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At Campmor, you'll find all the brands you know and trust, including favorites like The North Face, Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Eureka, JanSport, Kelty, Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, MSR, Thermarest, Outdoor Research, Pearl Izumi, Smartwool and more. Take a look at our shop by brand section to view every brand we carry. Campmor features over 300 brands. Find all the gear, clothing and footwear you need, for your next outdoor adventure. If you've used an item and find it to be defective, we will exchange or repair the item within one year of purchase date, when returned to us along with your receipt. After one year, if your purchase is not performing to your satisfaction, or if you believe there to be a problem not caused by expected wear and tear, please contact the manufacturer directly. We recommend you save all packaging, manufacturer's warranty information, receipts and invoices, to facilitate the return process, should the need arise. * All climbing equipment and food items are final sale. For your safety, we cannot accept returns on these items. When returning merchandise to Campmor, carefully wrap the items and return them Parcel Post insured or UPS. Parcels must be returned shipping charges prepaid. C.O.D. returns can not be accepted and will be refused. Enclose the return form on the reverse side of your invoice or a letter telling us the reason for the return, along with the name, address, and zip code of the person who placed the order. Advise us if you are looking for a refund, exchange, or repair. Campmor will refund postage due to shipping errors or defects in merchandise. We will return ship via surface delivery. Mail Returns To: Campmor 400 Corporate Drive Mahwah, NJ 07430 Attn: Return Department Refunds If your purchase was made using a credit card, that card will be issued a refund which will appear on your credit card statement. Purchases made by check or money order will be issues a refund check sent under separate cover. Exchanges Exchanges of purchases made by credit card will be credited back to the card. The replacement item will then be rebilled. You Might Also Consider About Hobie Horizontal Fishing Rod Holder Kit All Hobie accessory products ship for a flat rate of $7.99 and cannot be combined with other items to receive free shipping. Keep your fishing rod from getting snagged by overhanging vegetation or damaged when making your way out through the surf zone. The horizontal rod holder kit from Hobie includes everything you need to secure one fishing rod along the side of your kayak. Insert the rod tip into the tip protector and lock the rod handle into the clasp. Provided hardware makes it easy to install. Innovative and secure way to store fishing rod along side of kayak when not in use. Prevents rod from being damaged or snagged while getting to your favorite angling spot. Kit includes parts and hardware necessary to mount one fishing rod along side of kayak. Utilizes either through-bolts or sheet metal screws to adapt to different styles of mounting. Fits any kayak. All Hobie accessory products ship for a flat rate of $7.99 and cannot be combined with other items to receive free shipping. (please add to Hobie product with 7.99 flat rate in cart) REVIEWS Q & A WE ALSO RECOMMEND: TrailMail Member Deals Industry Leader Since 1978 Account Options Expert Outdoor Advice Connect With Us Special purchases, new products, special members-only deals and more. Email Address As a subscriber you will receive announcements of special purchases, new products available online and through our catalog as they're announced, events and sales at our retail store, as well as special members-only deals.View Sample Email | Mid | [
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Car -1 -1 -10 333 186 395 219 1.50 1.67 4.18 -12.53 2.25 36.97 1.60 1.00 Car -1 -1 -10 445 184 465 199 1.51 1.62 3.91 -16.09 2.72 75.12 1.45 0.95 Car -1 -1 -10 373 183 398 202 1.53 1.72 3.75 -19.34 2.46 62.28 -1.78 0.44 | Low | [
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The present invention relates to an insulation system for winding of electric rotating machines and a process for the production of such an insulated winding for electric rotating machines. More particularly, the invention pertains to an insulated winding for electric rotating machines having thermal resistance of class H or more obtained by impregnating and curing a novel thermosetting resin and a process for the production of such an insulated winding for electric rotating machines. An improvement in the thermal resistance of a winding insulation is a conclusive factor for increasing the capacity of electric rotating machines and miniaturizing and weight saving of the machines. A tape or sheet of a polyimide, polyamideimide, aromatic polyamide or the like resin has heretofore been used as an insulating material having thermal resistance of class H (180.degree. C.) for winding for such electric rotating machines. On the one hand, a polyimide resin varnish or a polyamideimide resin varnish is known as an insulating varnish of class H for impregnating insulating material but they are difficult to be a solventless varnish since they are condensation resin varnishes. Therefore, they are not suitable for winding for electric rotating machines in which the formation of voids is undesirable. As a solventless varnish for impregnating insulating materials, an epoxy resin varnish has been widely used, but the epoxy resin has thermal resistance of class F (155.degree. C.). When the resin is heated at a temperature of 180.degree. C. or more, therefore, delamination occurs owing to heat deterioration between the insulating layers of the winding and particularly between the conductor and the insulating layer. Thereby thermal conduction is reduced and the temperature of the winding further increases. Also, corona starting voltage is reduced and dielectric breakdown is brought about. Particularly, mechanical vibration is large in electric rotating machines. Therefore, said insulating layer is easy to peel from the conductor if the adhesive property of the varnish forming the insulating layer is poor. Since the machines are not immersed in an oil like a transformer, a corona is generated and dielectric breakdown occurs. A silicone resin varnish is known as another varnish having excellent thermal resistance, but it is inferior in adhesiveness and is not suitable for such electric rotating machines. | Mid | [
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;; Mozilla Extensions -moz-appearance -moz-background-clip -moz-background-inline-policy -moz-background-origin -moz-background-size -moz-binding -moz-border-bottom-colors -moz-border-image -moz-border-left-colors -moz-border-radius -moz-border-radius-bottomleft -moz-border-radius-bottomright -moz-border-radius-topleft -moz-border-radius-topright -moz-border-right-colors -moz-border-top-colors -moz-box-align -moz-box-direction -moz-box-flex -moz-box-flexgroup -moz-box-ordinal-group -moz-box-orient -moz-box-pack -moz-box-shadow -moz-box-sizing -moz-column-count -moz-column-gap -moz-column-rule -moz-column-rule-color -moz-column-rule-style -moz-column-rule-width -moz-column-width -moz-opacity -moz-transform -moz-transform-origin -moz-transition -moz-transition-delay -moz-transition-duration -moz-transition-property -moz-transition-timing-function -moz-user-select ;*2 -moz-mac-unified-toolbar -moz-none -moz-win-borderless-glass -moz-win-browsertabbar-toolbox -moz-win-communications-toolbox -moz-win-glass -moz-win-media-toolbox AliceBlue AntiqueWhite Aqua Aquamarine Azure Beige Bisque Black BlanchedAlmond Blue BlueViolet Brown BurlyWood CadetBlue Chartreuse Chocolate Coral CornflowerBlue Cornsilk Crimson Cyan DarkBlue DarkCyan DarkGoldenrod DarkGray DarkGreen DarkGrey DarkKhaki DarkMagenta DarkOliveGreen DarkOrange DarkOrchid DarkRed DarkSalmon DarkSeaGreen DarkSlateBlue DarkSlateGray DarkSlateGrey DarkTurquoise DarkViolet DeepPink DeepSkyBlue DimGray DimGrey DodgerBlue FireBrick FloralWhite ForestGreen Fuchsia Gainsboro GhostWhite Gold Goldenrod Gray Green GreenYellow Grey Honeydew HotPink IndianRed Indigo Ivory Khaki Lavender LavenderBlush LawnGreen LemonChiffon LightBlue LightCoral LightCyan LightGoldenrodYellow LightGray LightGreen LightGrey LightPink LightSalmon LightSeaGreen LightSkyBlue LightSlateGray LightSlateGrey LightSteelBlue LightYellow Lime LimeGreen Linen Magenta Maroon MediumAquamarine MediumBlue MediumOrchid MediumPurple MediumSeaGreen MediumSlateBlue MediumSpringGreen MediumTurquoise MediumVioletRed MidnightBlue MintCream MistyRose Moccasin NavajoWhite Navy OldLace Olive OliveDrab Orange OrangeRed Orchid PaleGoldenrod PaleGreen PaleTurquoise PaleVioletRed PapayaWhip PeachPuff Peru Pink Plum PowderBlue Purple Red RosyBrown RoyalBlue SaddleBrown Salmon SandyBrown SeaGreen SeaShell Sienna Silver SkyBlue SlateBlue SlateGray SlateGrey Snow SpringGreen SteelBlue Tan Teal Thistle Tomato Turquoise Violet Wheat White WhiteSmoke Yellow YellowGreen all auto baseline border border-box bottom bounding-box button center checkbox checkbox-container checkbox-small contain content content-box continuous cover cubic-bezier currentColor dashed dialog dotted double each-box ease ease-in ease-in-out ease-out end flavor groove hidden horizontal inherit initial inset justify left linear listbox matrix medium menuitem menulist menulist-button menulist-textfield menupopup none normal outset padding padding-box progressbar radio radio-container radio-small resizer reverse ridge right rotate scaleY scrollbarbutton-down scrollbarbutton-left scrollbarbutton-right scrollbarbutton-up scrollbartrack-horizontal scrollbartrack-vertical separator skewY solid start statusbar stretch tab tabpanels text textfield thick thin toolbar toolbarbutton toolbox tooltip top translateY transparent treeheadercell treeheadersortarrow treeitem treetwistyopen treeview treewisty vertical window | Mid | [
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Ælnoth of Canterbury Ælnoth or Ailnoth was an Anglo-Saxon Benedictine monk from Canterbury who settled in Denmark, and is known as author of a legend of the Danish king Saint Canute (Canute IV), who had been killed in Odense in 1086 and was canonized by the Pope 1100 or 1101. Life Ælnoth may have been prior in the Benedictine community founded in Odense as a daughter house of the Abbey at Evesham. According to the Danish historian Hans Olrik, who wrote the biography of Ælnoth in the first edition of the Danish biographical reference work Dansk biografisk lexikon, Ælnoth came to Denmark and Odense about 1100; he there had compatriots called in earlier by King Eric for the new cathedral planned as the burial church for the slain King Canute, his older brother (in other words at some point after the death of Canute in 1086). However, it has also been suggested that he came as early as 1085, accompanying relics of Saint Alban. Other than his origins in Canterbury, little is known about the life of Ælnoth, with even the dates of his arrival in Denmark and when he wrote the 'Life and Passion of St Canute' being uncertain. There are hints at persecution from which Ælnoth considered himself the object, possibly from a priest higher up in the hierarchy. According to Olrik, Ælnoth shows familiarity with Denmark and Danish customs, but little sympathy for the Danes, and appears to hate the Normans who had caused him to leave his own country. Work When he had been in Denmark 24 years (perhaps between 1109 and 1122, depending on the date he can be assumed to have arrived in Denmark), he wrote his Latin Vita et Passio S. Canuti (English: Life and Passion of St Canute). Olrik calls it "one of the most important sources for the history of Denmark in the Middle Ages". According to Olrik, Ælnoth is unusually frank as he, despite his awe of his hero, nevertheless hints at the faults of the violent king. He switches between prose and poetry in a way Olrik defines as typically Anglo-Saxon. The legend is dedicated to King Niels, and is more generally written with the political purpose of supporting the claims of the dynasty of the sons of Sweyn Estridson. Early printed editions of Ælnoth's Life of Saint Canute include Historia S. Canuti Regis et Martyris, Othoniæ sepulti, printed in Copenhagen 1602. A more recent edition is Gesta Swenomagni regis et filiorum eius passio gloriasissimi Canuti regis et martyris, in Martin Clarentius Gertz, ed., Vitae sanctorum Danorum (Copenhagen 1908-12), p. 77-136. A recent Danish translation is Ælnoths Krønike, translated by Erling Albrectsen (Odense: Odense Universitetsforlag, 1984). A "rough and partial" English translation of the work was made available by Paul Gazzoli in 2020. Notes References Abrams, L. (2004). "Ailnoth (fl. c.1085–c.1122)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Gertz, M. C. (ed). (1908–1912). "Gesta Swenomagni regis et filiorum eius et passio gloriosissimi Canuti regis et martyris". Vitae Sanctorum Danorum. Copenhagen. pp. 77–136. Klaniczay, G. (2002). Holy Rulers and Blessed Princesses: Dynastic Cults in Medieval Central Europe. Cambridge University Press. Olrik, H. (1905). "Ælnoth". Dansk biografisk lexikon. Vol. 19. p. 341. Ward, B. (1907). "Ælnoth". Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol 1. online transcription. External links Paul Gazzoli (2020), Ailnoth of Canterbury's Gesta Swenomagni et Passio Canuti: A Rough and Partial English Translation Category:12th-century Christian monks Category:12th-century English poets Category:12th-century English writers Category:12th-century Latin writers Category:Anglo-Saxon Benedictines Category:Anglo-Saxon poets Category:Anglo-Saxon writers Category:English biographers | High | [
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Electrical circuits requiring high power handling capability (>20 watts) while operating at high frequencies such as radio frequencies (500 MHz), S-band (3 GHz) and X-band (10 GHz) have in recent years become more prevalent. Because of the increase in high power, high frequency circuits there has been a corresponding increase in demand for transistors which are capable of reliably operating at radio frequencies and above while still being capable of handling higher power loads. To provide increased power handling capabilities, transistors with a larger effective area have been developed. However, as the area of a transistor increases, the transistor, typically, becomes less suitable for high frequency operations. One technique for increasing the area of a transistor while still providing for high frequency operations is to use a plurality of transistor cells that are connected in parallel. Such may be provided using a plurality of gate fingers, thus, the source to drain distance may be kept relatively small while still providing for increased power handling capability. Conventionally, when a plurality of parallel transistor cells are connected in parallel on a single chip, the cells are evenly spaced such that the gate-to-gate distance between adjacent cells (referred to herein as “pitch” or “gate pitch”) is uniform. When such multi-cell transistors are used in high frequency operations, they may generate a large amount of heat. As a device heats up, performance of the device typically degrades. Such degradation may be seen in gain, linearity and/or reliability. Thus, efforts have been made to keep junction temperatures of the transistors below a peak operating temperature. Typically, heatsinks and/or fans have been used to keep the devices cool so as to ensure proper function and reliability. However, cooling systems may be increase size, electrical consumption, costs and/or operating costs of systems employing such transistors. With uniform pitch multi-cell transistors, the temperature of cells near the center of the array are typically greater than those of the cells at the periphery. This is generally the case because the cells at the periphery have a larger area and/or a greater thermal gradient to areas surrounding the cells. Thus, for example, adjacent cells near the center of the multi-cell array will each generate heat and thus, each side of the cells will be at an elevated temperature with respect to cells farther from the center. This results in a thermal profile that is roughly a bell curve with center junction temperatures being the hottest and with the outer most junctions having a substantially reduced operating temperature compared to the center junctions. An uneven temperature distribution among the junctions of a device may reduce device linearity. For example, for a device with a plurality of evenly spaced gate fingers connected by a manifold, RF phasing errors may occur along both the gate manifold and the individual gate fingers as a result of differing gate resistance as a function of temperature. Conventionally, to address these issues the spacing between the gate fingers is widened and/or the length of the fingers are shortened and additional fingers added to achieve the same net active area. Both of these solutions may result in spreading the heat load generated in the center of the device over a wider area. These solutions also may result in a larger area for the multi-cell transistor that may reduce the number of die per wafer. | Mid | [
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India election 2019: Has India's BJP government kept its promises? BBC 8th April, 2019 11:06:36 The election campaign in India is in full swing, with voting due to get under way on 11 April. It is by a considerable margin the largest democratic process in the world, with around 900 million people eligible to take part. Five years on from his victory in 2014, the prime minister Narendra Modi wants a fresh mandate to continue what he says is his mission to transform India. But the main opposition Congress Party says he's failed in key areas. So how has this government matched up to its promises? BBC Reality Check has been taking a look at the issues, using available data to evaluate the claims made by the main parties. Keeping India secure At the end of February, security became a major issue after an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in which 40 soldiers were killed. The government presented itself as the true guardian of the country's security, after launching retaliatory strikes in Pakistan. But the opposition Congress hit back, saying the security situation in Kashmir was now worse under this government than under their own rule before 2014. The data shows that until the end of last year, the level of militant activity under the two governments is broadly similar. But it is also the case that infiltration attempts into Indian-administered Kashmir have been rising since 2016. You can read more on this in an in-depth Reality Check report here: India, the manufacturing superpower? The Modi government has looked to the manufacturing sector to drive economic growth and create jobs. Under it's "Make in India" scheme, it pledged to raise the share of manufacturing to 25% of GDP - the overall measure of goods and services - by 2025. However, as the data shows, the contribution of the manufacturing sector has remained just above 15% in recent years, and experts doubt the target will be met. However, the economy overall continues to grow. Are women now safer in India? The opposition Congress manifesto says women's safety is a key concern ahead of these elections. The BJP government says it has brought in tough laws to combat violence against women. The data shows a rise in the reporting of rape to the authorities, particularly after the notorious Delhi gang rape of 2012. But the conviction rate for cases that go to the courts hasn't really improved in the last few years. We explore the measures introduced to prevent and punish violence against women in this video: What's the situation in India's villages? A large proportion of India's population depends on agriculture for a living. So the state of the rural economy is another key issue in the election. The opposition has highlighted the plight of farmers faced with a squeeze on their livelihoods. Three years ago, Prime Minister Modi promised to double farmers' incomes by 2022. But there are few signs that the government is on track to meet its target. One policy that's been tried to help struggling farmers is writing off their debts - in the form of loan waivers. National household surveys, which are carried out roughly every five years, show that rural debt in India has been rising for many years, although data from the most recent 2017/18 survey has yet to be released. Mr Modi has attacked Congress for past loan waiver schemes, saying they are not a real solution for hardship in the farming sector. The evidence Reality Check found shows that he's probably right - writing off debts is not always effectively implemented, and can create more problems in its wake. Have plans to clean up India worked? Mr Modi has come forward with various promises under his Clean India programme. We've taken a look at a scheme to encourage the use of cleaner domestic fuel for cooking. In 2016, a programme was launched by the government to supply cylinders of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to tens of millions of rural households to discourage the use of dirtier fuels like kerosene, wood and cow dung. Many households switched to the cleaner fuel, so this was a success. But there are also indications that the cost of having cylinders refilled is acting as a deterrent to the continued use of LPG. Building India's toilets Open defecation and a lack of sanitary facilities have long been problems in India. The prime minister said under his Clean India programme, 90% of Indians now have access to a toilet - up from 40% before he came into office in 2014. Government data shows how the project has progressed. The BJP government has indeed built many more household toilets during its term in office. But it's also true that not all toilets are working properly, and there's evidence that - for a variety of reasons - they don't always get used. Cleaning up the Ganges One of the biggest Clean India projects was focused on the River Ganges, which is holy to millions of Hindus. Mr Modi has thrown $3bn (£2.3bn) at the plan to clean up the river by 2020. The Ganges has been blighted for years by pollution and over-use. But Reality Check discovered that although a lot more money has been made available, only a small proportion has so far been spent. So despite some improvements, the river is very unlikely to be completely clean by next year. Watch our Reality Check video explaining why cleaning one of the world's great rivers is such a monumental challenge: | Mid | [
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It is reported that Imām Al-Shāfʿee – Allāh have mercy on him – said, The loftiest in status are those who do not know their own status, and the most virtuous of them are those who do not know their own virtue. | Mid | [
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Quentin Tarantino's long discussed Charles Manson film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood has been stacking stars for the fictional tale about the killer Manson family. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tim Roth, Emile Hirsch, Burt Reynolds, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, and many others have already signed to join the motion picture. And now, Halt and Catch Fire's Scoot McNairy has joined the massive cast of top notch actors. McNairy has been building quite the resume for himself with an eclectic set of roles that include Killing Them Softly, Argo, Black Sea, Batman V Superman, and numerous tv shows or series. We can't wait to see him in a Tarantino film. | Mid | [
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Background {#Sec1} ========== Childhood overweight is a major public health concern that affects approximately 20% of children in Europe \[[@CR1], [@CR2]\]. Adverse health effects of childhood overweight and obesity include cardiovascular, metabolic and psychosocial health problems \[[@CR3]--[@CR8]\]. In the past, efforts to prevent childhood obesity have mainly focused on individual-level behavior change, with limited effects \[[@CR9]\]. Therefore, child health promotion has recently broadened its focus to social and physical environmental potential correlates of obesity \[[@CR9]--[@CR11]\]. Insufficient physical activity (PA), a key determinant of childhood obesity, is widespread among preschoolers \[[@CR12]\], with adverse PA behaviors tracking from early childhood to adulthood \[[@CR13], [@CR14]\]. Therefore, evidence-informed PA promotion based on detailed knowledge about PA correlates in preschool age is paramount. While there is a large body of literature on correlates of PA in older children and adolescents \[[@CR15]--[@CR19]\], only a limited number of predominantly cross-sectional studies with often small sample sizes is available for preschool age \[[@CR20]\] (with \[[@CR21]\] (*n* = 2173) \[[@CR22]\] (*n* = 1248) being notable exceptions). To date systematic reviews have only been able to identify a very limited number of consistent associations between PA and its correlates in this age group (e.g. obese parents, preschool location) \[[@CR20], [@CR23], [@CR24]\]. In addition, only a few longitudinal studies have investigated determinants of PA in preschoolers so far \[[@CR25]\]. These studies mainly used small convenience samples restricting external validity and predominantely assessed a limited number of potential PA correlates (e.g. gender, age, season, parental behaviors) \[[@CR26]--[@CR28]\]. Taken together, our understanding of the complex associations between preschoolers' PA and its potential correlates is still hampered. Three analytical approaches have been called for that might move the field ahead: Firstly, the socioecological framework emphasizing the multidimensionality of PA correlates has become a well established theoretical model guiding PA research \[[@CR29]\]. Recent studies started to concurrently investigate multiple relevant variables across the social as well as physical environmental domains \[[@CR21], [@CR22], [@CR30]\]. But more studies that deliberately include potential correlates across the whole spectrum of domains in the socioecological model (i.e. demographic and biological, cognitive and emotional, behavioral, social and cultural, and physical environmental) have been called for in a recent review \[[@CR24]\]. Secondly, both the socioecological framework and empirical research emphasize that correlates of preschoolers' PA operate at different (hierarchical) levels, such as the family-level (e.g. parental PA \[[@CR28], [@CR31], [@CR32]\]) and the community-level (e.g. community-level socioeconomic status (SES) \[[@CR33]\]). Therefore, including potential correlates pertaining to different levels in a simultaneous analysis seems important. Thirdly, given the widely found divergence between subjective perceptions and objective environmental measurements (e.g. regarding traffic insecurity \[[@CR34]\]), supplementing survey-based parental environmental perceptions with objective administrative routine data presents a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of PA correlates in preschool age. The aim of this study was thus to investigate associations between preschoolers' accelerometry/heart rate monitoring-based leisure-time PA and a comprehensive set of subjective and objective potential PA correlates across the behavioral, social and physical environmental domains on both family- and community-level in a large sample of German preschoolers. Methods {#Sec2} ======= Setting and participants {#Sec3} ------------------------ In this cross-sectional study (i) family-level (ii) preschool-level (iii) village/city-level as well as (iv) county-level data were used, i.e. the data were clustered at 3 levels. All preschoolers attending the same preschool, that lived in the same village/city or the same county had the same data on all preschool, village/city and county-level potential correlates, respectively (mean numbers of preschoolers with the same data for community-level potential correlates range from 13.9--29.6, lower bound of ranges: 3, upper bound: 128). A *county* in Germany (Kreis) comprises several cities and/or villages. On average 1.4 preschools were nested in one village/city (median: 1, range: 1--4) and 3.5 were nested in a county (median: 2, range: 1--15). Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} gives an overview of the levels of measurement of all potential correlates.Table 1List of potential correlates of moderate-to-vigorous and total physical activity, their measurement properties and operationalization \[[@CR12], [@CR26], [@CR28], [@CR31]-[@CR33], [@CR36], [@CR41], [@CR46], [@CR47], [@CR48], [@CR52], [@CR56], [@CR58], [@CR59], [@CR66]--[@CR79]\]Domain classification was adapted from Sallis et al. \[[@CR44]\]. No potential correlates belonging to the domain *psychological, cognitive and emotional potential correlates* were assessed in this study. We assessed both family-level (white) and community-level potential correlates (grey) that were measured subjectively (i.e. by parent proxy-report) or objectively (marked with an asterisk \*). Among the community-level potential correlates variables were measured at preschool^1^, village/city^2^ or county-level^3^. As the results of 4-level mixed models did not change qualitatively, we collapsed the preschool, village/city and county-levels into one level, called *community-level* in the entire paper. Only 2-level models distinguishing family-level from community-level potential correlates are presented in this paper. Latent variables are marked with a °.*BMI* body mass index, *ISCED* International Standard Classification of Education, *MVPA* moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, *PA* physical activity, *SES* socioeconomic status, *TPA* total physical activity Family--level and preschool-level data were based on the baseline measurements of two concurrently implemented cluster-randomized controlled trials in 52 preschools in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg \[[@CR35]--[@CR37]\]. With a preschool attendance rate of \>90% \[[@CR38]\] and study preschools being representative for the German preschool system \[[@CR36]\], the recruited sample was representative of the population of preschoolers in Germany. Moreover, 80% of all eligible children were recruited further strengthening external validity. All children aged 3--6 years who were enrolled in one of the 52 preschools were eligible. 1134 were recruited and participated in the baseline measurements of the two intervention studies. Informed written consent was obtained in advance from the parents of all recruited children. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University (2008-275 N-MA). The mean age of the preschoolers in our study was slightly higher than in comparable studies due to differences in the German preschool system. After daycare (0--3 years) which is attended by approximately a quarter of children only, kindergarten (3--6 years) is the main educational facility in Germany during the early years. Preschool in the German context is defined as the last year of kindergarten. It is characterized by exercises integrated into everyday kindergarten practices with only a minor focus on math and reading compared to other countries. While our sample was drawn from kindergartens, we used the term *preschool* in order to comply with the predominant nomenclature in the PA literature. Data collection was conducted between September 2008 and March 2009 and comprised individual and family-level (accelerometry/heart rate data and data on potential correlates assessed by parent proxy-reports) as well as preschool-level data (e.g. preschool location). These data were merged with data on village/city-level and county-level socioeconomic and built environmental factors based on official statistics of the federal government and provided by the *Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Developm*ent (INKAR dataset 201[3, http://www.bbsr.bund](http://www.bbsr.bund.de/).de). When merging child-level data with community-level potential correlates, the private addresses of children were approximated by preschool addresses due to the unavailability of addresses for a majority of preschoolers. In a subsample of 370 preschoolers for whom individual addresses were available, the ZIP codes of the preschoolers' addresses and those of the preschools agreed in 95% of cases. As sensitivity analyses showed qualitatively comparable results using 4-level models (i.e. taking into account the clustering of the data at 3 levels; results not shown), we used 2-level models for our analyses, collapsing the preschool, village/city and county-levels into one level, henceforth called *community-level*. Outcomes: Objective moderate-to-vigorous and total physical activity {#Sec4} -------------------------------------------------------------------- Outcomes of the study were time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA (TPA) outside of preschool. As previous studies in preschoolers documented different levels of PA on weekend days versus weekdays \[[@CR23], [@CR39]--[@CR41]\] with potentially different factors influencing preschoolers' PA, we analyzed separate models for weekends and weekday afternoons. Preschool characteristics were shown to be associated with PA during preschool time \[[@CR42]\] suggesting different PA correlates for leisure-time PA versus PA at preschool. As we specifically wanted to investigate correlates of leisure-time PA, i.e. PA outside of the preschool context, we used PA during weekday afternoons and during weekends as outcomes. Accordingly, only children that exclusively attended preschool during mornings (9 am -- 1 pm) were included in the weekday afternoon sample, comprising the time between 1 and 9 pm. The weekend sample included Saturdays and Sundays from 7 am -- 9 pm for all children, as in Germany children only attend preschools during the week. Actiheart devices (Actiheart software version 13.1.4., CamNtech, Cambridge, UK) were used for accelerometry and heart rate monitoring for up to six consecutive days including two weekend days (epoch length 15 s, continuous 24 h recording). Time spent in MVPA was assessed by combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring using previously validated cut-offs (boys: accelerometry \>118 counts/15 s and heart rate \> 134 beats/min; girls: accelerometry \>105 counts/15 s and heart rate \> 138 beats/min) \[[@CR43]\]. TPA was assessed by mean accelerometry counts per 15 s from 1 to 9 pm and 7 am -- 9 pm, respectively. Recordings had to last at least 4 h/day to be considered valid and children had to have recordings for Saturday *and* Sunday and at least three weekday afternoons to be included in the final analyses, respectively. Potential correlates of physical activity behaviors {#Sec5} --------------------------------------------------- Potential correlates of PA (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}) were identified from comprehensive literature reviews \[[@CR20], [@CR23], [@CR44], [@CR45]\] and then grouped into four domains of the socioecological framework presented by Sallis et al. \[[@CR44]\]: (1) demographic and biological, (2) behavioral, (3) social and cultural as well as (4) physical environmental potential correlates. Psychological, cognitive and emotional potential correlates (i.e. the fifth domain in the framework of Sallis et al.) were not available. Potential correlates were assessed at the family- and community-level and deliberately included both subjectively (parent proxy-report, e.g. parental perceptions) as well as objectively measured (i.e. data from routine administrative datasets) potential correlates (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Potential correlates were included in the multilevel models if previous studies had shown them to be associated with preschoolers' PA (references are presented in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Details (measurement, operationalization and scale level) on all potential correlates included in the final models are provided in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}. To reduce the number of potential correlates in the models, underlying latent variables were identified by correspondence (ordinal variables) and factor analyses using principal component analysis and applying an orthogonal rotation (continuous variables). The operationalization of the latent variables was based on previous research (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess the internal consistency of the extracted continuous latent variable.Fig. 1Potential correlates of moderate-to-vigorous and total physical activity. The subjectively (i.e. by parent proxy-report) or objectively (marked with an asterisk) assessed variables in the four domains were concurrently tested in multilevel regression models. Both family- (white) and community-level potential correlates (grey) were included in the analyses. Domain classification was adapted from Sallis et al. \[[@CR44]\]. No potential correlates belonging to the domain *psychological, cognitive and emotional potential correlates* were assessed in this study. BMI, body mass index; ISCED, International Standard Classification of Education; MVPA, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; PA, physical activity; SES, socioeconomic status;. TPA, total physical activity Statistical analysis {#Sec6} -------------------- After descriptive and bivariate analyses, associations between potential correlates and objectively assessed MVPA and TPA on weekdays and weekends were tested by a single covariate-adjusted multilevel regression model each. The four models included all potential correlates and a random intercept to account for the clustered data structure (ICC = 0.05 and ICC = 0.07 for MVPA and TPA, respectively). Point estimates for the regression models were expressed in minutes/weekend day and minutes/weekday afternoon for MVPA and mean counts/15 s for TPA, respectively. Only cases with complete data were considered in the analyses. Introducing quadratic terms into the models for the variables age and BMI (to reach an approximately Gaussian distribution of the residuals) did not change the results qualitatively (except for BMI being additionally associated with MVPA and TPA on weekday afternoons compared to the compact specifications). Therefore, only models without quadratic terms are presented in the results section. All statistical analyses were conducted in 2016 using STATA (version 13, StataCorp, College Station, United States). Results {#Sec7} ======= Participants {#Sec8} ------------ In our study, 735 and 783 preschoolers (see flow diagram in Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}) from 52 and 50 preschools had complete data for weekends and weekday afternoons, respectively, and hence could be included in the multilevel models. Preschoolers with complete data attending preschool both during mornings and afternoons (39%) were excluded from further analyses in the weekday models, leaving 474 preschoolers in the weekday afternoon models (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). Child and community-level sample characteristics are presented in Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}. Mean daily recording times were 12.68 ± 3.01 and 7.42 ± 1.29 h for weekend days and weekdays, respectively. On average, children spent 3.9% of the weekend waking time and 4.3% of weekday afternoons in MVPA. We observed differences in the mean time spent in MVPA during weekends between preschoolers included in the final models and those excluded due to incomplete data (subsample in final models: 32.55 ± 20.55 min/weekend day, subsample excluded due to incomplete data: 26.00 ± 21.53 min/weekend day, respectively; *p* \< 0.001). Moreover, differences in the distribution of several potential correlates were observed between preschoolers included in the final models and those with incomplete data (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Table S1).Fig. 2Flow diagram of sample sizes of the multilevel models. n, number of children included in the respective sample/analysis; N, number of preschools included in the respective sample/analysis Table 2Distribution of child, family and community characteristics in the weekend and weekday afternoon samplesDomain classification was adapted from Sallis et al. \[[@CR44]\]. For the domain *psychological, cognitive and emotional potential correlates* in the framework of Sallis et al. no factors were assessed in this study. We assessed both family-level (white) and community-level potential correlates (grey) that were measured subjectively (i.e. by parent proxy-report) or objectively (marked with an asterisk \*). Values are ^a^n (%) and ^b^mean ± SD. For ease of display, categories of ordinal variables were merged (if available, based on national recommendations \[[@CR80]\]) and hence do not match with the categories as used in the multilevel models (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). Due to rounding errors percentages do not always add up to 100%. MVPA was measured in minutes/weekend day and minutes/weekday afternoon, respectively. TPA was measured in mean accelerometer counts/15 s during weekend days and weekday afternoons, respectively. A weekend day and a weekday afternoon comprised the period between 7 am - 9 pm and 1--9 pm, respectively.*BMI* body mass index, *MVPA* moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, *n* number of children in the respective sample, *N* number of preschools in the respective sample, *PA* physical activity, *SES* socioeconomic status, *TPA* total physical activity. Multilevel models for moderate-to-vigorous and total physical activity {#Sec9} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The covariate-adjusted multilevel linear regression models for both weekends and weekday afternoons showed significant associations between the outcome variables (MVPA and TPA) and family-level behavioral correlates as well as subjective parental physical environmental perceptions (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). While certain differences in relations are evident, the overall pattern of associations was comparable across MVPA and TPA (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). In contrast, none of the objective social and physical environmental variables from the community-level routine administrative dataset (community-level socioeconomic status (SES), proportions of forest, recreational area as well as settlement area) or the preschool location (rural versus urban) were associated with any of the outcomes (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}).Table 3Associations of potential correlates with moderate-to-vigorous and total physical activityThe subjectively (i.e. by parent proxy-report) or objectively (marked with a hashtag ^\#^) assessed variables in the four domains were concurrently tested in the multilevel regression models. Both family- (white) and community-level potential correlates (grey) were included in the analyses. Domain classification was adapted from Sallis et al. \[[@CR44]\]. No potential correlates belonging to the domain *psychological, cognitive and emotional potential correlates* were assessed in this study. MVPA and TPA were measured in minutes/weekend day or minutes/weekday afternoon and mean accelerometer counts/15 s, respectively. A weekend day and a weekday afternoon comprised the period between 7 am - 9 pm and 1--9 pm, respectively. If units of independent variables are not otherwise specified they are measured on an ordinal scale (details on measurement, scale levels and operationalization are provided in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}).*BMI* body mass index, *CI* confidence interval, *MVPA* moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, *n* number of children included in the respective analysis, *N* number of preschools included in the respective analysis, *PA* physical activity; SES, socioeconomic status, *TPA* total physical activity.