it was a nice way to finally meet her other half and, after sitting in an office for months, a walk in the fresh air was everything I needed.
On Sunday, after lunch, I grabbed a pair of trainers, threw on some sportswear and went to the parking lot in front of the church, waiting for A to pick me up. When I saw our family car approaching, I thought my sisters were going to the city centre that same afternoon. However, when they started to play the horn like crazy and laughing out loud, I suddenly knew that I wasn’t going to lay down in the grass that day.
They jumped out of the car and together with A, they blindfolded me and applied a spray to dye to my hair purple (telling me it was some sort of gel). They then helped me get changed into what I recognised was a swimsuit and then let me sit in the car. I knew where we were going as I made it very clear I wanted to go to Lake Garda for my hen party, but my sisters kept pretending we were going somewhere else and that was hilarious. When we were in the middle of the highway, they kept claiming there were cows everywhere and when they stopped to pay for the beach access, they told me the cashier got confused and didn’t mean to say beach, we were on the mountains.
When I was finally allowed to open my eyes, I was at a marvellous pebble beach facing Lake Garda, surrounded by green peaks and clear blue water. I’ve been to the lake before but never to that secret gem: for a moment I was in New Zealand with L and S, standing in front of magic lake Wanaka once more.
– What’s the one ingredient that is present in “tortelli dei Gonzaga” but is missing from “cappellacci ferraresi”? I was given three options: cherries, amarettos and a third one I can’t remember. I thought that ravioli with amarettos must taste good and that was the correct answer! A lucky bet!
– What is L’s bedtime ritual? The answer was tricky because it included taking off the eyeglasses, but I nailed it!
As part of the challenges, I had to dance Despacito with a stranger (who was more embarrassed than I was), and take a selfie with a random group of guys, one of whom tried to hook up with the girls. After a few hours by the lake, we dined with M’s risotto, some pizza and a quiche. Finally, we decided to go to a club nearby, also by the lake.
We spent the first few hours relaxing in the lounge area, chatting about past relationships, future life plans and wedding arrangements. For a moment, we felt so close under the night sky, it was very special. We also had a few cocktails, then decided to venture towards the dance floor. My best friend convinced an actual dancer to dance for me, which was quite fun! Anyway, while we were dancing, I attempted – in quite a clumsy way – to jump on the stage, but somehow hit my leg against it and cut my skin. That’s how we ended up in the hospital, where a lovely doctor and two very patient nurses sew six stitches on my poor leg. We were home by 3 am, still laughing at what had happened during that unforgettable night.
So that’s it, this is what happened during my surprise hen party. I absolutely loved that day/night and if I could, I would love to live it all over again!
What about you, how was the best hen party you’ve been to?

lowercased:
summer is officially over in grey london and i’m back from the holidays with a light touch of tan and more energy to start dealing with the usual workload again. i’ll enjoy these last rays of sun with a special guest: my little sister, who’s staying with us for a little while. she’s definitely bringing some fresh air and a touch of italian style to my house.
as for the holidays, i had an amazing time under the sun, catching up with as many friends as humanly possible, doing shopping and eating tasty italian pizza with the family. with the help of l, we ticked off a couple of things-to-do on our wedding list as we spent hours building wedding favours, choosing our menu and discussing with the photographers. now it’s all about the final touches and i’m feeling quite thrilled, i can’t wait!
the true highlight of the holidays though was the surprise hen party that my friends and sisters organised for me. let me start by saying i had the best party i could possibly imagine and i’ll never stop saying i’m so grateful to have such wonderful friends and sisters. now, to the fun part!
the party was totally unexpected. my best friend texted me a couple of days before my flight to italy telling me that on the following sunday afternoon we were going to the mountains and i believed her. i thought it was a nice way to finally meet her other half and, after sitting in an office for months, a walk in the fresh air was everything i needed.
on sunday, after lunch, i grabbed a pair of trainers, threw on some sportswear and went to the parking lot in front of the church, waiting for a to pick me up. when i saw our family car approaching, i thought my sisters were going to the city centre that same afternoon. however, when they started to play the horn like crazy and laughing out loud, i suddenly knew that i wasn’t going to lay down in the grass that day.
they jumped out of the car and together with a, they blindfolded me and applied a spray to dye to my hair purple (telling me it was some sort of gel). they then helped me get changed into what i recognised was a swimsuit and then let me sit in the car. i knew where we were going as i made it very clear i wanted to go to lake garda for my hen party, but my sisters kept pretending we were going somewhere else and that was hilarious. when we were in the middle of the highway, they kept claiming there were cows everywhere and when they stopped to pay for the beach access, they told me the cashier got confused and didn’t mean to say beach, we were on the mountains.
when i was finally allowed to open my eyes, i was at a marvellous pebble beach facing lake garda, surrounded by green peaks and clear blue water. i’ve been to the lake before but never to that secret gem: for a moment i was in new zealand with l and s, standing in front of magic lake wanaka once more.
– what’s the one ingredient that is present in “tortelli dei gonzaga” but is missing from “cappellacci ferraresi”? i was given three options: cherries, amarettos and a third one i can’t remember. i thought that ravioli with amarettos must taste good and that was the correct answer! a lucky bet!
– what is l’s bedtime ritual? the answer was tricky because it included taking off the eyeglasses, but i nailed it!
as part of the challenges, i had to dance despacito with a stranger (who was more embarrassed than i was), and take a selfie with a random group of guys, one of whom tried to hook up with the girls. after a few hours by the lake, we dined with m’s risotto, some pizza and a quiche. finally, we decided to go to a club nearby, also by the lake.
we spent the first few hours relaxing in the lounge area, chatting about past relationships, future life plans and wedding arrangements. for a moment, we felt so close under the night sky, it was very special. we also had a few cocktails, then decided to venture towards the dance floor. my best friend convinced an actual dancer to dance for me, which was quite fun! anyway, while we were dancing, i attempted – in quite a clumsy way – to jump on the stage, but somehow hit my leg against it and cut my skin. that’s how we ended up in the hospital, where a lovely doctor and two very patient nurses sew six stitches on my poor leg. we were home by 3 am, still laughing at what had happened during that unforgettable night.
so that’s it, this is what happened during my surprise hen party. i absolutely loved that day/night and if i could, i would love to live it all over again!
what about you, how was the best hen party you’ve been to?