\**P* \< 0,1, \*\**P* \< 0,05. In the behavioral domain, a child's participation in organized sports was positively associated with MVPA on weekends (β = 1.99 min/weekend day \[95% CI 0.10--3.87\]). For TPA a positive association was documented for both the weekend (β = 1.68 mean counts/15 s \[0.28--3.07\]) and the weekday afternoon sample (β = 2.25 mean counts/15 s \[0.02--4.48\]). In addition, MVPA during weekday afternoons was positively associated with subjective (i.e. parent proxy-report) screen time (β = 1.57 min/weekday afternoon \[0.24--2.89\]), but no such association was found for any of the other outcomes (Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"}). Within the group of family-level social correlates, subjective parental leisure-time PA showed a trend towards significance for MVPA in the weekend sample (β = 1.74 min/weekend day \[−0.06--3.55\]), but no such finding was documented for the other models. Within the family-level physical environmental domain, subjective parental perceptions of traffic safety in the neighborhoods were consistently associated with the PA outcomes. For weekends, parental perceptions were positively associated with both MVPA (β = 3.37 min/weekend day \[0.01--6.73\]) and TPA (β = 2.44 mean counts/15 s \[0.48--4.39\]). Within the group of objective community-level physical environmental correlates, season was significantly associated with MVPA in the weekday sample only (β = 3.32 min/weekday afternoon \[0.21--6.42\]). In addition, demographic and biological covariates such as gender and migration background showed significant associations with preschoolers' MVPA and TPA (see Table [3](#Tab3){ref-type="table"} for details). Discussion {#Sec10} ========== This study assessed associations between preschoolers' objectively measured leisure-time PA and a comprehensive set of subjective (i.e. by parent proxy-report) and objective potential PA correlates across the behavioral, social and physical environmental domains on both family- and community-level (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}) in a large sample of German preschoolers. None of the objective community-level social and physical environmental potential correlates were associated with objectively assessed leisure-time PA. In contrast, for the family-level behavioral domain (child participation in organized sports) as well as the subjective (i.e. by parent proxy-report) family-level physical environmental domain (parental perception of neighborhood traffic safety) significant associations with MVPA and TPA were observed. These main findings were consistently seen in both the weekend and weekday afternoon samples. No associations between PA and the objective community-level social and physical environmental factors from routine administrative datasets (community-level SES and proportions of forest, recreational as well as settlement area) -- i.e. distal potential correlates - were observed. To date only few studies have investigated associations between objective community-level potential correlates and PA in preschool age \[[@CR21], [@CR22]\]. Our results are in line with a study in Dutch preschoolers showing fewer associations between subjectively assessed outdoor play and distal physical environmental correlates (i.e. correlates that are less central to a person, e.g. greenness of the neighborhood) than proximal correlates (e.g. presence of a private garden) \[[@CR21]\]. The lack of associations observed in our study might partly be due to the measurement of objective environmental correlates at the community-level, i.e. all preschoolers attending preschools in one community had the same data on the objective community-level potential correlates. As the area in which a substantial proportion of preschoolers' PA happens tends to be quite small \[[@CR46]\], our assessment might not have been detailed enough to capture relevant yet subtle differences in the PA environment. An objective assessment of the environment at the level of the individual child (e.g. by creating and analyzing child-level buffers in GIS), possibly compared to community-level measures, might move the field ahead. In our study none of the subjective (i.e. parent proxy-reported) family-level physical environmental correlates apart from parental perceptions of the neighborhood traffic safety were associated with PA. In contrast, a small number of North-American and Australian studies identified several physical environmental correlates of PA in preschoolers (predominantly assessed by parent proxy-report, e.g. number of playgrounds within walking distance \[[@CR47]\], distance to the next park \[[@CR48]\], presence of public open spaces and the number of recreational facilities in public open spaces \[[@CR46]\]). In contrast to these results distance to infrastructure (i.e. to formal play areas like the next playground) were not associated with PA in our study. This might be explained by differences between North-American and European land-use planning traditions (e.g. increased availability of informal play areas like sidewalks in European settings) \[[@CR49]--[@CR51]\]. Moreover, the variables playability and access to private garden, mainly capturing informal opportunities to play, were not associated with PA in our study either. This is in contrast to a recent study in Dutch preschoolers that showed a positive association between the presence of sidewalks, i.e. one type of informal opportunity to play, and outdoor play \[[@CR22]\]. The result of the Dutch study highlights the potential beneficial effect of informal play areas already in preschool age which should be further investigated in future studies. Subjectively assessed regular participation in organized sports was positively associated with all PA outcomes in our study. The literature however remains inconclusive: A study on children aged 5--12 years (*n* = 518) documented a positive association between participation in organized sports and parent proxy-report leisure-time PA \[[@CR52]\], while a recent review including two smaller studies (*n* = 214; *n* = 347) reported no association between formal sports participation and PA \[[@CR20]\]. Possible explanations for these divergent results might be different methods of PA assessment (objective measurement by accelerometry/heart rate monitoring versus direct observation), different settings (overall leisure-time PA versus PA during time spent in childcare versus PA at home) or differing degrees of control for potential confounders \[[@CR47], [@CR53]\] . There is a growing body of literature documenting a consistent positive association between parental PA and PA behaviors in preschool age \[[@CR54]--[@CR57]\]. In the present study, however, we only found a non-significant association between subjectively assessed (i.e. parent reported) parental leisure-time PA, a family-level social environmental correlate, and MVPA on weekends with no significant associations for any of the other outcomes. One reason could be our joint assessment of leisure-time PA for mothers and fathers: One study in preschoolers \[[@CR28]\] as well as a review including studies in older children \[[@CR45]\] showed that only PA levels of fathers were a correlate of children's PA whereas the mothers' PA was mostly unrelated. For studies that did not separate PA of parents no associations were observed \[[@CR45]\]. Alternatively, participation in organized sports as a potential proxy-measure for parental support might mediate the relationship between parental PA and their children's PA levels as shown by Loprinzi et al. \[[@CR58]\]. As effect estimates were not affected by excluding participation in organized sports from our models (data not shown), substantial mediating effects seem unlikely but can not be precluded. Future studies might want to further assess potential indirect and direct effects in the relationship between parental and offspring PA. The positive association between preschoolers' leisure-time PA and subjective parental perceptions of neighborhood traffic safety, a family-level physical environmental correlate, is in line with Timperio et al. \[[@CR59]\], documenting that children whose parents perceived neither lights nor crossings within the neighborhood were less likely to actively commute to school. In contrast, other empirical evidence did not show an association between subjective perceptions of neighborhood safety and PA behaviors \[[@CR60]\]. These mixed results might be due to the assessment of different dimensions of safety (traffic versus crime) and different types of PA (overall leisure-time PA versus active transportation versus outdoor play). Recent evidence shows that negative impacts of parental safety concerns on offspring PA are not confined to preschool age but are also observed in older children's independent mobility (10 to 12 year-olds) \[[@CR61]\]. This might be due to a persistent negative association between parental safety concerns and offspring unstructured PA and play across different periods of childhood. Interventions already during the preschool period might therefore yield the largest benefits and should be prioritized in future research. While some studies identified road safety as a valid parental concern substantiated by child pedestrian accident statistics \[[@CR62]\], others showed no correlation between objective road insecurity and subjective parental concerns \[[@CR34]\]. Future studies should aim at elucidating which dimensions of neighborhood safety (traffic and/or crime) are most important for which type of PA and whether objectively measured and subjectively perceived traffic safety concur. Surprisingly, we found that subjectively assessed (i.e. by parent proxy-report) screen time, one of the family-level behavioral correlates, was positively associated with MVPA on weekday afternoons, but not with any other outcome. However, also previous literature on screen time and its association with PA remains inconclusive \[[@CR20], [@CR23]\], with lack of sedentary behavior during screen-based activities in young children being one potential explanation \[[@CR63]\]. The lack of association between most PA outcomes and age, BMI, migration status and SES is in line with a majority of studies included in recent reviews \[[@CR20], [@CR23], [@CR24]\]. The results for these demographic and biological correlates did not change once all community-level potential correlates had been excluded from the models in sensitivity analyses (results not shown). Estimated mean magnitudes of associations between MVPA and its correlates, particularly parental perceptions of neighborhood traffic safety and participation in organized sports, ranged from approximately 1.5--3.5 minutes per weekend day and weekday afternoon, respectively. While small in absolute terms, the coefficients represent a relative increase of time spent in MVPA per weekend day and weekday afternoon of 7--10%, respectively. Given increasing evidence that particularly MVPA (vs. lower intensity PA) is associated with health gains in children and youth \[[@CR64]\], the magnitude of associations observed in our study might well be relevant in public health terms. Strengths and limitations {#Sec11} ------------------------- Strengths of our study are the objective PA measurement by combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring and the deliberate use of linear mixed models to account for the clustered data structure. In contrast, many studies on potential correlates of PA relied on proxy-report measures of PA and disregarded the clustered data structure in statistical analyses \[[@CR45]\]. Our study adds to the limited number of recent studies simultaneously investigating multiple potential correlates of preschoolers' PA from different domains of the socioecological model (e.g. \[[@CR21], [@CR22]\] (outcome: subjectively assessed outdoor play) \[[@CR30]\] (outome: PA counts per minute)). In contrast, older studies often reported only bivariate results or confined themselves to investigating a few correlates (mean 3.9 correlates/study, range: 1--14) \[[@CR20]\]. By concurrently assessing a multidimensional set of potential correlates, the complexity of factors influencing preschoolers' PA is approached in a much more comprehensive way and the most effective intervention leverages might be better isolated. Moreover, the present paper adds to the limited body of literature on social and physical environmental potential correlates of preschoolers' PA in European countries \[[@CR20]--[@CR22]\]. The majority of studies to date have reported findings from North-American and Australian samples \[[@CR20], [@CR23]\] -- countries with clearly distinct land-use planning traditions and built environments \[[@CR49]--[@CR51]\]. Despite these strengths, the study has several limitations. Firstly, like most studies investigating potential correlates of PA \[[@CR20], [@CR23], [@CR24]\], the present study uses a cross-sectional design precluding any causal inferences. Future studies should select longitudinal study designs to advance our understanding of the correlates of PA. Secondly, we observed significant differences with regards to mean time spent in MVPA during weekends and the distribution of several potential PA correlates between preschoolers included in the final models and those excluded due to incomplete data. A larger proportion of preschoolers excluded from the analyses due to incomplete data had migration background and was from a low SES background and spent less time in MVPA during weekends. While 80% of eligible children were recruited, this presumably non-random pattern of missing data might have biased our results and might therefore limit the generalizability of our findings. The observed pattern of missing data and non-response is common in many studies that rely on parental consent and proxy-report. Using administrative routine data at the level of the preschoolers (e.g. objectively assessed BMI from school entrance examinations) and objective measures of PA correlates might minimize this source of selection bias in future studies. Thirdly, despite the objective assessment of a limited number of potential PA correlates, a substantial subset of potential PA correlates was still measured via parent proxy-report. Future research might benefit from supplementing or even substituting these subjective measures with objective approaches to minimize measurement error (e.g. assessment of distances to playgrounds and preschools by GPS/GIS-based approaches) \[[@CR45], [@CR46]\]. Fourthly, we were only able to assess parental perceptions with regards to neighborhood traffic safety. As parental perceptions might shape preschoolers' PA behaviors beyond this narrow area, future studies should assess parental perceptions of a broader set of neighborhood characteristics (e.g. neighborhood greenness, insecurity due to crime). Fifthly, we were only able to include a limited set of family-level physical environmental potential correlates (e.g. access to private garden, presence of a dog in families). Future studies investigating the association between both indoor (e.g. indoor PA equipment) and outdoor (e.g. size of garden) home physical environmental correlates and objectively measured PA should use novel technologies to objectively assess the home environment (e.g. wearable cameras) where possible \[[@CR65]\]. Lastly, the present dataset only included limited information on parental characteristics (e.g. parental modeling, support). With accumulating evidence that parental characteristics might be key correlates of PA in preschool age \[[@CR28], [@CR31], [@CR54]--[@CR56], [@CR58], [@CR59]\], gathering detailed information on parents in future studies seems necessary. Conclusions {#Sec12} =========== This paper investigated associations between preschoolers' objectively measured leisure-time PA and a comprehensive set of subjective (e.g. parental perceptions) and objective potential PA correlates across the behavioral, social and physical environmental domains on both family- and community-level in a large representative sample of preschoolers in a German context. While none of the objective social and physical environmental factors showed significant associations with PA, subjective parental perceptions of neighborhood traffic safety as well as participation in organized sports, possibly mirroring parental support towards PA, were positively associated with MVPA and TPA. Family-level correlates and subjective parental perceptions of environmental factors -- i.e. correlates that are more proximal to preschoolers -- might be more central to PA in preschool age than objectively assessed community-level environmental features, i.e. more distal correlates. Future longitudinal and intervention studies should therefore include these correlates to further strengthen the evidence base. If our findings can be replicated, targeting parental perceptions of environmental factors and parental support for PA in preschool age might be powerful leverages for future public health policy at the municipal and district level. Additional files ================ {#Sec13} Additional file 1:**Table S1.** Sample characteristics of the subsample included in the final models and the subsample excluded from the final models due to incomplete data. (XLSX 35 kb) BMI : Body mass index ISCED : International Standard Classification of Education MVPA : Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity PA : Physical activity SES : Socioeconomic status TPA : Total physical activity **Electronic supplementary material** The online version of this article (10.1186/s12966-017-0577-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Assistance with data management by Marc N. Jarczok and statistical consulting by Bernd Genser is gratefully acknowledged. Funding {#FPar1} ======= Data collection for the cluster-randomized controlled trials was supported by a grant from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung. FDB was supported by the European Social Fund and the Ministry for Arts and Sciences Baden-Wuerttemberg during the trial implementation. No external or internal funding was received for the preparation of this manuscript. We acknowledge financial support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Heidelberg University within the funding program Open Access Publishing. Neither the funding bodies nor any company played a role in the design of the study, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data collected, the decision to publish, or the contents of the report. Availability of data and materials {#FPar2} ================================== The dataset analyzed for this paper is available from the corresponding author on request. ME conceptualized the study, operationalized hypotheses, conducted the statistical analyses and drafted and revised the manuscript. SS contributed to the idea of the study and reviewed the manuscript for important intellectual content. FDB conceptualized the study and statistical analysis and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript as submitted. Ethics approval and consent to participate {#FPar3} ========================================== The studies were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University (2008-275 N-MA). Informed written consent was obtained from the parents of all participating children in advance. Consent for publication {#FPar4} ======================= Not applicable. Competing interests {#FPar5} =================== The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Publisher's Note {#FPar6} ================ Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. | High | [
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An electric pressure cooker is one of the most magical tools to keep in your kitchen; it brings a whole new meaning to "fast food." But cooking up savory meals isn't the only place your pressure cooker shines. This countertop appliance also has a way with desserts, and it's time you get well-acquainted with it. Some dessert recipes are as simple as adding the ingredients right into the bowl of the pressure cooker (think slow cooker-style, but with a way faster cook time). Then there are others that cook best when molded into a separate pan or individual ramekins that are placed inside the cooker. Either way it's a win. The stovetop and oven stay off and you'll be looking at a delicious sweet treat in a fraction of the time. 1. Rice Pudding We use our pressure cookers to make a faster batch of rice for stir-fries and side dishes, so it only makes sense that we take advantage of this for dessert, too. With the addition of a few extra ingredients, transform a cup of rice into quick pressure-cooker rice pudding. 2. Cheesecake Yes, you can even make a cheesecake in your pressure cooker! And it "bakes" in about half the time it would take in the oven. Just be sure to check the size of your pressure cooker before getting started — you may need to use a smaller springform pan. 3. Crème Brûlée 4. Baked Apples Want to skip the pie-making and go for something simpler? Whether you fill the cored apples with a sweet nut-and-crumb filling or leave them hollow, these soft "baked" fruits will be bursting with flavor. | High | [
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Now Commenting On: Pitching the theme of Blue Jays' Day 2 Pitching the theme of Blue Jays' Day 2 The Blue Jays were extremely consistent through the first nine rounds of the draft before mixing it up with their final pick on the day. Throughout the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, the strategy was clear -- pitching, pitching, and more pitching. After nine rounds, the Blue Jays had selected nine pitchers -- five right-handed, four left-handed -- and five of them straight out of high school. All of them are 6-foot-1 or taller. On Day 2, the first of them was Patrick Murphy out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona. Murphy is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior who was one of the top ranked players in Arizona in 2012 before being sidelined with a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in late April. The 17-year-old originally opted for rest for his injured throwing arm, but decided on Tommy John surgery two months later. Murphy is in the midst of recovering from the surgery, which was performed last year, but has been throwing since late March. The right-hander was hitting the low-90s on his fastball, with a formidable curve, as a junior before the surgery. But without being fully recovered after surgery, he's a bit of a wild card. High-risk, high-upside picks seemed to be the modus operandi for the Blue Jays, with five high school students being selected, including Phillip Bickford and Clinton Hollon from Day 1. Included in that mix are Day 2 selections Evan Smith and Conner Greene, who were taken in the fourth and seventh round, respectively. Both pitchers have good fastballs, with the 17-year-old Smith, a lefty, topping out at 93 mph, according perfectgame.org. Smith also happens to be the tallest of the bunch, standing 6-foot-5. Although Greene doesn't have the same velocity as Smith, the righty has great downward plane on his fastball, something that could be a plus-pitch as he fills out. He also sports a curveball and splitter, although he'll need better command with all three of his pitches to have success at the big league level. That didn't stop him from dominating high school students in 2013, as Greene had a 1.68 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 50 innings. "This year, the pressure was on me to perform, and I usually thrive under pressure," Greene, 18, said to the Santa Monica Mirror prior to being drafted. "I think, overall, it turned out well, because as a pitcher, you try to repeat your motion over and over, and I felt like I did that throughout the season." Also among the 20-and-under crowd, is left-handed pitcher Daniel Lietz. Lietz is a 6-foot-2, 19-year-old southpaw that went undrafted out of high school in 2012. However, a winter in the weight room upped his fastball from the mid-80s to topping out in the low 90s. The Heartland Community College freshman also has two plus-pitches in his slider and changeup. Outside of those picks, the Blue Jays selected four college seniors, two that had been drafted last year. Those were left-hander Matt Boyd, and righty Kendall Graveman. Boyd was taken in the 13th round by the Reds, and Graveman was chosen in the 36th round by the Marlins. Boyd, who became a starter with Oregon State after not coming to terms with Cincinnati, has shown the ability to mix four pitches well, all of which could be Major League pitches as he develops them. Along with logging double-digit victories this spring, Boyd led the Beavers during the regular season in innings pitched, strikeouts and complete games. Big, strong and durable, Boyd throws his fastball, curve, slider and changeup around the plate consistently and varies his arm slot to give hitters different looks. He went 10-3 with a 2.20 ERA in 16 starts, and 106 strikeouts in 114 1/3 innings in 2013. Graveman stands 6-foot-2 and has an upper-80s fastball with heavy sinking action that is supported by a solid changeup. The last pitcher selected by the Blue Jays was Mississippi State's Chad Girodo. The left-hander has improved immensely since his junior year, and has lowered his ERA by 4 1/2 runs over his best collegiate season. The Blue Jays selected catcher Garrett Custons in the 10th round, the only position player Toronto selected. Custons caught for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, and can play both sides of the ball well. He was one of 15 semifinalists for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award, given to the top Division I collegiate catcher. Evan Peaslee is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | Mid | [
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How to Get a PBA Card in New Jersey By Jonathan McLelland ; Updated October 04, 2017 New Jersey PBA cards are given to close relatives of police officers. Have you ever wished you had a real-life “get out of jail free” card? Although such cards do not exist for every offense, if you have a New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association card, you may be able to avoid minor citations, such as a traffic offense. The card informs police that you are a family member of a law enforcement officer. To obtain a New Jersey PBA card, you must be related to a New Jersey police officer and show an outstanding role in civil leadership and responsibilities. Ask a police officer within your family whether you can obtain a PBA card. These are typically given out to family members who have shown responsibility in operating a motor vehicle as well as those who have taken pride in community involvement. You must be an immediate family member of the police officer -- a mother, father, sibling, son or daughter. PBA cards are not available for friends of police officers, and only police officers can participate in this program. Inform your relative of your driving record and what you’re doing to make your community a better place. Provide proof that you are related to the officer, such as a copy of your driver’s license or birth certificate. Wait for your relative to request a PBA card for you from the association. Upon approval from the association, a PBA card will be issued to the police officer, who must then deliver the card to you. If you are pulled over by police, hand over this card with your driver’s license, registration and insurance information to show the officer that you’re related to a fellow law enforcement member. Tip Have the officer to whom you’re related sign the PBA card for further validation. Warning Do not expect to use the PBA card to get out of severe traffic offenses or criminal charges. It simply shows a police officer that you are related to a fellow officer. The issuance of tickets or citations remains strictly up to the discretion of the officer involved. About the Author Jonathan McLelland has been a professional writer since 2005. He has worked as a story writer and editor for the international sitcom, “Completing Kaden,” as well as a proposal writer for various production companies. McLelland studied communication and theater at St. Louis Community College. | Mid | [
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] |
--- abstract: 'We establish an exponential decay estimate for linear waves on the Kerr–de Sitter slowly rotating black hole. Combining the cutoff resolvent estimate of [@skds] with the red-shift effect and a parametrix near the event horizons, we obtain exponential decay on the whole domain of outer communications.' address: 'Department of Mathematics, Evans Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA' author: - Semyon Dyatlov --- We study decay of linear waves on the Kerr–de Sitter metric, corresponding to a rotating black hole in a spacetime with positive cosmological constant. (See for example [@d-r] for the motivation for the problem and a survey of recent results.) Although in the original coordinates $(t,r,\theta,\varphi)$ the metric is only defined on $M=\{r_-<r<r_+\}$ and becomes singular on the event horizons $\{r=r_\pm\}$, we will use a different coordinate system $(t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$, in which the metric can be extended beyond the event horizons to $M_\delta=\{r_--\delta<r<r_++\delta\}$. In particular, $t_+\sim t+C_\pm \ln|r-r_\pm|$ near $r=r_\pm$, with $C_\pm$ positive constants; see for precise formulas and Section 1.2 in general for the description of the metric. The speed of rotation of the black hole is described by the parameter $a$; for $a=0$, we get the spherically symmetric Schwarzschild–de Sitter metric. We establish the following \[l:integrated-xpd\] Let $\Box_g$ be the d’Alembert–Beltrami operator of the Kerr–de Sitter metric on $M_\delta$. Fix $\varkappa>0$. For $a,\delta>0,\nu>0$ small enough and any $s\geq 1$, there exists a constant $C$ such that if $u\in H^{s+\varkappa+1}_{\operatorname{loc}}(M_\delta)$ is a solution to the equation $\Box_g u=f\in H^{s+\varkappa}_{\operatorname{loc}}(M_\delta)$, with $\operatorname{supp}u\subset \{t_+>-T\}$ for some $T$, then $$\label{e:main-estimate} \|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\Pi_0f)\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\leq C \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(M_\delta)}.$$ Here $$\Pi_0f={1+\alpha\over 4\pi(r_+^2+r_-^2+2a^2)}\int_M f\,d\operatorname{Vol}$$ is a constant (note that we integrate over $M$, not the whole $M_\delta$); $H^s$ norms are taken with respect to the $(t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$ coordinates (here $(\theta,\varphi_+)$ are treated as spherical coordinates on $\mathbb S^2$). The main ingredient of the proof, which gives us exponential decay, is the scattering resolvent constructed in [@skds]. We modify the argument of [@skds Theorem 6] to get exponential decay for $u$ on a certain compact subset $K_\delta\subset M$, under the condition that $f$ is supported in $K_\delta$ as well (Proposition \[l:estimate-k-k\]). In the present paper, we specify $\Box_g u$, rather than the Cauchy data of $u$, to facilitate the proofs. However, it is not hard to convert Theorem \[l:integrated-xpd\] to an exponential decay estimate for the Cauchy problem, such as the one given in [@skds]. The second ingredient, described in Section 1.3, is the energy estimate produced by red-shift effect at the event horizons, first introduced by Dafermos and Rodnianski in [@d03; @d-r05; @d-r08]. The paper [@d03] in particular introduced the idea that the red-shift implies that boundedness and decay properties propagate from the event horizon to a neighborhood of it in the black hole interior. The vector field approach to the red-shift effect was introduced in [@d-r05]; in [@d-r08], the method was extended to higher order estimates using the remark that commutation generated further terms of favorable sign. The paper [@d-r05] established red-shift estimates for the Schwarzschild black hole, while [@d-r08] considered the case of slowly rotating Kerr; the (subextremal) Kerr–de Sitter horizons are in particular covered by [@d-r Theorems 7.1 and 7.2]. It should also be noted that in certain cases, such as extremal Reissner–Nordström spacetimes considered by Aretakis [@ar11; @ar11-2], the failure of the red-shift is directly related to instabilities of linear waves at the event horizon. In our presentation, we follow both [@d-r Section 3.3] and the paper [@t-t] by Tataru and Tohaneanu on integrated decay for the Kerr black hole. Combining the red-shift effect with Proposition \[l:estimate-k-k\], we obtain an estimate on $u$ on the whole $M_\delta$, provided that $f$ is still supported in $K_\delta$. Finally, we use a Morawetz type argument together with red-shift (Proposition \[l:parametrix-estimate\]) to construct an exponentially decaying parametrix for the wave equation near the event horizons and reduce the general problem to the case $\operatorname{supp}f\subset K_\delta$. Compared to the energy estimate for the Minkowski spacetime (Proposition \[l:minkowski-estimate\]), we lose $1+\varkappa$ derivatives in Theorem 1, where $\varkappa>0$ can be arbitrarily small. This is related to the exponent in the polynomial resolvent estimate of [@skds], which in turn is determined by the separation of variables procedure employed there [@skds Proposition 3.4]. It is possible that a more careful analysis will yield a smaller loss in derivatives; however, the presence of trapping indicates that loss of regularity is inevitable (see [@r] for a precise statement in the now classical case of obstacle scattering). Exponential decay of linear waves on the Schwarzschild–de Sitter metric has been studied in [@b-h; @d-r2; @m-sb-v]. Dafermos and Rodnianski [@d-r2], using vector field multipliers, proved that linear waves decay faster than every negative power of $t_+$. Bony and Häfner [@b-h], building on earlier work on the scattering resolvent by Sá Barreto and Zworski [@sb-z], showed exponential decay away from the event horizons. Finally, Melrose, Sá Barreto, and Vasy [@m-sb-v] proved exponential decay up to the event horizons. The latter result, combined with the recent work on normally hyperbolic trapping [@w-z] and gluing semiclassical resolvent estimates [@d-v], can be applied to certain short-range stationary perturbations of the Schwarzschild–de Sitter spacetime; see [@d-v Corollary 6.1]. It should be noted, however, that Kerr–de Sitter is not an acceptable perturbation, in particular because the theorem of Mazzeo and Melrose [@m-m] does not apply to the low energy situation anymore. Therefore, at the moment, the results of [@skds] seem necessary for obtaining exponential decay of waves on Kerr–de Sitter. Kerr–de Sitter metric and the red-shift effect ============================================== Energy estimates ---------------- We recall some well-known facts from Lorentzian geometry; see for example [@d-r Appendices] or [@tay Section 2.8] for a more detailed account. Let $M$ be an $n$-dimensional smooth manifold and $g$ be a Lorentzian metric; that is, a symmetric $(0,2)$-tensor $g$ of signature $(1,n-1)$. (Sometimes a different convention is used, in which the metric has signature $(n-1,1)$.) The basic example is the space $\mathbb R_{t,x}^n$ with the Minkowski metric $$dt^2-\sum_{j=1}^{n-1} dx_j^2.$$ A tangent vector $X$ is called timelike if $g(X,X)>0$, null if $g(X,X)=0$, and spacelike if $g(X,X)>0$. If $X$ and $Y$ are two timelike vectors, then we say that they point in the same direction if $g(X,Y)>0$ and they point in opposite directions if $g(X,Y)<0$. This definition can be extended to cases when $X$ and/or $Y$ is a nonzero null vector. A hyperplane in a tangent space is called spacelike if its normal vector (with respect to $g$) is timelike, timelike if its normal vector is spacelike, and null if its normal vector is null. Note that the restriction of $g$ to a spacelike hyperplane is negative definite, while the restriction to a null plane has signature $(0,n-2)$. We now describe a way of obtaining energy estimates for the wave equation on Lorentzian manifolds. Let $\Omega\subset M$ be a bounded domain and $u\in C^\infty(\bar\Omega)$. Define the symmetric $(0,2)$-tensor $T_{\nabla u}$ by the formula $$\label{e:stress-energy} T_{\nabla u}(X,Y)=(Xu)(Yu)-{1\over 2}g(\nabla u,\nabla u)g(X,Y),$$ valid for all vector fields $X,Y$ on $\Omega$. Note that for fixed $X$ and $Y$, $T_{\nabla u}(X,Y)$ is a quadratic form in $\nabla u$. If $X$ and $Y$ are both timelike, then this form is positive definite in $\nabla u$ for $X$ and $Y$ pointing in the same direction and negative definite otherwise. Same is true if $X$ and/or $Y$ is null, with the form being nonnegative or nonpositive, respectively. Fix a vector field $X$ on $\Omega$ and consider the vector field $J_X(u)$, given by the formula $$g(J_X(u),Y)=T_{\nabla u}(X,Y),$$ valid for all vector fields $Y$. The divergence theorem then gives $$\label{e:divergence-theorem} \int_{\partial\Omega} T_{\nabla u}(X,\vec n)\,dS =\int_{\Omega}\operatorname{div}J_X(u)\,d\operatorname{Vol}.$$ Here $\vec n$ is the unit normal vector pointing outward (in the sense that $g(\vec n,Z)>0$ for every vector $Z$ pointing outside of $\Omega$); $dS$ is the area measure induced by the restriction of $g$ to $\partial\Omega$, and $d\operatorname{Vol}$ is the volume measure induced by $g$. One has to take care when defining the left-hand side of at the points where $\partial\Omega$ is null, as $\vec n$ blows up, being both unit and null, and $dS$ is equal to zero; see [@d-r Appendix C] for details. The discussion following implies \[l:current-positive-integral\] Let $\mathcal C$ be an open subset of $\partial\Omega$ whose tangent space is either spacelike or null at every point. Moreover, assume that $X$ is timelike and points outside of $\Omega$ on $\mathcal C$. Then for every $u$, $$\label{e:positive-flux} \int_{\mathcal C}T_{\nabla u}(X,\vec n)\,dS\geq 0.$$ The sign of the flux of $J_X$ over a timelike piece of $\partial\Omega$ cannot be determined in general; however, we can find it if $u$ satisfies a boundary condition: \[l:morawetz-positive-integral\] Let $\mathcal C$ be an open timelike subset of $\partial\Omega$ and assume that $u|_{\mathcal C}=0$. If $X$ points inside of $\Omega$ on $\mathcal C$, then holds. We have $\nabla u=v\vec n$ on $\mathcal C$, for some function $v$. Then $$T_{\nabla u}(X,\vec n)={v^2\over 2}g(X,\vec n)g(\vec n,\vec n) =-{v^2\over 2}g(X,\vec n)\geq 0.\qedhere$$ Finally, we relate the divergence of $J_X$ to the d’Alembert–Beltrami operator $\Box_g$: \[l:energy-divergence\] Let $\mathcal L_X g$ be the Lie derivative of $g$ with respect to $X$, and consider the symmetric $(0,2)$-tensor $K^X$ given by $$K^X={1\over 2}\mathcal L_X g-{1\over 4}\operatorname{Tr}(g^{-1}\mathcal L_X g)g.$$ Then $$\operatorname{div}J_X(u)=(Xu)\Box_g u+K^X(\nabla u,\nabla u).$$ As a basic application, we prove the energy estimate for the constant-coefficient wave equation: \[l:minkowski-estimate\] Fix $0<T<R$ and consider the domain $$\Omega=\{0<t< T,\ |x|<R-t\}$$ in the Minkowski spacetime. Let $u\in C^\infty(\bar\Omega)$ and define the energy $$E(s)={1\over 2}\int_{t=s\atop |x|<R-s} |u_t|^2+|\partial_x u|^2\,dx,\ 0\leq s\leq T.$$ Then $$E(T)\leq E(0)+\int_{\Omega} u_t \Box u\,dtdx.$$ We take $X=\partial_t$ and apply on $\Omega$. Since $X$ is Killing, $K^X=0$ and thus $$\int_{\partial\Omega} T_{\nabla u}(X,\vec n)\,dS=\int_\Omega u_t\Box u\,dtdx.$$ Now, the boundary of $\Omega$ consists of the following pieces: $$\begin{gathered} \mathcal P_0=\{t=0,\ |x|<R\},\\ \mathcal P_T=\{t=T,\ |x|<R-T\},\\ \mathcal C=\{0\leq t\leq T,\ |x|=R-t\}. \end{gathered}$$ The integral over $\mathcal P_0$ is equal to $-E(0)$ and the integral over $\mathcal P_T$ is equal to $E(T)$. Finally, the integral over $\mathcal C$ is nonnegative by Proposition \[l:current-positive-integral\], as $\mathcal C$ is null and $\partial_t$ points outside of $\Omega$ on $\mathcal C$. Kerr–de Sitter metric --------------------- The Kerr–de Sitter metric is given by $$\begin{gathered} g=-\rho^2\Big({dr^2\over \Delta_r}+{d\theta^2\over\Delta_\theta}\Big)\\ -{\Delta_\theta\sin^2\theta\over (1+\alpha)^2\rho^2} (a\,dt-(r^2+a^2)\,d\varphi)^2\\ +{\Delta_r\over (1+\alpha)^2\rho^2} (dt-a\sin^2\theta\,d\varphi)^2. \end{gathered}$$ Here $M_0$ is the mass of the black hole, $\Lambda$ is the cosmological constant (both of which we assume to be fixed), and $aM_0$ is the angular momentum (which we assume to be small); $$\begin{gathered} \Delta_r=(r^2+a^2)\Big(1-{\Lambda r^2\over 3}\Big)-2M_0r,\\ \Delta_\theta=1+\alpha\cos^2\theta,\\ \rho^2=r^2+a^2\cos^2\theta,\ \alpha={\Lambda a^2\over 3}. \end{gathered}$$ The metric in the $(t,r,\theta,\varphi)$ coordinates is defined for $\Delta_r>0$; we assume that $r_\pm$ are two positive roots of the equation $\Delta_r=0$, such that $\Delta_r>0$ on the open interval $0<r_-<r<r_+<\infty$. The variables $\theta\in [0,\pi]$ and $\varphi\in \mathbb R/2\pi \mathbb Z$ are the spherical coordinates on the sphere $\mathbb S^2$. The spacetime is then $$M=\mathbb R_t\times (r_-,r_+)\times \mathbb S^2_{\theta,\varphi}.$$ (Note the difference in notation with [@skds].) The volume form is $$d\operatorname{Vol}={\rho^2\sin\theta\over (1+\alpha)^2}\,dtdrd\theta d\varphi.$$ For $a=0$, we get the Schwarzschild–de Sitter metric: $$\begin{gathered} g_0=-{r^2\over\Delta_r}dr^2 +{\Delta_r\over r^2}dt^2 -r^2 g_S, \end{gathered}$$ where $$g_S=d\theta^2+\sin^2\theta d\varphi^2$$ is the round metric on the sphere of radius 1. Next, we introduce a modification of the Kerr-star coordinates (see [@d-r Section 5.1]). We remove the singularities at $r=r_\pm$ by making the change of variables $(t,r,\theta,\varphi)\to (t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$, where $$\label{e:kerr-star} t_+=t-F_t(r),\ \varphi_+=\varphi-F_\varphi(r).$$ Note that $\partial_{t_+}=\partial_t$ and $\partial_{\varphi_+}=\partial_\varphi$. The functions $F_t$ and $F_\varphi$ are required to be smooth on $(r_-,r_+)$ and satisfy the following condition: $$F'_t(r)=\pm{(1+\alpha)(r^2+a^2)\over\Delta_r},\ F'_\varphi(r)=\pm{(1+\alpha)a\over\Delta_r}\text{ for } |r-r_\pm|<\varepsilon.$$ Here $\varepsilon>0$ is some fixed small constant. The metric $g$ in the $(t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$ coordinates takes the following form for $|r-r_\pm|<\delta$: $$\begin{gathered} -\rho^2{d\theta^2\over\Delta_\theta} -{\Delta_\theta\sin^2\theta\over (1+\alpha)^2\rho^2} (a\,dt_+-(r^2+a^2)\,d\varphi_+)^2\\ +{\Delta_r\over (1+\alpha)^2\rho^2}(dt_+-a\sin^2\theta\,d\varphi_+)^2 \pm {2\over (1+\alpha)}(dt_+-a\sin^2\theta\,d\varphi_+)dr. \end{gathered}$$ We see that the metric is smooth up to the event horizons $\{r=r_\pm\}$; moreover, for $\delta$ small enough, we can extend it to $$M_\delta=\{r_--\delta\leq r\leq r_++\delta\}.$$ The event horizons are null, while the surfaces $\{r=r_0\}$ are spacelike for $r_0\not\in [r_-,r_+]$. The time surfaces $\{t_+=\operatorname{const}\}$ are null near the event horizons; however, one can shift the time variable a little bit (see [@skds Section 1]) to make the problem $$\Box_g u=f\in C_0^\infty(M_\delta),\ \operatorname{supp}u\subset \{t_+> -T\}\text{ for some }T$$ well-posed. We call $u$ the forward solution of the equation $\Box_g u=f$. Finally, note that the field $\partial_t$ (which is the same in the $(t,r,\theta,\varphi)$ and $(t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$ coordinates) is not timelike on $M$ inside the two surfaces located $O(a)$-close (in the $r$ variable) to the event horizons; these surfaces are called the ergospheres. Red-shift effect ---------------- In this section, we prove the following energy estimate: \[l:red-shift\] For $\delta>0$, define $$K_\delta=\{r_-+\delta<r<r_+-\delta\}\subset M.$$ Then for $\delta$, $a$, and $\nu>0$ small enough, $s$ a nonnegative integer, and every forward solution $u$ to the equation $\Box_g u=f\in C_0^\infty(M_\delta)$, we have[^1] $$\label{e:red-shift} \|e^{\nu t_+} u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+} f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t} u\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)}.$$ We start the proof with the construction of a special vector field; see also [@d-r Proposition 3.3.1]. \[l:red-shift-X\] For $\delta>0$ and $a$ small enough, there exists a vector field $X$ defined on $M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta}$, with the following properties: - $X$ is stationary; that is, $[X,\partial_t]=0$. - $X$ is timelike and $Xt_+>0$, $\pm Xr>0$ on $M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta}$. - The tensor $K^X$, defined in Proposition \[l:energy-divergence\], is negative definite on $M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta}$. We will construct $X$ for $a=0$; same field will work for small $a$ since the components of the Kerr–de Sitter metric near the event horizons are continuous functions of $a$. Moreover, since $\delta>0$ can be chosen arbitrarily small, we only need to verify properties of $X$ at the event horizons. We use the $(t_+,r,\theta,\varphi_+)$ coordinates. The metric for $a=0$ has the form $${\Delta_r\over r^2}\,dt_+^2\pm 2dt_+dr-r^2g_S$$ for $|r-r_\pm|<2\delta$; if we take $$X=X_r(r)\partial_r+X_t(r) \partial_t,$$ where $X_r,X_t$ are some functions, then at $r=r_\pm$, $$\begin{gathered} \mathcal L_X g= X_r\left( {\Delta'_r\over r^2}dt_+^2-2rg_S\right) \pm 2[\partial_rX_t dr^2+ \partial_r X_rdrdt_+],\\ K^X={X_r\Delta'_r\over 2r^2}dt_+^2\pm \partial_rX_t dr^2 \mp {2X_r\over r}drdt_++{r^2\over 2}\partial_rX_r g_S. \end{gathered}$$ We put $X_t=1$ and $X_r=\pm 1$ at $r=r_\pm$; then the field $X$ is timelike and $dt_+(X)>0$. To make $K^X$ negative definite, it then suffices to take $\mp \partial_r X_t$ positive and large enough and $\partial_r X_r$ negative at the event horizons. **Remark.** Note that the only component of $K^X$ whose sign is definite independently of the choice of $\partial_r X$ is $$K^X(\partial_t,\partial_t)={1\over 2}\mathcal (L_x g)_{t_+t_+} =-g(X,\nabla_{\partial_t}\partial_t).$$ One can compute $$\label{e:classical-red-shift} \nabla_{\partial_t}\partial_t=\kappa \partial_t$$ for some constant $\kappa>0$; then, $$K^X(\partial_t,\partial_t)=\mp\kappa X_r,\ r=r_\pm.$$ The equation can be interpreted as follows: the momentum is exponentially decaying as a function of the geodesic parameter on the family of trapped geodesics $\{r=r_\pm,\ (\theta,\varphi)=\operatorname{const}\}$. This is related to the classical red-shift effect; see [@d-r Sections 3.3.2 and 7.1] for more details. We are now ready to prove Proposition \[l:red-shift\]. To facilitate the inductive argument for estimating higher derivatives, we show the following more general fact: \[l:redshift-intermediate\] Assume that $\psi(r)$ is a function on $M_\delta$ such that $\psi\geq 0$ outside of $K_\delta$, and $u$ is a forward solution to the equation $$(\Box_g +\psi X)u=f\in C_0^\infty(M_\delta).$$ Here $X$ is the field constructed in Proposition \[l:red-shift-X\]. Then for $a,\delta>0,\nu>0$ small enough and each nonnegative integer $s$, $$\label{e:intermediate-redshift} \|e^{\nu t_+} u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+} f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+} u\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)}.$$ We use induction on $s$. First, assume that $s=0$. Take a nonnegative function $\chi(r)$ on $M_\delta$ such that $\chi=0$ near $K_{2\delta}$, but $\chi=1$ away from $K_\delta$. Let $T>0$ and apply the divergence theorem in the region $$\Omega_T=M_\delta\cap \{t_+<T\}$$ to the vector field $$V=e^{2\nu t_+}\chi J_X(u).$$ Here $J_X$ is defined in Section 1.1. (The divergence theorem holds, despite $\Omega_T$ being noncompact, since $u$ is a forward solution.) We compute by Proposition \[l:energy-divergence\] $$\begin{gathered} \operatorname{div}V=e^{2\nu t_+}[2\nu \chi dt_+(J_X(u))+e^{2\nu t_+}\chi' dr(J_X(u))\\ +\chi(Xu)f-\chi\psi (Xu)^2+\chi K^X(\nabla u,\nabla u)]. \end{gathered}$$ The flux of $V$ is nonnegative by Proposition \[l:current-positive-integral\]; therefore, by letting $T\to +\infty$ we get $$\begin{gathered} \int_{M_\delta\setminus K_\delta} -e^{2\nu t_+}K^X(\nabla u,\nabla u)\,d\operatorname{Vol}\lesssim \nu \|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(M_\delta)}^2\\ +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(K_\delta)}^2 +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(M_\delta)}\cdot \|f\|_{L^2(M_\delta)} \end{gathered}$$ Since $K^X$ is negative definite on $M_\delta\setminus K_\delta$ and by Poincaré inequality, we have for $\nu$ small enough, $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(M_\delta)}^2 \lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(K_\delta)}^2 +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^1(M_\delta)}\cdot \|f\|_{L^2(M_\delta)} \end{gathered}$$ This finishes the proof of for $s=0$. Now, assume that $s\geq 1$ and is true for $s-1$; we will prove it for $s$ following [@d-r08 Sections 1.7.5 and 10] (see also [@t-t Theorem 4.4]). First, let $Y$ be equal to either $\partial_t$ or a Killing field on $\mathbb S^2$; then $[\psi X,Y]=0$ and, since the metric is spherically symmetric for $a=0$, $[\Box_g,Y]$ is a second order differential operator with $O(a)$ coefficients. We have $$(\Box_g+\psi X)Yu=Yf+[\Box_g,Y]u;$$ therefore, by , $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}Yu\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}Yf\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta)} +O(a)\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}Yu\|_{H^s(K_\delta)}. \end{gathered}$$ Therefore, if $\hat \partial u$ is composed of derivatives of $u$ with respect to $t_+,\theta,\varphi_+$, then $$\label{e:red-shift-i1} \|e^{\nu t_+}\hat \partial u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +O(a)\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)}.$$ Now, we estimate $\partial_r u$. We can write $$[\Box_g+\psi X,\partial_r]=-\eta X \partial_r+L,$$ where $L$ is a second order differential operator not containing any $\partial_r^2$ terms and $\eta$ is positive near the event horizons. Then $$\|e^{\nu t_+}Lu\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+} \hat \partial u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}+ \|e^{\nu t_+} u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}.$$ We have $$(\Box_g+(\psi+\eta)X)\partial_ru=\partial_r f+Lu;$$ since $\psi+\eta\geq 0$ near the event horizons, by applied to $\partial_r u$ and we get $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}\partial_r u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}\hat \partial u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}\hat \partial u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)} +O(a)\|e^{\nu t_+}u\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)}; \end{gathered}$$ it remains to take $a$ small enough. Proof of exponential decay ========================== Throughout this section, $u$ is a forward solution to the equation $\Box_g u=f$, with $f\in C_0^\infty(M_\delta)$. (The estimates for general $f$ can then be obtained by a density argument.) Case of $f$ supported in $K_\delta$ ----------------------------------- First of all, we use the resolvent estimates of [@skds] to obtain exponential decay away from the event horizons: \[l:estimate-k-k\] Fix $\delta>0,\varkappa>0$ and assume that $\chi(r)\in C_0^\infty(r_-+\delta,r_+-\delta)$. Then for $a$ small enough and every $s\geq 0$, we have $$\|e^{\nu t}\chi(r) (u-\Pi_0f)\|_{H^s}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t} f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}}$$ for every $f\in C_0^\infty(K_\delta)$. (We can use $e^{\nu t}$ in place of $e^{\nu t_+}$, as $|t-t_+|$ is bounded and the two weights are equivalent in $K_\delta$.) We use the argument of [@skds Theorem 6]. By [@skds Proposition 1.1], $e^{-Ct}u$ is tempered in the time variable for some constant $C$; therefore, the Fourier–Laplace transform $$\hat u(\omega,\cdot)=\int_{-\infty}^\infty e^{it\omega} u(t,\cdot)\,dt$$ is well-defined and holomorphic in $\{\operatorname{Im}\omega>C\}$. Let $K_S=(r_-+\delta,r_+-\delta)\times \mathbb S^2$ be the space slice of $K_\delta$. We choose $a$ small enough so that [@skds Theorem 2] provides us with the scattering resolvent $R_g(\omega):L^2(K_S)\to L^2(K_S)$; it is a family of operators meromorphic in the entire complex plane. By [@skds Proposition 1.2], $$\chi(r)\hat u(\omega)=\chi(r)R_g(\omega)(\rho^2\hat f(\omega)),$$ where $\rho(r,\theta)$ is the smooth function defined in Section 1.2 and $\hat f(\omega)$ is an entire function that is rapidly decaying in $\omega$ for $\operatorname{Im}\omega$ bounded, with values in $C_0^\infty(K_S)$. Now, there exists $\nu>0$ such that $R_g(\omega)$ is holomorphic and polynomially bounded in $\{\operatorname{Im}\omega\geq -\nu\}$, except for a pole at zero [@skds Theorems 4 and 5]. Therefore, we can use Fourier inversion formula and contour deformation to get $$\label{e:fourier-inversion} \chi(r)(u(t,\cdot)-\Pi_0f) ={1\over 2\pi}\int_{\operatorname{Im}\omega=-\nu} e^{-it\omega}\chi(r)R_g(\omega)(\rho^2\hat f(\omega))\,d\omega,$$ the residue at zero being exactly $\Pi_0 f$. Now, let $s\in \mathbb R$, put $h=\langle\omega\rangle^{-1}$, and introduce the semiclassical Sobolev space $H^s_{h,\operatorname{comp}}(K_S)\subset \mathcal E'(K_S)$; the norm of of $v\in \mathcal E'(K_S)$ in this space is given by $\|\langle hD\rangle^sv\|_{L^2}$, where $\langle hD\rangle ^s$ is a Fourier multiplier and $v$ is extended by zero to $\mathbb R^3\supset K_S$. Then the norm of $e^{\nu t}f$ in $H^s(K_\delta)$ is equivalent to the norm of $\langle\omega\rangle^s\hat f$ in $L^2_\nu H^s_h$, where $$\|v\|_{L^2_\nu H^s_h}^2 =\int_{\operatorname{Im}\omega=-\nu} \|v(\omega)\|_{H^s_h}^2\,d\omega.$$ This, together with the resolvent estimate of [@skds Theorem 5] gives for $\varkappa$ fixed and $\nu$ small enough, $$\|\langle\omega\rangle^s\chi(r)R_g(\omega)(\rho^2\hat f(\omega))\|_{L^2_\nu H^0_h} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}}.$$ Now, we use that $R_g(\omega)$ is a right inverse to the second order differential operator [@skds Section 1] $$\begin{gathered} P_g(\omega)=D_r(\Delta_r D_r)-{(1+\alpha)^2\over\Delta_r}((r^2+a^2)\omega-aD_\varphi)^2\\ +{1\over\sin\theta}D_\theta(\Delta_\theta\sin\theta D_\theta) +{(1+\alpha)^2\over\Delta_\theta\sin^2\theta}(a\omega\sin^2\theta-D_\varphi)^2; \end{gathered}$$ then $h^2 P_g(\omega)$ is a semiclassical pseudodifferential operator and for $a$ small enough, it is elliptic on $K_S$ outside of some $\omega$-independent compact set. (This is equivalent to saying that $K_\delta$ does not intersect the ergosphere.) We can construct a semiclassical parametrix (see for example [@e-z Section 4.5] or [@skds Proposition 5.1]); i.e., a properly supported semiclassical pseudodifferential operator on $Q$ on $K_S$ that maps $H^s_{h,\operatorname{loc}}(K_S)\to H^{s+2}_{h,\operatorname{loc}}(K_S)$ for all $s$ and such that $I-Qh^2P_g(\omega)$ maps $H^{-N}_{h,\operatorname{loc}}(K_S)\to H^{N}_{h,\operatorname{loc}}(K_S)$ with norm $O(1)$ for all $N$. Then for any $\chi_1(r)\in C_0^\infty(r_-,r_+)$ that is nonzero near $\operatorname{supp}\chi$ and any $v\in C_0^\infty(K_S)$, we can apply $I-Qh^2P_g(\omega)$ to $R_g(\omega)v$ to get $$\label{e:semiclassical-elliptic} \|\chi(r) R_g(\omega) v\|_{H^s_h}\lesssim \langle\omega\rangle^{-2}\|v\|_{H^{s-2}_h}+\|\chi_1(r)R_g(\omega)v\|_{H^0_h}.$$ Therefore, $$\|\langle\omega\rangle^s\chi(r)R_g(\omega)(\rho^2\hat f(\omega))\|_{L^2_\nu H^s_h} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}};$$ it remains to combine this with . Combining the above fact with the red-shift estimate, we get \[l:estimate-k-m\] Fix $\delta>0$ such that Proposition \[l:red-shift\] holds and choose $a$ small enough so that Proposition \[l:estimate-k-k\] holds for $\delta/2$ in place of $\delta$. Take $\nu>0$ small enough so that both propositions above hold. Then for $s\geq 1$ and every $\varkappa>0$, we have $$\|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\Pi_0 f)\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(K_\delta)},$$ for every $f\in C_0^\infty(K_\delta)$. We consider the case of integer $s$; the general case follows by interpolation in Sobolev spaces (see for example [@tay Section 4.2]). Let $\psi(t_+)$ be a smooth function that is equal to 1 for $t_+$ large positive and to 0 for $t_+$ large negative; take large $T\in \mathbb R$ and apply Proposition \[l:red-shift\] to $u-\psi(t_++T)\Pi_0f$: $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\Pi_0f)\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} \\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\psi(t_++T)\Pi_0 f)\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}(1-\psi(t_++T))\Pi_0 f\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\Pi_0f)\|_{H^s(K_\delta)} +e^{-\nu T}|\Pi_0 f|; \end{gathered}$$ the second term above is estimated by Proposition \[l:estimate-k-k\] and the third one tends to zero at $T\to +\infty$. General case ------------ The idea is to construct an exponentially decaying function $u_1$ solving the equation $\Box_g u_1=f$ near the event horizons and then estimate the difference $u-u_1$ by Proposition \[l:estimate-k-m\]. We let $u_1\in C^\infty(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})$ solve the following initial/boundary value problem: $$\begin{gathered} \Box_g u_1=f\text{ in }M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta},\\ \operatorname{supp}u_1\subset\{t_+>-T\}\text{ for some }T,\\ u_1|_{\partial K_{2\delta}}=0. \end{gathered}$$ Note that the surfaces $\partial K_{2\delta}=\{r=r_\pm\mp 2\delta\}$ are timelike; therefore, this problem has a unique solution (see for example [@ho3 Theorem 24.1.1]. This solution is exponentially decaying in time: \[l:parametrix-estimate\] For $\delta>0,\nu>0$ small enough, $a$ small enough depending on $\delta$, and every $s\geq 0$, $$\label{e:parametrix-estimate} \|e^{\nu t_+}u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}.$$ First, consider the case $s=0$. We argue as in the proof of Proposition \[l:redshift-intermediate\], using the vector field $X$ constructed in Proposition \[l:red-shift-X\]. Namely, we apply the divergence theorem to the vector field $V=e^{2\nu t_+}J_X(u_1)$ in the region $$\Omega_T=(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})\cap \{t_+\leq T\}.$$ The flux of $V$ over $\{t_+=T\}$ and $\partial M_\delta$ is nonnegative by Proposition \[l:current-positive-integral\]; the flux over $\partial K_{2\delta}$ is nonnegative by Proposition \[l:morawetz-positive-integral\]. Computing the divergence of $V$ by Proposition \[l:energy-divergence\], we get . Now, we assume that is true for $s-2$ and prove it for $s$; the rest follows by induction and interpolation in Sobolev spaces. For $a$ small enough, $\partial_t$ is timelike in $K_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta}$; therefore, for large enough constant $C_0$, the operator $$L=C_0 \partial_t^2-\Box_g$$ is elliptic on $K_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta}$. Since $u_1$ satisfies the Dirichlet boundary condition on $\partial K_{2\delta}$, we have $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}Lu_1\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})} +\|e^{\nu t_+}u_1\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}\partial_t^2u_1\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})} +\|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}\partial_t^2 f\|_{H^{s-2}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})} +\|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s-1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}. \end{gathered}$$ Here we applied to $u_1$ and $\partial_t^2u_1$ and used that $\Box_g$ commutes with $\partial_t^2$. Now, take a nonnegative function $\chi_\delta(r)\in C^\infty$ such that $\chi_\delta=0$ near $K_{2\delta}$, but $\chi_\delta=1$ away from $K_\delta$. We can use the above estimate and apply Proposition \[l:red-shift\] to $\chi_\delta u_1$ to get $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})} +\|e^{\nu t_+}\chi_\delta u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(M_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})} +\|e^{\nu t_+}\chi_\delta u_1\|_{H^{s+1}(K_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}[\Box_g,\chi_\delta]u_1\|_{H^s(K_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^s(M_\delta\setminus K_{2\delta})}, \end{gathered}$$ as required. We are now ready to prove Theorem \[l:integrated-xpd\]. Take $\chi_\delta$ from the proof of Proposition \[l:parametrix-estimate\] and consider $u_2=u-\chi_\delta(r) u_1$. Then $$\Box_g u_2=(1-\chi_\delta)f-[\Box_g,\chi_\delta]u_1$$ is supported in $K_\delta$; moreover, by Proposition \[l:parametrix-estimate\], $$\|e^{\nu t_+}\Box_g u_2\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(M_\delta)} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(M_\delta)}.$$ Therefore, we may apply Proposition \[l:estimate-k-m\] to $u_2$ to get $$\|e^{\nu t_+}(u_2-\Pi_0(\Box_g u_2))\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} \lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(M_\delta)}.$$ Note that $\Pi_0(\Box_g u_2)=\Pi_0f$, as $$\Pi_0\Box_g\chi_\delta(r) u_1 =\lim_{T\to +\infty}\int_{\partial (M\cap \{t_+\leq T\})} g(\nabla(\chi_\delta(r)u_1),\vec n)\,dS.$$ The integral over the cap $M\cap\{t_+=T\}$ converges to zero, as $u_1$ is exponentially decaying in time. As for the timelike piece $\partial M\cap \{t_+\leq T\}$, the normal vector $\vec n$ is tangent to $\partial M$ and we can use this to replace the integral of $g(\nabla u_1,\vec n)$ over the timelike piece by a certain integral over the spheres $\partial M\cap \{t_+=T\}$; the latter will decay exponentially as $T\to +\infty$. We now get $$\begin{gathered} \|e^{\nu t_+}(u-\Pi_0f)\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}\chi_\delta u_1\|_{H^s(M_\delta)} +\|e^{\nu t_+}(u_2-\Pi_0(\Box_g u_2))\|_{H^s(M_\delta)}\\\lesssim \|e^{\nu t_+}f\|_{H^{s+\varkappa}(M_\delta)}, \end{gathered}$$ which finishes the proof. **Acknowledgements.** I would like to thank Daniel Tataru for suggesting that the results of [@skds] can lead to improved energy estimates and for providing several key ideas in the proof. Thanks also to Maciej Zworski for helpful discussions and to Kiril Datchev and András Vasy for several enlightening discussions on [@m-sb-v] and [@d-v]. 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Zworski, [*Resolvent estimates for normally hyperbolic trapped sets,*]{} to appear in Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré (A), [arXiv:1003.4640v2](http://arxiv.org/abs/1003.4640v2). [^1]: We write $(A)\lesssim (B)$, if there exists some constant $C$, independent of the choice of $f$, such that $A\leq C(B)$. Here $C$ might depend on the parameters of the problem such as $\nu$, $s$, and $\varkappa$. | Mid | [
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New concise total synthesis of (+)-lentiginosine and some structural analogues. An efficient and concise total synthesis of (+)-lentiginosine (1) starting from an L-tartaric acid-derived nitrone using organometallic addition, indium-catalyzed reduction, and ring-closing metathesis reaction as the key steps is reported. Structural analogues of (+)-1 have been also synthesized, and their inhibitory activity toward 22 commercially available glycosidases has been evaluated. | High | [
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Q: How to get the search count for a particular string from each and every line in a file using Unix? I am trying to search for a particular string in a Unix file from each and every line and error out those records. Can someone let me how can I improve my code which is as below. Also please share your thoughts if you have a better solution. v_filename=$1; v_new_file="new_file"; v_error_file="error_file"; echo "The input file name is $var1" while read line do echo "Testing $line" v_cnt_check=`grep ',' $line | wc -l` echo "Testing $v_cnt_check" # if [ $v_cnt_check > 2 ]; then # echo $line >> $v_error_file # else # echo $line >> $v_new_file # fi done < $v_filename Input: 1,2,3 1,2,3,4 1,2,3 Output: (New file) 1,2,3 1,2,3 (Error file) 1,2,3,4 A: awk -F ',' -v new_file="$v_new_file" -v err_file="$v_error_file" \ 'BEGIN { OFS="," } NF == 3 { print >new_file } NF != 3 { print >err_file }' $v_filename The first line sets the file name variables and sets the field separator to comma. The second line sets the output field separator to comma too. The third line prints lines with 3 fields to the new file; the fourth line prints lines with other than 3 fields to the error file. Note that your code would be excruciatingly slow on big files because it executes two processes per line. This code has only one process operating on the whole file — which will be really important if the input grow to thousand or millions or more lines. | Mid | [
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Q: Do multi-core CPUs share the MMU and page tables? On a single core computer, one thread is executing at a time. On each context switch the scheduler checks if the new thread to schedule is in the same process than the previous one. If so, nothing needs to be done regarding the MMU (pages table). In the other case, the pages table needs to be updated with the new process pages table. I am wondering how things happen on a multi-core computer. I guess there is a dedicated MMU on each core, and if two threads of the same process are running simultaneously on 2 cores, each of this core's MMU simply refer to the same page table. Is this true ? Can you point me to good references on the subject ? A: Take a look at this scheme. This is high level view of all that there is in a single core on a Corei7 cpu. The picture has been taken from Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective, Bryant and Hallaron. You can have access to diagrams in here, section 9.21. A: TL;DR - There is a seperate MMU per CPU, but an MMU generally has several LEVELS of page tables and these may be shared. For instance, on an ARM the top level (PGD or page global directory name used in Linux) covers 1MB of address space. In simple systems, you can map in 1MB sections. However, this normally points to a 2nd level table (PTE or page table entry). One way to implement multi-CPU efficiently is to have a separate top level PGD per CPU. The OS code and data will be consistent between cores. Each core will have it's own TLB and L1-cache; L2/L3 caches maybe shared or may not. The maintenance of data/code caches depend on whether they are VIVT or VIPT, but that is a side issue and shouldn't effect the use of MMU and multi-core. The process or user portion of the 2nd level page tables remain the same per process; otherwise they would have different memory or you would need to synchronize redundant tables. Individual cores may have different sets of 2nd level page tables (different top level page table pointer) when they run different processes. If it is multi-threaded, and running on two CPUs then the top level table may contain the same 2nd level page table entries for the process. In fact, the entire top level page table maybe identical (but different memory) when two CPUs run the same process. If thread local data is implemented with an MMU a single entry could differ. However, thread local data is usually implemented in other ways due to TLB and cache issue (flushing/coherency). The image below may help. The CPU, PGD and PTE entries in the diagram are sort of like pointers. The dashed line is the only difference between running different processes and the same processes (multi-threading case) with the MMU; it is an alternate to the solid line running from the CPU2 PGD to the process B PTE or 2nd level page table. The kernel is always a multi-threaded CPU application. When a virtual address is translated, different bit portions are indexes into each table. If a virtual address is not in the TLB, then the CPU must do a table walk (and fetch different table memory). So a single read of a process memory would result in three memory accesses (if the TLB wasn't present). The access permission of the kernel code/data are obviously different. In fact, there will probably be other issues such as device memory, etc. However, I think the diagram should make it obvious how the MMU manages to keep multi-threaded memory the same. It is entirely possible that an entry in the 2nd level table could be different per thread. However, this would incur a cost when switching threads on the same CPU so normally data for all 'thread locals' is mapped and some other way to select the data is used. Normally the thread local data is found via a pointer or index register (special per CPU) which is mapped/points to data inside the 'process' or user memory. 'thread local data' is not isolated from other threads, so if you have a memory overwrite in one thread you could kill another threads data. | High | [
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Four people between the ages of 26 and 43, three men (a 43-year-old from Verona, a 37-year-old from Messina and a 26-year-old from Ancona) and a woman (a 37-year-old from Savona) took part in the story. Four people were traveling aboard the train from Milan to Ventimiglia and when the controller asked them for tickets, they presented a plastic sheet called “self-determination”, explaining that they were “subjects of pre-juridical international law, diplomatic ambassadors out of every planetary jurisdiction “as well as” one-man country“, which is why the control carried out against them was” an attack on a free state pursued by the world court “as they” citizens of the world “with the” right to travel free”. The four have called themselves “ambassadors out of every planetary jurisdiction” and they are convinced that Galileo has lied and that the world is not round. The four, who defined themselves as “flat earthers and citizens of the world” in fact, instead of pulling out the documents, exhibited a plastic sheet called “Self-determination”. The conductors of the Milan-Ventimiglia Intercity were shocked in front of four gentlemen who, at the request to show the ticket, they responded firmly on their origin by extending pieces of laminated paper with name, address. The story ended in front of the carabinieri, even more astonished since it was not a joke. They are accused of interruption of public service, the train has in fact remained stationary at the Pavia station for almost an hour, and of refusal to provide the general information, as the Province of Pavia tells. Source: repubblica | Mid | [
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GABA-based evaluation of neurologic conditions: MR spectroscopy. GABA serves as a major neurotransmitter of the brain and functions mainly to inhibit neural excitatory activity. Disruption of the GABAergic processes appears to occur in various neurologic and psychiatric conditions, including epilepsy, mood disorders, motor disorders such as focal dystonia and stiff-person syndrome, sleep disorders, neuroplasticity, and drug and alcohol dependence. These concentration differences may be ascertained by using MR spectroscopy to provide information on the concentration of different metabolites. This review briefly discusses advances in MR spectroscopy methods and explores the application of this technique to detect changes in GABA due to disease processes and medication-induced effects. | High | [
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Review Details WASD VP3 61-Key Doubleshot ABS GMK Skidolcha Mechanical Keyboard Product Review (submitted on August 22, 2017): This is an excellent board, however it does not come with the entire Skidolcha set. You will get 106 keys. These keys will cover a full size board, plus the two additional orange accent keys. If you don't care about having the additional coverage for non-standard boards, this is bit cheaper than buying a barebones board and the key set separately. If you do want the entire set, then I'd suggest buying the two separately. | Mid | [
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Jones said she can't believe her own students would do something like this to her, stealing her phone and posting what school officials say were nude pictures online. "I feel like I was victim, like I had been violated," said Jones. According to a new Georgia law, children who are involved in this type of cyber bullying could face serious charges. "What it does is, it basically criminalizes people who post nudity or sexually explicit content without someone's consent on the internet," said Attorney Jamie Casino. Jones said these were Mean Girls almost straight out of the movie. Remember the burn book where girls would post hateful things about their peers and teachers? | Mid | [
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Biz executives see no reason to panic Panera Bread Co., which owns or franchises about 1,500 bakeries and cafes, believes its reasonably priced menu will also hold its appeal, even if the economy gets worse. “I certainly don’t want to respond to the market — that’s the worst mistake you could make,” Panera co-founder Ron Shaich said in an interview. Now the company’s executive chairman, Shaich thinks he learned a valuable lesson during the Great Recession while he was still Panera’s CEO, a job he gave up last year. “If our competitors are overly reactive to short-term pressure, that creates opportunity for us … The trick is not to react to everything.” Companies that had already been wobbling will be on an even shakier ground unless the market stabilizes. That list includes most major newspaper publishers, which have been stuck in the throes of a five-year slump while struggling to make the transition from print to the Internet, and Web pioneers Yahoo Inc. and AOL Inc., which hired new CEOs in 2009 to engineer turnarounds that still haven’t happened. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong remained undaunted Tuesday, even after his company reported a second-quarter revenue drop that triggered a nearly 26 percent plunge in its stock price. That left the shares worth about half as much as they were in late 2009, when AOL spun off from Time Warner Inc. In an effort to boost its stock price, AOL intends to spend as much as $250 million buying back its shares during the next year. Said Armstrong: “I think right now is one of the best opportunities if you have a clear strategy and a clear plan.” | Low | [
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Q: Solr ScriptTransformer return value I have the following fields: In the database I have the field property_industry_sector which is a list of comma separated ints, null or empty string. In the Solr schema configuration I have the same field property_industry_sector of type int and multivalued. My problem is that I have to handle to difference in the DataImportHandler configuration, and my attempt looks like this: <entity name="property_industry_sector_extractor" transformer="script:SplitIndustrySector" query=" SELECT property_industry_sector FROM job WHERE job.id = ${job.id} "> <field column="property_industry_sector" name="property_industry_sector" /> </entity> Where the ScriptTransformer has the following definition: function SplitIndustrySector(row) { //var logger = java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger("org.apache.solr"); if(row.get('property_industry_sector') !== null) { if(false === row.get('property_industry_sector').isEmpty()) { var pieces = row.get('property_industry_sector').split(','); var arr = new java.util.ArrayList(); for(var i=0, len=pieces.length; i<len; i++) { arr.add(new java.lang.Integer(pieces[i])); } row.put('property_industry_sector', arr); return row; } } var arr = new java.util.ArrayList(); arr.add(new java.lang.Integer(0)); row.put('property_industry_sector', arr); return row; } The problem is with the general case, when the value is null or empty string, because no matter what the transformer does, I still get the following Exception property_industry_sector=property_industry_sector(1.0)={[, 0]}}] java.lang.NumberFormatException: For input string: "" at java.lang.NumberFormatException.forInputString(NumberFormatException.java:65) at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Integer.java:493) at java.lang.Integer.parseInt(Integer.java:514) at org.apache.solr.schema.TrieField.createField(TrieField.java:374) at org.apache.solr.schema.SchemaField.createField(SchemaField.java:97) at org.apache.solr.update.DocumentBuilder.addField(DocumentBuilder.java:203) at org.apache.solr.update.DocumentBuilder.toDocument(DocumentBuilder.java:276) at org.apache.solr.update.processor.RunUpdateProcessor.processAdd(RunUpdateProcessorFactory.java:60) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.SolrWriter.upload(SolrWriter.java:73) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DataImportHandler$1.upload(DataImportHandler.java:294) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DocBuilder.buildDocument(DocBuilder.java:631) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DocBuilder.doFullDump(DocBuilder.java:267) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DocBuilder.execute(DocBuilder.java:186) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DataImporter.doFullImport(DataImporter.java:353) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DataImporter.runCmd(DataImporter.java:411) at org.apache.solr.handler.dataimport.DataImporter$1.run(DataImporter.java:392) I do not understand where the empty string comes from (which it tries to convert to Integer) while also being confused by the values it tries to insert above the exception: property_industry_sector=property_industry_sector(1.0)={[, 0]}}] I've tried clearing the row prior to the put() call. Return null, or just as with the current example return the row with a single value of 0. A: Haven't found a way to work it out, but managed to solve the issue with an alternative solution. Instead of using the ScriptTransformer I was able to achieve the same goal with SQL transformations. <entity name="industry_sector_hack" query=' SELECT property_industry_sector AS property_industry_sector_ids FROM job WHERE id = ${job.id} AND property_industry_sector IS NOT NULL AND property_industry_sector <> "" '> <entity name="property_industry_sector" query=' SELECT property.id AS property_industry_sector FROM property WHERE property.id IN (${industry_sector_hack.property_industry_sector_ids}) '> <field column="property_industry_sector" name="property_industry_sector" /> </entity> </entity> | Low | [
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Strategic Investment in Education and Professional Skills Will Improve GCC Healthcare Sector Dr Mountasser Kadrie, programme director for the Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) at Walden University, discusses the golden opportunity for the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) countries to become world-leading destinations for healthcare through strategic and targeted investment in people and their development. The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) recent initiatives outlining strategic goals for the future of the region, such as the UAE’s Vision 2021 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, are promoting healthcare as a strategic target of diversifying the economy following the recent collapse in the price of oil. Both countries have publicly declared government-supported initiatives on preventive care and reducing prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases. The UAE has developed a robust vision aimed at becoming a world-class healthcare delivery system and improving its public and private hospital accreditation status. In the same light, Saudi Arabia aims to increase access to medical and primary care services through creating private medical insurance, improving training for its doctors and better utilizing its current healthcare delivery infrastructure, such as hospitals, outpatient centres and healthcare ancillary facilities. We can already see these strategic initiatives starting to make their mark on GCC countries’ healthcare landscape and the economy. Investment in the sector is booming, according to a report by EY. Spending across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as a whole is expected to grow to $144 billion in 2020, with around $69 billion of this spending coming from the GCC alone. New medical facilities and population-based projects are under way across the region, including the planned addition of more than 13,000 beds at new hospitals and primary care-based healthcare facilities, all designed to enhance healthcare infrastructure and to boost access to high-quality primary care and specialised facilities. Despite this heavy investment, the EY report finds the GCC healthcare sector still lags behind global medical practice standards and patient care health quality outcomes. The hospital bed capacity of GCC member states is low in comparison with developed countries, and with the sole exception of Qatar, all of the GCC countries have far fewer physicians, mid-level providers and nurses per capita than mature markets. Development of new and state-of-the-art medical facilities will help to attract an experienced, qualified and capable workforce from across the world, offering the opportunity to work in an environment that champions best practices and high-quality patient care. But this strategy is not enough to meet the Gulf’s pressing shortage of healthcare professional talent. In addition to hiring physicians and nurses, there should also be a focus on training specialists in areas as diverse as healthcare administration, health operations, health regulations and health informatics. The region’s current focus on investment means it is poised to position itself as a leader in healthcare and stay at the forefront of leveraging and implementing innovative technologies and pioneering new healthcare delivery methods such as telehealth. By using information technology and data analytics to enable the remote treatment or diagnosis of patients, telehealth has the potential to deliver real value to patients and practitioners alike, allowing the targeted population to take greater responsibility for its own health—a key goal of the Vision initiatives. Such focus will be crucial to alleviate the pressures placed on the system by both economic and social factors in equal measure. Previously, it was the norm for Saudi Arabia in particular to encourage its citizens to travel abroad for specialised health treatments, and when the country was rich with oil revenue they had the money to do this. This is no longer an affordable or sustainable option for many in the Kingdom. Similarly, countries across the Gulf cannot afford their traditional practice of hiring healthcare contractors as needed, therefore, creating a shortage of local trained professionals qualified to meet the countries’ needs. These circumstances are exacerbated by shifting demographics and the transforming healthcare needs of the population. Life expectancy across the region of some 50 million residents has increased from 62 years to 77 years in four decades, and there has been a dramatic decline in infant mortality rates. Combined with the fact that GCC countries have some of the highest levels in the world of chronic lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity, healthcare services are struggling to keep up with demand. To achieve its goal of becoming a world-leading destination for healthcare, the GCC must seize this golden opportunity to divert investment into pioneering education and skills programmes that effectively cater to the region and population’s needs. In addition to developing a forward-thinking healthcare infrastructure, it needs to create a sophisticated education infrastructure to build robust academic programmes that expand the knowledge of existing professionals and encourage more locals to join the sector. Mirroring its approach to expanding and refining its healthcare sector, the GCC must look beyond traditional and legacy methods to provide more innovative and flexible options to its workers to ensure the immediate creation of a skilled pipeline of talent. Hybrid and online forms of education and training are central to meeting the region’s professional staffing requirements. With the capacity to help build a dependable workforce from an existing national talent pool, online education offers students the chance to learn best practices and benefit from the perspectives of professionals outside of the region. Appropriating adequate investment into higher education and vocational training will be the key to overhauling and ensuring the future success of healthcare in GCC countries. Providing greater access to quality and value-based education and the means to positively impact communities will allow the region to make good on its desire to create a healthy national culture and a renowned health sector that is able to properly meet the demands of its developing population. | High | [
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--- abstract: 'We show that useful non-instantaneous nonlinear phase shifts can be obtained from cascaded quadratic processes in the presence of group velocity mismatch. The two-field nature of the process permits responses that can be effectively advanced or retarded in time with respect to one of the fields. There is an analogy to a generalized Raman-scattering effect, permitting both red and blue shifts of short pulses. We expect this capability to have many applications in short-pulse generation and propagation, such as the compensation of Raman-induced effects and high-quality pulse compression, which we discuss.' author: - 'Fatih Ö. Ilday, Kale Beckwitt, Yi-Fan Chen, Hyungsik Lim, and Frank W. Wise' title: 'Controllable Raman-like nonlinearities from non-stationary cascaded quadratic processes' --- Introduction ============ In the last decade, there has been much interest in the nonlinear phase shifts produced by the cascaded interactions of two or three waves in quadratic ($\chi^{(2)}$) nonlinear media. Large nonlinear phase shifts of controllable sign can be generated, and numerous applications can be envisioned on the basis of such a capability [@cascade_review]. The prototypical quadratic process is second-harmonic generation (SHG). During the propagation of a fundamental-frequency (FF) field along with its second-harmonic (SH), the FF accumulates a nonlinear phase shift ($\Phi^{NL}$) if the process is not phase-matched. With long pulses (nanosecond-duration in practice) the FF and SH fields overlap temporally despite their different group velocities. In this so-called stationary limit, an effective Kerr nonlinearity is obtained (except at high intensity, when the fundamental field is depleted), and this can be a surrogate for the bound-electronic cubic ($\chi^{(3)}$) nonlinearity [@torner_cascade_background]. The cascade nonlinear phase shift can be thought of as arising from an effective nonlinear refractive index, [*i.e.*]{} the real part of an effective susceptibility. The residual SHG that occurs in the phase-mismatched process can similarly be considered the analog of two-photon absorption (the corresponding imaginary part of the effective susceptibility). The use of cascaded quadratic processes with ultrashort pulses is complicated substantially by the group-velocity mismatch (GVM) between the FF and SH fields [@Bakker; @GVM_and_cascade]. GVM causes the fields to move apart in time, which reduces their coupling, and thus the magnitude of the cascade effects. In addition, the temporal profile of the nonlinear phase shift becomes distorted. Deviations of $\Phi^{NL}(t)$ from the pulse intensity profile hamper or preclude applications that involve soliton-like pulse shaping. The solution to this problem amounts to recovery of the stationary regime: For given value of the GVM, the phase mismatch is increased so that the cycles of conversion and back-conversion that generate the nonlinear phase shift occur before the pulses move apart from each other in time. Liu [*et al.*]{} showed that acceptable phase-shift quality can be obtained if at least 2 conversion cycles occur per characteristic GVM length $L_{\mathrm{GVM}} = 0.6 c \tau_{0}/(n_{g,1} - n_{g,2})$, which implies $\Delta k > 4 \pi/L_{\mathrm{GVM}}$ [@cascade_compression; @wise_review]. Here, $c$ is the speed of light in vacuum, $\tau_{0}$ is the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the pulse, and $n_{g,1}$ and $n_{g,2}$ are the group refractive indices for the FF and SH, respectively. In the limit of large phase mismatch an exact replica of a cubic nonlinearity is asymptotically obtained [@torner_cascade_background]. The disadvantage of working with large phase mismatch is reduced magnitude of the nonlinear phase shift. GVM thus places a strong constraint on applications of cascade phase shifts. As one example, increasing GVM reduces the fraction of launched pulse energy that evolves into a soliton, eventually to zero [@acceptance_cascade]. To date, applications of cascade phase shifts with femtosecond pulses [@cascade_modelocking; @cascade_compression; @cascade_sfcomp; @vortex_solitons] have all been demonstrated under stationary conditions. Approaching the stationary boundary, GVM coupled with self-phase modulation has been observed to asymmetrically broaden the pulse spectrum [@cascade_compression; @pioger_spatialtrapping] The nonlinear refraction experienced by an ultrashort pulse in a cubic nonlinear medium arises predominantly from bound-electronic and nuclear ([*i.e.*]{} Raman) contributions to the nonlinear response. Here we show that cascade phase shifts produced under non-stationary conditions mimic the Raman response, with some remarkable properties. Frequency shifts of controllable sign and magnitude can be impressed on short pulses. These effective Stokes and anti-Stokes Raman processes complete the analogy between cascade nonlinearities and true cubic nonlinearities, while maintaining the new degree of freedom provided by the quadratic interaction – control of the process through the phase mismatch. An interesting feature of the non-stationary cascade process is that it provides a controllable non-instantaneous (and therefore nonlocal) nonlinearity. That the GVM alters the quadratic processes and produces deviations from a Kerr nonlinearity is well-known [@Bakker]. However, to date these effects have been perceived as distortions to be avoided. Just as the ability to control the sign and magnitude of an effective nonlinear index has enabled a new class of applications [@cascade_review; @wise_review], controllable Raman-like processes can be expected to create substantial new opportunities. We can think of cascade nonlinear processes with short pulses as dividing naturally into two classes, separated by the criterion for obtaining nonlinear phase shifts that mimic those of purely electronic origin. With this view, half of the possibilities have yet to be explored. Some examples will be discussed. Analytical Approach =================== The Kerr-like nonlinearity that arises from the $\chi^{(2)}:\chi^{(2)}$ process in the stationary limit can be understood qualitatively as follows. A small fraction of the FF is converted to the SH, which accumulates a phase difference before it is back-converted. The nonlinear phase shift impressed on the FF is delayed by one full cycle of conversion and back-conversion. However, as long as the SH is not displaced temporally from the FF, the phase shift on the FF will be proportional to its intensity profile (Fig. \[cartoon\]). With short pulses, the GVM becomes important if the fields separate by approximately the pulse duration before a cycle of conversion and back-conversion is complete. (We assume that the effect of the difference between the group-velocity dispersions (GVD) of the FF and the SH is negligible; in practice, it typically is much weaker than the inter-pulse GVM. This will be discussed quantitatively below.) Thus, after one cycle of conversion and back-conversion, the intensity profile of the SH field is retarded or advanced with respect to that of the FF, depending on the sign of the GVM. The corresponding delay of the nonlinear effect is slightly smaller or larger than one full conversion cycle. As a result, an effectively advanced or retarded phase shift is accumulated by the FF. The corresponding effect in the spectral domain is a frequency shift toward the blue or the red. Such frequency shifts have been predicted through numerical calculations [@Bakker; @acceptance_cascade]. ![\[cartoon\] An illustration of the cascaded quadratic processes under phase-mismatched conditions. The FF is partially converted to the SH and then back-converted. Dashed (solid) lines are for the case of zero (nonzero) GVM.](cartoon.eps){width="8.1cm"} The propagation of the FF and the SH are governed by coupled equations within the slowly varying envelope approximation (SVEA) [@coupled_eqns]. We neglect self- and cross-phase modulation due to $\chi^{(3)}$, consider only the temporal dimension, and assume conditions for type I second harmonic generation, but the results can easily be generalized. $$\begin{aligned} i \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \xi} - \frac{\delta_1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 a_1}{\partial \tau^2} + a_1^* a_2 \exp(i \beta \xi) = 0, \label{prop_eqn_ff}\\ \nonumber\\ i \frac{\partial a_2}{\partial \xi} - \frac{\delta_2}{2} \frac{\partial^2 a_2}{\partial \tau^2} - i \frac{\partial a_2}{\partial \tau} + a_1^2 \exp(-i \beta \xi) = 0. \label{prop_eqn_sh} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Here $a_1$ and $a_2$ are the normalized FF and SH field amplitudes. Time is normalized to the initial pulse duration, $\tau = t/\tau_0$, and the scaled propagation coordinate is $\xi = z/L_{\mathrm{GVM}}$. Here, $\delta_j = L_{\mathrm{GVM}} / L_{DS,j}$, where $L_{DS,j}=0.322 {\tau_0}^2/\mathrm{GVD}(\omega_j)$ are the dispersion lengths with $j = 1, 2$. The parameter $\beta = \Delta k L_{\mathrm{GVM}}$ where $ {\Delta}k = k_{2\omega}-2k_{\omega}$ is the normalized FF-SH wave-vector mismatch. Consider the simple but common case when only FF light is incident on the quadratic medium. In the limit of large phase-mismatch, conversion and back-conversion occur rapidly and most of the energy resides in the FF at all times. A relation between the FF and the SH amplitudes can be derived as an expansion in powers of $\beta$ [@torner_cascade_background]. By eliminating $a_2$ in Eq. \[prop\_eqn\_sh\] and keeping terms up to order $(1/\beta^3)$, an equation of motion for the FF field can be derived: $$\begin{aligned} i \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \xi} - \frac{\delta_1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 a_1}{\partial \tau^2} - \frac{1}{\beta} |a_1|^2 a_1 - 2 i \frac{1}{\beta^2} |a_1|^2 \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \tau}\; \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ + \frac{1}{\beta^2} (\delta_1 - \delta_2 ) |a_1|^2 \frac{\partial^2 a_1}{\partial \tau^2} - \frac{\delta_2}{\beta^2} a^{*}_{1} (\frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \tau})^2+ O(\frac{1}{|{\beta}|^3}) = 0.\; \label{NLSE-1} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ The first three terms constitute a nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLSE), which is generalized by the fourth and the fifth terms that describe the effects of the GVM, and the mismatch of the GVD of the FF and SH, respectively. The final term is negligible (at order $1/\beta^2$) since it is proportional to the square of the first derivative of the field envelope (a small quantity in the SVEA). In addition it is even in time for well behaved fields ($a_1(t)$), and hence cannot contribute to the frequency shifting process. We neglect the GVD mismatch since its effect is much smaller than inter-pulse GVM for typical nonlinear media under the assumed conditions of small conversion to the SH. In that case, Eq. \[NLSE-1\] reduces to: $$\begin{aligned} i \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \xi} - \frac{\delta_1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 a_1}{\partial \tau^2} - \frac{1}{\beta} |a_1|^2 a_1 - 2 i \frac{1}{\beta^2} |a_1|^2 \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \tau} = 0. \label{NLSE-2} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ We notice that Eq. \[NLSE-2\] resembles the Chen-Liu-Lee equation (CLLE), which is integrable [@CLLE]. The difference is the presence of a cubic nonlinear term. It can be shown that Eq. \[NLSE-2\] reduces to the CLLE: $$\begin{aligned} i \frac{\partial q(Z,T)}{\partial Z} - \frac{\partial^2 q(Z,T)}{\partial T^2} + i |q(Z,T)|^2 \frac{\partial q(Z,T)}{\partial T} = 0, \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ with the substitution, $$\begin{aligned} a_1(\xi,\tau) = c_{0} \exp[i(c_1 \xi + c_2 t)] q(\xi, \tau), \label{substitution} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ where $|c_{0}|^2 = \beta^2 \sqrt{\delta_{1}/8}$, $c_{1} = \delta_{1} \beta^{2}/8$, and $c_{2} = \beta/2$, followed by the coordinate transformation $$\begin{aligned} T = - \sqrt{2/\delta_{1}}\; \tau - \beta \sqrt{\delta_{1} /2}\; \xi, \nonumber \\ \label{transformation} \\ Z = \xi. \nonumber \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Hence, Eq. \[NLSE-2\] is integrable as well. We note that the CLLE is further related to the well-known, integrable derivative nonlinear Schrödinger equation, via a Gauge-invariant transformation [@CLLE2DNLSE]. To further understand the effects of the lowest order correction from GVM in Eq. \[NLSE-2\], we can compare it to the equation governing the propagation of a single field envelope $a_1$ under similar approximations to Eqs. \[prop\_eqn\_ff\]-\[prop\_eqn\_sh\], but for a Kerr-nonlinear material with finite Raman-response time $T_R$: [@Agrawal] $$\begin{aligned} \underbrace{i \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \xi} - \frac{\delta_1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 a_1}{\partial \tau^2} + \gamma \big[ |a_1|^2 a_1}_{\mathrm{NLSE}} - \underbrace{T_R a_1 \frac{\partial |a_1|^2}{\partial \tau}}_{\mathrm{Raman}} \big] = 0. \label{NLSE-Raman} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Here $\gamma = n_2 \omega_0 / (c \pi w^2)$ for a Gaussian beam with of frequency $\omega_0$ and waist $w$. Comparing Eq. \[NLSE-Raman\] to Eq. \[NLSE-2\], we see that they are similar but with the Raman term of Eq. \[NLSE-Raman\] replaced by $T_R^{\mathrm{eff}} |a_1|^2 \partial a_1/\partial \tau$ where $T_R^{\mathrm{eff}} \equiv -2i/\beta$. While the correspondence is not exact since the functional dependence is different ($\sim a_1 \partial |a_1|^2/\partial \tau$ for Raman-scattering vs. $\sim |a_1|^2 \partial a_1/\partial \tau$ for the cascaded process), some qualitative understanding can be gained from considering the effective cascaded response with $T_R^{\mathrm{eff}} \sim i/\beta$: first, the cascaded correction is imaginary and hence does not contribute directly to the phase (unlike the Raman response). Rather it alters the field envelope. The envelope change subsequently couples to the phase profile through the remaining terms of Eq. \[NLSE-2\], so the frequency shift occurs through a higher order process. Second, $T_R^{\mathrm{eff}}$ saturates with $1/\beta \sim 1/{\Delta}k(\lambda)$, unlike the Raman response which does not depend strongly on wavelength. This saturation will be explored in greater detail in Section \[num\_analysis\]. Note that the effective response for the cascaded process can be $\gapproxeq$ two orders of magnitude greater than that of Raman-scattering, so that significant frequency shifting is possible in cm of quadratic material (vs. meters of fiber with Raman). For a qualitative understanding of the effect of the GVM term, we decompose the field $a_1(\xi, \tau)$ in Eq. \[NLSE-2\] into its amplitude and phase with the substitution $a_1(\xi, \tau) = u(\xi, \tau) \exp(i \phi(\xi, \tau))$, where $u(\xi, \tau)$ and $\phi(\xi, \tau)$ are real functions. The evolution of the amplitude and the phase is then given by $$\begin{aligned} \frac{\partial u}{\partial \xi} = \delta_1 \frac{\partial u}{\partial \tau} \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \tau} + \frac{\delta_1}{2} u \frac{\partial^2 \phi}{\partial \tau^2} + \frac{2}{\beta^2} u^2 \frac{\partial u}{\partial \tau},\; \nonumber \\ \; \\ u \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \xi} = - \frac{\delta_1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial \tau^2} + \frac{\delta_1}{2} (\frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \tau} )^2 u - \frac{1}{\beta} u^3 + \frac{2}{\beta^2} u^3 \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \tau}.\; \nonumber \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ For the sake of simplicity, we concentrate on the nonlinear terms and ignore the dispersion, which amounts to neglecting the terms with higher-order time derivatives. With this simplification, we obtain $$\begin{aligned} \frac{\partial u}{\partial \xi} = \frac{2}{\beta^2} u^2 \frac{\partial u}{\partial \tau},\; \label{amplitude} \\ \nonumber \\ u \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \xi} = - \frac{1}{\beta} u^3 + \frac{2}{\beta^2} u^3 \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \tau}.\; \label{phase} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ If we assume $\beta$ is large, $u(\xi, \tau)$ and $\phi(\xi, \tau)$ can be calculated by expanding in powers of $\frac{1}{\beta}$, similar to the procedure used to obtain Eq. \[NLSE-2\]. Keeping terms up to order $\frac{1}{\beta^2}$, Eq. \[amplitude\] shows that $u(\xi, \tau) = u(\tau) + O(\frac{1}{\beta^2})$, that the field amplitude is approximately unchanged. Thus, integration of Eq. \[phase\] yields $$\begin{aligned} \phi(\xi, \tau) = -\frac{1}{\beta} u^2(\tau) \xi + O(\frac{1}{\beta^2}). \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Substitution of this relation back into Eq. \[phase\] gives $$\begin{aligned} \frac{\partial \phi}{\partial \xi} \approx - \frac{1}{\beta} u^2 - \frac{4}{\beta^3} u^3 \frac{\partial u}{\partial \tau}.