text: Best prices on Octopus messenger bag, Green in Backpacks. Check out Bizrate for great deals on popular brands like Browning, Dakine and Explorer. Use Bizrate's latest online shopping features to compare prices. Read product specifications, calculate tax and shipping charges, sort your results, and buy with confidence. Easily narrow your search and find the product that's perfect for you.

lowercased: best prices on octopus messenger bag, green in backpacks. check out bizrate for great deals on popular brands like browning, dakine and explorer. use bizrate's latest online shopping features to compare prices. read product specifications, calculate tax and shipping charges, sort your results, and buy with confidence. easily narrow your search and find the product that's perfect for you.


text: List of villages in Jeelugumilli taluka or tehesil is listed below. Please click on a village link to view every detail of the village. Jeelugumilli is under the West Godavari district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

lowercased: list of villages in jeelugumilli taluka or tehesil is listed below. please click on a village link to view every detail of the village. jeelugumilli is under the west godavari district in the state of andhra pradesh in india.


text:
GSSS-Grameen Swyam Sewak Samaj, Harion Sarlahi Message From CEO – Gramin SwyamSewak Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Ltd.
It is fact that, Poverty reduction has been made possible with the proactive role of micro finance institution; all over the world. VVS is one of the Organizations who dedicated to serve the deprived women and unemployed youth through microfinance services in tarai area of Nepal. Our entire team member is committed towards economic improvement of the deprived community. Our organization’s all the branch networks are established in rural areas and microfinance services are delivered on those areas.
We are achieving very good financial result and operational performance in a very short span of time through the hard working and dedicated staff member’s effort and morale and advisory support from board member’s. We already have opened and established ten branch networks in different area of 2 districts of the country. We are also planning to expand the microfinance services through branch offices in additional districts near future. we are on undergoing process to be a D class financial institution in near future also.
I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Board of Directors of VVS, the government of Nepal and Nepal Rastra Bank,Other donor agencies for their continuous support to VVS. I would also like to thank all the staffs of VVS for their strong efforts and commitments, from your support and efforts we must be maintaining VVS as a sound and sustainable organization in the country in future.

lowercased:
gsss-grameen swyam sewak samaj, harion sarlahi message from ceo – gramin swyamsewak laghubitta bittiya sanstha ltd.
it is fact that, poverty reduction has been made possible with the proactive role of micro finance institution; all over the world. vvs is one of the organizations who dedicated to serve the deprived women and unemployed youth through microfinance services in tarai area of nepal. our entire team member is committed towards economic improvement of the deprived community. our organization’s all the branch networks are established in rural areas and microfinance services are delivered on those areas.
we are achieving very good financial result and operational performance in a very short span of time through the hard working and dedicated staff member’s effort and morale and advisory support from board member’s. we already have opened and established ten branch networks in different area of 2 districts of the country. we are also planning to expand the microfinance services through branch offices in additional districts near future. we are on undergoing process to be a d class financial institution in near future also.
i take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the board of directors of vvs, the government of nepal and nepal rastra bank,other donor agencies for their continuous support to vvs. i would also like to thank all the staffs of vvs for their strong efforts and commitments, from your support and efforts we must be maintaining vvs as a sound and sustainable organization in the country in future.


text:
The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit is my new favourite book.
I bought it back in the summer and I've had it on my bedside table for the last few months. It is very much a reference book, although the prose is so friendly, that I usually end up reading a few pages further than intended.
It's a useful book to have to hand, on evenings when you can't quite think what to do with the ingredients you have in the house (hello, pea & rosemary soup).
This was also the case when I realised that I'd got the MacTweets 14 deadline wrong by -5 days. Two days before the actual deadline. Putting it another way, one hour after the shops had all closed for Christmas.
Following two months of dealing with an intense workload & feeling as though my temples were made of exploding rage, life is going at a slightly less frenetic pace this month. In turn, I'm finding the energy to do something with my evenings, other than stare at the television in a zombified fashion (or on one memorable-for-the-wrong-reasons evening, lying upside-down on the sofa for two hours).
Life always seems better when I have the time and inclination to prepare myself a meal from scratch; even more so when I am able to plan ahead and embellish meals with some finishing touch or other that says, I've made an effort.
I'm also quite likely to go blogging a bit more this month. I am almost certainly participating in this month's MacTweets, which has asked us to create sweet and savoury macarons. The last three or four challenges have been presented on a theme, which I'm not too good at (taste of summer..?).
I'm also hoping to get time to enter WFLH's Monthly Mingle, as hosted by Ria's Collection. I have to make a chocolate recipe for Christmas; yes?
But for now, here is a really easy way to poncify ice cream. I have adapted this recipe, because I don't think the cream is necessary, especially when you have ice-cream helping you out in the background. It's a bit of a Nineties throwback, but if Take That can hack it after 15 years in the wilderness, then I think this dessert can make it back into the limelight.
You can use any berries you like, although personally, I would only use raspberries as part of a mix, not by themselves (too sweet with the white chocolate).
Remove the ice cream and the berries from the freezer to thaw for ten minutes before making a start on the sauce.
Place the broken-up chocolate in a small pan with the milk. Gently heat until the chocolate is almost melted.
Whisk the milk and the chocolate together until the sauce comes together.
Assemble the ice cream and berries.
Give the sauce a final whisk, then pour over the berries and ice cream before serving.

lowercased:
the flavour thesaurus by niki segnit is my new favourite book.
i bought it back in the summer and i've had it on my bedside table for the last few months. it is very much a reference book, although the prose is so friendly, that i usually end up reading a few pages further than intended.
it's a useful book to have to hand, on evenings when you can't quite think what to do with the ingredients you have in the house (hello, pea & rosemary soup).
this was also the case when i realised that i'd got the mactweets 14 deadline wrong by -5 days. two days before the actual deadline. putting it another way, one hour after the shops had all closed for christmas.
following two months of dealing with an intense workload & feeling as though my temples were made of exploding rage, life is going at a slightly less frenetic pace this month. in turn, i'm finding the energy to do something with my evenings, other than stare at the television in a zombified fashion (or on one memorable-for-the-wrong-reasons evening, lying upside-down on the sofa for two hours).
life always seems better when i have the time and inclination to prepare myself a meal from scratch; even more so when i am able to plan ahead and embellish meals with some finishing touch or other that says, i've made an effort.
i'm also quite likely to go blogging a bit more this month. i am almost certainly participating in this month's mactweets, which has asked us to create sweet and savoury macarons. the last three or four challenges have been presented on a theme, which i'm not too good at (taste of summer..?).
i'm also hoping to get time to enter wflh's monthly mingle, as hosted by ria's collection. i have to make a chocolate recipe for christmas; yes?
but for now, here is a really easy way to poncify ice cream. i have adapted this recipe, because i don't think the cream is necessary, especially when you have ice-cream helping you out in the background. it's a bit of a nineties throwback, but if take that can hack it after 15 years in the wilderness, then i think this dessert can make it back into the limelight.
you can use any berries you like, although personally, i would only use raspberries as part of a mix, not by themselves (too sweet with the white chocolate).
remove the ice cream and the berries from the freezer to thaw for ten minutes before making a start on the sauce.
place the broken-up chocolate in a small pan with the milk. gently heat until the chocolate is almost melted.
whisk the milk and the chocolate together until the sauce comes together.
assemble the ice cream and berries.
give the sauce a final whisk, then pour over the berries and ice cream before serving.