\; \label{phase-alone} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ The first term on the right represents the Kerr-like nonlinear phase shift and the second term corresponds to the non-instantaneous nonlinear response due to large GVM. The relation in Eq. \[phase-alone\] provides a valid description of the phase evolution only in its early stages, before the field amplitude is modified significantly, and in the absence of dispersion. Within these approximations, the effect of the GVM on the nonlinear phase shift can be illustrated for a given pulse shape: $a_1(0,\tau) = {\rm sech}(\tau)$. Integration of Eq. \[phase-alone\] yields $$\begin{aligned} \phi(\xi, \tau) \approx - \frac{1}{\beta} {\rm sech}^2(\tau) (1 + \xi \frac{2}{\beta^2} {\rm sech}(\tau) \tanh(\tau)) \xi + \phi_{0},\; \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ where $\phi_{0}$ is an integration constant. The temporal asymmetry of the GVM contribution shifts the peak of the nonlinear phase shift. Likewise, Fourier transforming to the frequency domain, the contributions of the Kerr-like and the GVM terms in Eq. \[NLSE-2\] can be calculated for the pulse shape to be $$\begin{aligned} \frac{1}{\beta} |a_1|^2 a_1 + 2 i \frac{1}{\beta^2} |a_1|^2 \frac{\partial a_1}{\partial \tau} = \; \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ \frac{\sqrt{\pi/2}}{\beta} (1 + \omega^2) (3 + 2 \omega/\beta) {\rm sech}(\pi \omega/2),\; \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ which has a bipolar shape. Positive frequency components are attenuated and negative frequencies are amplified, or vice versa, depending on the sign of the phase-mismatch to GVM ratio. This result is expected to hold in general for any smooth, single-peaked pulse shape for which $a_1(0,\tau) \rightarrow 0$ for $|\tau| \rightarrow \infty$. Such a frequency shift is expected from the GVM term, which has an odd-order time derivative. Numerical Analysis \[num\_analysis\] ==================================== Although the approximate one-field equation (Eq. \[NLSE-2\]) is useful for a qualitative understanding, it is necessary to consider the coupled equations (Eqs. \[prop\_eqn\_ff\]-\[prop\_eqn\_sh\]) for a quantitative description. To this end, we numerically solve a version of Eqs. \[prop\_eqn\_ff\]-\[prop\_eqn\_sh\] that has been generalized to include self- and cross-phase modulation terms due to the cubic nonlinearity. We use a different field normalization here to facilitate comparison to experimental parameters. $$\begin{aligned} \lefteqn{i \frac{\partial A_1}{\partial z} - \frac{Z_I}{2 L_{DS,1}}\frac{\partial^2 A_1}{\partial \tau^2}} \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ &&{} + A_1^* A_2 \exp(i \Delta k (Z_I z)) \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ &&{} + \frac{Z_I}{L_{NL,1}} (|A_1|^2 + 2 |A_2|^2)A_1 = 0, \label{prop_eqn_full_ff} \\ \nonumber \\ \lefteqn{i \frac{\partial A_2}{\partial z} - \frac{Z_I}{2 L_{DS,2}}\frac{\partial^2 A_2}{\partial \tau^2} - i \frac{Z_I}{L_{\mathrm{GVM}}}\frac{\partial A_2}{\partial \tau} } \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ &&{} + \frac{n(\omega_1)}{n(\omega_2)} A_1^2 \exp(-i \Delta k (Z_I z)) \nonumber \\ \nonumber \\ &&{} + \frac{n(\omega_1)}{n(\omega_2)} \frac{Z_I}{L_{NL,2}} (2 |A_1|^2 + |A_2|^2)A_2 = 0. \label{prop_eqn_full_sh} \\ \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ Here the FF and SH envelopes ($A_1$ and $A_2$, respectively) are in units of the initial peak FF field $A_0$ (related to the initial peak FF intensity by $I_0=\sqrt{\varepsilon/\mu}|A_0|^2/2$) and $n_2$ is the Kerr nonlinear index. The cubic nonlinear length characterizing the pulse propagation is $L_{NL,j} = c/\omega_j n_2 I_0$ (the length over which the accumulated nonlinear phase shift is 1) for frequency $\omega_j$ with $j = 1,2$. The propagation coordinate $z$ is normalized to the quadratic nonlinear length $Z_I =n\lambda_1/{2\pi d_{\mathrm{eff}} A_0}$ which characterizes the strength of the nonlinear coupling. $d_\mathrm{eff}$ is the effective quadratic nonlinear coefficient. Time $\tau$, $L_{DS,j}$, and $L_{\mathrm{GVM}}$ are defined as for Eqs. \[prop\_eqn\_ff\]-\[prop\_eqn\_sh\]. Eqs. \[prop\_eqn\_full\_ff\]-\[prop\_eqn\_full\_sh\] are solved using a symmetric split-step beam propagation method [@cascade_sts]. The simulations assume typical conditions for femtosecond pulses in quadratic nonlinear crystals. As an example, we calculate the propagation of 120-fs pulses with a peak intensity of $50\;{\rm GW/cm^{2}}$ in a 10 cm-long quadratic medium. The launched pulse shape is chosen to be Gaussian and the center wavelength is 790 nm. The quadratic medium used is barium metaborate (${\rm Ba_{2}BO_{4}}$ or BBO), for which the material parameters are: n = 1.63, $d_{\mathrm{eff}}$ = 1.82 pm/V, $n_2 = 3.2 \times 10^{-16} {\;}\mathrm{cm^2/W}$, GVM = -186 fs/mm, the FF (SH) GVD = 70 (190) $\mathrm{fs^2/mm}$, and the FF (SH) third-order dispersion is 50 (81) $\mathrm{fs^3/mm}$. Note that the true cubic nonlinearity ($n_2$) is included in the calculations. Two-photon absorption is neglected since it is small for BBO at 790 nm. The phase-mismatch is set to be ${\Delta}k = 5 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$, corresponding to a self-defocusing nonlinearity and a magnitude that is about half the minimum value to obtain a Kerr-like phase shift. This particular set of conditions, except for the crystal length, is chosen to correspond to experiments that are described later in the text. As expected, the spectrum of the pulse shifts to higher frequencies as it propagates through the quadratic medium. The evolution of the spectrum is shown in Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\](a). Initially, the frequency-shift increases linearly with propagation distance, but eventually the process saturates (Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\](b)). The spectrum of the SH field shifts opposite from the FF (*i.e.* to lower frequencies), prior to saturation. This saturation is expected, since the effective response of the cascaded process decreases (or is distorted) with increases frequency shift. For this choice of pulse parameters and phase-mismatch, the saturation begins beyond 3 cm, which is close to the maximum length of available BBO crystals. The cubic electronic nonlinearity of the quadratic material is included here for complete correspondence with experimental parameters, however the close agreement in Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\](b) between the saturation trend with and without $n_2$ indicates the dominance of the quadratic process in the frequency shifting dynamics. In Fig \[freq\_shift\_sat\](b), the presence of cubic nonlinearity slightly reduces the resulting frequency shift, as expected due to its self-focusing phase. One might expect the material’s Raman response to be relevant to the frequency shifting dynamics studied here, however the Raman response of BBO with $\sim$100-fs pulses is small compared to the cascaded response. In comparison to Raman, the cubic electronic nonlinearity included above in Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\](b) is a larger effect, even though it alters the frequency shifting process indirectly through the nonlinear phase. ![\[freq\_shift\_sat\] (a) Evolution of the spectrum along the propagation direction. Shift is in units of the initial spectral FWHM, $\sim$ 3.7 THz. The scale bar shows spectral intensity in arb. units. (b) Weighted average frequency shift as a function of propagation distance. Dashed line indicates fit to region of linear shift. Dash-dots show similar results in the absence of $\chi^{(3)}$ ($n_2 = 0$).](freq_shift_sat.EPS){width="8.1cm"} The pulse propagation is dominated by an interplay of GVD and the effective nonlinearity from the cascaded process in the form of soliton-like dynamics. In the time domain, the pulse undergoes compression since the energy is more than the amount needed to balance the dispersive effects. The intensity profiles before the onset of saturation and at the exit face of the crystal are plotted in Fig. \[temporal\_profile\] along with those of the launched pulse. The FF undergoes a steady compression accompanied by energy loss to the SH: At $z = 12\; {\rm mm}$, its FWHM is 110 fs with $64 \%$ of the pulse energy remaining in the FF. With propagation, the pulse shape becomes slightly asymmetrical. The asymmetrical structure develops into a secondary pulse in the final stages of the propagation, which corresponds to the secondary structure of the spectrum (Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\](a)). At $z = 100\; {\rm mm}$, the FWHM of the main peak is reduced to 40 fs while $\sim 36 \%$ of the launched energy is retained in the FF. The temporal profiles are displaced since the pulse experiences different group velocities as its central frequency changes. ![\[temporal\_profile\] Intensity profiles of the FF at $z = 0\; {\rm mm}$ (dash-dotted line), $z = 12\; {\rm mm}$ (solid line), $z = 100\; {\rm mm}$ (dashed-line). For the launched pulse $L_{DS,1} = 74\;{\rm mm}$.](temporal_profiles.EPS){width="8.1cm"} A similar picture emerges for the total frequency shift for fixed propagation distance and varying phase-mismatch. The magnitude of the nonlinear phase, and hence the frequency shift, is proportional to $1/\Delta k$ before it saturates. Loss to SH conversion increases with decreasing $|\Delta k|$, so there exists a trade-off between the magnitude of the frequency shift and loss. We define a figure-of-merit (FOM) for the shifting process as the ratio of frequency-shift to energy content in the SH field, which attains a maximum for phase-mismatch values slightly below that of the minimum for obtaining Kerr-like nonlinear phase shifts (Fig. \[FOM\_fig\]). This is demonstrated in Fig. \[FOM\_fig\], which shows simulations of 100-fs, 200-pJ pulses with center wavelength 1550 nm (and peak intensity $\sim 5 {\;}\mathrm{GW/cm^2}$). The material parameters used correspond to the quadratic material periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN): n = 2.14, $d_{\mathrm{eff}}$ = 16.5 pm/V, $n_2 = 3.2 \times 10^{-15} {\;}\mathrm{cm^2/W}$, GVM = -370 fs/mm, and the FF (SH) GVD = 100 (400) $\mathrm{fs^2/mm}$. Under these conditions, the stationary boundary for Kerr-like phase shifts corresponds to $|{\Delta}k| \gapproxeq 25\pi/\mathrm{mm}$. Notice that much larger frequency shifts can be generated closer to phase-matching, but with larger SH-conversion. ![\[FOM\_fig\] Frequency shift (crosses) and FOM (circles) as a function of phase-mismatch. Similarly to Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\], frequency shift is measured in units of the initial FWHM (here $\sim$ 4.4 THz). Note that GVD is chosen to be normal (anomalous) for $\Delta k > 0$ ($\Delta k < 0$) to support soliton-like pulses.](Fshift_FOM_fwhm.EPS){width="8.1cm"} The non-instantaneous nature of the cascaded quadratic process with significant walk-off between the FF and the SH is demonstrated by the nonlinear phase shift imposed on the FF. Simulations confirm the aforementioned expectations: Effectively retarded or advanced phase shifts are imposed on the FF depending on the sign of the GVM (Fig. \[non-inst\]). ![\[non-inst\] The phase impressed on the FF for zero (solid line), positive (dashed line), and negative (dash-dotted line) GVM.](adv-ret-inst.EPS){width="8.1cm"} Experimental Observation of the Frequency-shift =============================================== Experiments were performed with 120-fs, 0.6-mJ pulses, centered at 790 nm, generated by a Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier. The launched pulse shape was approximately Gaussian with a clean spatial profile and the peak intensity is estimated to be $50\;{\rm GW/cm^{2}}$. A 17 mm-long piece of BBO served as the quadratic medium. The GVM length is $L_{\mathrm{GVM}}$ = 0.38 mm, for which the criterion for a Kerr-like phase shift implies ${\Delta}k > 10.4 \pi{\rm /mm}$. Both blue and red shifts are experimentally available via positive and negative phase-mismatch, respectively. However, red-shifts occur with self-focusing nonlinearity, which limits the peak intensity available without continuum generation and crystal damage. Consequently we focus here on blue-shifts. Increasing frequency-shift of the FF was observed with decreasing phase-mismatch (Fig. \[shift\_fig\]). The inset of Fig. \[shift\_fig\] shows the spectral shift versus phase-mismatch for self-defocussing phase shifts, and the main figure shows example spectra. The data presented for ${\Delta}k = 36 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$ serve as a control experiment: At such a large phase mismatch the cascade nonlinear phase and the Kerr nonlinearity are negligible and the spectrum is indistinguishable from the spectrum of the launched pulses (not shown). The temporal profile of the pulse did not change significantly in these experiments. The experimental results are compared to the results of numerical simulations which contained no free parameters and were based on experimental conditions. In Fig. \[shift\_fig\], the calculated spectrum of the unshifted pulse ($36 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$) is normalized so that it contains the same power as the measured unshifted spectrum and all other traces have the same relative scaling, so that the units of all the given spectra are the same. With this in mind, there is excellent agreement between the measured spectra and the simulations. In particular, the shift increases greatly from ${\Delta}k = 19 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$ to ${\Delta}k = 5 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$. The latter is the phase-mismatch for which the ratio of the spectral-shift to SH conversion should peak. The dependence of the frequency-shift on the phase-mismatch, as summarized by the inset of Fig. \[shift\_fig\], agrees qualitatively with the results of Fig. \[FOM\_fig\]; however, the phase-mismatch corresponding to maximum spectral-shift to SH conversion is different than in Fig. \[FOM\_fig\] as a consequence of different physical parameters in the experiment. ![\[shift\_fig\] Experimental (solid lines) and simulated (dashed lines) spectra for phase-mismatches of $5 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$ and $36 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$. The latter serves as control. Inset: Experimental (symbols) and calculated (solid line) frequency shift for different values of phase-mismatch. As in Fig. \[freq\_shift\_sat\], frequency shift is measured in units of the initial FWHM, $\sim$ 3.7 THz.](exp_theo_f_shift.EPS){width="8.1cm"} Applications ============ We have shown that cascaded quadratic processes under phase-mismatched conditions and in the presence of significant GVM (typical conditions with femtosecond-duration pulses) result in an effectively non-instantaneous cubic nonlinearity. The response time is controllable by appropriate choice of the phase-mismatch. In addition to providing an intuitive picture for the effect of phase-mismatch on the propagation of femtosecond pulses, this nonlinear process offers some unique features. The nonlocal nature of the Raman-like cascade nonlinearity is interesting in its own right. Non-locality of the cubic nonlinearity has been shown to arrest self-focusing collapse and to stabilize solitons, for example [@nonlocal_no_collapse; @nonlocal_NL_review]. The nonlocal nature of the cascade process under non-stationary conditions can be controlled or tailored to specific situations via the phase-mismatch. Many applications of a controllable effective Raman process can be envisioned. Perhaps the most obvious one is the cancellation of the Raman shift that a short pulse accumulates as it propagates in optical fiber. For example, in telecommunication systems with bit rates above $\sim 20$ Gbit/s, the pulse duration is short enough that timing jitter is dominated by jitter arising from Raman-induced frequency shifts [@Raman_communication_limit]. In high-energy short-pulse fiber amplifiers, the nonlinear phase shift can be controlled reasonably well by the technique of chirped-pulse amplification, and as a result an equally important limitation to pulse energy is stimulated Raman scattering [@Almantes_CPA_Review]. The red-shifts produced by Raman scattering can be compensated by blue-shifting the pulses prior to, or following, propagation in fiber. As an example, we calculate the pre-compensation of the Raman-induced red-shift of a 100-fs, transform-limited pulse centered at 1550 nm in standard single-mode fiber (modal area of $80\;{\rm \mu m^2}$ and GVD of $-23\;{\rm ps^2/km}$). The pulse energy is 1 nJ. The quadratic medium is a 4 cm-long wave-guide written in PPLN. The modal area of the waveguide is $40\;{\rm \mu m^2}$ and the GVD for the FF is $100\;{\rm ps^2/km}$ [@PPLN]. The phase-mismatch is set to $\Delta k = 20 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$. The pulse is first blue-shifted in the PPLN waveguide and then propagates in the fiber. These calculations indicate that the central wavelength can be kept at 1550 nm, following propagation in up to 50 cm of fiber. If no pre-compensation is utilized, the pulse is red-shifted to 1800 nm (Fig. \[compensation\_fig\]). This result nicely complements the previously-established conclusion that the cascade nonlinearity can be used to compensate the nonlinear phase shift produced by the electronic Kerr nonlinearity under similar conditions [@NLM_paper]. Other potential applications include devices that convert peak power to frequency-shift, which can be used to switch wavelength channels or intensity discrimination with the addition of a frequency filter [@Xu-Liu]. ![\[compensation\_fig\] Pulse spectrum after propagation in fiber without pre-compensation (dash-dotted line) and after cascade pre-compensation stage (dashed line) and subsequent propagation through fiber (solid line). Dots indicate the launched pulse spectrum.](precompensation.EPS){width="8.1cm"} We consider the application to pulse compression in some detail. For pulse energies in excess of 1 mJ, methods based on cubic nonlinearity for the generation of extra bandwidth cannot be used, owing to the limitations of excessive nonlinearity in single-mode waveguides and material damage through self-focusing for unguided geometries. Self-defocussing nonlinearities in quadratic media address these difficulties [@cascade_compression; @cascade_soliton_compression]. The generalization of this approach to include frequency shifts as described here enables us to implement an analog of Raman-soliton compression [@Raman-soliton_compression]: high-order solitons are formed, producing a compressed primary pulse that undergoes a continuous self-frequency shift. An advantage of this approach is that the pedestal commonly produced by Raman-soliton compression consists mainly of unshifted frequency components. These components can be eliminated with a frequency filter to yield a pedestal-free pulse. ![\[compression\_fig\] Temporal profile of compressed pulses before (dashed line) and after spectral filtering (solid line) of the unshifted frequencies. Inset displays the compressed pulse spectrum before (dashed line) and after filtering (solid line). Dash-dotted lines indicate the launched temporal profile/spectrum.](compressor.EPS){width="8.1cm"} Numerical simulations for realistic parameters demonstrate the utility of this approach: 100-fs, 0.6-$\rm{nJ}$ pulses with $\Delta k = 50 \pi/\mathrm{mm}$ compress to 20-fs upon propagation through a 6 cm-long waveguide in PPLN (Fig. \[compression\_fig\]). The pulse quality ($Q_{c}$), defined as the ratio of energy contained within the FWHM of the pulse to that of the initial pulse, is calculated to be 0.65. The unshifted components can be filtered out to produce a longer (38 fs) but much cleaner ($Q_{c} = 0.91$) pulse. Compression in a second 2.5-cm-long PPLN crystal generates a 15 fs pulse with virtually no additional degradation in pulse quality ($Q_{c} = 0.90$). The resulting pulse after two stages of compression contains $\sim$50% of the launched pulse energy. Similarly, calculations indicate that compression factors of up to 3 should be attainable with 1 mJ pulses and using a bulk BBO crystal at 800 nm, and experiments are underway to verify this compression. In addition to the high pulse quality, a practical advantage of this approach is that larger nonlinear phase shifts can be produced at the smaller phase mismatches needed in comparison to compression in quadratic media under nearly-stationary conditions. Conclusion ========== In summary we have demonstrated a new capability of cascaded quadratic processes under phase-mismatched conditions: Effectively retarded or advanced nonlinear phase shifts can be impressed on a pulse in the presence of significant GVM between the FF and SH frequencies. The frequency-domain manifestation of this non-instantaneous nonlinear response is red- or blue-shifts of the pulse spectrum. The direction and the magnitude of the frequency-shift is controllable by the choice of the phase-mismatch. Just as effectively instantaneous phase shifts from cascaded processes are analogous to bounded electronic ($\chi^{(3)}$) nonlinearities for negligible GVM, these non-instantaneous phase shifts in the presence of strong GVM are analogous to nuclear (Raman-induced) nonlinearities. We expect the unique features of these processes to find many applications. Here, we numerically demonstrated compensation of Raman-induced frequency-shifts and high-quality pulse compression assuming typical conditions for femtosecond pulses in common quadratic nonlinear media. More generally, however, spectral shifts from cascaded quadratic processes should be applicable to all processes involving Raman-induced frequency-shifts, but with the added freedom of sign and magnitude control. Acknowledgements ================ This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants PHY-0099564 and ECS-0217958, and by the National Institutes of Health under grant EB002019. We acknowledge valuable discussions with B. A. Malomed and L. Torner, and we thank E. Kavousanaki for help with the numerical simulations. G. I. Stegeman, R. Schiek, L. Torner, W. Torruellas, Y. Baek, D. Baboiu, Z. Wang, E. Van Stryland, D. J. Hagan, and G. 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Kuroda, “Soliton compression of femtosecond pulses in quadratic media,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B [**19**]{}, 2505-2510 (2002). P. Beaud, W. Hodel, B. Zysset, and H. P. Weber, “Ultrashort pulse propagation, pulse breakup, and fundamental soliton formation in a single-mode optical fiber,” IEEE. J. Quantum Electron. [**QE-23**]{}, 1938-1946 (1987). | Mid | [
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[The electrophoretic typing of rotaviruses in the clinico-epidemiological study of infection]. The electrophoretic study of the RNA of human rotavirus strains (1146 strains) circulating in 9 cities at the territory of the European part of the RSFSR was carried out. The electrophoretic (EP) types of rotavirus were established in each individual area. The study revealed that the most widespread rotaviruses responsible for the majority of gastroenteritis cases are those with the long EP type of RNA, characterized by the joint migration of segments 2, 3 and 7 (the 3rd EP type of RNA). Rotaviruses with the 3rd EP type of RNA much more often induce a severe course of rotavirus gastroenteritis in children aged 8 months to 3 years. | High | [
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A KUBRICK HOUSE A KUBRICK HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY GETTY IMAGES TEXT SUSAN MICHELS It’s earthquake weather right now in Los Angeles. The Santa Anas are blowing and it’s 80 degrees at night. There are all the makings for a dark and elaborate Kubrick film. At LACMA’s Art + Film Gala, presented by Gucci, there were certainly plenty of characters: a variegated intellectual artsy crowd that in some pockets of the room would make Mensa jealous. There were the art folk—John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger, and honoree Ed Ruscha (still looking über handsome at 74)—the art doyennes—Eva Chow, Beth Rudin DeWoody and fiancée photographer Firooz Zahedi—and of course, the Hollywood crowd—Jennifer Aniston with an 8-karat ring and her other accessory, Justin Theroux, Rosanna Arquette (resplendent in green satin), Armie Hammer, Evan Rachel Wood, Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Amy Adams, Robert Pattinson, Jack Nicholson, and the eternal art lover, Diane Keaton, once again bedecked in her best nouveau Annie Hall and owning it from head to toe. Green was definitely the choice hue of the evening. The aforementioned Ms. Arquette went head to head in the color category with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, while Amy Adams and Cam Diaz went for what could only be construed as chartreuse. Kerry Washington was in peach, Florence Welch was in a plunging purple number (with metallic olive nails that could only rival Barbra Streisand’s in length), and Jane Fonda was very much holding court as she moved confidently through the cocktail party in defiant black Gucci. Ruscha, when not taking pics with well-wishers, hung out with fellow artist John Baldessari, last year’s art honoree at the gala. “I love the early Kubrick films so much, that great photographic style of his. And I loved the fact that he controlled everything himself, every aspect of his films,” said the artist. When Baldessari was asked what Kubrick film he loved most, he said with a wry smile, “Blue.” (Blue Movie was an idea about a high budget porn film that Kubrick toyed with prior to making 2001, spurred on by writer Terry Southern (the man behind Dr. Strangelove) which was never realized. Ironically, Southern went on to write the book Blue Movie about a director who attempts to make the same type of film, and dedicated the book to Kubrick). Filmmaker Whitney Sudler-Smith, the man behind the recent doc, Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, couldn’t limit his Kubrickian love to just one film. “I love both Paths of Glory and A Clockwork Orange. With most Hollywood films, you have this typical story arc that always concludes happily and conveniently; there's this unfortunate fallacy that the viewer always needs reassurance. With 2001: A Space Odyssey, you have no idea what the hell that ending was. I loved that about Kubrick. ” Actresses Kerry Washington and Jennifer Morrison couldn’t decide either. “I love all of them, it’s hard to choose one,” said Washington. “Maybe we need to see the exhibition first. Check back with us later!” Rosanna Arquette was at first sure of her favorite film as she and pal Dana Delany mulled through the Kubrick archives. When asked if she’d speak to V, Arquette’s first thought went to the gutter (V, not V…), which brought her back to the question at hand. “Wait, wait, wait! Lolita! Okay, Lolita and then The Shining,” “I love 2001,” said Delany. “You look like a pair of brick shit houses,” I said to the ladies. “You have boobs—” | Mid | [
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ACT Brumbies have today signed Aidan Toua on a two-year deal The Aquis Brumbies have today signed former Queensland Reds speedster Aidan Toua on a two-year deal. Toau’s arrival in the nation’s capital coincides with current Brumbies, Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin and Blake Enever, both signing new two year deals to stay with the club. Promising young halfback Joe Powell has also signed to stay with the Brumbies Extended Playing Squad, after three impressive Super Rugby performances in 2015. CEO Michael Jones says it’s great for the Brumbies to have contract negotiations with a number of players already finalised ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby Season. “We’re extremely happy that Aidan, Blake, Leslie and Joe will be part of the club until at least 2017,” Jones said. “All four have shown huge potential in different competitions. “At the top level, Aidan has developed his game a lot in France and Blake has shown that he can match it with the best in Super Rugby. “Leslie is one of the toughest players in the John I Dent Cup week-in week-out, while Joe is one of the Tuggeranong Vikings top players and has a huge future in the game. “All four will gain a lot from being a part of a Brumbies side that is filled with Super Rugby experience. “We’re still in discussions with a few other players and hope to finalise those deals in the coming weeks.” “It’s a very exciting time for the club.” Toua, who was born in Papua New Guinea, left the Reds last year and linked with French Division Two side Sporting Union Agen Lot-et-Garonne, a team he helped to gain promotion into the French Top 14 for the 2015/2016 season. A former Australian Sevens representative, he was one of the Reds most dangerous attacking players before his departure to France. His attacking flair, left foot kicking and game management skills are something Brumbies Head Coach Stephen Larkham is looking forward to utilising over the next two years. “Aidan has great pace and is always a tough player to mark,” Larkham said. “We’ve kept on eye on his progress in France and think he’s a good fit for what we do at the Brumbies. The 25-year old made his Super Rugby debut against the Western Force in 2011 before injury restricted him to just 10 appearances for the Reds. Toua’s instinct and ability to find open ground if given just an inch of space, is sure to assist the Brumbies experienced backline. A star performer with the Australian Schoolboys side in 2006 and 2007, Toua will link with a number of former Australian Under 20 teammates on his arrival in Canberra. Albert Anae was a teammate of Toua’s at the Reds. Anae also arrived in the ACT this week to link with the Brumbies. Toua, Anae, Leulua’iali’i-Makin, Powell and Enever are all set to press their claims for a spot in Larkham’s 2016 Super Rugby squad by lining up for the University of Canberra Vikings in the 2015 Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, which begins in August. | Mid | [
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Lloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chiefof Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher.Shelter Publications specializes in books on buildingand architecture,as well as health and fitness.Lloyds latest book is Tiny Homes on the Move: Wheels and Water.For more info, see: www.shelterpub.comLloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher. Shelter Publications specializes in books on building and architecture, as well as health and fitness. Lloyd’s latest book is Builders of the Pacific Coast. For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/lloydkahn "Stair-Rover is a longboard unlike any other. It’s designed from the ground up to surf the entire city. The unique eight-wheeled mechanism makes the board equally at home cruising smooth pavements or gliding down steps. From the curb outside your house to a double flight of stairs, the Stair-Rover scuttles over obstacles with ease."Click here.From Mike W 3 comment s: I recall seeing a scene in a skateboarding movie forty years ago where a rider went down a flight of stairs on a regular board with stock trucks and wheels. Granted, he was doing it at a diagonal angle, but yet again, is there really anything new under the sun? | Low | [
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United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ______________________ June 2, 2017 ERRATA ______________________ Appeal No. 2016-2093 SUNTEC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD., Plaintiff-Appellant v. UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee MID CONTINENT NAIL CORPORATION, Defendant Decided: May 30, 2017 ______________________ Please make the following changes: On page 9, line 9, change “request to Suntec itself and” to “request directly to Suntec and.” On page 11, line 9, change “has” to “had.” On page 18, line 5, change “showed no” to “has not shown.” | Low | [
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With a grin, Dell produced Dell mobile after Dell mobile from the pockets of the jacket and jeans he was wearing while speaking on stage at the Konference. Three devices were running Android - one phone he whipped out was the Dell Streak - and just one, the Venue Pro released on Monday, ran Windows Phone 7. Each was a different form factor, with one unidentified Android device due to be launched Wednesday for sale in emerging markets. Dell is working on CDMA and 4G phones, he said, to complement the initial range of GSM devices. Appearing on stage with KACE chief executive and co-founder Rob Meinhardt, Dell also hinted at plans to deliver software on an appliance so organizations can manage Android and smart phones like PCs and Macs in the workplace. KACE – bought by Dell in February – launched an iPhone management module for its KBOX Systems Management Appliance nearly two years ago, before Dell swooped in. The company specializes in the KBOX appliance to manage and provision PCs and Macs. Asked by a Konference audience member whether Dell planned a management suite for smart phones, Dell and Meinhardt hesitated before responding "yes". "These are little computers," Dell said. "They have operating systems... but organizations are having to figure out how to manage these new computers. So, yes, we are absolutely focused on that problem. That will be me multi platform - Apple, Android, Microsoft." Meinhardt added: "We definitely have on our roadmap Android support and we have some basic iPhone support. You will see extended Windows mobile device support in the KACE platform." "There's a lot of work on the Windows side to create future versions of Windows that are optimized for the touch interface," Dell told the Konference. That could either be a reference to Dell's hybrid tablet Duo running Windows 7, or it could be a rather more oblique reference to Microsoft's expected work on Windows 8. Dell was unequivocal in why his traditionally PC- and server-oriented company's moving into the manufacture of mobile devices and management of machines running a mix of mobile operating systems: opportunity. He claimed there are five billion people on the planet currently in possession of cell phones and just a couple of hundred million smart phone users. In the next five to seven years, "almost all five billion will figure out they would like to have a smart phone too." Managing these burgeoning nodes on enterprise networks will be something enterprises will need to take care off - providing security and software updates. "The big question for the IT folks is how do you manage and secure that," Dell said. He made it clear it's in Dell's interests to serve as many customers as possible and called it "impractical" to think of customers running homogenous environments. ® | Mid | [
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TARGET = test-gdb_monitor_target_config SRC_CC = main.cc LIBS = base CC_CXX_WARN_STRICT = | Low | [
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#include <iostream> #include <mbgl/test/util.hpp> #include <mbgl/util/token.hpp> using namespace mbgl; TEST(Token, replaceTokens) { EXPECT_EQ("literal", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("literal", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "name") return "14th St NW"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("14th St NW", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{name}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "name") return "14th St NW"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{name}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "text") return "14th St NW"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("1400", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{num}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "num") return "1400"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("500 m", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{num} m", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "num") return "500"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("3 Fine Fields", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{a} {b} {c}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "a") return "3"; if (token == "b") return "Fine"; if (token == "c") return "Fields"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ(" but still", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{notset} but still", [](const std::string&) -> std::string { return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("dashed", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{dashed-property}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "dashed-property") return "dashed"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("colonized", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{colon:property}", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "colon:property") return "colonized"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("150 m", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{HØYDE} m", [](const std::string& token) -> std::string { if (token == "HØYDE") return "150"; return ""; })); EXPECT_EQ("{unknown}", mbgl::util::replaceTokens("{unknown}", [](const std::string&) -> optional<std::string> { return {}; })); } | Mid | [
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Q: Testing Boolean in Actionscript for null I have a Boolean variable in Actionscript 3. How can I check if it's undefined (not by being false) because false is a value or Boolean in Actionscript is FALSE by default > A: If you want a Boolean that can be undefined (essentially a tri-state flag), you can use an Object reference, but just assign the Boolean values true and false to it. Downside is that you lose the type safety. var isSet:Object = null; // Later... isSet = true; A: In ActionScript, Boolean can have either true or false value only. If you don't specify any value, it is initialized to false by default. Edit: This behavior is different from Java's Boolean object type which is a wrapper over primitive boolean. See @Victor's comments below | Low | [
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/* * Copyright 2006 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. * * Licensed under the SCEA Shared Source License, Version 1.0 (the "License"); you may not use this * file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at: * http://research.scea.com/scea_shared_source_license.html * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License * is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or * implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the * License. */ #ifndef __domFx_cleardepth_common_h__ #define __domFx_cleardepth_common_h__ #include <dae/daeDocument.h> #include <dom/domTypes.h> #include <dom/domElements.h> class DAE; class domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType { protected: // Attribute xsNonNegativeInteger attrIndex; protected: // Value /** * The domFloat value of the text data of this element. */ domFloat _value; public: //Accessors and Mutators /** * Gets the index attribute. * @return Returns a xsNonNegativeInteger of the index attribute. */ xsNonNegativeInteger getIndex() const { return attrIndex; } /** * Sets the index attribute. * @param atIndex The new value for the index attribute. */ void setIndex( xsNonNegativeInteger atIndex ) { attrIndex = atIndex; } /** * Gets the value of this element. * @return a domFloat of the value. */ domFloat getValue() const { return _value; } /** * Sets the _value of this element. * @param val The new value for this element. */ void setValue( domFloat val ) { _value = val; } protected: /** * Constructor */ domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType(DAE& dae, daeElement* elt) : attrIndex(), _value() {} /** * Destructor */ virtual ~domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType() {} /** * Overloaded assignment operator */ virtual domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType &operator=( const domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType &cpy ) { (void)cpy; return *this; } }; /** * An element of type domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType. */ class domFx_cleardepth_common : public daeElement, public domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType { public: virtual COLLADA_TYPE::TypeEnum getElementType() const { return COLLADA_TYPE::FX_CLEARDEPTH_COMMON; } static daeInt ID() { return 89; } virtual daeInt typeID() const { return ID(); } public: //Accessors and Mutators /** * Gets the index attribute. * @return Returns a xsNonNegativeInteger of the index attribute. */ xsNonNegativeInteger getIndex() const { return attrIndex; } /** * Sets the index attribute. * @param atIndex The new value for the index attribute. */ void setIndex( xsNonNegativeInteger atIndex ) { attrIndex = atIndex; _validAttributeArray[0] = true; } protected: /** * Constructor */ domFx_cleardepth_common(DAE& dae) : daeElement(dae), domFx_cleardepth_common_complexType(dae, this) {} /** * Destructor */ virtual ~domFx_cleardepth_common() {} /** * Overloaded assignment operator */ virtual domFx_cleardepth_common &operator=( const domFx_cleardepth_common &cpy ) { (void)cpy; return *this; } public: // STATIC METHODS /** * Creates an instance of this class and returns a daeElementRef referencing it. * @return a daeElementRef referencing an instance of this object. */ static DLLSPEC daeElementRef create(DAE& dae); /** * Creates a daeMetaElement object that describes this element in the meta object reflection framework. * If a daeMetaElement already exists it will return that instead of creating a new one. * @return A daeMetaElement describing this COLLADA element. */ static DLLSPEC daeMetaElement* registerElement(DAE& dae); }; #endif | Mid | [
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At least 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed, and 49 others injured in an explosion near Cairo’s Coptic Christian Cathedral. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast – the deadliest attack on Egypt's religious minority in years. At least six children were among the dead, Reuters reported, citing security sources. The blast happened as Sunday Mass was about to end, AP reported, adding that this weekend it coincided with a national holiday marking the birth of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The explosive device contained at least 12 kilos (26 pounds) of TNT, Reuters reported. The bomb was reportedly placed in a female handbag in a seat in the back of the church, and the explosion hit the section where female worshipers mainly stood, which is why the majority of the victims are women, Egyptian reporter for The Washington Post, Heba Farouk Mahfouz, posted on Twitter. “I found bodies, many of them women, lying on the pews. It was a horrible scene,” said cathedral worker Attiya Mahrous, as cited by AP. #Egypt: Aftermath of bomb blast at Cairo’s main coptic Christian cathedral. pic.twitter.com/7hzR2YMB10 — Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) December 11, 2016 The bomb exploded at a chapel that adjoins the main hall of St. Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, which is the largest Christian church in the Egyptian capital. The cathedral is the seat of Egypt's Orthodox Christian Church and home to the office of its spiritual leader, Pope Tawadros II, AP reported citing Egypt's official MENA news agency. Several hundred people reportedly gathered outside the cathedral after the attack, AP said. The protesters were chanting anti-government slogans and demanded the resignation of Egypt's interior minister. Riot police have been deployed to the scene. A three-day mourning period has been announced in Egypt. "The people demand the fall of the regime" furious crowds are screaming at the police after rush - outside cathedral hit by bombing #Cairopic.twitter.com/oBgJ7SSkBy — Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew) December 11, 2016 Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered condolences to his Egyptian counterpart, the Kremlin press service said. Remarking that the Sunday attack was “especially deplorable” as there were women and children among the victims, Putin added that the international community should stand together in its efforts to uproot terrorism. The latest attack comes two days after two roadside bombs, one in Cairo and one to the north of the capital, left six police officers dead and six others injured. The bombing is the latest attack against the Christian population in Egypt – 10 percent of the country's 90 million people. In May, a mob of Muslims stripped naked and beat an elderly woman, and then paraded her through the streets of an Egyptian village, following rumors of a Christian man having an affair with a Muslim woman. Over the past years, criminal gangs targeted well-off Christian families, kidnapping their children for ransom. Muslim men in Egypt are also known to have kidnapped young girls, forcefully converting them, and hiding them until they become adults. | Mid | [
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[Convergence-retraction nystagmus associated with vascular disorders of the brainstem]. We report two cases of convergence-retraction nystagmus due to cerebral infarction and hemorrhage. Magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a small area of abnormal signal in the thalamo-mesencephalic junction in each patient. This lesion appeared to include the rostral interstitial nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus (rostral iMLF). The precise oculography of nystagmus in these patients demonstrated the fast adductive movements and slow exponential tract of abduction. The velocity of the fast phase was equal to or less than that of ordinary saccadic eye movements. The time constant of the slow phase was about 0.3 second. These characteristics are identical to those of pineal tumor cases. | Mid | [
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What key warnings should I know about before taking this medicine? Reasons not to take this medicine • If you have an allergy to tramadol or any other part of this medicine. • Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or any other symptoms involved. • If you are addicted to drugs. • If you are an alcohol drinker or take any alcohol-containing medicines. How does it work? How is it best taken? • Take this medicine with or without food. Take with food if it causes an upset stomach. • Ultram® ER: Always take with food or always take on an empty stomach. • Long-acting products: Swallow whole. Do not chew, break, or crush. • Oral-disintegrating tablet:Do not push tablet through foil when opening. Use dry hands to remove from foil. Place on tongue and let dissolve. Water is not needed. Do not swallow whole. Do not chew, break, or crush. | High | [
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package ens //Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); //you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. //You may obtain a copy of the License at // //http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 // //Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software //distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, //WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. //See the License for the specific language governing permissions and //limitations under the License. // // Code generated by Alibaba Cloud SDK Code Generator. // Changes may cause incorrect behavior and will be lost if the code is regenerated. import ( "github.com/aliyun/alibaba-cloud-sdk-go/sdk/requests" "github.com/aliyun/alibaba-cloud-sdk-go/sdk/responses" ) // AllocateEipAddress invokes the ens.AllocateEipAddress API synchronously func (client *Client) AllocateEipAddress(request *AllocateEipAddressRequest) (response *AllocateEipAddressResponse, err error) { response = CreateAllocateEipAddressResponse() err = client.DoAction(request, response) return } // AllocateEipAddressWithChan invokes the ens.AllocateEipAddress API asynchronously func (client *Client) AllocateEipAddressWithChan(request *AllocateEipAddressRequest) (<-chan *AllocateEipAddressResponse, <-chan error) { responseChan := make(chan *AllocateEipAddressResponse, 1) errChan := make(chan error, 1) err := client.AddAsyncTask(func() { defer close(responseChan) defer close(errChan) response, err := client.AllocateEipAddress(request) if err != nil { errChan <- err } else { responseChan <- response } }) if err != nil { errChan <- err close(responseChan) close(errChan) } return responseChan, errChan } // AllocateEipAddressWithCallback invokes the ens.AllocateEipAddress API asynchronously func (client *Client) AllocateEipAddressWithCallback(request *AllocateEipAddressRequest, callback func(response *AllocateEipAddressResponse, err error)) <-chan int { result := make(chan int, 1) err := client.AddAsyncTask(func() { var response *AllocateEipAddressResponse var err error defer close(result) response, err = client.AllocateEipAddress(request) callback(response, err) result <- 1 }) if err != nil { defer close(result) callback(nil, err) result <- 0 } return result } // AllocateEipAddressRequest is the request struct for api AllocateEipAddress type AllocateEipAddressRequest struct { *requests.RpcRequest MinCount requests.Integer `position:"Query" name:"MinCount"` EnsRegionId string `position:"Query" name:"EnsRegionId"` Count requests.Integer `position:"Query" name:"Count"` Version string `position:"Query" name:"Version"` } // AllocateEipAddressResponse is the response struct for api AllocateEipAddress type AllocateEipAddressResponse struct { *responses.BaseResponse RequestId string `json:"RequestId" xml:"RequestId"` BizStatusCode string `json:"BizStatusCode" xml:"BizStatusCode"` EipAddresses EipAddressesInAllocateEipAddress `json:"EipAddresses" xml:"EipAddresses"` } // CreateAllocateEipAddressRequest creates a request to invoke AllocateEipAddress API func CreateAllocateEipAddressRequest() (request *AllocateEipAddressRequest) { request = &AllocateEipAddressRequest{ RpcRequest: &requests.RpcRequest{}, } request.InitWithApiInfo("Ens", "2017-11-10", "AllocateEipAddress", "ens", "openAPI") request.Method = requests.POST return } // CreateAllocateEipAddressResponse creates a response to parse from AllocateEipAddress response func CreateAllocateEipAddressResponse() (response *AllocateEipAddressResponse) { response = &AllocateEipAddressResponse{ BaseResponse: &responses.BaseResponse{}, } return } | Mid | [
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Optical fiber lasers and amplifiers used in the amplification of optical signals usually include optical fibers having optically active waveguiding cores doped with rare-earth active ions, such as for example, erbium, ytterbium and thulium. For such applications and others, it is important that the optical properties of the fiber remain stable. However, for some rare-earth doped core compositions, the formation of photoinduced structural transformations which can induce excess loss in the doped glass core of the fibers are observed over time under light illumination or propagation, resulting in reduced output power efficiency of the fibers. This phenomenon is known as photodarkening. It is a very detrimental effect, that decreases for instance the output power of fiber laser or amplifier over time and make them inefficient. Photodarkening Photodarkening has already been observed in silica fiber doped with different rare-earth such as thulium (M. M. Broer et al., Opt. Lett. 1993, 18 (10), p. 799-801), cerium (M. M. Broer et al., Opt. Lett. 1991, 16 (18), p. 1391-1393), europium and praseodymium (E. G. Behrens et al., 1990, JOSA B 7 (8), p. 1437-1444). The first experimental evidence of this phenomenon in ytterbium doped silica fiber was described by R. Paschotta et al. in Opt. Commun., 1997, 136 (5-6), p. 375-378. The present inventors, in their article entitled “Low photodarkening single cladding ytterbium fibre amplifier” published in the Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 6453, Fiber Lasers IV: Technology, Systems, and Applications; Donald J. Harter, Andreas Tünnermann, Jes Broeng, Clifford Headley III, Editors, 64530H (Feb. 20, 2007), show that photodarkening is reduced in ytterbium fibers co-doped with aluminum or with another rare-earth such as erbium. They attribute this reduction of photodarkening to erbium or aluminium ions that prevents the formation of ytterbium clusters to emit UV radiation that creates color centers. Gavrilovic et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,598 propose to prevent photodarkening in ytterbium-doped optical fiber lasers and/or waveguide structures operating at high optical output power level and which contain thulium as an impurity, by introducing another rare-earth ion as co-dopant to the fiber core. Preferably, the co-dopants are selected from terbium, europium and/or neodymium. Kitabayashi et al. have also demonstrated that high aluminum concentration into ytterbium-doped fibers is effective to suppress photodarkening (“Population Inversion Factor Dependence of Photodarkening of Yb-doped Fibers and its Suppression by Highly Aluminum Doping”, Optical Fiber Communication Conference, 2006 and the 2006 National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference; OFC 2006, 5-10 Mar. 2006). It is thus apparent to those skilled in the art that there is a need for optical fibers with reduced photodarkening properties, especially for rare-earth-doped optical fiber wherein the rare-earth induces a photodarkening effect. There is also a need for a method which reduces photodarkening in a rare-earth-doped optical fiber wherein the rare-earth induces a photodarkening effect. | High | [
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/**************************************************************************** * * MODULE: r.terraflow * * COPYRIGHT (C) 2007 Laura Toma * * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or * (at your option) any later version. * * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the * GNU General Public License for more details. * *****************************************************************************/ #include <stdio.h> #include <assert.h> #include <math.h> #include "weightWindow.h" #include "direction.h" /* #define CHECK_WEIGHTS */ /* enables printing weights as they are computed */ /* Distribute flow to neighbors as in "The prediction of HIllslope Flow Paths for Distributed Hydrollogical Modeling using Digital Terrain Models" by Quinn, Chevallier, Planchon, in Hydrollogical Processes vol. 5, 1991 */ /***************************************************************/ weightWindow::weightWindow(const float dx, const float dy) : cell_dx(dx), cell_dy(dy) { celldiag = sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy); sumweight = sumcontour = 0; } /***************************************************************/ /* initialize all weights to 0 */ void weightWindow::init() { sumweight = sumcontour = (float)0; for (int l = 0;l < 9; l++) { weight.set(l,(float)0); } } /***************************************************************/ /* set weight of neighbor (di,dj) equal to e_diff x computeContour/computeDist. This basically reduces to e_diff/2 (if not on diagonal) or e_diff/4 (if on diagonal). */ void weightWindow::computeWeight(const short di, const short dj, const elevation_type elev_crt, const elevation_type elev_neighb) { /* NOTE: it is possible that elev_neighb is EDGE_NODATA. In this case, we just consider the value of EDGE_NODATA as an elevation, and push flow to it. Currently the value of EDGE_NODATA is -9998, and thus these cells will get most of the flow. */ elevation_type e_diff = elev_crt - elev_neighb; assert(e_diff >= 0); if (di == 0 && dj == 0) { return; } double contour, flow; if (dj==0) { flow = 0.5; contour = cell_dy/2; } else if (di ==0) { flow = 0.5; contour = cell_dx/2; } else { /* on diagonal */ flow = 0.25; contour = celldiag/4; } assert(contour > 0); /* at this point, 'flow' corresponds to the relative distance to the neighbor: 0.5 if horizontal/vertical, or 0.25 if diagonal. Diagonal points are further away. These are somewhat arbitrary; see paper. 'contour' is the length perpendicular to the flow toward the neighbor. */ if (e_diff > 0) { flow *= e_diff; } else { /* NOTE: how much flow to distribute to neighbors which are at same height?? */ flow *= 1.0/contour; /* NOTE: this may cause overflow if contour is v small */ } weight.set(di, dj, flow); sumcontour += contour; sumweight += flow; } /***************************************************************/ /* computes and returns the distance corresponding to this direction */ double weightWindow::computeDist(const short di, const short dj) { double dist; if (di == 0 && dj == 0) { return 0; } if (dj==0) { dist = cell_dy; } else if (di ==0) { dist = cell_dx; } else { /* on diagonal */ dist = celldiag; } assert(dist > 0); return dist; } /***************************************************************/ /* computes and returns the contour corresponding to this direction */ double weightWindow::computeContour(const short di, const short dj) { double contour; if (di == 0 && dj == 0) { return 0; } if (dj==0) { contour = cell_dy/2; } else if (di ==0) { contour = cell_dx/2; } else { /* on diagonal */ contour = celldiag/4; } assert(contour > 0); return contour; } /***************************************************************/ /* compute the tanB corresponding to the elevation window and neighbor di,dj. */ double weightWindow::computeTanB(const short di,const short dj, const genericWindow<elevation_type>& elevwin) { assert(di != 0 || dj != 0); double dist = computeDist(di, dj); assert(dist > 0); return (elevwin.get() - elevwin.get(di, dj)) / dist; } /***************************************************************/ void weightWindow::normalize() { if (sumweight > 0) { weight.scalarMultiply(1.0/sumweight); } } /***************************************************************/ /* compute the weights of the neighbors of a cell given an elevation window and precomputed directions dir; if trustdir = 1 then trust directions; otherwise push to all downslope neighbors and use dir only for cells which do not have any downslope neighbors */ /***************************************************************/ void weightWindow::compute(const dimension_type i, const dimension_type j, const genericWindow<elevation_type>& elevwin, const direction_type dir, const int trustdir) { elevation_type elev_crt, elev_neighb; /* initialize all weights to 0 */ init(); elev_crt = elevwin.get(); assert(!is_nodata(elev_crt)); /* map direction to neighbors */ directionWindow dirwin(dir); /* compute weights of the 8 neighbours */ int skipit = 0; for (short di = -1; di <= 1; di++) { for (short dj = -1; dj <= 1; dj++) { /* grid coordinates and elevation of neighbour */ elev_neighb = elevwin.get(di, dj); skipit = ((di ==0) && (dj==0)); skipit |= (elev_crt < elev_neighb); /* skipit |= (elev_neighb == edge_nodata); ?? */ if (!trustdir) { dirwin.correctDirection(di,dj,skipit, i,j, elev_crt,dir,elev_neighb); } /* if direction points to it then compute its weight */ if (dirwin.get(di,dj) == true) { computeWeight(di,dj, elev_crt, elev_neighb); } } /* for dj */ } /* for di */ normalize(); /* normalize the weights */ #ifdef CHECK_WEIGHTS cout <<"weights: ["; for (int l=0;l<9;l++) cout << form("%3.2f ",weight.get(l)); cout <<"]\n"; #endif }; /* Find the dominant direction. Set corresponding weight to 1, and sets all other weights to 0. Set sumweight and sumcontour.*/ void weightWindow::makeD8(const dimension_type i, const dimension_type j, const genericWindow<elevation_type>& elevwin, const direction_type dir, const bool trustdir) { elevation_type elev_crt; short di,dj; elev_crt = elevwin.get(); assert(!is_nodata(elev_crt)); int maxi=0, maxj=0; double tanb, contour, maxtanb = -1, maxcontour = -1; /* map direction to neighbors */ directionWindow dirwin(dir); /* compute biggest angle to a neighbor */ for (di=-1; di <=1; di++) { for (dj = -1; dj <= 1; dj++) { if (dirwin.get(di,dj)) { tanb = computeTanB(di,dj, elevwin); contour = computeContour(di, dj); if (tanb > maxtanb) { maxtanb = tanb; maxi = di; maxj = dj; maxcontour = contour; } } } } /* at this point maxi and maxj must be set */ assert((maxi != 0 || maxj != 0) && maxtanb >= 0); /* set weights corresponding to this direction */ init(); /* initialize all weights to 0 */ int maxindex = 3* (maxi + 1) + maxj+1; weight.set(maxindex,1); /* set maxweight to 1 */ sumweight = 1; sumcontour = maxcontour; } | Low | [
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Q: How to identify Enantiomers AP Biology Question So I know that enantiomers are like mirror images of each other, but not identical (superimposable) upon one another. On Wikipedia, I read that it was like our hands, similar but not identical (you can't rotate one hand into another. Makes sense. But I'm not sure how this would help me identify the enantiomers. All the molecules look identical. The answer is (D). What is different about D? A: The key point is that for four of the five pairs, the structure on the left can be rotated to make a structure exactly like the one on the right. For example, the left structure in (A), if rotated 120° about the C-CO$_2$H bond, is equivalent to the structure on the right. For two "enantiomeric" structures, it is not possible to do this. It might be helpful to draw every possible rotation of the structures in (D), to see that it is impossible to produce the structure on the right by rotating the one on the left. | Mid | [
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Front-yard ice rink in Sutton gives hockey fans an edge Other men, like Jeff Fenuccio, say, “Why not build our own hockey rink in the front yard?” For the Fenuccio family at 1 Wachusett Drive, the hockey withdrawal caused by the NHL lockout is made less painful by the 64-by-32-foot rink in front of their house that has become a neighborhood landmark. “This is the third year in a row for the rink,” said Mr. Fenuccio, 46, an electrician. “We started in ’11. We built the rink and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. We figured we better keep building it.” Mr. Fenuccio and his wife, Laura-Lee, have four children — Jake, 19, Meg, 18, Katlyn, 15, and Ben, 12 — and for the youngsters and their friends the rink has become a go-to place for winter fun. Spotlights are in place for night skating, and Christmas lights ringing the ice lend a holiday flair. Music is piped in via speakers in the bushes. “The kids will be out there for hours and hours,” Mr. Fenuccio said. “When there are 15 or 20 kids out there, a neighbor will bring over wood and they’ll have a fire pit.” A coffee urn in the kitchen keeps everyone in hot cocoa. Sometimes the hockey games go until late at night. Next-door neighbor Dennis Cote is very patient about pucks landing in his yard at midnight: “He’s awesome,” Mrs. Fenuccio said. The Fenuccios are big hockey fans. On the wall in the den hang a Derek Sanderson jersey and autographed rookie card, and an autographed picture of Shawn Thornton. On the DVD of the Bruins Stanley Cup victory celebration, if you look fast, you can see the banner the Fenuccios were holding along the parade route outside the Garden. “Hockey is a gathering for us,” Mr. Fenuccio said. “The way some people get together for football, we do with hockey.” So the NHL lockout weighs heavily. “We’re struggling,” he said. “We went to the Sharks game last night, but it’s not the same.” The rink is a consolation. Mr. Fenuccio and five kids put it up the day after Thanksgiving. “It went from a pile of wood to a completed rink in one day,” he said. Daughter Meg painted the designs on the boards: a pink breast-cancer-awareness ribbon, a Dunkin Donuts ad, logos of the Bruins and of the Charlestown Chiefs from the movie “Slapshot.” Sunday afternoon, skating conditions were not ideal. The foot of snow that had fallen overnight had pushed the ice down, and the unfrozen water beneath, up: yesterday morning found the rink under 4 inches of water. “We shoveled and scraped and it looks pretty good now,” Mr. Fenuccio said. “By tonight, it’ll freeze again. It’s going to get colder and colder.” Mr. Fenuccio has invented something he calls the “Handboni.” A backpack sprayer with PVC piping that pumps hot water for dragging on the ice with a towel, it “makes the ice perfect,” he said. His wife added, with a smile: “It looks like something from “ ’Ghostbusters.’ ” What does it cost to put in a rink? The initial cost was about $1,500 in lumber and plastic, Mr. Fenuccio said. Since then, it has cost about $200 a season to maintain it. He said they’ve learned a lot along the way: how not to rip the plastic liner, when and when not to fill it before a deep freeze, how to get leaves out with a pool skimmer. The effort and expense have been worth it, the Fenuccios said. “We don’t have a hill for sledding, and it’s expensive taking the kids skiing,” Mr. Fenuccio said. “We can watch the kids skate from our window.” The rink is “getting bigger and better every year,” said son Jake, a student at Northeastern. “People drive by all the time, as if we had a crazy light display. Four guys already stopped by this morning.” Ben added: “The UPS guy was checking us out.” Mr. Fenuccio said: “Everyone else has little white lights in the window. We have this hockey rink.” | Mid | [
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import { ToolsService } from './tools.service'; import { Graph, Link, Node } from './model/models'; import { of } from 'rxjs'; /** * Tests tools service. * * @author Janne Valkealahti */ describe('ToolsService', () => { const CONVERSION_RESPONSE_1 = { graph: null, dsl: 'timestamp', errors: [] }; const CONVERSION_RESPONSE_2 = { graph: { nodes: [ { id: '0', name: 'START' }, { id: '1', name: 'timestamp' }, { id: '2', name: 'END' } ], links: [ { from: '0', to: '1' }, { from: '1', to: '2' } ] }, dsl: null, errors: [] }; let mockHttp; let jsonData; let toolsService; beforeEach(() => { mockHttp = { post: jasmine.createSpy('post') }; jsonData = {}; toolsService = new ToolsService(mockHttp); }); describe('parseTaskTextToGraph', () => { it('should call the tools service to parse dsl to graph', () => { mockHttp.post.and.returnValue(of(jsonData)); toolsService.parseTaskTextToGraph('fakedsl'); const httpUri1 = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[0]; const body = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[1]; const headerArgs1 = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[2].headers; expect(httpUri1).toEqual('/tools/parseTaskTextToGraph'); expect(body).toEqual(`{"dsl":"fakedsl","name":"unknown"}`); expect(headerArgs1.get('Content-Type')).toEqual('application/json'); expect(headerArgs1.get('Accept')).toEqual('application/json'); }); it('empty DSL case', (done) => { toolsService.parseTaskTextToGraph('').toPromise().then(result => { expect(result.errors).toEqual([]); expect(result.dsl).toEqual(''); expect(result.graph).toBeDefined(); expect(result.graph.nodes).toEqual([]); expect(result.graph.links).toEqual([]); done(); }); }); it('Multi-line DSL case', (done) => { const dsl = 'task ||\nanothertask'; toolsService.parseTaskTextToGraph(dsl).toPromise().then(result => { expect(result.errors).toBeDefined(); expect(result.errors.length).toBe(1); expect(result.errors[0].position).toBe(0); expect(result.errors[0].length).toBe(dsl.length); expect(result.dsl).toEqual(dsl); expect(result.graph).toBeNull(); done(); }); }); }); describe('convertTaskGraphToText', () => { it('should call the tools service to parse graph to dsl', () => { mockHttp.post.and.returnValue(of(jsonData)); const graph = new Graph(new Array(), new Array()); toolsService.convertTaskGraphToText(graph); const httpUri1 = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[0]; const body = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[1]; const headerArgs1 = mockHttp.post.calls.mostRecent().args[2].headers; expect(httpUri1).toEqual('/tools/convertTaskGraphToText'); expect(body).toEqual(`{"nodes":[],"links":[]}`); expect(headerArgs1.get('Content-Type')).toEqual('application/json'); expect(headerArgs1.get('Accept')).toEqual('application/json'); }); }); describe('extractConversionData', () => { it('should do correct conversion', () => { let taskConversion = toolsService.extractConversionData(CONVERSION_RESPONSE_1); expect(taskConversion.dsl).toBe('timestamp'); taskConversion = toolsService.extractConversionData(CONVERSION_RESPONSE_2); expect(taskConversion.graph).toBeTruthy(); expect(taskConversion.graph.nodes.length).toBe(3); expect(taskConversion.graph.links.length).toBe(2); }); }); describe('model', () => { it('graph to json', () => { const nodes: Array<Node> = new Array(); nodes.push(new Node('id1', 'name1')); const links: Array<Link> = new Array(); links.push(new Link('from1', 'to1')); const graph = new Graph(nodes, links); expect(graph.toJson()) .toBe('{"nodes":[{"id":"id1","name":"name1"}],"links":[{"from":"from1","to":"to1"}]}'); }); }); }); | Mid | [
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Meatless Mondays Share this Infographic! There is no denying it, America is a meat-loving country. The good news is that cutting back is tasty and easy. With minor modifications to your diet, you’ll greatly improve the health of your body and the environment. Check out this Gardein infographic and learn why going meatless is better for your health and better for the planet. | Low | [
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Highway Tours Highway Tours was an Australian bus company operating services in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. History Highway Tours was formed on 31 August 1983 when Jim Hill purchased four routes from Cumberland Coaches trading as Canterbury Bus Lines from a depot in Enfield: 34: Strathfield - Hurstville via Roselands Shopping Centre 35: Belmore - Lakemba via Roselands Shopping Centre 39: Campsie - Hurstville via Roselands Shopping Centre 92: Bardwell Park - Roselands Shopping Centre On 22 February 1984, a further six routes were purchased from Cumberland Coaches, trading as Auburn Passenger Transport from a depot in Regents Park: 5: Auburn - Guildford 13: Auburn - Regents Park 14: Auburn - Cumberland Road 116: Auburn - Berala 149: Auburn - Chisholm Road 239: Auburn - Blaxcell Street These were reorganised as routes 916-919 in July 1985. In May 1984, routes 68 Hurstville - Earlwood and 229 Kogarah - Roselands Shopping Centre were purchased from EH Blythe and operated under the Bexley Passenger Transport name, these were later operated under the Canterbury Bus Lines brand. On 1 July 1984, routes 46 Campsie - North Belmore and 47 Lakemba - Greenacre were purchased from Ed Hayman's Greenacre Bus Service. These were sold in October 1985 to RP Gallagher, but returned to Highway by the end of 1986, before being sold again on 1 July 1988 to Commodore Coaches. In September 1984, route 123 Lidcombe to Bankstown via Regents Park was purchased from Drummond Transit and in the same month, route 6 Arncliffe - Earlwood from Tough's Bus Service (partnership between John Brown and Challenge Travel owner Bob Stephens). The latter was sold to Sydney Coachlines in April 1985, while the former was replaced by 917 in July 1985. On 6 March 1985, eight routes were purchased from South Western Coach Lines with a depot in Revesby: 125: Lidcombe - Bankstown via Lidcombe Hospital 922: Bankstown - East Hills via Milperra 923: Bankstown - Picnic Point via Revesby and Panania 924: Bankstown - Picnic Point via Revesby, Panania and East Hills 925: Revesby Heights - Milperra Bridge 926: Bankstown - Revesby Heights 927: Bankstown - One Tree Point 928: East Hills - Roselands Shopping Centre On 31 July 1985, route 125 was renumbered 920 and moved to Auburn Passenger Transport. On 19 December 1985, routes 26 Bankstown - Lakemba via Punchbowl and 176 Bankstown - Punchbowl were purchased from Bankstown Coaches. Route 176 ceased immediately and was replaced by route 26, which was sold back to Bob Stephens in February 1986, operating as Challenge Travel (Challenge Coaches). Bob Stephens previously operated route 26 between 1976 and 1984. In July 1986, route 39 was sold to Greenacre Bus Service (RP Gallagher) before it was sold back to Highway Tours at the end of the year. In 1987, the Auburn Passenger Transport subsidiary (routes 916-921) was sold to Colin Crossley, and the Canterbury Bus Lines subsidiary to Crossley and Ed Hayman with route 34, after routes 35 and 92 were sold in September 1986 to Pleasure Tours. On 14 October 1987, route 68 was sold to Sydney Coachlines. Route 39 was sold to Crossley/Hayman owned Canterbury Bus Lines in March 1988. In November 1988, the remaining operations (routes 922-928) were sold to Colin Crossley trading as Revesby Bus & Coach Service. From 1996, both Crossley-owned operations operated as Crossley Bus Lines. After cessation In October 1996, routes 6 and 68 passed to Sydney Buses' Kingsgrove depot, and were renumbered as 471 and 499 respectively. In April 1998, the Canterbury Bus Lines operation was sold to Punchbowl Bus Company, who would also purchase the Pleasure Tours routes in July 2005. Through a series of transactions, the rest of the former Highway Tours business was reunited between 2001 and 2007, and is now operated by Transdev NSW. Fleet Highway Tours inherited a fleet composed predominantly of AECs, Bedfords and Leylands. During its tenure, no new buses were purchased with most additions to the fleet being ex Urban Transit Authority Leyland Leopards. Fleet livery was orange and white. References Category:Bus companies of New South Wales Category:Bus transport in Sydney Category:Transport companies established in 1983 Category:Transport companies disestablished in 1988 Category:1983 establishments in Australia Category:1988 disestablishments in Australia | Low | [
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Q: How to use an android app's source code (in Java) to make a cross-platform program with xamarin I have created an android app that I would like to port to iOS and the windows platform. I know that I can create this kind of a program using C# with Xamarin because I have experimented with that sort of thing before; however, I would prefer not to have to convert all the code to C# as that would be time-consuming and ultimately would just not be a good use of my time. From descriptions I have read in the Xamarin documentation, it seems to be doable, just I am not sure how. To clarify, I would like the Java code (the Android app source code) to be used by Xamarin to create identical apps, but on iOS and the universal windows platform. Thanks in advance. Example of what I mean: Generate an app that should do the exact same thing on all platforms from this java code: AlertDialog.Builder uselessAlert=new AlertDialog.Builder(this); uselessAlert.setMessage("Pointless Button v"); uselessAlert.setPositiveButton("Ok",new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {}}); uselessAlert.create().show(); Of course, that is a very useless program that can easily be converted to C#, but I am dealing with a fairly complex one. A: Basically, you can't. Xamarin is a toolset that provides a C# and F# compiler for iOS and Android, as well as wrappers around the native iOS and Android SDKs. You can call into Java code by binding up a library, so you could call your existing Android Java library, but ONLY from an Android app, not from an iOS app as the APIs needed to run the Java code are specific to Android. In your code snippet above you reference AlertDialog. This is an Android API, and you can call this in C# from a Xamarin Android app, but there is no way to call this from an iOS or UWP app - the API simply doesn't exist. You would need to re-write this code for each platform. The way Xamarin is cross-platform is because you can write your business logic - so everything that doesn't need to interact with the OS directly (i.e. not UI code) once, then reference this from an iOS, Android and UWP app. What you would need to do first is to restructure your core business logic and re-write it in C# or F#. Then you would need to think about the UI and anything that interacts with the OS. For your UI you then have two choices - write it using Xamarin.iOS, Xamarin.Android and UWP (so use the native SDKs to build your apps), or use Xamarin.Forms which gives you an abstraction across the native APIs allowing you to write your UI once (the compromise being you get a lowest common denominator approach, and if you want to do fancy stuff you need to interact with the native APIs directly). TL;DR - you can't just use Xamarin to magically port your Android app, you would need to re-write it. | Mid | [
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Q: Changing boolean from true to false and use it in if() afterward using jquery I have tried several ways to implement the output from a boolean to an if-statement. Somehow I do it wrong. I'm able to change the value of the boolean and console.log it, so that should be right. I then try to use it in an if-statement, but somehow it is ignored and doesn't give the expected outcome. This is my code: var heroVelX = game.currentHero.GetLinearVelocity().x; var heroVelY = game.currentHero.GetLinearVelocity().y; var speed = Math.sqrt(Math.pow(heroVelX, 2) + Math.pow(heroVelY, 2)); var moveOn = ""; function delay(){ moveOn = Boolean(speed<1.5); console.log("Speed = " + speed + " " + moveOn); }; setTimeout(delay, 3500); // These are the conditions I have tried using. I can see in console.log that the value is changed. But somehow it is ignored? All the other conditions are accepted in the if-statement. // moveOn ===!false // moveOn == true if(!game.currentHero.IsAwake() || moveOn === !false || heroX<0 || heroX >game.currentLevel.foregroundImage.width ){ // then delete the old hero box2d.world.DestroyBody(game.currentHero); game.currentHero = undefined; // and load next hero game.mode = "load-next-hero"; } Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? A: You are doing several things wrong... First of all, it's horrible to define a var as a String, and after that change it to boolean. Secondly, put your boolean into a different log, and use dir instead. The if statement its too confusing. And there is no need to cast to Boolean. Take a look at this: var heroVelX = game.currentHero.GetLinearVelocity().x; var heroVelY = game.currentHero.GetLinearVelocity().y; var speed = Math.sqrt(Math.pow(heroVelX, 2) + Math.pow(heroVelY, 2)); var moveOn = false; function delay(){ moveOn = (speed<1.5) ? true : false; console.log("Speed = " + speed); console.dir(moveOn); }; setTimeout(delay, 3500); if(!game.currentHero.IsAwake() || moveOn || heroX<0 || heroX >game.currentLevel.foregroundImage.width ){ // then delete the old hero box2d.world.DestroyBody(game.currentHero); game.currentHero = undefined; // and load next hero game.mode = "load-next-hero"; } | Mid | [
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Judge issues sweeping order related to Solano autopsy documents VALLEJO — The growing controversy about the Solano County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office was ratcheted up Thursday with a judge making an exceptional order about more than 1,000 pages of documents concerning dozens of homicide autopsies and the doctor who performed them – Dr. Susan Hogan. Judge Daniel Healy ordered that most of the Hogan documents, almost all kept under tight wraps in the past two weeks by other judges, be made available to prosecutors and every defense attorney in the Solano County Public Defender’s Office and their counterparts in the Alternate Defender’s Office. The order came after Healy’s review of the documents and will enable a hearing Healy set for Feb. 27 to give prosecutors, deputy public defenders, lawyers for the county and a lawyer for Hogan time to get a handle on what impact the documents may have on at least 37 homicides in the county in recent years. “I am doing this to provide the maximum amount of light with the minimum amount of heat,” Healy said of the documents at the center of the controversy. That “light” includes revelations that at least some autopsies were recorded, and indications that Hogan’s interpretation of some autopsy results were changed after she met with prosecutors and authorities. A prosecutor conceded there may still be more documents about the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office that need to be shared with defense attorneys but events in the past two weeks evolved so quickly he was not able to figure out if everything had been released. Healy told the prosecutor it was obvious from reading the documents that some staff in the District Attorney’s Office knew of the Hogan problem while other staff did not. Chief Deputy Public Defender Oscar Bobrow said it would be best if District Attorney Donald du Bain attended next week’s hearing and explained who knew what and when did they know it. Included in the Hogan documents are 11 transcripts of meetings between top Sheriff’s Office officials and top staff in the District Attorney’s Office in which the primary topic of discussion was concerns about Hogan’s competency and the quality of work she was using in her autopsies. Healy raised concerns that some of the documents involved meetings about specific autopsies. The meetings attended by Hogan, top Sheriff’s Office officials, prosecutors and police came after autopsies in which Hogan deemed cause of death was not homicide, but before she had submitted an official final autopsy report. In some cases, Hogan flip-flopped after the meetings and deemed cause of death to be homicide. Healy questioned how the integrity of science and medicine of a coroner can be affected and changed by police and investigators trying to alter perceptions. Healy said that it appeared from the documents that the sort of meeting between police and doctors doing autopsy may be routine. Healy also raised concerns that the meetings involve a witness for a homicide case, Hogan, were not to be detailed or revealed to defense attorneys. The lengthy hearing revolved around a case in which a very drunk Vallejo woman was found dead in a motel room in 2012. Hogan initially deemed the death to be suffocation, perhaps from vomiting after passing out. Her boyfriend was arrested but then released and murder charges were dropped. Hogan later changed her mind about the cause of death. A year later, the boyfriend was arrested in West Virginia and brought back to California. The defendant’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Meenha Lee, said Thursday that she just learned of a meeting between Hogan, Sheriff’s Office staff, prosecutors and Vallejo police that occurred before her client was arrested a second time. His trial is set to start in two weeks. The probable cause hearing last year for the suffocation homicide featured Hogan being questioned about the woman’s cause of death. The hearing also included Lee asking Hogan about an ongoing investigation by top Sheriff’s Office staff about her work. Hogan testified she knew nothing about any investigation. A month later, she was abruptly terminated with top Sheriff’s Office staff insisting she had retired. In an email sent later to a prosecutor, Hogan complained about being “publicly humiliated” at the probable cause hearing and pinned part of the blame for her being fired on the prosecutor in Lee’s case. The Hogan documents also reveal that the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office may routinely record autopsies. Those recordings have never been shared with defense attorneys. Healy said he reviewed transcripts of five of those recordings, which involved cases in Fairfield, Vacaville and Vallejo. Whether or not the failure of prosecutors to share the recordings with defense attorneys in homicide cases is a question that could affect scores of Solano County homicide cases – including cases where convictions and sentencing has already occurred. Healy wondered aloud why the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office could possibly maintain a repository of autopsy recordings and referenced President Richard Nixon’s saving of the Watergate tapes. The controversy comes just a few weeks before Sheriff Tom Ferrara and du Bain will learn if anyone decides to run against them in the upcoming June election. Reach Jess Sullivan at 427-6919 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jsullivandr. Jess Sullivan Jess has covered the criminal justice system in Solano County for several years. He was an embedded reporter in Iraq in 2003. Fairfield needs to know...February 20, 2014 - 8:52 pm The MisterFebruary 21, 2014 - 6:14 am Thank you, Dan Healy. And shame on the other judges for their efforts to cover this up. And much more shame on the Sheriff, Tom Ferrara, for not cleaning house when he took over as sheriff. And shame on DA du Bain for every trial you won with the help of the crooked Sheriff's Office. An election is coming up... and I hope that honesty and integrity can be restored. But that's not enough... this needs investigated and prosecutions need to be sought. Perhaps the new sheriff in town can do that. The MisterFebruary 21, 2014 - 9:06 am my2centsFebruary 21, 2014 - 7:26 am After painfully reading through the subject/verb agreement and syntax errors in this story, I can't help but smell politics as the underlying, motivating force in this whole controversy. All the usual suspects are aligned, including the DR, which is nothing more than a pawn in this "house of cards." In a county where most litigants do not have the resources to appeal, judicial power and abuse of discretion goes unchecked. And justice and democracy are the casualties of this absolute power. Rich GiddensFebruary 21, 2014 - 8:01 am All I can say is ''this is huge!". So the District Attorney is couching witness testimony, altering and illegally changing findings and evidence, falsely prosecuting poor people, wasting resources, lying, perjuring, withholding ''Brady'' evidence, hiding witnesses----and many other County DA, Sheriff's and County legal counsel are involved too. Mr. Jess Sullivan!----you deserve a pay raise and a Pulitzer Prize for your hard work! Mr. Sullivan works very hard to pull case documents and do the research along with sitting through hours and hours of hearings. I believe we are obliged and owe him a debt of gratitude! Now surely, the attorneys, ACLU and the Federal Justice Department must intervene. I believe the US Justice Department should investigate. If what Mr. Sullivan has written is true, then the US Attorney should prefer charges of Obstruction of Justice and wholesale Civil Rights violations of the 6th and 14th Amendment as a minimum against all who entered into what appears to be a conspiracy against many people. JusticeFebruary 21, 2014 - 8:01 am I hope Ferrera and his office are sued. He has abused his power long enough. We the people have the power to end his career. Anyone with law enforcment experience should run against him. As far as duBain goes, he and his deputies should all be reported to the state bar for investigation into disbarment. Ferrera and duBain are like puppeteers, they pull the strings and there folks jump. Terry Ray is the dirtiest prosecutor in that office, is at the heart of this whole investigatiion AND was duBains choice for chief deputy. They all must go. Rich GiddensFebruary 21, 2014 - 8:21 am A massive protest / demonstration at the courthouse and lodged protests to the County Supes along with the horrible State government are in good order now. In my opinion all of the cast of scoundrels in this have a foul stench. LoraFebruary 21, 2014 - 10:47 am Rich GiddensFebruary 21, 2014 - 10:45 pm With all due respect Mrs. DuBain, a ''Brady policy'' already exists! It's called legal precedence and case law that was ultimately decided by the Federal US Supreme Court--- ''Brady v. Maryland'' and its being violated everyday by somebody who doesn't respect the law and the US Constitution! Take a big guess who! But don't worry--you will get visiting rights to see him on Sundays. General Fadi BasemFebruary 23, 2014 - 7:21 pm Lora: Sure I'm interested in hearing about the Brady policy that Mr. DuBain fought hard to bring to Solano County. Why don't you provide some preliminary information to serve as a wedge to uncover more information? That would be very helpful. Looking forward to your further contribution. discouragedFebruary 21, 2014 - 12:46 pm Skeptic ScroogeFebruary 21, 2014 - 4:05 pm What's important is the recordings done to preserve the integrity of the initial evidence, which otherwise would be unavailable when all of Hogans autopsy results get thrown out. A new pathologist hired by anyone can look at the video to make their own judgement. So the child rapist strangler still gets executed. Rich GiddensFebruary 21, 2014 - 5:13 pm Thats not true either because if you have 2 legally admissible autopsy reports that are contradictory in their findings, the burden of proof is not met and the law says the exculpatory one is solely the one the jury must consider. If Solano County hadn't entered into a conspiracy to alter findings and coach testimony then all of this would be moot! George Guynn, JrFebruary 22, 2014 - 12:00 pm Curious ObserverFebruary 24, 2014 - 3:00 pm I have read the collection of articles on the Susan Hogan debacle, the many comments posted by concerned citizens, the concerns of the few regarding the Sheriff’s Office. Most the comments appear to be on the negative side, so to play devil’s advocate I would suggest a more objective review. As I read the many articles it appears that representatives of the District Attorney’s Office informed Sheriff Ferrara of a possible performance issue on the part of the Pathologist earlier this year. Since the Pathologist appears to have worked there many years, Sheriff Ferrara who just took office this year was not the Sheriff when she was hired. However, it appears that once Sheriff Ferrara was informed about this concern, he ordered an investigation be conducted to determine the legitimacy of the concerns. That to me does not sound like mismanagement. That sounds like a reasonable decision to determine if, in fact, there was any wrong doing by an employee. To the people who are indicating a cover-up, personnel matters are confidential. Regardless of the people who feel differently, the Sheriff’s Office (or any other Civil Service department) cannot comment on them without a judicial order. It is also the responsibility of the County to argue for that confidentiality on behave of the employee. So what the few perceive as an attempt to cover up the information is probably the county following procedures in these types of matters. In this case, the information was released through the judicial process, not Jess Sullivan breaking the story. Praise has been heaped on the judges for releasing the information and shame has been leveled at Sheriff Ferrara for not cleaning house when he took over. Isn’t that exactly what Sheriff Ferrara did when he learned of the potential issue with the Pathologist? By the virtue of Sheriff Ferrara ordering the investigation, he discovered issues that needed to be addressed. And because of the investigation, Sheriff Ferrara provided transparency of an issue, which again, was already present when he took over the Sheriff’s Office. For without the investigation into this matter, this information may never have come to light. So while a few are pointing the finger at Sheriff Ferrara for this mess, it seems to me we might want to praise Sheriff Ferrara for his integrity in uncovering an issue that, as by what has been reported, may require additional litigation in many cases. Isn't that what we want in a Sheriff, someone who has the courage to stand up and identify a mistake may have been discovered, and then allow for a fair trial to be conducted for those accused? As stated before, personnel matters are confidential. What we are reading in the press may be factual but it is certainly one sided and statements can be written and interpreted many ways. Let’s not judge a person or a department on what is printed in the press. There is an avenue to fairly address these issues. It is called the Grand Jury. I can only assume that there has already been changes made within the Sheriff’s Office to address the issues identified in the internal investigation. Let us allow a group of individuals who are sworn to objectively review these issues address the procedures and not a group of individuals who may not be aware of civil service rules and procedures, or have their own agendas. SolanoCitizenFebruary 24, 2014 - 3:39 pm Finally, a balanced and rational comment! Yes, it is true that Hogan's personnel file remains confidential until it is deemed necessary to reveal its content by the city attorney's office that there might be a problem. Let me underscore City Attorney NOT the DA. they are two separate entities. Yes, there are a myriad of county officials involved in this. The Sheriff's office along with the DA's office, unfortunately, are the ones being thrown under the bus for doing the right thing. It is also unfortunate that the Public Defender's office are opportunists but somehow we should not be surprised. They have rapist and killers to protect. I suppose they will jump on whatever chance they can to see to it they get the best results for their office which might not be what's best for people. Additionally, you are also correct that there are a few people who erroneously jump to the conclusions they wish for because it serves some self serving purpose. We should all try to keep an open mind until all the facts come out. This advice includes the judges involved in hearing these matters. The MisterFebruary 24, 2014 - 4:46 pm Of course the way this exploded on to the scene is when our bad actor refused to testify in court. I certainly don't recall a headline where Sheriff Ferrara exposed these problems to his constituents and the courts. I guess it didn't happen that way. SolanoCitizenFebruary 24, 2014 - 5:06 pm Mister, I think what you are missing is 1) You DON'T know that Ferrara knew Hogan was a problem and sat on his hands. You are purely speculating. 2) It seems to escape you that there is a very long red-tape process to fire a county employee and these policies that forbid Ferrara to divulge what's in said employee's file to constituents are not made up by Ferrara. Perhaps, the rules governing how a bad county employee get fired or at minimum exposed should be looked into. The MisterFebruary 24, 2014 - 7:31 pm Really? But Curious Observer just told us that when Sheriff Ferrara took office, he did clean house, investigate and learn of the potential issue with the Pathologist. So either he was going to do nothing or he was going to do something but just didn't get to it before the Pathologist got called to testify in court. Additionally, there is no "very long red-tape process" when a county employee breaks the law. The law-breaker is put on suspension and not allowed access to his or her workplace. Firing can come later... but the continuing damage is stopped. That did not happen. SolanoCitizenFebruary 24, 2014 - 8:46 pm Mister, curious observer never said Ferrara cleaned house when he took office. What CO said was when the issue of Hogan came to his attention and he acted on it. Additionally, where did you get your information that Hogan broke the law? Yes, I agree, law breakers are put on suspension, etc...but the aligations are that Hogan's quality of work and competency are in question. Please don't kid yourself, if there are concerns over a county employee's work performance, work quality or competency, you can rest assured it is a long process to get rid of them and, to boot, you might get sued if you're successful at ridding the bad employee for any number of reasons they will throw up on the wall in an effort to see what sticks. My guess is you have no idea how county HR policies work. Glad to enlighten you though :-). | High | [
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Chlorination of Betacyanins in Several Hypochlorous Acid Systems. This study presents a comparative evaluation of chlorination of betanin, betanidin, and neobetanin exposed to sodium hypochlorite and myeloperoxidase (MPO)/H2O2/Cl(-) systems. For betanin/betanidin, the chlorination takes place at the aglycone unit, but for neobetanin, no chlorinated products in the reaction mixtures can be detected. In the RP-HPLC system, monochloro-betanin/-betanidin were eluted earlier than their corresponding nonchlorinated substrates. An influence of Cl(-) concentration on betanin/betanidin chlorination efficiency in sodium hypochlorite and MPO systems was investigated. At pH 3-5, the yields of formed monochloro-betanin/-betanidin decrease dramatically at higher Cl(-) concentrations, indicating that generated Cl2 is not the chlorinating agent in the presence of sodium hypochlorite. The intriguing low activity of Cl2 in betanin/betanidin chlorination compared to HOCl and/or Cl2O can be explained by a special position of the attack by molecules of HOCl and/or Cl2O. In the MPO/H2O2/Cl(-) system, the highest efficiency of monochloro-betanin/-betanidin generation is observed at pH 5. | High | [
0.662192393736017,
37,
18.875
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Q: Cómo puedo hacer esta sentencia SQL sin utilizar el IN y obtener los mismos resultados? Tengo esta sentencia: SELECT riesgo FROM CI_Riesgo WHERE proceso LIKE '21.2 Seguridad Institucional en Oficinas Centrales' AND riesgo NOT IN (SELECT nomRiesgo FROM CI_Riesgo_T WHERE estadoRiesgo LIKE 'En%' OR estadoRiesgo LIKE '%Asignado%') Pero la herramienta donde la voy a ejecutar no contiene la expresión IN (no pregunten por qué) por lo que no puedo ejecutar dicha sentencia. Así que busco la manera de hacer una sentencia diferente con los mismos resultados. ¿Hay alguna forma? A: Una alternativa (que no sé si tu herramienta soporta), sería usar NOT EXISTS: SELECT riesgo FROM CI_Riesgo r WHERE proceso LIKE '21.2 Seguridad Institucional en Oficinas Centrales' AND NOT EXISTS( SELECT 1 FROM CI_Riesgo_T WHERE (estadoRiesgo LIKE 'En%' OR estadoRiesgo LIKE '%Asignado%') AND nomRiesgo = r.riesgo) ; Como comentario, la forma en que estás usando LIKE en la primera condición del WHERE es lo mismo que simplemente usar =, ya que no tiene wildcards. Si por algún motivo desconocido no puedes usar NOT EXISTS, entonces podrías usar un LEFT JOIN: SELECT r.riesgo FROM CI_Riesgo r LEFT JOIN ( SELECT DISTINCT nomRiesgo FROM CI_Riesgo_T WHERE estadoRiesgo LIKE 'En%' OR estadoRiesgo LIKE '%Asignado%') rt ON r.riesgo = rt.nomRiesgo WHERE r.proceso LIKE '21.2 Seguridad Institucional en Oficinas Centrales' AND rt.nomRiesgo IS NULL ; | High | [
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29.25,
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TEACHING YOU THE LANGUAGE THE LANGUAGE SCHOOLS DON'T TEACH, AND GIVING YOU THE EXAMPLES THE EXEMPLARY SCHOOLS DON'T GIVE What this blog is for and about I also offer personally-tailored, individualized English conversation practice (including etiquette) and coaching in writing techniques. Finally, I edit texts such as magazines, business proposals, memorandums, emails so they are presented in English which does not embarrass you or your organization. For further details, please mail me at: [email protected] Remember: all pictures can be expanded to full page size by clicking on them. 14 April 2016 Reagan - the great man: an appreciation with cautions Another excellently delivered talk, this time from Professor Brands, from Texas, about Ronald Reagan and his presidency. He emphasizes "the man who wasn't there" aspect, and shows how his particular form of social emptiness was such a help in dealing with Gorbachev. Prof. Brands has a lively way of talking and, it would seem, a lively way of thinking. I will be interested to read his book, not least as I rather agree with his view about the official biography of "Ronnie" (aka "Dutch") by Edmund Morris, which I read with considerable disappointment, especially as Morris has so many interesting things to say about Reagan in interviews. If you want to receive notice of new posts, click below: The Justice Factory About Me I am a writer, journalist, broadcaster and editor, living in Russia. I have written four books and I now publish this blog, which aims to help Russians master the difficult art of writing fluently in English. You can contact me at: [email protected] Enjoy! | High | [
0.690058479532163,
29.5,
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/* * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more * contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership. * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0 * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with * the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. */ package org.apache.jena.ext.xerces.impl.dv.xs; import org.apache.jena.ext.xerces.impl.dv.XSFacets; import org.apache.jena.ext.xerces.impl.dv.XSSimpleType; import org.apache.jena.ext.xerces.util.SymbolHash; import org.apache.jena.ext.xerces.xs.XSConstants; /** * the factory to create/return built-in schema DVs and create user-defined DVs * * {@literal @xerces.internal} * * @author Neeraj Bajaj, Sun Microsystems, inc. * @author Sandy Gao, IBM * * @version $Id: FullDVFactory.java 699892 2008-09-28 21:08:27Z mrglavas $ */ @SuppressWarnings("all") public class FullDVFactory extends BaseDVFactory { static final String URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"; // there are 45 types. 89 is the closest prime number to 45*2=90. static SymbolHash fFullTypes = new SymbolHash(89); static { createBuiltInTypes(fFullTypes); } /** * Get a built-in simple type of the given name * REVISIT: its still not decided within the Schema WG how to define the * ur-types and if all simple types should be derived from a * complex type, so as of now we ignore the fact that anySimpleType * is derived from anyType, and pass 'null' as the base of * anySimpleType. It needs to be changed as per the decision taken. * * @param name the name of the datatype * @return the datatype validator of the given name */ @Override public XSSimpleType getBuiltInType(String name) { return (XSSimpleType)fFullTypes.get(name); } /** * get all built-in simple types, which are stored in a hashtable keyed by * the name * * @return a hashtable which contains all built-in simple types */ @Override public SymbolHash getBuiltInTypes() { return fFullTypes.makeClone(); } // create all built-in types static void createBuiltInTypes(SymbolHash types) { // create base types first BaseDVFactory.createBuiltInTypes(types); // full schema simple type names final String DOUBLE = "double"; final String DURATION = "duration"; final String ENTITY = "ENTITY"; final String ENTITIES = "ENTITIES"; final String FLOAT = "float"; final String HEXBINARY = "hexBinary"; final String ID = "ID"; final String IDREF = "IDREF"; final String IDREFS = "IDREFS"; final String NAME = "Name"; final String NCNAME = "NCName"; final String NMTOKEN = "NMTOKEN"; final String NMTOKENS = "NMTOKENS"; final String LANGUAGE = "language"; final String NORMALIZEDSTRING = "normalizedString"; final String NOTATION = "NOTATION"; final String QNAME = "QName"; final String STRING = "string"; final String TOKEN = "token"; final XSFacets facets = new XSFacets(); XSSimpleTypeDecl anySimpleType = XSSimpleTypeDecl.fAnySimpleType; XSSimpleTypeDecl stringDV = (XSSimpleTypeDecl)types.get(STRING); types.put(FLOAT, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, FLOAT, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_FLOAT, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_PARTIAL, true, true, true, true, XSConstants.FLOAT_DT)); types.put(DOUBLE, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, DOUBLE, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_DOUBLE, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_PARTIAL, true, true, true, true, XSConstants.DOUBLE_DT)); types.put(DURATION, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, DURATION, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_DURATION, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_PARTIAL, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.DURATION_DT)); types.put(HEXBINARY, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, HEXBINARY, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_HEXBINARY, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.HEXBINARY_DT)); types.put(QNAME, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, QNAME, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_QNAME, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.QNAME_DT)); types.put(NOTATION, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(anySimpleType, NOTATION, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_NOTATION, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.NOTATION_DT)); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_REPLACE; XSSimpleTypeDecl normalizedDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(stringDV, NORMALIZEDSTRING , URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.NORMALIZEDSTRING_DT); normalizedDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE, (short)0 ); types.put(NORMALIZEDSTRING, normalizedDV); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_COLLAPSE; XSSimpleTypeDecl tokenDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(normalizedDV, TOKEN , URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.TOKEN_DT); tokenDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE, (short)0 ); types.put(TOKEN, tokenDV); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_COLLAPSE; facets.pattern = "([a-zA-Z]{1,8})(-[a-zA-Z0-9]{1,8})*"; XSSimpleTypeDecl languageDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tokenDV, LANGUAGE , URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.LANGUAGE_DT); languageDV.applyFacets1(facets, (short)(XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE | XSSimpleType.FACET_PATTERN) ,(short)0); types.put(LANGUAGE, languageDV); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_COLLAPSE; XSSimpleTypeDecl nameDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tokenDV, NAME , URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.NAME_DT); nameDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE, (short)0, XSSimpleTypeDecl.SPECIAL_PATTERN_NAME); types.put(NAME, nameDV); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_COLLAPSE; XSSimpleTypeDecl ncnameDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(nameDV, NCNAME , URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.NCNAME_DT) ; ncnameDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE, (short)0, XSSimpleTypeDecl.SPECIAL_PATTERN_NCNAME); types.put(NCNAME, ncnameDV); types.put(ID, new XSSimpleTypeDecl(ncnameDV, ID, XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_ID, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false , true, XSConstants.ID_DT)); XSSimpleTypeDecl idrefDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(ncnameDV, IDREF , XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_IDREF, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.IDREF_DT); types.put(IDREF, idrefDV); facets.minLength = 1; XSSimpleTypeDecl tempDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(null, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, idrefDV, true, null); XSSimpleTypeDecl idrefsDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tempDV, IDREFS, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null); idrefsDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_MINLENGTH, (short)0); types.put(IDREFS, idrefsDV); XSSimpleTypeDecl entityDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(ncnameDV, ENTITY , XSSimpleTypeDecl.DV_ENTITY, XSSimpleType.ORDERED_FALSE, false, false, false, true, XSConstants.ENTITY_DT); types.put(ENTITY, entityDV); facets.minLength = 1; tempDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(null, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, entityDV, true, null); XSSimpleTypeDecl entitiesDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tempDV, ENTITIES, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null); entitiesDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_MINLENGTH, (short)0); types.put(ENTITIES, entitiesDV); facets.whiteSpace = XSSimpleType.WS_COLLAPSE; XSSimpleTypeDecl nmtokenDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tokenDV, NMTOKEN, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null, XSConstants.NMTOKEN_DT); nmtokenDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_WHITESPACE, (short)0, XSSimpleTypeDecl.SPECIAL_PATTERN_NMTOKEN); types.put(NMTOKEN, nmtokenDV); facets.minLength = 1; tempDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(null, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, nmtokenDV, true, null); XSSimpleTypeDecl nmtokensDV = new XSSimpleTypeDecl(tempDV, NMTOKENS, URI_SCHEMAFORSCHEMA, (short)0, false, null); nmtokensDV.applyFacets1(facets, XSSimpleType.FACET_MINLENGTH, (short)0); types.put(NMTOKENS, nmtokensDV); }//createBuiltInTypes(SymbolHash) }//XFormsDVFactory | Mid | [
0.572008113590263,
35.25,
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Induction of early alloantigen tolerance in thymus and spleen. Both thymocytes and splenocytes from B6 (H-2b) mice injected as neonates with C3H(H-2k) or (B6 X C3H)F1 cells exhibited specific nonresponsiveness to the H-2KD alloantigens in question. Thus, tolerance could be induced in strain combinations which did not share H-2 antigens. Induction of specific allotolerance did not require the presence of Thy-1.2+, Ia+ or G10-Sepharose-adherent cells in the donor inoculum, however injection of irradiated (1200 rad) cells was ineffective. Evidence of specific unresponsiveness was found as early as 5 days after birth and was not abrogated by adding either irradiated normal spleen cells or exogenous interleukin-2 in vitro. In fact, in some experiments there was evidence for the presence of stimulated helper T cells within the population of 'tolerant' cytotoxic T cells exposed to alloantigen. However, this could reflect the operation of a syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction directed at, for instance, fetal calf serum components expressed in the context of the tolerated Ia determinants. | Mid | [
0.6384039900249371,
32,
18.125
] |
1. Introduction {#sec1} =============== Falls are a common consequence of stroke \[[@B1]\]. Hip fractures constitute one of the most serious consequences of falls, since they are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly \[[@B2]\]. Compared with the general population, stroke survivors have an increased risk of hip fracture within the first year after the stroke \[[@B3]\]. The risk is up to 4 times higher than that for age-matched control subjects \[[@B4], [@B5]\]. Conversely, among persons with femoral neck fractures, the prevalence of previous stroke ranges from 16.4% to 39.3% \[[@B6]\]. Whether a fracture occurs when a person falls largely depends on the type and severity of the fall \[[@B7], [@B8]\]. As a result of impaired locomotor function, persons with stroke tend to fall towards the weak side, and therefore hip fractures occur more frequently on that side \[[@B5], [@B9]\]. They may also have a reduced ability to stretch the arm on the weak side in order to soften the fall. Furthermore, it has been suggested that bone resorption occurs rapidly after stroke, which would increase the risk for hip fracture still more \[[@B10], [@B11]\]. In order to prevent hip fractures, it is important to identify which persons are at the greatest risk and to identify situations in which hip fractures occur. It is also of interest to know if test instruments used in physiotherapeutic practice could identify persons prone to suffer hip fractures. In the present study our aim was to determine the incidence of hip fracture within two years after stroke. A second aim was to characterize the persons who fractured their hip regarding demographic and medical factors, as well as to evaluate test instruments that are able to predict hip fractures. A further aim was to describe the circumstances that prevailed when the persons sustained their hip fractures. 2. Methods {#sec2} ========== 2.1. Subjects {#sec2.1} ------------- The participants in this prospective, longitudinal study are the persons included in a community-based stroke-incidence study. The incidence study was carried out in Örebro during a 12-month period, from February 1, 1999, to January 31, 2000 \[[@B12]\]. Stroke cases were searched inside as well as outside the hospital and identified in several overlapping ways. Persons who fractured their hip within two years after the stroke were identified. 2.2. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria {#sec2.2} ------------------------------------- The World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria for stroke were used \[[@B13]\]. Only first-ever strokes were included. Persons with subarachnoidal haemorrhage were excluded. 2.3. Interview and Measurements: All Persons in the Study {#sec2.3} --------------------------------------------------------- In a previous publication, definitions of stroke severity and medical risk factors have been accounted for \[[@B14]\]. In short, stroke severity was evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). This scale consists of 11 items representing consciousness, vision, language, sensory, and motor function. The score ranges from 0 to 38, where 0 indicates functions within the normal range \[[@B15]\]. A three-item version of the Behavioural Inattention Test \[[@B16]\] and the Baking Tray Task \[[@B17]\] were used for assessment of neglect. Information on how medical risk factors and other medical conditions were diagnosed is given in [Table 1](#tab1){ref-type="table"}. 2.4. Interview and Measurements: Persons Admitted to the Stroke Unit {#sec2.4} -------------------------------------------------------------------- Persons who were considered to gain most from stroke unit care were admitted to the stroke unit (SU) from the first day. Persons treated in the SU had a more comprehensive physiotherapeutic investigation. The assessments started at a median of 8 days (interquartile range 5--11) after the stroke event. If they were to be discharged before the seventh day, they were examined earlier. A structured interview was conducted in order to gather general information about each person and predictors known to be associated with falls. The persons were asked about previous falls during the preceding year. A fall was defined as an unexpected event in which a person came to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level \[[@B18]\]. The persons in the study self-rated their vision as normal or impaired. 2.5. Measurements {#sec2.5} ----------------- During the stay in the SU, the following tests were carried out: the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognitive function. This instrument includes six sections, orientation, registration, attention and calculation, recall, language, and copying. The score ranges from 0 to 30, and 30 points indicate normal cognitive function \[[@B19]\]. Birgitta Lindmark motor assessment scale (BL) was used for assessment of motor capacity. The interrater reliability for the scale is 0.96 and the intrarater reliability is 0.98 \[[@B20]\]. In this study we used the part that evaluates ability to perform active selective movements. The total score ranges from 0 to 57 for the upper extremity. Fifty-six points or less were considered as motor impairment. For the lower extremity the total score ranges from 0 to 36. Thirty-five points or less were considered as motor impairment. We used the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to test balance. BBS consists of 14 items representing functional movements common in everyday life. Each task is scored on a five-point scale from 0 to 4 giving a maximum score of 56, which indicates balance ability within the normal range \[[@B21]\]. The inter-rater reliability and the intra-rater reliability for BBS are 0.98 and 0.97, respectively \[[@B22]\]. Timed Up & Go (TUG) was used as a test of basic functional mobility. The time is taken when the person rises from an armchair, walk three metres as fast as possible, cross a line on the floor, turn, walk back, and sit down again. Both inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability for TUG are 0.99 \[[@B23]\]. The results of BBS and TUG were dichotomised at points recommended in earlier studies \[[@B21], [@B24]\]. The test Stops Walking When Talking (SWWT) was used to examine whether or not a person stops walking when the examiner starts an occasional conversation \[[@B25]\]. 2.6. Hip Fracture {#sec2.6} ----------------- The register at the National Board of Health and Welfare was used to identify persons with hip fracture. This register was searched for ICD-10 codes S72.0, S72.1, and S72.2, using each person\'s unique identification number. All persons who initially were treated in the SU and who later got a hip fracture were evaluated at the orthopaedic department, while still in hospital. In these cases, a structured interview was conducted in order to retrieve information about the fall. Persons who were not admitted to the SU at stroke onset were not interviewed when they got their hip fracture. Instead, information regarding the fall that caused their hip fracture was gathered retrospectively from their medical records. 2.7. Statistics {#sec2.7} --------------- Analyses were made with purpose to compare persons with and without hip fractures. Independent sample *t*-test was used to analyse age. The Mann-Whitney test was used to analyse the scores of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The difference of proportions for dichotomised variables was calculated with Pearson Chi square test and Fisher\'s exact test. A *P* value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant. Incidence rates (*I*) were calculated according to the formula *I* = *A*/*R*, where *A* is the number of fractures during the 24-month period and *R* is the total observation time in 1000 person-years. Mortality rates (*I*) were calculated using the same formula, where *A* is the number of death during the 3-year period after stroke and *R* is the number of people in each group. Regarding fracture incidence and mortality rates confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the Poisson distribution. The accuracy of fracture prediction is shown using sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. 2.8. Ethics {#sec2.8} ----------- Before entering, the persons were informed that participation in this study was voluntary and that they could choose to opt out at any time without justification. They also received an information letter. If a person\'s ability to communicate was restricted, consent by next-of-kin was obtained. The Human Ethics Committee of the Örebro County Council and the Regional Ethics Committee in Uppsala approved the study. 3. Results {#sec3} ========== 3.1. All Included Persons {#sec3.1} ------------------------- 377 persons with first-ever stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) were identified during the year of inclusion. Sixteen persons, eight women and eight men, fractured their hip within two years after stroke onset, which corresponds to an incidence of 32 (95% CI: 16--47) hip fractures per 1000 person-years. One person had two fractures within three months, one in each hip. There were no significant differences between persons with and without hip fracture, neither for the whole incidence group nor for persons treated in the SU, concerning age, gender, stroke severity, presence of neglect, or medical conditions described in [Table 1](#tab1){ref-type="table"}. Nine persons had the stroke lesion in the right hemisphere and seven of them in the left hemisphere. Nine persons lived in nursing homes and seven lived in their own homes. All fractures occurred after discharge from the initial hospital stay, and all persons fractured their hip indoors and in connection with a fall. Information about the circumstances when they fell and fractured their hip is given in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"}. Eight of the sixteen persons fractured their hip within the first year and eight of them during the second year. Twelve of them fractured their hip on the stroke-affected side. Eight of the sixteen persons subsequently died during the study period, and all were dead within fifteen months after the hip fracture (4--449 days). The three-year mortality rate after stroke for persons with and without hip fracture was 44% (95% CI: 26--64) and 47% (95% CI: 42--51), respectively, (n.s. *P* = 0.827). The mortality for persons with and without hip fracture is illustrated by a Kaplan-Meier curve in [Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}. The mean survival time for persons with hip fracture was 2.32 years (95% CI: 1.85--2.79) and for persons without hip fracture 1.91 years (95% CI: 1.78--2.04). 3.2. Persons Admitted to the Stroke Unit (SU) {#sec3.2} --------------------------------------------- Of the 377 persons included in the study, 218 were treated in the SU. Persons who were treated in the SU had lower mean age (75 years versus 79 years). A higher proportion of persons treated in the SU were men, and fewer had pre-stroke cognitive impairment. Nine persons who fractured their hip were treated in the SU. When comparing the results of the functional measurements presented in [Table 3](#tab3){ref-type="table"}, there were significant differences between persons with and without hip fracture regarding visual impairment, fractures before stroke onset, cognitive function, functional mobility (TUG), and the ability to walk and talk simultaneously (SWWT). Information about the accuracy of the fracture prediction is given in [Table 4](#tab4){ref-type="table"}. All persons, however, were not able to participate in all functional tests. Persons who were unable to walk were not able to participate in the test SWWT. Persons who were unable to rise from an armchair and unable to walk could not participate in TUG. All nine persons had fallen at least once before the occasion when they fractured their hip. Five of them also had fallen before the stroke event. None of them owned or used hip protectors. 4. Discussion {#sec4} ============= This study has shown a high incidence of hip fractures during two years following a first-ever stroke. Although the differences were not significant, persons who had hip fractures tended to be older and to have lower stroke severity. More persons with hip fractures who were treated in the stroke unit had impaired vision. More of them had had fractures before stroke onset, and they had lower cognitive function. The results of Timed Up & Go and Stops Walking When Talking differed between persons with and without hip fracture. All persons sustained their hip fracture indoors, after the initial hospital stay, while performing everyday activities. MMSE was significantly lower in persons with hip fractures compared with persons without hip fracture, and there was also a trend for persons with fracture to more often have cognitive impairment prior to the stroke event. Cognitive impairment is a predictor for falls \[[@B26]\], and nearly half of persons with a diagnosis of hip fracture have dementia \[[@B27]\]. Persons with cognitive impairment may have reduced ability to make adequate decisions of their capability to perform everyday activities, which may lead to a higher level of risk taking. Given the wide confidence interval, the fracture incidence of 32 per 1000 person-years must be treated with caution. It is higher than 7 per 1000 person-years which Dennis et al. \[[@B9]\] have reported but may possibly be comparable to 17 per 1000 person-years and 19.8 per 1000 person-years as reported by Ramnemark et al. \[[@B5]\] and Kanis et al. \[[@B3]\], respectively. What might possibly explain the higher incidence in our study is that due to the community-based design, more persons with cognitive impairment may have been included in our study, thus increasing the incidence of falls and fractures. Persons who had hip fractures tended to have milder strokes. An explanation may be that persons with severe strokes are less mobile and therefore not able to expose themselves to the risk of falling. This is also the most likely reason for persons without hip fracture to have a shorter survival time. A large proportion of persons in both groups had impaired balance, but our study failed to show that BBS predicted hip fractures. Therefore, it seems clear that it is not stroke severity nor impaired balance *per se* that is the most important predictor of fractures. This does not mean that they are irrelevant, but the ability to adapt to these impairments may be more important. Our study also showed that visual impairment is an important predictor for falls and hip fracture in older people. This is consistent with a previous study \[[@B28]\]. In the present study, where only persons with first-ever strokes were included, there was a significant difference regarding TUG and SWWT between persons who later on fractured their hip and those who did not. Previous studies have shown that both TUG \[[@B29]\] and SWWT \[[@B25], [@B30]\] are able to predict falls and fractures in persons with different medical conditions. Also it has been shown that persons with stroke have significantly longer TUG time than age-matched controls, and it takes significantly longer time for them to accomplish the turning moment in TUG \[[@B31]\]. In their original study, Lundin-Olsson et al. found that an even higher proportion of the persons was positive in SWWT than in our study \[[@B25]\], but in that study a larger proportion of the participants suffered from cognitive impairment. Our interpretation is that the results of TUG and SWWT demonstrate that persons with impaired cognition have difficulties in performing a complex series of activities and that they show a reduced capacity for multitasking. The accuracy of the fracture prediction differed as shown in [Table 4](#tab4){ref-type="table"}. In general (with exception for TUG), the specificity was higher than the sensitivity, and the negative predictive value was higher than the positive predictive value. That means that TUG may be better at identifying persons at risk for fracturing their hip and that the other tests may be better at identifying persons that are not. A strength of this study is that it is community based, which means a minimum of selection bias. The case ascertainment regarding hip fractures should be complete, because all cases of hip fractures are hospitalized and therefore are registered in the person register of the National Board of Health and Welfare, as well as in the local person administration system. A limitation of this study is that not all persons were treated in the SU and therefore not fully evaluated by a physiotherapist. We also lack complete information about the drug use, especially by persons who were not treated in the SU. A further limitation is that we relied on self-rating of vision and self-reporting when documenting previous fractures and falls. Recall bias may have played a role. Erroneous coding of fractures, or treatment of hip fractures abroad, may have led to having a few hip fractures missed. 5. Conclusions {#sec5} ============== Hip fractures after stroke is common, even more common than previously described. Perhaps unexpectedly, high stroke severity is not associated with fractures. Based on observations on persons who were treated in the stroke unit, visual disturbance and cognitive impairment do seem to play important roles. The fractures occurred indoors, in the person\'s homes, in everyday situations. This leads us to conclude that ambulatory persons with previous fractures, with cognitive or visual impairment, are at particular risk. Such persons should be targets for fall preventive measures, particularly directed to the situation in the person\'s own home. In addition to cognitive and visual tests, TUG may be used to identify persons with an increased risk for fractures. Hip fractures in persons who have had a stroke tend to occur indoors, in everyday situations. Ambulatory persons who had previous fractures, who are cognitively impaired, or who have a bad vision, are at special risk. Certain physiotherapy instruments, such as TUG, may be used to identify these persons. This paper was supported by grants from the Research Funds of Örebro County Council, the Swedish Stroke Association, the Vårdal Foundation, the Swedish Research Council, and Stockholms sjukhem. {#fig1} ###### Diagnosis of associated medical conditions. -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prestroke dementia Assessment was based on interviews with the persons and a knowledgeable informant. We required the presence of memory impairment as well as deficits in other cognitive abilities according to the ICD-10 classification Atrial fibrillation (AF) A documented history of paroxysmal AF, alternatively if AF was present at hospital admission Heart failure and myocardial infarction Documentation of these conditions in medical records Hypertension When the presence of hypertension was documented in medical records, alternatively if ≥2 readings of systolic blood pressure were ≥160 mm Hg, or diastolic blood pressure was ≥95 mm Hg at any time before the onset of stroke Pre-stroke transient ischemic attack (TIA) Documentation of TIA in medical records or from the person\'s own report Diabetes mellitus If a person gave a history of diabetes mellitus that was confirmed by their medical records or was taking insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent Epilepsy Epilepsy was diagnosed from the hospital\'s patient register (diagnosis code G40) and confirmed from the patient records. Epilepsy could be present both before as well as at any time after the stroke -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ###### The circumstances that prevailed when the persons sustained the hip fracture. NIHSS MMSE ----------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- ------ Man, 84 years He fell when he put his glasses on the small table beside his bed 5 27 Man, 86 years He fell on his way from the bedroom to the kitchen 2 23 Woman, 73 years She fell when the door of the elevator hit her 6 29 Man, 77 years The staff at his nursing home found him on the floor in the bathroom 2 20 Woman, 84 years She lost the grip and fell when she tried to draw herself up from the wheelchair 6 21 Woman, 94 years She fell backwards into the wheelchair but it turned over and she fell on the floor 12 15 Man, 89 years He fell on his way from the bedroom to the kitchen 0 13 Man, 58 years On his way from the bedroom to the front door, he stumbled on a carpet and fell 2 24 Man, 87 years He was going to sit down but missed the chair and fell on the floor 8 12 Man, 69 years He was going to sit down in his wheelchair but missed it and fell on the floor 4 --- Woman, 87 years During the night she fell in her home 2 --- Man, 81 years He arrived at the hospital after fall in her home 5 --- Woman, 76 years She fell in her home and hit her hip 8 --- Woman, 86 years She fell from a chair 3 --- Woman, 83 years She fell during the evening and hit her hip 2 --- Woman, 86 years Unspecified fall. She complained from pain in the right leg 7 --- The scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The last seven persons were not initially treated in the stroke unit. For these persons MMSE was not performed. ###### Characteristics of persons admitted to the stroke unit (*n* = 218) with hip fracture (H) and without hip fracture (NH). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Persons with hip fracture\ *P* Persons without hip fracture\ *n* tested (*n* = 9) (*n* = 209) ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ------ ------------------------------- ------------ ----- Age, mean (range) years 80 (56--92) 0.18 75 (33--94) 9 209 Men, *n* (%) 6 (67) 0.50 105 (50) 9 209 NIHSS, md (IQR) 5 (2--7) 0.18 6 (3--11) 9 209 Neglect, *n* (%) 2 (22) 0.96 45 (22) 9 209 Visual impairment, *n* (%) 6 (67) 0.04 52 (33) 9 156 Persons who fell during the previous year, *n* (%) 5 (56) 0.76 59 (39) 9 156 Persons who fell at the stroke unit, *n* (%) 1 (11) 0.84 17 (9) 9 187 Persons with fractures before stroke onset, *n* (%) 2 (22) 0.01 6 (4) 9 156 MMSE, md (IQR) 21 (14--26) 0.05 26 (21--28) 9 152 BL: motor impairment upper ex, *n* (%) 7 (88) 0.18 102 (64) 8 159 BL: motor impairment lower ex, *n* (%) 5 (63) 1 99 (62) 8 159 BBS \< 45, *n* (%) 6 (75) 0.28 77 (50) 8 154 TUG ≥ 14 seconds, *n* (%) 4 (80) 0.05 37 (34) 5 110 SWWT, *n* (%) 2 (29) 0.02 7 (6) 7 118 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NIHSS: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; Md: median; IQR: interquartile range; MMSE: Mini-Mental State Examination BL: Birgitta Lindmark motor assessment scale; BBS: Berg Balance Scale; TUG: Timed Up & Go; SWWT: Stops Walking When Talking. ###### Accuracy of the fracture prediction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prevalence of hip fracture Sensitivity\ Specificity\ Positive predictive value\ Negative predictive value\ % (*n*) % (*n*) % (*n*) % (*n*) --------------------- ---------------------------- -------------- -------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- Impaired vision\ 5 (9/165) 67 (6/9) 67 (104/156) 10 (6/58) 97 (104/107) Previous fractures\ 5 (9/165) 22 (2/9) 96 (150/156) 25 (2/8) 96 (150/157) TUG ≥ 14 s\ 4 (5/115) 80 (4/5) 66 (73/110) 10 (4/41) 99 (73/74) SWWT\ 6 (7/125) 29 (2/7) 94 (111/118) 22 (2/9) 96 (111/116) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TUG: Timed Up & Go; SWWT: Stops Walking When Talking. [^1]: Academic Editor: Frances Batchelor | Mid | [
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Player of the Week Co-Defensive Player of the Week Co-Defensive Player of the Week Setter of the Week Freshman of the Week 2019 Big Ten Players of the Week • Led the Badgers to sweeps of Maryland and Indiana averaging 4.2 kills per set on a .550 hitting percentage and 1.50 blocks per set• Led all players with 17 kills and four blocks versus Maryland, while not recording a single error• Added eight kills and five blocks at Indiana• Earns her seventh career Player of the Week honor and the third of the season• Last Wisconsin Player of the Week: Dana Rettke (Oct. 14, 2019)• Averaged 5.00 digs per set in No. 8 Nebraska’s wins over Rutgers and No. 7 Penn State• Posted a career-high 24 digs in the five-set win over the Nittany Lions• Helped the Huskers hold Rutgers to .099 hitting percentage and Penn State to a .166 hitting clip; its lowest mark in Big Ten play this season• Receives her first career Defensive Player of the Week honor• Last Nebraska Defensive Player of the Week: Lauren Stivrins (Nov. 26, 2018)• Averaged 5.00 digs per set in No. 4 Wisconsin’s wins over Maryland and Indiana• Played key defense that held Maryland and Indiana to a .108 percentage over the weekend• Recorded a match-high 20 digs at Indiana as the Hoosiers hit .065 percent for the match• Collects her second career Defensive Player of the Week accolade and the first of the season• Last Wisconsin Defensive Player of the Week: Dana Rettke (Nov. 26, 2018)• Set the Badgers to their school record 12th Big Ten win in a row, averaging 12.8 assists per set against Maryland and Indiana• Also led the team to a .355 attack percentage over the weekend as UW has hit .300 or better in four straight matches• Also tallied 2.5 digs per set aiding the Badger defense• Receives her ninth career Setter of the Week award and the fourth this season• Last Wisconsin Setter of the Week: Sydney Hilley (Oct. 14, 2019)• Averaged 4.12 kills and 4.38 points per set for the Buckeyes over the weekend• Recorded double-digit kills versus Maryland and No. 6 Minnesota averaging a .272 hitting percentage• Receives her first career Freshman of the Week honor• Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: Hannah Gruensfelder (Sept. 11, 2017)P: Dana Rettke, Jr., WISD: Jayme Cox, Jr., MSUS: Sydney Hilley, Jr., WISF: Kenzie Knuckles, NEBP: Kaitlyn Hord, So., PSUD: Karysa Swackenberg, Sr., RUS: Kylie Miller, Sr., MINNF: Temi Thomas-Ailara, NUP: Stephanie Samedy, Jr., MINND: Regan Pittman, Jr., MINNS: Kylie Miller, Sr., MINNF: Temi Thomas-Ailara, NUP: Grace Cleveland, So., PURD/F: Kylie Murr, Fr., OSUS: Hayley Bush, So., PURF: Biamba Kabengele, MSUP: Stephanie Samedy, Jr., MINND: CC McGraw, So., MINNS: Bayley McMenimen, So., MINNF: May Pertofsky, MICHP/S: Sydney Hilley, Jr., WISD: Ashlyn Fleming, Sr., ILLF: Diana Brown, ILLF: May Pertofsky, MICHP: Dana Rettke, Jr., WISD: Kendall White, Sr., PSUS: Sydney Hilley, Jr., WISF: Temi Thomas-Ailara, NUP/F: Madi Kubik, Fr., NEBD: CC McGraw, So., MINNS: Gabby Blossom, So., PSUP: Grace Cleveland, So., PURD: Regan Pittman, Jr., MINNS: Gabby Blossom, So., PSUF: Biamba Kabengele, MSUP: Dana Rettke, Jr., WISD: Kenzie Knuckles, Fr., NEBD: Tiffany Clark, Sr., WISS: Sydney Hilley, Jr., WISF: Jenaisya Moore, OSU | Mid | [
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Elen Roger Jones Elen Roger Jones (27 August 1908 – 15 April 1999) was a Welsh actress and teacher. Early life and education Elen was born in Marian-Glas (Llaneugrad), Anglesey, the daughter of William Griffith (1873–1935), (who was the Anglesey Education Committee Secretary) and his wife Mary (née Williams, d.1961). She was her father's first child and her mother's second. She had an older brother, Thomas, from her mother's previous marriage (which ended due to Thomas' father dying during a storm at sea a few months before Thomas' birth). Elen's younger sister, Siarlot, was born two years later (1910–1993), followed by her brother Hugh Griffith (1912–1980), who became a world-famous actor, winning an Oscar for his part in the movie Ben-Hur. Jones was educated at Llanallgo school, which was 3/4 mile from her home. She, along with another pupil, Gwilym Roger Jones, the minister's son, had the opportunity to sit a scholarship exam to continue their education at Llangefni County School, which she was able to do. After winning the advanced certificate, she studied for two years at Bangor Normal College At the age of 20 she passed her final examinations and gained a teaching position. Personal life In 1938, she married Gwilym Roger Jones (1907–1988), a banker who had just gained a position in Ruthin. Just over a year after settling in Ruthin, Elen gave birth to a daughter, Meri Rhiannon. Towards the end of WWII, she gave birth to a son, William Roger. Elen and Gwilym joined Capel Bethania, with Elen producing and performing and Gwilym in the role of secretary or treasurer. Elen was the main force behind establishing the Ruthin Drama Society 1950. In 1954 the family moved to Bala for Gwilym's work. Elen competed in the local eisteddfodau. She eventually began judging the acting and recital competitions, and later became a judge at the National Eisteddfod. In the next two years, the family lived in Abersoch and Amlwch, before returning to her home town of Marian-Glas. Interests Throughout her life, Jones was interested in music and drama. Her love began for drama began after seeing her first play, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, performed in the Old School, a building which hosted plays, competitive meetings and concerts. It is still a focal point of the village today. On the wall of the building is a plaque commemorating her brother, Hugh Griffith. Jones' interest in music was encouraged at home after her parents purchased a piano. She attended tonic sol-fa classes on Sundays in the Capel Paradwys, Llanallgo, where she practiced singing. When she went to Bangor in 1926, she joined the university's music club as well as the College Choral Society. Career Teacher After her final exams, Jones gained a teaching position at Llanbedr-goch School. She then worked at Amlwch Elementary School. In 1930 she became a teacher at her former primary school, Llanallgo. After her marriage in 1938, she only worked as a supply teacher. Actress Jones was widely known as an actress in stage, radio and television within Wales. The Theatr Fach in Llangefni was an institution of extreme importance to her; she first performed there in 1960. She remained devoted to this theatre for forty years. She performed in plays such as Cartref, Dryd o Ddail and Awel Gref. In the early seventies, she was invited to act in productions by the Welsh Theatre Company, and also acted in theatres throughout Wales. She performed in productions of Byd a Betws and Gwyliwr. She received recognition for her parts in Dwy Briodas Ann in 1973 and Merch Gwern Hywel in 1976, both works by Saunders Lewis. Jones' first TV part was in a programme on the Welsh novelist Daniel Owen. Seven years later, she played the same part in a production by the Welsh Theatre Company. After her 70th birthday, Jones became a more prominent face on Welsh television. She played Miss Brooks in Joni Jones and Ann Robaits in Hufen a Moch Bach (Cream and Pigs). She was a cast member on two series on S4C, Minafon and Gwely a Brecwast. In 1983, she played Lady Grey in the TV movie Owain Glyndwr, which was also shown on S4C. In 1984, she starred in the English series The District Nurse. She was described as a 'one take actress' by John Hefin Evans, and Nerys Hughes praised her for her never forgetting her lines and for her professionalism. Filmography Later life Jones continued acting in later life, which was one of the busiest times in her life. She filmed different TV series, held classes for Welsh learners, gave talks, wrote for local newspapers and magazines, and was a judge for the eisteddfodau. Along with her husband, she founded a club for pensioners in the Old School, and belonged to other groups such as the Bro Dyfnan choir and the Merched y Wawr. Her contributions through her life did not go unrecognised. In 1979 at the Caernarfon National Eisteddfod she became a member of the Gorsedd and was honoured by receiving a white robe. In 1983, when the Eisteddfod was held in Anglesey, she was awarded the Garmon prize and was recognised as the Best Actress of the Year. She was also awarded the Gee Medal due to her unwavering loyalty to the Sunday School and her religion. Jones died on 15 April 1999 at the age of 90. She is buried in Llaneugrad church. References External links Elen Roger Jones at Dictionary of Welsh Biography Elen Roger Jones on IMDb Category:Welsh actresses Category:Welsh educators Category:1908 births Category:1999 deaths | High | [
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Q: sql server convert datetime failed I want to convert this time_stamp column (nvarchar50) into datetime column in SQL server. the value of time_stamp is "2018-02-16 13:30:27+09:00". I don't know which datetime code should I use to convert it. Can you help? This is what I tried: select convert(datetime,time_stamp, 110) from table; select convert(datetime,time_stamp, 120) from table; A: It is failing because of the timezone embedded in the string. However, it will work if you remove the timezone using string function such as LEFT. SELECT CONVERT(DATETIME, LEFT(time_stamp, 19), 110) FROM tableName Here's a Demo. | High | [
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I am a single mom working a full time career as a pediatric occupational therapist. I often am challenged to find "me time" and over the years I believe that I have used food to soothe my stress of trying to balance both. I love this quote: "The best day of your life is the one in which YOU decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours- it is an amazing journey- and you aloneare responsible for the ... I am a single mom working a full time career as a pediatric occupational therapist. I often am challenged to find "me time" and over the years I believe that I have used food to soothe my stress of trying to balance both. I love this quote: "The best day of your life is the one in which YOU decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours- it is an amazing journey- and you aloneare responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life REALLY begins" -Bob Moawad Thanks for your encouraging comment on my blog. We do have a lot in common-and understand the challenge of taking care of ourselves while teaching full time and taking care of kids. I appreciate your words of support, and I am looking forward to getting to know you! | Mid | [
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Q: WEKA- ReliefF algorithm I would like to ask if the ReliefF algorithm for attribute selection, as implemented in Weka toolkit, performs any normalization in the attributes before ranking them. Thank you A: Yes, internally ReliefF algorithm does min-max normalisation for numeric attributes. You can check the source code of weka.attributeSelection.ReliefFAttributeEval class to confirm the same. | High | [
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class Node protected attr_writer :prev, :next public attr_reader :value, :prev, :next, :data, :id def initialize() @id = ('a'..'z').to_a.shuffle[0,3].join @data = ('a'..'z').to_a.shuffle[0,10].join end def remove @prev.next = @next if @prev @next.prev = @prev if @next @next = @prev = nil end def insert_after(node) remove @next = node.next @next.prev = self if @next @prev = node node.next = self end end | Low | [
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One goal of semiconductor fabrication is to increase the density of active elements provided on an integrated circuit. In order to accomplish this, ongoing investigation in advanced lithography is underway to decrease the critical dimensions of active elements used to form these integrated circuits. Current lithography uses energy sources that include i-line at 365 nanometers and deep ultra-violet (DUV) at 248 nanometers to pattern substrate features. Decreasing the wavelength of the energy source allows for the formation of photoresist features having smaller critical dimensions. Accordingly, smaller wavelength energy sources are being developed as alternatives to conventional lithography. These include x-ray, ion projection, extreme ultra-violet (EUV) at 13.4 nanometers, and scattering with angular limited projection in electron-beam lithography (SCALPEL). SCALPEL and x-ray lithography masks are formed of attenuating elements overlying thin membranes. The membrane thickness of a SCALPEL mask is typically in range of 100-150 nanometers and the membrane thickness of an x-ray ray mask is typically in a range of 2000-5000 nanometers. Cleaning such masks is relatively difficult and presents numerous problems. Conventional wet chemical processes do not adequately remove particles without reacting with or damaging the mask. Physical agitation, such as ultrasonic agitation, is generally undesirable because of the delicate nature of the membranes. Other cleaning techniques, such as dry laser cleaning and frozen ice cleaning, are likely to be ineffective at adequately cleaning the masks, particularly when attempting to remove particles between patterned mask features. Conventional lithography has adopted the use of pellicles to protect masks from particles and to prevent the imaging of defects onto the semiconductor substrate. However, the use of pellicles in SCALPEL and x-ray lithography is problematic. The pellicle increases the thickness of material through which the energy must pass, thereby reducing throughput and increasing chromatic aberration. Additionally, contaminants or particles deposited on pellicles used in SCALPEL and x-ray lithography may nevertheless be imaged onto the resist, unlike in conventional lithography. Development in the field of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) has been underway for several years. The particularities of commonly formed SAMs are disclosed in technical literature, including "Formation and Structure of Self-Assembled Monolayers", by Abraham Ulman, Chemical Reviews, Vol 96, 4, (1996) 1532-1544, and "An Introduction to Ultrathin Organic Films: From Langmuir-Blodgett to Self-Assembly" by Abraham Ulman, Academic Press, Inc., Boston (1991) 237-304, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. | High | [
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Search Site: OnlineNigeria Popular Menu Intercontinental Bank enters Ghana market A subsidiary of Intercontinental Bank Nigeria Plc would, early next month, commence operations in Ghana as part of the bank’s efforts to actualise its post-consolidation agenda. A subsidiary of Intercontinental Bank Nigeria Plc would, early next month, commence operations in Ghana as part of the bank’s efforts to actualise its post-consolidation agenda. The subsidiary, known as Intercontinental Bank Limited, Ghana, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Bank Nigeria Plc. It would have begun operations last December but for the necessary legal documentations required for its take off. By this effort, Intercontinental Bank has joined the rank of Nigerian banks, such as Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Nigeria Plc and First Bank Nigeria Plc, which have subsidiaries in Ghana and other parts of the West African coast. Although the bank is still expecting approvals from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Ghana (BoG), a well-placed source said the approvals are likely to be ready before the end of this month. Already, an executive director of Intercontinental Bank Plc has been appointed the managing director and chief executive of the Ghana subsidiary, which is located in Accra, the country’s capital. Vice-chairman and chief executive officer of the bank, Dr. Erastus Akingbola, had said that in the post-consolidation era, Intercontinental Bank would not be satisfied with being a local bank, adding that the bank would be a key player in the global economy in this post-consolidation era. Intercontinatental Bank had concluded merger with three other banks, namely Equity Bank of Nigeria, Gateway Bank Plc and Global Bank Plc. The four banks now operate under the name Intercontinental Banks Plc with a shareholders’ funds that is in excess of N51 billion. “With the merger, Intercontinental is now the fourth biggest bank in Nigeria in terms of balance sheet profitability and deposit base. It is at present, the most capitalised bank in Nigeria and one of the largest banks in Africa. The merger would strategically position the bank for long-term financial performance. The enlarged bank is now a bank that is playing a big role in the global arena and handling big-ticket transactions,” Akingbala said earlier. | Mid | [
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Q: Can you detect INSERT-EXEC scenario's? Is it possible to DETECT whether the current stored procedure is being called by an INSERT-EXEC statement? Yes, I understand we may want to no longer use INSERT-EXEC statements...that is NOT the question I am asking. The REASON I am using INSERT-EXEC is because i am hoping to promote re-use of stored procedures rather than re-writing the same SQL all the time. Here's why I care: Under the INSERT-EXEC scenario the original error message will get lost once a ROLLBACK is requested. As such, any records created will now be orphaned. Example: ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[spa_DoSomething] ( @SomeKey INT, @CreatedBy NVARCHAR(50) ) AS BEGIN SET NOCOUNT ON; BEGIN TRY BEGIN TRANSACTION -- SQL runs and throws an error of some kind. COMMIT TRAN END TRY BEGIN CATCH IF @@TRANCOUNT > 0 ROLLBACK TRAN -- If this procedure is called using an INSERT-EXEC -- then the original error will be lost at this point because -- "Cannot use the ROLLBACK statement within an INSERT-EXEC statement." -- will come-up instead of the original error. SET @ErrorMessage = ERROR_MESSAGE(); SET @ErrorSeverity = ERROR_SEVERITY(); SET @ErrorState = ERROR_STATE(); RAISERROR(@ErrorMessage, @ErrorSeverity, @ErrorState) END CATCH RETURN @@Error END A: Maybe @@NESTLEVEL can help: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187371.aspx | High | [
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Rapid determination of serum melatonin by ESI-MS-MS with direct sample injection. This paper describes a rapid, simple and sensitive analytical method for the quantitative determination of melatonin in human serum by ESI-MS-MS with direct serum sample injection and on-line extraction. The method uses N-acetyltryptamine as the internal standard. It has high specificity and sensitivity for serum melatonin analysis. The internal calibration curve shows a wide linear range from 0.500 to 200 ng/ml with a correlation coefficient, R(2) > 0.999. The limit of quantitation is 0.500 ng/ml and the limit of detection is 0.100 ng/ml with 10-microl sample injection. The recoveries of serum melatonin at three levels are approximately 70%. The intra-assay precision (n = 5) is between 0.8 and 2.0% and the inter-assay precision (n = 3) is between 1.5 and 5.9% over the calibration range. This method has a total analysis time of less than 9 min. It can be used for the measurement of melatonin in human blood. | Mid | [
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Among many other things, Lucas Wolf’s final week was spent expanding his personal and professional circles in Latin America, speaking up for the environment on the radio in Havana, Cuba, and exploring this amazing country with his Mom and #1 travel companion, Mary Ellen Keen. He didn’t know it was his last, but he spent every moment of that week working to create a better tomorrow. As Mary Ellen wrote to me recently, quoting a Mark Strand poem:Nothing could stop you.Not the best day. Not the quiet. Not the ocean rocking.You went on with your dying.Here at Trees, Water & People, we feel his presence daily. We made a conscious decision when he transitioned that we would not lose pace, as he would resent nothing more than his death causing a diversion from the causes he embraced so fully. Rather than retreat, we advanced – shifting, recruiting, and hiring people that could carry on what he and our teams had in motion. Lucas left more than just nodes and connections in his life. He left living networks of motivated people, all working in some way to improve their communities and the planet. That’s the only reason we’ve been able to plant 243,111 trees in Lucas’s name in the last 365 days – those who loved him have committed fervently to keeping his work alive. We miss you, Lucas. You really have no equal on this planet. Working with you was a privilege, and carrying on TWP’s work in your name is among my most cherished responsibilities. You continue to inspire us, and we continue to grow and do you proud. Thank you for spending some time with us, and please continue to smile down on the good works your people carry on for you, and on all the complex forces that make good things happen in the world. We love you. From May 18 – 20, I had the privilege to be a part of Trees, Water & People and Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center’s (RCREC) campaign to plant 30,000 pine trees on Tribal Lands in areas most deeply affected by forest fires. I stayed at the Sacred Earth Lodge in Pine Ridge along with good and new friends who volunteered for this project. We all enjoyed breakfast and coffee together in the morning before heading off to locations on the Oglala side of Pine Ridge as well as at Wounded Knee. In the beginning, I felt nervous about plunging a large sharp blade into the ground to create a home for the baby trees – I’m not a particularly strong person, and I don’t pride myself on my manual labor skills. But, Avery and Silas Red Cloud taught us how to properly create a hole, plant the tree, get rid of any air bubbles, and create a nice bed. By the end of the first day, I was a tree planting master. One of the most memorable moments for me occurred on the last day of tree planting. Henry Red Cloud, one of the founders of RCR, spoke to our group of 25 volunteers as we began to plant. He told us about his beliefs for the mission, how we as humans seem to have lost touch with nature, and we treat it as a machine instead of as something alive. It is true, we take and take, and give little back. Henry told us, this is a way to give back, and these trees will continue to give oxygen and life for generations after us. We planted over 2,500 trees that day alone. I struggle with finding the right words to describe the powerful lessons I’ve learned from my experiences and relationships built in Pine Ridge. While this project has helped to heal the landscape within the Reservation, there is still much healing to be done. I feel a great love for the Natives we worked with on this project, who invited us as volunteers to come back and continue to learn about their culture and how to be an advocate. I plan to accept their invitation, as well as continue my relationship with Trees, Water & People, and the good friends I’ve made who share similar goals. Tree planters working during the month of May to fulfill our reforestation goal of 30,000 trees for Tribal Lands A note from TWP’s National Director, Eriq Acosta: Thanks to the incredible donors, volunteers, residents of Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River Reservations, we are 95% complete with our third season of tree planting on Tribal Lands! Although tree planting season takes hard work and dedication, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to put a tree into the ground, and sharing the experience with like-minded people in the fight for a more just and sustainable planet. We will be headed back up to Pine Ridge Reservation next week with a group of 40 volunteers from Lansing Catholic High School from Michigan, and we look forward to keeping you updated! To stay up to date about TWP news, please sign up for our eNewsletter. Entering its fifth month without rain, Central America is at the tail end of its 2018 fire season. This year, our partners Árboles y Agua para el Pueblo (AAP) in El Salvador are on the frontlines, as they spent all last year training a corps of young park rangers to fight fire in the Protected Area of Apaneca-Illamantepec. This was their second year of funding from FIAES – a bilateral fund between the U.S. and El Salvador to create opportunities for communities living around protected areas. Fires are almost a given this time of year – lightning strikes, farmers burning their fields, and hunters flushing out animals are some of the principal causes. The dry conditions create a precarious situation both for landscapes and ecosystems, as to humans, who often end up in the path of rapidly advancing burns, and then suffer the air pollution hazards created. Preparing people to protect their communities, and providing them the resources to do so is one of the objectives of the FIAES funding, projects for which Trees, Water & People provides the supplemental cost-share required by the granting agency. We are now helping our partners, AAP, pursue a third year of funding from FIAES to keep them involved in conservation work throughout the western part of the country. In Nicaragua, we’ve been watching a political crisis unfold that first piqued in April when the government allegedly dragged its feet in responding to a 5,000-acre fire in an 8,000-acre tropical forest reserve in the east of the country. Soon after, with the populace already frustrated with them, the administration announced policy changes to the national social security program, igniting protests and heavy-handed confrontations with police forces. Right around that time, our partners, Proleña, were preparing for a high-school tree planting workshop when fire struck. Proleña provides in-field education to a group of 12 local high school seniors at the Tierra Verde Climate Change Education Center near La Paz Centro, northwest of Managua. A few weeks ago they were preparing to plant a drip irrigated living fence of 200 trees around the perimeter of the seven-acre property with the students. “God knows why things happen a certain way,” said Proleña’s Executive Director, Marlyng Buitrago. “The day before the workshop I went out with our pickup truck, a team of six, and two barrels of water to prep for the tree planting workshop. We were having lunch at a local restaurant when someone called to say there was a fire on the property next to ours.” The one fire truck fought the fire near Tierra Verde Climate Change Education Center, preventing it from entering the property. The team rushed back, and with the help of one fire truck, sent from 30km away, fought the fire all afternoon and into the evening, preventing it from entering the property. “The truck only had the water it came with, so when it was dry, we fought the fire by hand, with buckets of water. Once the sun went down, we put out the last seven hot spots, and the fire was extinguished.” Fighting the fire by hand along the fence line of the Tierra Verde Climate Change Education Center. With any luck, the rainy season, which has been so unpredictable in past years, will start on time this month. But until then, we’ll continue to prepare for the inevitability of fire and to educate local communities and actors of other ways to manage the landscape. While the dry season will soon end, we encourage our followers to keep an eye on Nicaragua, where we expect anti-government protests to persist over the next several months. Our team is safe, but the current political crisis has caused disruptions across the country and threatens to upend the stability of one of the more peaceful nations in the region. We stand for the safety and well-being of all those protesting for an equitable, prosperous, and politically transparent future in Nicaragua. To stay up to date about TWP news, please sign up for our eNewsletter. This year’s theme is “Forests and Sustainable Cities,” which brought to mind a revelation I had when I lived in the Aldea of Suyapa, east of Tegucigalpa, Honduras back in 2005. I had always assumed that when humans arrived anywhere, the general pattern that followed was of deforestation and natural resource degradation. I believed that the mango, citrus, jocote, avocado, allspice, nance, oak, acacia, guanacaste, and other gorgeous fruiting and flowering trees were merely what was left after human settlements expanded here. But, the story is more complicated than that. Suyapa has now been swallowed by the capital city but is populated by the descendants of indigenous laborers that worked in the silver mines outside of Tegucigalpa until the 20th century. The land was granted to the community by the Spanish crown, and as such, it is primarily made up of the same families who initially settled it. Because of its unique history, there is a rich historical record of the town, some of it captured in old, black and white photographs. As I became more familiar with these photos, I noticed that the town and the hills around it were almost entirely stripped of trees in the early 1900s. While this may contribute to my initial point (that humans drive deforestation), the present day reality tells a different story. Looking down on the town from the hills above it, today the urban rooftops of Suyapa are almost completely hidden by a canopy of mature trees. Within one century, people living here wholly transformed their landscape. Residents of the Aldea of Suyapa in Honduras working together to keep their forest healthy and to prevent forest fires. Photo by Keisi Midence. These trees were planted by local residents (and likely animals) to provide shade, fruit, timber, and firewood, to stabilize soil along ravines, and to color the town with their flowers. Secondary benefits include filtering some of the dust and soot from the city, providing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, and producing oxygen for all of us. These trees transformed what could have been just another concrete-covered suburb into what feels like a rural respite in an otherwise overcrowded city. This revelation taught me two important things – 1. Urban development and tree-cover need not be mutually exclusive, and 2. Every tree we put in the ground TODAY will materially alter the landscape and produce benefits for future generations. Planting a tree is one of the easiest ways we can all leave a positive mark the planet. Today, Suyapa’s youth have formed a volunteer fire brigade that goes into the oak woodlands above town every spring to plant new trees, cut firebreaks, deter poachers, and stabilize erosion trouble spots. Threats to the local forests still exist, but teaching young people to value and protect trees and the services they provide is something that will ripple through generation upon generation. Cities in Central America have a long way to go before they can be considered truly sustainable, but I was grateful to walk away from Suyapa with my perspective changed about how humans, cities, and forests coexist. Take some time today to think about the origins of the trees in your community, and about trees you could plant for those who come after you. And if you are passionate about getting trees into the ground, know that Trees, Water & People is always ready to turn your passion into trees for millions of people throughout the Americas. As the incoming Development Director at Trees, Water & People, my job is to raise the funds that will keep the organization running. Even before taking this position, I knew that to do my job successfully I would need to visit the places where we work, shake hands with our partners, smell a kitchen with a clean cookstove, and touch the soil where we are growing our trees. This opportunity came in the middle of January when I got to travel to Nicaragua for a week-long stay with Gemara Gifford, TWP’s International Director, and Paul Thayer, a TWP board member. Shortly after arriving at the Managua airport, Paul, Gemara and our fabulous tour guide (and partner of past International Director, Lucas Wolf), Valentina, drove directly to Gaia Estate. The Estate is a Certified Bird-friendly coffee farm outside the town of Diriamba and is owned by long-time TWP friend Jefferson Shriver. Jefferson greeted us with a glass of wine, dinner, and conversation about Nicaragua. He stressed the importance of promoting farming systems that integrate overstory trees (i.e. agroforestry), and high-value and environmentally-friendly products like vanilla and turmeric. After a good night’s sleep, we awoke to the smell of fresh coffee brewing, beans that had been picked and harvested from his farm just days before. We spent the next day with Proleña visiting Tierra Verde, our newly opened climate change education center in La Paz Centro. Since TWP’s last visit, the first floor of the dormitory has been built and 600 trees have been planted on the property (25 different species in all) as well as infrastructure for the site including roadways and electricity. Having seen Tierra Verde in many photographs, it was essential to see the property and hear about the exciting events planned for 2018. Although more construction will be taking place this year, the vision for the center is starting to take shape. We talked in detail about the workshops that we have planned, including bringing in local farmers to talk about agroforestry, university students to discuss climate change, and TWP Tour participants to visit the center. We discussed plans to complete the tree nursery with at least 50,000 trees in the first year, as well as demonstration sites for clean cookstoves, and adding a greenhouse for growing and genetically testing trees. After our visit to Tierra Verde, we toured Proleña’s workshop in Managua and visited local urban cookstove beneficiaries. I have always been aware of the impact of clean cookstoves, but it was a completely different experience to see and smell the difference. The women we visited graciously welcomed us into their kitchen and explained the changes in their lives and their health after the clean cookstove had been installed. Although my Spanish is limited, it didn’t take me long to realize how these women felt about their clean cookstoves. They would pat gently on their chests and touch their eyes, implying that they could breathe easier and their eyes were less irritated. Doña Thelma (center) and her family in her home. She is one of the beneficiaries of a clean cookstove and sells 300 tortillas a day to customers. The last day was one of the most profound for me as we visited the rural communities surrounding the northern town of Jinotega, in particular, the remote village of La Cal. To get there, we had a few hours’ drive on an impossibly steep and windy dirt road with a one hour walk up a steep rocky path. The village was tucked away in a mountain valley and one of the most remote communities I have ever visited. Upon our arrival, we were introduced to the only teacher in the community, a young man who gave us a tour including the one-room schoolhouse and various family homes. The families we visited we welcoming, kind, and joyful. We interviewed many women about the impacts of their clean cookstoves, played with the kids, saw how much time it takes to gather wood, and the challenges of living in rural Nicaragua. As we drove back that evening to Managua, the feeling I had wasn’t sadness at the rural living conditions, but a sense of awe at their resilience. A house with corn hanging from the roof in the remote village of La Cal. On the plane ride home, I was thinking about my biggest take away from the trip. What was I going to bring back to the TWP community of donors and supporters? Without a doubt, it was the unique community-based approach that Trees, Water & People uses when working in Central America and U.S. Tribal Lands. TWP’s approach is based on the philosophy that communities have the best judgment of how their lives and livelihoods can be improved, and if given access to the right resources, they should make decisions that will be most impactful for them. I believe that this community-based development is the most effective way to create change. Change does not come easy for anyone. Changing the way someone cooks their food can seem impossibly difficult. But, TWP’s approach to involve the community and a local nonprofit (in the case of Proleña in Nicaragua) allows for the change to be approached on an intimate, community level. This type of grassroots change is not the easiest route. It is complicated and complex and takes years to actualize. Luckily for TWP, we have been planting seeds this way for 20 years and will continue to for many, many more! If you would like to learn more about Trees, Water & People’s work, please sign up for our email list. 2018 is a significant year for many reasons, but the main one is that it’s Trees, Water & People’s (TWP’s) 20th Anniversary! As the staff and I reflected on the significance of this achievement, we tried to think back to the challenges that our founders, Richard Fox and Stuart Conway, likely faced when they started this organization in 1998, in Fort Collins, Colorado… Email and the internet were barely commonplace in 1998. They photographed their work in the field with film cameras and recorded activities with camcorders. Field reports were received by fax and cell phones were just beginning to show up on the scene. Building a following back then depended on the depth of your Rolodex, your versatility with direct mail, and your candor on a landline. Trees, Water & People was founded in 1998 by Richard Fox (left) and Stuart Conway (right), two foresters who saw a huge need to address the pervasive deforestation in Latin America. Our founders worked hard to build successful relationships in the field, as well as systems and processes at home that would lay the foundation for a lasting organization. When I began working for the organization in 2005, little did I know the impact that TWP would have on the world. Apart from the tens of thousands of beneficiaries we’ve been fortunate to serve through our projects, we’ve also created a home for dozens of staff, hundreds of volunteers and interns, and thousands of donors that have made our work possible. A significant number of those donors have supported us since the very beginning, and have literally given us the means to reach this significant milestone. Rafael Ramirez is transplanting tree seedlings in a small nursery in Guatemala. Photo by Jeff Caesar, 1998. We have planted close to 7 million trees, installed over 75,000 cookstoves, and trained hundreds of rural people in everything from fruit tree-grafting, to soil conservation, to solar power and clean cookstove design. Any way you look at this story, it’s an understatement to say that it’s been an inspirational journey. However, the world has changed drastically in very visible ways over the past 20 years, and there are forces at work today that threaten the work of nonprofits like ours. Nine of every ten deportees from the U.S. today are going back to Central America and Mexico. Climate change is threatening small-holder agriculture in the region, and the cities are busting at the seams with migrants from rural areas, and now from abroad. U.S. investment in International Development and diplomacy has slowed to a trickle, while changes to the tax law are threatening donations from our individual supporters. Doña Justa making breakfast with her new fuel-efficient stove in Honduras. Photo by Jeff Caesar, 1998. The challenges we face today are going to be very different from those faced by our founders in 1998, and are going to require that we be flexible and adaptable in how we approach our work. Your support is instrumental in our success and will be the cornerstone of what we build over the next 20 years. For this reason, this year we’d like to celebrate YOU – our donors – who have been the lifeblood of this organization since we were founded. Over the next several months we’re going to feature 20 of our most ardent supporters, in hopes that they inspire you to share TWP’s work with your friends, family, and peers, and show them why you donate to this work. The gains we’ve made for people and planet will only remain as such if we are vigilant and persistent in defending them – and we can’t do this alone. So THANK YOU – here’s to 20 more years of TWP, and to all the worth-while things we’re going to accomplish together! If you would like to celebrate our 20th anniversary with us and be in the loop about Trees, Water & People’s work, please sign up for our email list. Since Trees, Water & People’s early days, we’ve found that the best way for our community to engage with our work is to experience it first-hand. Visiting our projects leads our supporters to embrace new relationships, explore new perspectives on culture, history, and humanity, and reflect on the “why” behind Trees, Water & People’s work. Over the past two years, we’ve made an effort to expand our itineraries and offer new tours to destinations in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Cuba. As we gained momentum, we realized that these new tours were incredibly rich experiences for participants, partners, and communities alike and that the demand was too high for us to manage ourselves. With this in mind, we are proud to present TWP Tours — Trees, Water & People’s new travel arm, which will manage all aspects of our tourism offerings moving forward. TWP Tours provides us the flexibility to hire additional staff whose primary focus will be to create unforgettable travel experiences throughout Central America, the Caribbean, and on U.S. Tribal lands. Unity Church in Fort Collins, CO traveled with us to the community of La Bendícion, Guatemala. These hands-on tours give you an opportunity to give back while experiencing local culture. TWP Tours believes in low-impact and sustainable travel. We work with a network of experts on the ground to offer unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences to immerse travelers in the local culture. We are a team of experienced guides, cultural interpreters, and language translators — opening up a world that the average adventurer would only see at its surface. The students of William Smith High School traveled with us to the Pine Ridge Reservation to plant trees. Using tree planting as an environmental education tool gives TWP Tours the opportunity to work closely with all ages of students. Another unique aspect of our work is giving back. Through our association with local NGOs, we offer travelers the opportunity to participate in planting trees, harvesting coffee, building clean cookstoves, fixing water systems, increasing food security, and monitoring wildlife. We seek to make each trip carbon neutral via the work we do on the ground and strive hard to live up to our name: Travel With Purpose. So, what are you waiting for?! Visit our new website at twp.tours and join our email list to stay informed about future travel opportunities. Our next adventure to the Honduran highlands is January 4 -13, 2018, where we’ll be monitoring migratory bird populations, installing rainwater cisterns, and building clean cookstoves with our local partner, CEASO. We hope to see you there! | Mid | [
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Hellboy Saturday, 12/16 at 11:30 pm “Hellboy is one of those rare movies that's not only based on a comic book, but also feels like a comic book. It's vibrating with energy, and you can sense the zeal and joy in its making.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times Brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists during World War II but rescued by Allied forces, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is a big, red, cigar-smoking demon raised under the care of the B.P.R.D., a government agency dedicated to protecting the world from all forms of supernatural evil. As their top agent, Hellboy leads a team consisting of fish-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and his flame conjuring ex-girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair) to combat Nazis, monsters from another dimension, and their own inner demons in this iconic film filled with intense action, richly dark humor, and just a dash of Lovecraftian horror thrown in for good measure. Helmed by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and based on the comic series by Mike Mignola, Hellboy brings a unique take on the monster movie genre with its heartfelt and lovable team of paranormal investigators, keeping the world safe, one monster at a time. After Hours features the best films you never saw on the big screen (or maybe you did) from late-night cult classics to foreign favorites and even summer blockbusters every Saturday night often on 35mm. Tickets include a free popcorn and happy hour. Please note that unclaimed pre-ordered tickets will be sold to the rush line 30 mins after showtime. After Hours Membership As a member, you are supporting the continued success of our After Hours program. Yearly After Hours membership pays for itself with reduced-price tickets at $5.00 instead of $8.00. Online ticket fees are waived for After Hours screenings and 4 free tickets to our regular price screenings are included. | Mid | [
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I would agree with Astus on this one. Btw, I think that OP's question isn't limited to jhanas as in the Pali Canon but also to corresponding dhyanas, am I right? Of course in the countries where mahayana assumed a more syncretic form like China and Korea it is not easy to distinguish which practice is zen, which is not zen. Some will agree that chan is only sitting, or only sitting with a huatou, or only silent ilumination. But then again, a teacher who is nominally chan/seon could teach whatever - chanting, bowing, different kinds of meditation, mantra, sutra studying - if it makes it a chan/zen practice remains for me an open question. But considering that all off today's zen schools have their root in the idea of "seeing nature", teaching gradual meditation stages seems an acquired addition. I remember that long ago in the beginning of my practice I was really confused by a statement by late Ven. Sheng-yen in one of his books about chan. He said something like "This is the first dhyana. Can you attain it? No? You should try." Now I'm pretty sure that going through dhyanas wasn't a part of his chan teaching so I have no idea why somebody put it in the book. Of course I couldn't reach the first dhyana which made me quite anxious so I asked my teacher about it. He explicitly told me that our practice's scope wasn't attaining any dhyanas - they're irrelevant to huatou, although they can, of course, appear. bulhaeng wrote:Of course in the countries where mahayana assumed a more syncretic form like China and Korea it is not easy to distinguish which practice is zen, which is not zen. Some will agree that chan is only sitting, or only sitting with a huatou, or only silent ilumination. But then again, a teacher who is nominally chan/seon could teach whatever - chanting, bowing, different kinds of meditation, mantra, sutra studying - if it makes it a chan/zen practice remains for me an open question. But considering that all off today's zen schools have their root in the idea of "seeing nature", teaching gradual meditation stages seems an acquired addition. Syncretism I wouldn't say there was a point when in China/Korea/Vietnam they begun syncretising schools. First of all, there were never really separate schools, so it's not possible to mix them up. The exception is actually Japan where they separated Buddhism to different institutions. What happened is that Chan - actually, the idea of dharma-transmission and lineages - spread far and wide in the Song dynasty and again in the Ming dynasty in China and created a seeming unity among monastic leaders. But Chan as a school, a path, a practice was not taken up and preserved with the same enthusiasm or exclusivism. Chan practice There is no Chan practice really. It's not about practising something specifc. What can be called distinctly Chan method is the huatou technique, which was actually made up by Dahui. And that is why any Mahayana meditation can be embraced as Chan, or rather as a preliminary to Chan. Chan teacher If Chan teacher is anyone with a Chan lineage, the majority of Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean monks are Chan teachers. If it means those who specialise in teaching meditation, the leaders of the meditation hall in a monastery, then it can be any kind of meditation method. Only if Chan is defined by a specific doctrine and praxis, or a set of those, can we state that the teaching given is like what Chan meant for certain ancient teachers. Additions As said before, the common practices are not really additions to Chan, rather they have always lived together, as both the monastic and lay community possess several methods and traditions of those practices. Exclusive Chan practice is quite rare in fact. "There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that's the real mind."(Sheng-yen: Getting the Buddha Mind, p 73) Astus wrote:We don't even need to go to Dogen. The very idea of a Chan school is based on direct insight into the nature of mind. The early teachers, those from the East Mountain (Daoxin, Hongren) and what was later called as the Northern School (Shenxiu and heirs) still used some forms of specific meditation techniques, but after Heze Shenhui and the schools of Baotang, Niutou and especially Hongzhou the Chan school was defined as the direct path that does not require gradual stages like in other Mahayana schools. It seems to me that the issue isn't so much about the Chan notion of sudden awakening; it has more to do with emphasis or lack of emphasis on prior and/or subsequent gradual cultivation. My impression is that Dōgen's point is to differentiate his sitting meditation from the benefits of dhyāna attainment. I'm not so sure that this differentiation is explicit in earlier Chinese Chan sources such as the Zuochanyi of Changlu Zongze or Foxin Bencai. True, neither Changlu nor Foxin makes their meditation different from dhyana, and that statement appears only in the revised version of Fukanzazengi and the Zazengi in the Shobogenzo. But long before them there were Shenhui's criticism of all sorts of gradualism and the Platform Sutra addressing this subject more than once. "The deluded person is attached to the characteristics of dharmas and grasps onto the samādhi of the single practice, merely saying that he always sits without moving and without falsely activating the mind and that this is the samādhi of the single practice. To have an interpretation such as this is to be the same as an insentient object! This is rather to impede the causes and conditions of enlightenment!""When the mind does not reside in the dharmas, one’s enlightenment flows freely. For the mind to reside in the dharmas is called ‘fettering oneself.’ If you say that always sitting without moving is it, then you’re just like Śāriputra meditating in the forest, for which he was scolded by Vimalakīrti! Good friends, there are also those who teach meditation [in terms of ] viewing the mind, contemplating tranquility, motionlessness, and nonactivation. You are supposed to make an effort on the basis of these. These deluded people do not understand, and in their grasping become mixed up like all of you here. You should understand that such superficial teachings are greatly mistaken!"(Platform Sutra, ch. 4) "In this teaching of seated meditation, one fundamentally does not concentrate on mind, nor does one concentrate on purity, nor is it motionlessness." "Good friends, what is seated meditation (zuochan)? In this teaching, there is no impediment and no hindrance. Externally, for the mind to refrain from activating thoughts with regard to all the good and bad realms is called ‘seated’ (zuo). Internally, to see the motionlessness of the self-nature is called ‘meditation’ (chan). Good friends, what is it that is called meditative concentration (chanding; samādhi)? Externally, to transcend characteristics is ‘meditation’ (chan). Internally, to be undisturbed is ‘concentration’ (ding)."(Platform Sutra, ch. 5) "There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that's the real mind."(Sheng-yen: Getting the Buddha Mind, p 73) Jnana wrote:And by the time we get to Dōgen Zenji we find him explicitly stating in the revised version of his Fukanzazengi that zazen is not the same as dhyāna: "Zazen is not the practice of dhyāna: it is just the dharma gate of ease and joy." I do not know what do you mean by the revised edition. But this part iwayuru zazen wa shuzen ni arazu is very clear in reference to tazuneru ni sore do moto enzu. As for different stages of jhanas/dhyanas he rejects this idea in ikadeka shushou wo karan and shujou jizai nanzo kufu wo tsuiyasan. then shuzen ni arazu becomes even clearer. In his teaching the jhanas or dhyanas are of no use. But as one can read in Shizen biku the knowledge of particular dhyanas is important based on very instruction of the teacher, for the sake of saving disciples from mistakes in practice. His core zazen teaching is direct buddhahood or buddhanature, beyond stages. but this he taught in depth in different parts of Shobogenzo. One may say that it is particularly Japanese, but we cannot forget that he brought this teaching directly from China. Astus wrote:But long before them there were Shenhui's criticism of all sorts of gradualism and the Platform Sutra addressing this subject more than once. There's little doubt that this sort of rhetoric was the more popular and therefore more successful meme, with the consequence that important authors such as Guifeng Zongmi and Yongming Yanshou were relegated to second class status. According to Carl Bielefeldt the earliest version of the Fukanzazengi is the Tenpuku version which was only rediscovered in 1922. It displays editorial differences from the Kōroku version. Both have been translated and studied by Bielefeldt in Dōgen's Manuals of Zen Meditation. According to Carl Bielefeldt the earliest version of the Fukanzazengi is the Tenpuku version which was only rediscovered in 1922. It displays editorial differences from the Kōroku version. Both have been translated and studied by Bielefeldt in Dōgen's Manuals of Zen Meditation. One can read directly from Dogen without any doubt of the origin or version. As for the different copies, yes there were even written by Dogen himself, so there are about 8 double chapters of Shobogenzo. Eiheiji publishes them all together in one volume. But validity could be judged also from writings of Meiho or Gasan, who were just after Dogen and one could compare FZ to their teaching of zazen/shikan-taza, which as far as I heard were not translated in English or some other Western language. But they go into more lengthy details and then FZ becomes even clearer... Jnana wrote:There's little doubt that this sort of rhetoric was the more popular and therefore more successful meme, with the consequence that important authors such as Guifeng Zongmi and Yongming Yanshou were relegated to second class status. Zongmi put the dhyanas into the path of humans and gods, the first "chan", while the sudden teaching is in the "fifth chan". As he says, "[One who] cultivates the four stages of meditative absorption and the eight attainments is born into [one of] the heavens of the realm of form or the realm of formlessness." (Peter N. Gregory: Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity, p. 49) So it is not even the "lesser vehicle" by his assessment. "There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that's the real mind."(Sheng-yen: Getting the Buddha Mind, p 73) Jnana wrote:There's little doubt that this sort of rhetoric was the more popular and therefore more successful meme, with the consequence that important authors such as Guifeng Zongmi and Yongming Yanshou were relegated to second class status. Zongmi put the dhyanas into the path of humans and gods, the first "chan", while the sudden teaching is in the "fifth chan". As he says, "[One who] cultivates the four stages of meditative absorption and the eight attainments is born into [one of] the heavens of the realm of form or the realm of formlessness." (Peter N. Gregory: Inquiry into the Origin of Humanity, p. 49) So it is not even the "lesser vehicle" by his assessment. Hmmm, well, yes. But, just saying that dhyana will only get one to the human or deva realms is not the same as saying that it is not taught. For instance, the five precepts basically is standard for rebirth as a human, but that doesn't mean that chan / zen does not teach the five precepts. The basic "five vehicles" notion - which is related to the position above from Zongmi - almost always emphasizes that the higher stages rely on the lower ones, and the higher ones cannot be attained without the lower ones. I hope you can see the distinction here. (Not to mention that there is basically no Buddhist school that indicates that dhyana is ultimate...) Huifeng wrote:Hmmm, well, yes. But, just saying that dhyana will only get one to the human or deva realms is not the same as saying that it is not taught. For instance, the five precepts basically is standard for rebirth as a human, but that doesn't mean that chan / zen does not teach the five precepts. The basic "five vehicles" notion - which is related to the position above from Zongmi - almost always emphasizes that the higher stages rely on the lower ones, and the higher ones cannot be attained without the lower ones. I hope you can see the distinction here. (Not to mention that there is basically no Buddhist school that indicates that dhyana is ultimate...) Yes, all is seen in a complete view, all teachings are included. But it points out very well that what is understood by Zongmi as the Chan of the Tathagata, what the Chan School is about, is a very "minimalist" path. His definition of the Chan path is no different from what was stated by the already mentioned meditation manuals of Changlu, Foxin and Dogen, and also matches the Platform Sutra's no-thought teaching. "If a thought arises, be aware of it; once you are aware of it, it will disappear. The excellent gate of practice lies here alone. Therefore, even though you fully cultivate all the practices, just take no mindfulness as the axiom. If you just get the mind of no mindfulness, then love and hatred will spontaneously become pale and faint, compassion and wisdom [prajna] will spontaneously increase in brightness, sinful karma will spontaneously be eliminated, and you will spontaneously be zealous in meritorious practices. With respect to understanding, it is to see that all characteristics are non-characteristics. With respect to practice, it is called the practice of non-practice. When the depravities are exhausted, the rebirth process will cease; once arising and disappearing has extinguished, calmness and illumination will become manifest, and responsive functions will be without limit. It is called becoming a buddha." (Chan Letter in "Zongmi on Chan", p. 88) "There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that's the real mind."(Sheng-yen: Getting the Buddha Mind, p 73) Astus wrote:Zongmi put the dhyanas into the path of humans and gods, the first "chan", while the sudden teaching is in the "fifth chan". In the Chan Prolegomenon he also makes the following astute observation: At present scholars are extremist in stressing the step-by-step teaching, and Chan adepts are extremist in championing the all-at-once gate.... Originally, the Buddha spoke the all-at-once teaching and the step-by-step teaching, while Chan opens both the all-at-once gate and the step-by-step gate. The two teachings and the two gates fit together like the notches of a tally. Therefore, practice should accord with conditions and not rigidly adhere to any dogma. Whichever class of dhyāna described in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra that accords with the situation is appropriate. Changlu Zongze is quite clear on the importance of meditation in his Zuochanyi: This one teaching of meditation is our most urgent business. If you do not practice meditation and enter dhyāna, then when it comes down to it, you will be completely at a loss. Therefore, to seek the pearl, we should still the waves; if we disturb the water, it will be hard to get. When the water of meditation is clear, the pearl of the mind will appear of itself. Therefore, the Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra says, ''Unimpeded, immaculate wisdom always arises dependent on meditation." The Lotus Blossom Sūtra says, "In a quiet place, he practices the control of the mind, abiding motionless like Mt. Sumeru." Thus, transcending the profane and surpassing the holy are always contingent on the condition of dhyāna; shedding [this body] while seated and fleeing [this life] while standing are necessarily dependent on the power of samādhi. Even if one devotes himself to the practice his entire life, he may still not be in time; how then could one who procrastinates possibly overcome karma? Therefore, an ancient has said, ''Without the power of samādhi, you will meekly cower at death's door." Shutting your eyes, you will end your life in vain; and just as you are, you will drift [in saṃsāra]. Sudden awakening followed by further gradual cultivation is not at all contradictory. According to Guishan: Like now, though the initial inspiration is dependent on conditions, if within a single thought one awakens to one's own reality, there are still certain habitual tendencies that have accumulated over numberless kalpas which cannot be purified in a single instant. That person should certainly be taught how to gradually remove the karmic tendencies and mental habits: this is cultivation. And Jinul, Encouragement to Practice: The Compact of the Samādhi and Prajñā Community: This mind at first is without past or present, ordinary or holy, good or evil, attachment or rejection; nevertheless, their influence is gradual. As one passes through all the stages, compassion and wisdom are gradually made complete and sentient beings are perfected; nevertheless, from beginning to end that mind does not move from one time, one thought, one dharma, or one practice. Considering that the OP is "are the jhanas taught in zen/chan?" in the present tense , I am wondering whether a distinction between classic Chamber teachings that are availability in English books on one hand, and the actual practices which are taught in Chan meditation halls on the other, should be made. Material in English is quite selective - based on what the scholar is interested in, not necessarily the same things that Chan practitioners are interested in or actually do. It is also like the prescriptive vs descriptive problem. Don't mistake the former for the latter. Huifeng wrote:Considering that the OP is "are the jhanas taught in zen/chan?" in the present tense , I am wondering whether a distinction between classic Chamber teachings that are availability in English books on one hand, and the actual practices which are taught in Chan meditation halls on the other, should be made. Sure, distinctions can be made. Jhāna/dhyāna is a designation primarily referring to clusters of concomitant mental factors. There are a number of different meditative practices which can give rise to these concomitant phenomena. These practices include silent illumination and huatou practice. Huifeng wrote:Material in English is quite selective - based on what the scholar is interested in, not necessarily the same things that Chan practitioners are interested in or actually do. Modern Chan/Zen retreats can offer fairly good conditions for the development of the nine stages of mental abiding and the arising of the dhyāna factors. Huifeng wrote:It is also like the prescriptive vs descriptive problem. Don't mistake the former for the latter. I remember many years ago Ven. Heng Sure commenting about one monk from the CTTB who could sit in dhyāna for 5+ hours at a time. And there's the reports of Ven. Xuyun remaining in samādhi for extended periods, once for a period of 18 days, and twice for periods of 9 days each. Granted, these are exceptional cases, but dhyāna requires a dedicated, refined level of practice. "Suffice it to say that there are many approaches to meditation in Buddhadharma that are to be found under the headings of Ch'an and Ch'an Ting. Ch'an Ting alone is an umbrella name for many methods: the Four Dhyanas, the Four Infinities, the Four-Void Worldly Ch'an, the Nine Observations, the Samadhi of Nine Degrees (supramundane), the Ch'an of Self-Nature and the Ch'an Ting. These approaches can lead one to deep dhyana, where real wisdom is to be found; and with real wisdom, there can be self-enlightenment, enlightenment of others and the Ultimate Perfect Enlightenment."(The Fundamentals of Meditation Practice by Ting Chen, tr. Lok To, p. 71, PDF) In the above book Ting Chen (about whom I have no information) gives meditation guidance mostly according to Zhiyi's manual of Six Gates and in general the samatha-vipasyana method. "The Sweet Dews of Chan" (PDF) by Cheng Kuan, who is a 20th century Chinese monk, gives a rather traditional instruction that includes the dhyanas and even meditation on a corpse. But, as I've mentioned before, it is not easy to pinpoint what Chan stands for. Since it can include any method, there are no restrictions. On the other hand, what is called the Chan School has always embraced the direct path. Huangbo said, "From now on whenever walking, standing, sitting or lying down, only practise no-mind. You wait for a long time to have true realisation, because you have little strength for sudden break through. So for three, five, or even ten years you wait to obtain entrance and naturally progress then on. Because you are not that sort of person, you have the need to practise meditation and practise the path. But what does that have to do with the Buddhadharma?" (T48n2012Ap0383c05-08, my translation) Zongmi's "sudden enlightenment, gradual practice" approach is not really different. Zongmi says, "Therefore, from the first time one produces the thought [of awakening] up to and including becoming a buddha [it is] just calm, just Knowing, immutable and uninterrupted. It is just that according to the stage [of practice] the terminology differs somewhat." (Zongmi on Chan, p. 94) What is that gradual practice then? Jinul says,"From this passage we see that the "no-mind which conforms with the path" of the patriarchs' school is not bound by samadhi and prajna. And why is this? The training in samlidhi accords with the noumenon and absorbs all scatteredness; hence it involves the power which can forget conditioning [by lessening the entrancement with sense-objects]. The training in prajna investigates dharmas and contemplates their voidness; hence it involves the effort of effacement [by clearing away the deluded process of thought]. In the direct cognition of no-mind which frees your path of obstructions, the unhindered wisdom of liberation manifests before you and not even one sense-object or thought can enter from outside. They are nothing special; why waste your effort on them?"(Collected Works of Chinul, p. 286-287) Zongmi, also quoted by Jinul, explains here the meaning of gradual cultivation within Chan, as different from common gradual techniques. This matches the idea of continuing the original practice of no-thought, what in Dogen's case is called shikantaza. "If one's practice is based on having all-at-once awakened to the realization that one's own mind is from the outset pure, that the depravities have never existed, that the nature of the wisdom without outflows is from the outset complete, that this mind is buddha, that they are ultimately without difference, then it is dhyana of the highest vehicle. This type is also known by such names as tathagata-purity dhyana, the one-practice concentration, and the thusness concentration. It is the basis of all concentrations. If one can practice it from moment to moment, one will naturally and gradually attain the myriad concentrations. This is precisely the dhyana that has been transmitted down from Bodhidharma. Before Bodhidharma arrived, all of the scholars from early times had understood only the four dhyanas [of the realm of form] and the eight concentrations [that is, those four plus the four formless concentrations of the formless realm]. Various illustrious monks had effectively practiced them, and they had all obtained results. Nanyue [Huisi] and Tiantai [Zhiyi] relied upon the principle of the three truths to practice the three tranquilizations and three viewings. Although the principles of their teachings are most perfect, their entrance gate is step-by-step. It also involves the type of dhyana mentioned above. It is only in the transmission from Bodhidharma that the practitioner all-at-once identifies with buddha substance. This is like no other gate."(Zongmi on Chan, p. 103-104) Hanshan Deqing advises the same,"So called sudden enlightenment and gradual practice refers to one who has experienced a thorough enlightenment but, still has remnant habit tendencies that are not instantaneously purified. For these people, they must, implement the principles from their enlightenment that they have realized to face all circumstances of life and, bring forth the strength from their contemplation and illumination to experience their minds in difficult situations. When one portion of their experience in such situations accords[with the enlightened way], they will have actualized one portion of the Dharmakaya. When they dissolve away one portion of their deluded thinking, that is the degree to which their fundamental wisdom manifests. What is critical is seamless continuity in the practice. [For these people,] it is much more effective when they practice in different real life situations."(Essentials of Practice and Enlightenment for Beginners) But there is another point that should be considered, whether one faces stronger or weaker defilements. In this case application of general methods is recommended. "Question: Having awakened to the true mind of the third teaching, how does one practice it? Does one employ the cross-legged Chan sitting of the first teaching?Answer: The person who is prone to turbulent, uncontrollable emotions does make use of the teaching devices of the first teaching, but the person of weak depravities and strong intellect relies on the one-practice concentration (samadhi) of Southern Chan and the third teaching. The one-practice concentration is movement and is carried out in the midst of all activities."(Zongmi on Chan, p. 139) Finally, Zongmi actually gives an explanation for the case when teachers have to use first the gradual methods to bring students to sudden enlightenment. And this is where the use of dhyanas fits very well. "In a master-student transmission, [the master] must know the medicine [for each and every] disease. This means that all instructional teaching devices inherited from the past first show the original nature and then require reliance on this nature to practice dhyana. In most cases, when the nature is not easily awakened to, it is due to the grasping of characteristics. Thus, if [a master] wants to reveal this nature, he must first eradicate grasping [on the part of the student]. In [the master's] teaching devices for eradicating this grasping, he must [employ a type of rhetoric in which] common person and noble one are both cut off, merits and faults are both gotten rid of, in the precepts there is neither violation nor observance, in dhyana there is neither concentration nor distraction, the thirty-two marks are all like flowers in the sky, and the thirtyseven parts of the path58 are all a dream or illusion. The idea is that, if [the master] enables [the student] to have a mind free of attachment, then [the student] can practice dhyana."(Zongmi on Chan, p. 119) "There is no such thing as the real mind. Ridding yourself of delusion: that's the real mind."(Sheng-yen: Getting the Buddha Mind, p 73) i can see now that you didn't literally mean your original post from your point of view but were kind of quoting the whole chan thought process from history. i was thrown off by the word "hinayana" which can be seen as offensive as it means "lesser-vehicle" or "deficient-vehicle" and when it said "superior", even in quotes, combined with use of the word "hinayana" it sounded harsh, coming down on theravada (or nikaya/agama buddhism or whatever) like you personally have distaste toward it. clearly i was wrong, so sorry for that, and i understand that that is the case with this post as well, you are just giving unbiased info, so this isn't directly aimed at you or anything, i'm just speaking generally: i don't reject teachings unless they seem to serve no purpose or seem to be a hindrance or cause dukkha. there are some i choose not to use if they are incompatible with chan since it's what i'm practicing, but i only out right reject ones i find to be just plain problematic. i am versed in both mahayana and theravada scripture. i have read many books on zen/chan, vajrayana, theravada, and a few on pure land. i use teachings from many different schools as they all have great methods. my temple and teacher are of the ch'an tradition, but they use theravada scriptures as well here and there. from what i have learned, there is a fine line between chan meditation and theravada jhana, in both direct experience of each and reading others experiences i find that they share more in common than they have differences. even shikantaza is nearly identical with some interpretations of theravada vipassana training. i'm sure this is hugely and hotly debated so maybe we should pretend i never said that, but i've read instructions for each that are almost identical. heck, i've read instructions on reaching jhana that are nearly identical with zazen instructions! and almost all chan and zen schools use anapanasati which definitely came from the so called "lesser-vehicle", without which there would never have been the "great vehicle" in the first place. seems everyone forgot their roots. there's gold and diamonds to be found in every school, and thorns and mud in each one as well, at least in my humble opinion. again, none of that is directed at you huseng i'm just sharing my thoughts on the very broad topic of nikaya/agama meditation compared and contrasted with chan/mahayana meditation in general and some of the very closed minded sentiments that have appeared over the years. thankfully much of this is dissolving, at least in the west, i don't really know about developments on this topic elsewhere.[/quote] | Mid | [
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Calendar SmartFLOW Teacher Training Program Date/Time Aug 1, 2013 to Jan 31, 2014 Description Join Shanti Yoga Shala for their 200-hour SmartFLOW Teacher Training program from August 2013-January 2014 with Tiffany Russo and Nathalie Croix, supervised by Annie Carpenter. This will be the first time this training has been brought to New Orleans, and Shanti Yoga is the ONLY studio in New Orleans to offer SmartFLOW classes and this program. Shanti Yoga Shala on Magazine Street is NOLA’s most unique yoga studio that exclusively brings West Coast trained yogis and yoga styles to the New Orleans area for a fresh way to expand locals’ yoga practice. Shanti Yoga Shala was opened by Creative Director and Founder Nathalie two years ago and brings her 15+ year yoga practice and master training to New Orleans. Nathalie, an ERYT 500-hour Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher, is one of a handful of teachers in the country trained to teach SmartFLOW and the only one in New Orleans. SmartFLOW yoga celebrates the innate intelligence of juicy, flowing movement! This 200 hour SmartFLOW Teacher Training program offers you a strong foundation, yet remains in-depth with its emphasis on methodology not rote learning. Join them for this life changing, transformational experience by registering here for $2750 ($500 deposit). | High | [
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The bizarre encounter—filmed and posted to YouTube by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on July 12—begins with deputies approaching the vehicle, a gray Subaru parked at a residence in Golden, Colorado. The responders seem baffled by the situation. “Okay, how did he get in?” one deputy said as he approached the vehicle. “I don’t see a broken window.” Jenny Fulton, the public information officer for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, says that the bear entered the closed but unlocked vehicle sometime on the night of July 11. At least twice a year, we see bears getting into cars. Matt RobbinsColorado Parks and Wildlife The curious bear set off the car’s alarm, but the homeowner didn’t go out to investigate until the following morning. After several hours of the bear tearing apart the car’s interior, the interior door handles were rendered useless—effectively locking the bear in the car. Within 15 minutes, the deputies managed to unlatch the vehicle’s hatch safely, allowing the black bear to scamper into the surrounding woods. “It’s just a strange situation,” says Fulton. While the bear’s Houdini-esque entry of the car is unusual, Colorado wildlife officials regularly deal with reports of human-bear encounters. The state is home to between 17,000 to 20,000 black bears, and Colorado’s rapid human population growth has brought with it increased development near bear habitat—drawing the two species into increasingly close quarters. Matt Robbins, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s public information officer, says that each year, Colorado faces a four-percent increase in the number of “human-bear conflicts,” or potentially threatening situations where a bear came in contact or proximity with a human being. “At least twice a year, we see bears getting into cars,” he says. “We encourage campers and people close to bear habitats to lock their doors, [since] bears are extremely bright.” The challenge is bigger than cars: Bears’ keen sense of smell draws them to urban corridors, says Robbins, forcing Colorado wildlife officials to relocate or euthanize bears that become too habituated to human food and garbage. To help fight the tide of human-bear encounters, Robbins and Fulton urge people to keep as little food waste and garbage outside as possible, and to keep a safe distance. “Part of our responsibility of living with our natural resources is to provide them space and to minimize attractants,” says Robbins. “If you see wildlife, you want to give them distance.” | Low | [
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• The ExoMars Schiaparelli Lander (Entry, Descent, and landing Module, or EDM) crashed on the Martian surface on 19 October 2016. Also on that day the Trace Gas Orbiter successfully entered Mars orbit. The HiRISE images acquired soon after the crash showed diffuse dark markings surrounding a shallow crater, plus small bright spots. HiRISE re-imaged this location on 25 March 2019, while dust was still settling from the planet-encircling dust storm, so surface features had low contrast.HiRISE re-imaged this spot again through a much clearer atmosphere on 14 December 2019 ( see animation ). Much of the diffuse dark material has faded, perhaps from dust fallout, such that the crater is now more distinct. At least two bright spots are still visible.In 2020 we expect three launches to Mars leading to landing attempts in early 2021: NASA’s unnamed (Mars 2020) rover, that will collect samples for return to Earth; the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars lander and Rosalind Franklin rover; and an orbiter, lander, and Huoxing-1 (Mars-1) rover from China. HiRISE will be ready to see what happens.Written by: Alfred McEwen (29 January 2020) | High | [
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Researchers recently identified an aggressive new strain of human immunodeficiency virus in Cuba that advances to Aids much faster than the average strain, but this variant of the virus may be the most aggressive ever studied in humans. Other fast-acting variants of HIV exist, but the Cuban strain is the first in which all observed patients infected with a particular strain of HIV progress to Aids at the accelerated rate, Anne Mieke Vandamme, the researcher from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium who published findings on the Cuban strain, told The Independent. “The difference is that with most clades, only a minority of patients infected with a virus from that clade progress so fast,” Dr Vandamme said, using the word clade to mean subtype of HIV. “Here, all patients in our cohort infected with a virus from the CRF19 variant progress to Aids within 3 years. This is the first variant where this has been noted.” Only 73 patients have been studied so far, but the 73 progressed to Aids within a median time of 1.4 years after being infected with HIV. The average HIV strain advances to Aids within a median time of 9.8 years. Still, the small sample size means that researchers have a lot left to learn about the new strain. Dr Vandamme said her team is collecting data on 144 cases after the initial study. “We indeed did not have so many CRF19-infected patients in the cohort, but the difference was so striking that even with this small sample size the effect was very significant,” Dr Vandamme said. “This means the difference is huge. Of course this needs to be repeated in a much larger sample size to verify if the results will hold. However, we felt that we had to publish now already.” Cuban clinicians reportedly were worried about the aggressive strain of HIV and asked Dr Vandamme’s team to investigate. Despite the rapid progression, she said the virus is spreading slowly and does not yet pose a health threat in Cuba or the rest of the world, but it is possible it could spread. “I suspect it would need to reach even higher levels in Cuba before we should start fearing that it will spread to other countries, this may take many years or not happen at all,” she said. “But with virus spread, a chance event can make all the difference, you just need one patients taking this virus out of Cuba and passing it on abroad, where it could spread further.” As of 2013, some 15,000 people in Cuba were living with HIV, out of about 11.3 million, according to the United Nations. | High | [
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Monday, January 10, 2011 On the Trail-- Our friend Tom the Traveler has often—almost obsessively—talked about the blue corn pancakes that he had eaten at a restaurant north and west of Albuquer-que. When we saw him last he added a new piece of data—the road he took went past Balloon Fiesta Park. Sure that he was talking about the Range Café in Bernalillo, we headed north and west for breakfast. “The Range Cafe was founded in September 1992 by two men with a dream…. Meeting in 1991, Matt DiGregory and Tommy Fenton discovered their passions together while working at Scalo in Albuquerque and then the Prairie Star in Bernalillo. The two young minds soon began to share their dreams of someday…striking out on their own, footloose and fancy free” (from www.nmrestaurants.com). “…Housed in what was once an old drugstore, the restaurant has a pressed tin ceiling and is decorated with western touches, such as cowboy boots and whimsical art” (www.frommers.com). We had eaten at the Wyoming Avenue branch (there are now three Range Cafés with two in Albuquer-que) and were intrigued by the ultra funky décor, and the Bernalillo mother ship didn’t disappoint in that regard. The walls were festooned with art that was both contem-porary and reminiscent of Native American and Wild West themes. One supporting column sported a mini-VW bus painted to remind one of the “Flower Power” days of the 1960’s. The brightly colored tables and chairs had been “dis-tressed” for an antique look. Old toy ranges were arrayed on a shelf above the kitchen pass-through and an antique range in the lobby displayed the cards from local businesses. The breakfast menu caters to hearty appetites. There is: the Wagon Train with eggs, sausage, bacon, pintos, Range fries, and pancakes; The Range Roundup with a homemade biscuit topped with crumbled bacon, sausage, and eggs and smothered in chile with Range Fries con Queso; the I-25 Omelets (It'll get you to Denver!) with diced ham, bell pepper, onion, and white cheddar and smothered in green chile; the Kitchen Sink Omelet with ham, bacon, green onion, avocado, tomato, white cheddar, and cream cheese; monster-sized breakfast burritos; Huevos Rancheros which had been voted “Best of Albuquerque” by the readers of a local magazine; Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs; biscuits and gravy; and Eggs Benedict. I was hungry. I was very hungry. The Range Roundup sounded like just the ticket to sate this hunger. The plate contained an enormous (at least three inches across) split biscuit that had been covered with a most generous amount of pork sausage cubes and bits of good and crispy bacon. On top of the meat sat two eggs over easy (my choice). Ladled over the eggs was New Mexico chile Christmas style (both green and red) and melted over this was a thin layer of cheese. The biscuit foundation was decent. Not great, but much better than many. The eggs still retained their liquid yolks which ran onto and mixed into the mélange. The chiles were both medium spicy, and I preferred the green with its fresh fruity flavor over the red. The Range Fries (home fries) were half-inch squares of fried potato and mine were covered with a thin coating of cheese, lettuce, and tomato. The beans were…well, they were beans. And no. I didn’t finish it all. Most of the potatoes and beans returned home with me to be reheated for a future breakfast. Since we were on the blue corn pancake trail and blue corn pancakes (along with your choice of bacon or sausage) were a breakfast special that morning, Chuck had no alternative but to order them. His plate arrived with three six- to seven-inch cakes that had been made with the restaurant’s basic buttermilk batter in addition to blue corn meal. The buttermilk made them light and fluffy, but they lacked the deep corn flavor that we found at Sophia’s. Once on the grill, a copious amount of piñon nuts was sprinkled over each cake. These buttery nuts, whose texture reminds me of macadamias, were present in almost every bite. So whose blue corn pancakes were better? Sophia’s (yesterday's entry) or Range Café’s? It is a toss-up. Sophia’s had better blue corn flavor, but the Range’s cakes had a more interesting taste because of the piñons. Was this the place we were looking for? No. Chuck e-mailed a photo of the exterior to Tom the Traveler and this wasn’t it. But Tom did provide us with more information. The hunt goes on. About Me We are two retirees--Chuck, 64, and Kate, 63--who decided to travel the U.S. On June 13, 2008, we began our long-talked-about travels by heading south from our home in Pennsylvania in our Ford 550 and 38’ New Horizons fifth wheel. Our travel aim is to meet people and go at least "knee-deep" into the culture of several communities. To learn what is important in the lives of the residents of the towns, villages, and farms of America is our primary interest. When not learning about what people do, we will be (1) sampling the foods that help people do what needs to be done and (2) listening to the music of their culture. A neighborhood joint or local hall serving liquid refreshment and featuring a jam session with local musicians . . . well, it just doesn't get any better. We welcome comments, questions, or suggestions of people to meet, places to visit, and "don't miss" neighborhood joints for food and/or music. Drop us a note at [email protected] | Low | [
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Evaluation of Sclerotinia Stem Rot Resistance in Oilseed Brassica napus Using a Petiole Inoculation Technique Under Greenhouse Conditions. A petiole inoculation technique was adapted for evaluating resistance of oilseed Brassica napus seedlings to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In the first of four experiments, four isolates of S. sclerotiorum were tested, two originating from soybean and two from B. napus. In all, 10 to 47 B. napus accessions were inoculated in the seedling stage and responses to isolates were evaluated using days to wilt (DW) and a lesion phenotype index (LP). There were no significant differences in virulence among the four isolates for DW and only slight differences for LP. However, significant differences (P < 0.0001) were observed among the B. napus accessions for DW and LP in this experiment and in subsequent experiments using one isolate. The responses of accessions were consistent among experiments and among evaluation criteria. Higher levels of resistance were found among winter-type than spring-type accessions, and among rapeseed-quality compared with canola-quality accessions. The most resistant accessions identified also were the most resistant when inoculated at the flowering stage. Terminal stems were inoculated immediately below the lowest flower and stem lesion length (SLL) was used to characterize the interaction phenotype of each accession. The petiole inoculation technique can be used successfully to differentiate oilseed B. napus germ plasm for response to S. sclerotiorum. This inoculation technique and the sources of resistance identified in this study may be used to determine inheritance resistance to S. sclerotiorum and for improving oilseed B. napus cultivars for resistance to this important pathogen. | Mid | [
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# -*- coding: utf-8 -*- from south.utils import datetime_utils as datetime from south.db import db from south.v2 import SchemaMigration from django.db import models class Migration(SchemaMigration): def forwards(self, orm): # Adding field 'User.group' db.add_column(u'storageadmin_user', 'group', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey')(to=orm['storageadmin.Group'], null=True), keep_default=False) def backwards(self, orm): # Deleting field 'User.group' db.delete_column(u'storageadmin_user', 'group_id') models = { u'auth.group': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Group'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '80'}), 'permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'to': u"orm['auth.Permission']", 'symmetrical': 'False', 'blank': 'True'}) }, u'auth.permission': { 'Meta': {'ordering': "(u'content_type__app_label', u'content_type__model', u'codename')", 'unique_together': "((u'content_type', u'codename'),)", 'object_name': 'Permission'}, 'codename': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'content_type': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': u"orm['contenttypes.ContentType']"}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '50'}) }, u'auth.user': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'User'}, 'date_joined': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}), 'email': ('django.db.models.fields.EmailField', [], {'max_length': '75', 'blank': 'True'}), 'first_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}), 'groups': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'symmetrical': 'False', 'related_name': "u'user_set'", 'blank': 'True', 'to': u"orm['auth.Group']"}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'is_active': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'True'}), 'is_staff': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'is_superuser': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'last_login': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'default': 'datetime.datetime.now'}), 'last_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '30', 'blank': 'True'}), 'password': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '128'}), 'user_permissions': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'symmetrical': 'False', 'related_name': "u'user_set'", 'blank': 'True', 'to': u"orm['auth.Permission']"}), 'username': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '30'}) }, u'contenttypes.contenttype': { 'Meta': {'ordering': "('name',)", 'unique_together': "(('app_label', 'model'),)", 'object_name': 'ContentType', 'db_table': "'django_content_type'"}, 'app_label': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'model': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}) }, u'oauth2_provider.application': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Application'}, 'authorization_grant_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32'}), 'client_id': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "u'DEAEwb4KS!Rcpnm4=baQ?8ev7zf7kUKc=-yIqyIT'", 'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '100'}), 'client_secret': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "u'w3xm_;BLkne0lL-V8.R-lIxBYHkT.79zSsijZvCIr=WXRzBxiIOSXwaf:uWB3JwlU:!.obglAzr-.ftPX7:v-v_dQCqE5a.8LYrlX:FR9W@3@JLFbNuPxNYrEc511zVl'", 'max_length': '255', 'blank': 'True'}), 'client_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '32'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '255', 'blank': 'True'}), 'redirect_uris': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {'blank': 'True'}), 'user': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': u"orm['auth.User']"}) }, 'storageadmin.advancednfsexport': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'AdvancedNFSExport'}, 'export_str': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.apikeys': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'APIKeys'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '10'}), 'user': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '8'}) }, 'storageadmin.appliance': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Appliance'}, 'client_id': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'client_secret': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '255', 'null': 'True'}), 'current_appliance': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'hostname': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'Rockstor'", 'max_length': '128'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'ip': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'mgmt_port': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '443'}), 'uuid': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '64'}) }, 'storageadmin.dashboardconfig': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'DashboardConfig'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'user': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': u"orm['auth.User']", 'unique': 'True'}), 'widgets': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}) }, 'storageadmin.disk': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Disk'}, 'btrfs_uuid': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'model': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '10'}), 'offline': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'parted': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {}), 'pool': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Pool']", 'null': 'True', 'on_delete': 'models.SET_NULL'}), 'serial': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'size': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}), 'transport': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'vendor': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.group': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Group'}, 'admin': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'gid': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'unique': 'True'}), 'groupname': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.installedplugin': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'InstalledPlugin'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'install_date': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}), 'plugin_meta': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Plugin']"}) }, 'storageadmin.iscsitarget': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'IscsiTarget'}, 'dev_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '128'}), 'dev_size': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']"}), 'tid': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'unique': 'True'}), 'tname': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '128'}) }, 'storageadmin.netatalkshare': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'NetatalkShare'}, 'description': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'afp on rockstor'", 'max_length': '1024'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'path': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.OneToOneField', [], {'related_name': "'netatalkshare'", 'unique': 'True', 'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']"}), 'time_machine': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'yes'", 'max_length': '3'}) }, 'storageadmin.networkinterface': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'NetworkInterface'}, 'alias': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'boot_proto': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'dns_servers': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'domain': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'gateway': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'ipaddr': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'itype': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'io'", 'max_length': '100'}), 'mac': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'netmask': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'network': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}), 'onboot': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.nfsexport': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'NFSExport'}, 'export_group': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.NFSExportGroup']"}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'mount': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']"}) }, 'storageadmin.nfsexportgroup': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'NFSExportGroup'}, 'admin_host': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'editable': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'rw'", 'max_length': '2'}), 'enabled': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'True'}), 'host_str': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'mount_security': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'insecure'", 'max_length': '8'}), 'nohide': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'syncable': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'async'", 'max_length': '5'}) }, 'storageadmin.oauthapp': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'OauthApp'}, 'application': ('django.db.models.fields.related.OneToOneField', [], {'to': u"orm['oauth2_provider.Application']", 'unique': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '128'}), 'user': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.User']"}) }, 'storageadmin.plugin': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Plugin'}, 'css_file_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), 'description': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "''", 'max_length': '4096'}), 'display_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "''", 'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'js_file_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), 'key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}) }, 'storageadmin.pool': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Pool'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'raid': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '10'}), 'size': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}), 'toc': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}), 'uuid': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.poolscrub': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'PoolScrub'}, 'end_time': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'null': 'True'}), 'errors': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'null': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'kb_scrubbed': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'null': 'True'}), 'pid': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {}), 'pool': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Pool']"}), 'start_time': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}), 'status': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'started'", 'max_length': '10'}) }, 'storageadmin.posixacls': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'PosixACLs'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'owner': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '5'}), 'perms': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '3'}), 'smb_share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.SambaShare']"}) }, 'storageadmin.sambashare': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'SambaShare'}, 'browsable': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'yes'", 'max_length': '3'}), 'comment': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'foo bar'", 'max_length': '100'}), 'create_mask': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'0755'", 'max_length': '4'}), 'guest_ok': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'no'", 'max_length': '3'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'path': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'read_only': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'no'", 'max_length': '3'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.OneToOneField', [], {'related_name': "'sambashare'", 'unique': 'True', 'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']"}) }, 'storageadmin.setup': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Setup'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'setup_disks': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'setup_network': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'setup_system': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'setup_user': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}) }, 'storageadmin.sftp': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'SFTP'}, 'editable': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'ro'", 'max_length': '2'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.OneToOneField', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']", 'unique': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.share': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'Share'}, 'group': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'root'", 'max_length': '4096'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}), 'owner': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'root'", 'max_length': '4096'}), 'perms': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'755'", 'max_length': '9'}), 'pool': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Pool']"}), 'qgroup': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'replica': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'size': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}), 'subvol_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), 'toc': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}), 'uuid': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100', 'null': 'True'}) }, 'storageadmin.snapshot': { 'Meta': {'unique_together': "(('share', 'name'),)", 'object_name': 'Snapshot'}, u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096'}), 'qgroup': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '100'}), 'real_name': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'unknownsnap'", 'max_length': '4096'}), 'share': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Share']"}), 'size': ('django.db.models.fields.BigIntegerField', [], {'default': '0'}), 'snap_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "'admin'", 'max_length': '64'}), 'toc': ('django.db.models.fields.DateTimeField', [], {'auto_now': 'True', 'blank': 'True'}), 'uvisible': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}), 'writable': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'False'}) }, 'storageadmin.supportcase': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'SupportCase'}, 'case_type': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '6'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'notes': ('django.db.models.fields.TextField', [], {}), 'status': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '9'}), 'zipped_log': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '128'}) }, 'storageadmin.user': { 'Meta': {'object_name': 'User'}, 'admin': ('django.db.models.fields.BooleanField', [], {'default': 'True'}), 'email': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'gid': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '5000'}), 'group': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ForeignKey', [], {'to': "orm['storageadmin.Group']", 'null': 'True'}), 'homedir': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), u'id': ('django.db.models.fields.AutoField', [], {'primary_key': 'True'}), 'public_key': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '4096', 'null': 'True'}), 'shell': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'max_length': '1024', 'null': 'True'}), 'smb_shares': ('django.db.models.fields.related.ManyToManyField', [], {'symmetrical': 'False', 'related_name': "'admin_users'", 'null': 'True', 'to': "orm['storageadmin.SambaShare']"}), 'uid': ('django.db.models.fields.IntegerField', [], {'default': '5000'}), 'user': ('django.db.models.fields.related.OneToOneField', [], {'related_name': "'suser'", 'unique': 'True', 'null': 'True', 'to': u"orm['auth.User']"}), 'username': ('django.db.models.fields.CharField', [], {'default': "''", 'unique': 'True', 'max_length': '4096'}) } } complete_apps = ['storageadmin'] | Low | [
0.50566037735849,
33.5,
32.75
] |
Alpha-1-antitrypsin immunoreactivity in the small bowel in coeliac disease. The role of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) in the small intestinal mucosa in health and disease is poorly understood. We studied the prevalence and distribution of A1AT positive cells in small bowel biopsies from 35 coeliac disease patients and 25 normal controls retrieved from the records of the Department of Pathology, University of Oxford. Serial 6 micron thick paraffin sections were stained with H&E, PAS, PAS-diastase and for A1AT employing an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. None of these cases had biochemical evidence of A1AT deficiency. In the present study, 24 out of 35 small bowel biopsies among coeliacs (68.5%) compared to 13 out of normal controls (52%) showed A1AT immunoreactivity. Thus our findings point to the preservation of A1AT in coeliac disease. | High | [
0.6639784946236551,
30.875,
15.625
] |
{ "action": { "misuse": { "variety": [ "Privilege abuse" ], "vector": [ "LAN access" ] } }, "actor": { "internal": { "motive": [ "Fun" ], "variety": [ "Unknown" ] } }, "asset": { "assets": [ { "variety": "S - Unknown" } ], "cloud": [ "Unknown" ] }, "attribute": { "confidentiality": { "data": [ { "amount": 1, "variety": "Medical" } ], "data_disclosure": "Yes", "data_total": 1, "data_victim": [ "Patient" ], "state": [ "Stored" ] } }, "discovery_method": { "external": { "variety": [ "Customer" ] } }, "impact": { "overall_rating": "Unknown" }, "incident_id": "2AA876F5-73E2-4492-8ED2-959FE49A309C", "plus": { "analysis_status": "First pass", "analyst": "Spitler", "attribute": { "confidentiality": { "credit_monitoring": "Unknown" } }, "created": "2013-10-28T15:40:00Z", "github": "645", "master_id": "2AA876F5-73E2-4492-8ED2-959FE49A309C", "modified": "2014-05-10T00:58:19Z", "timeline": { "notification": { "day": 19, "month": 10, "year": 2013 } } }, "reference": "http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/9302192/Surrogate-mother-disgusted-by-prying", "schema_version": "1.3.4", "security_incident": "Confirmed", "source_id": "vcdb", "summary": "Medical filed reviewed without authorization by receptionist staff. ", "timeline": { "compromise": { "unit": "NA" }, "exfiltration": { "unit": "NA" }, "incident": { "year": 2013 } }, "victim": { "country": [ "NZ" ], "employee_count": "11 to 100", "industry": "622110", "region": [ "009053" ], "victim_id": "Hutt Hospital" } } | Low | [
0.5344129554655871,
33,
28.75
] |
00)/(sqrt(12)*5))/sqrt(5))*-5. 825*sqrt(19) Simplify (1*(2*sqrt(8064) - sqrt(8064))*1)/(3*sqrt(24)/sqrt(3) - 5*sqrt(8)*4). -12*sqrt(7)/17 Simplify -3*((3 + sqrt(1573) + -3 + (-2*(sqrt(1573)*1)**2 - sqrt(1573)) + 1)*-5 + -1). -47172 Simplify 1 + -2 + 6*(1 + sqrt(2448)) + (2*(-3 + sqrt(2448))**2 - ((sqrt(2448) - (sqrt(2448) + -1)) + sqrt(2448) + 1)) + 5. -84*sqrt(17) + 4922 Simplify ((-2*4*(sqrt(68) - -1*sqrt(68))*-5)/((-1*sqrt(24)*-3)/((sqrt(96) - 1*sqrt(96)) + sqrt(96))))**2*-1. -1740800/9 Simplify (-4 + (3 + sqrt(605)*3 - -5*(1 + sqrt(605))))**2*6*-1. -232416 - 4224*sqrt(5) Simplify ((-3 + sqrt(63)/((sqrt(9) + sqrt(9) + (sqrt(90)/sqrt(2))/sqrt(5) - sqrt(9)) + sqrt(9)))**2 - (1*(1*sqrt(70) - sqrt(70))/sqrt(10)*-3)**2) + 3. -2*sqrt(7) + 115/9 Simplify (-1*-6*3*(-5*(sqrt(560) + sqrt(35)))/(-3*2*sqrt(5)))**2. 39375 Simplify 1*(((3*(sqrt(300)*-1 + -1) + 3 + 3)*-3)**2 + -4). -1620*sqrt(3) + 24377 Simplify 2*((sqrt(1152) + 1 - sqrt(1152)) + -3)**2 - (-5*(sqrt(72)*2 - sqrt(72)) + (sqrt(72) - ((-4*sqrt(72) - sqrt(72) - sqrt(72)) + 1 + sqrt(72)))). -6*sqrt(2) + 9 Simplify ((-6*sqrt(363)/((sqrt(11) + sqrt(44)/sqrt(4))*-4))/(6*sqrt(147)*-2 + sqrt(147) - 3*(sqrt(147)*-2 + sqrt(147) - sqrt(147))))**2. 99/19600 Simplify ((-1 + 6*2*sqrt(2592)*2 + 5)*-5)**2. 172800*sqrt(2) + 37325200 Simplify ((2*sqrt(1500))/(sqrt(3) + sqrt(432)/sqrt(9)) + -3 + (-5*sqrt(15)/sqrt(3))**2 + -2)*-2. -240 - 8*sqrt(5) Simplify (-1 + sqrt(125) + -1 - (-1 + sqrt(125) + sqrt(125))*-1)*1 + 4 + (0 + 2*sqrt(320) - (4 + 0 + sqrt(320)))**2. -49*sqrt(5) + 337 Simplify -5 + (1*2*sqrt(65)*-1)/((sqrt(45) + (sqrt(45) - (-2*sqrt(225))/sqrt(5)) + sqrt(45))/sqrt(9))*6. -12*sqrt(13)/5 - 5 Simplify (2*4*3*sqrt(187)*-2)/(-6*3*sqrt(891)*2). 4*sqrt(17)/27 Simplify (-2*(sqrt(10) + -3*sqrt(1210)))/(sqrt(500) - sqrt(500)*-1*3)*6. 48*sqrt(2)/5 Simplify -3*(5*(4 + sqrt(2736) + 0 + sqrt(2736) + 0 + sqrt(2736))*-4 + -1)**2. -29568483 - 349920*sqrt(19) Simplify ((4*(sqrt(180)*-2 - sqrt(180)) + sqrt(180))**2 - (sqrt(180)*-2*-4)**2) + 6*(-4 + -1*sqrt(180))**2*-6. -1728*sqrt(5) + 3204 Simplify (sqrt(1216) + 1)*5*2 + -1 + (5 + sqrt(1216) + -2 + -2 + 3)**2. 144*sqrt(19) + 1241 Simplify 3*(-3 + -4 + -3 + sqrt(396) + sqrt(396) + (sqrt(396) + 1 - sqrt(396) - sqrt(396)) - (-2*sqrt(396)*2 + -2 + 1))**2. -1440*sqrt(11) + 29892 Simplify -6*3*(0 + sqrt(171) + sqrt(171) + sqrt(171)) + sqrt(1539) + 0 + sqrt(19)*-2 + -1. -155*sqrt(19) - 1 Simplify (sqrt(136)*-1*3 - sqrt(136))/(sqrt(8)*3*4) + (1*(sqrt(425) + 0 + sqrt(425) + sqrt(425) + 4 - ((sqrt(425) - (1 + sqrt(425))) + 2)))**2. 269*sqrt(17)/3 + 3834 Simplify (5 + 0 + sqrt(2736) + (sqrt(2736) - (2 + sqrt(2736))) + 4)**2 + 1*(4*(sqrt(171) + -1 + 2))**2. 264*sqrt(19) + 5537 Simplify 5 + ((sqrt(750) + sqrt(750) + -2*sqrt(750) - (sqrt(30) - sqrt(120)*1))/((sqrt(120)*-5)/sqrt(12)*4))**2*-6. 991/200 Simplify ((3*(-3*sqrt(114) + sqrt(114)) - sqrt(114)) + 6*sqrt(114)*2)/(((sqrt(108)/sqrt(2))/sqrt(3))/(sqrt(3) - sqrt(147)*-1)). 40*sqrt(19) Simplify (4 + ((-5 + (sqrt(931) + 0 + sqrt(931) - sqrt(931)))*5 - (sqrt(133)/(sqrt(42)/sqrt(6)) + (sqrt(931)*-3 - sqrt(931)))))**2. -2604*sqrt(19) + 73477 Simplify (sqrt(320) - (sqrt(320) - ((sqrt(320) + 2*sqrt(320))*-2 - sqrt(320))) - -1*sqrt(320)*-4)/((6*(sqrt(810)*-2 - sqrt(810)) - sqrt(810))*-1). -44*sqrt(2)/171 Simplify 1*((sqrt(500) + 1*sqrt(500))*-6 + -5)**2 + -3 + (sqrt(500) + 0 + 2 + -2*(2*sqrt(500) - sqrt(500)))**2 + -1. 1160*sqrt(5) + 72525 Simplify (-6*sqrt(84)*-2 + (sqrt(84) - (-5*3*sqrt(84) + sqrt(84)) - sqrt(84)) + sqrt(84))/(sqrt(144)/sqrt(192) + -4*3*sqrt(12)). -108*sqrt(7)/47 Simplify 6*sqrt(468)*4*5 + sqrt(13) + sqrt(130)/(sqrt(50)/sqrt(5)) + (sqrt(52) - sqrt(4212))/sqrt(4). 714*sqrt(13) Simplify 2*((sqrt(1584) + sqrt(1584) + (sqrt(1584) - (sqrt(1584) - (sqrt(1584) - -1*sqrt(1584)))) + sqrt(1584) + -5)**2 + (4*(0 + sqrt(11) + -3))**2 + 5). -1392*sqrt(11) + 79900 Simplify (((sqrt(7200) + -2)*5 + (1*sqrt(8)*4 - sqrt(8))/(sqrt(44)/(sqrt(176) - sqrt(11))))*-1)**2. -6180*sqrt(2) + 191062 Simplify (3 + (-2 + (sqrt(5)*2*4 - 2*sqrt(245)) + (1*sqrt(135))/(sqrt(528)/sqrt(11) + sqrt(3)))**2)*-4. -3056/5 - 432*sqrt(5)/5 Simplify (sqrt(143) + 2*-3*sqrt(143) - sqrt(143) - -5*sqrt(143)*-4)/(sqrt(77)/(sqrt(28)*-1)*1). 52*sqrt(13) Simplify ((-1 + sqrt(288) + -3 + sqrt(288))**2 - (sqrt(288) - (sqrt(288) + (sqrt(288) - (2 + sqrt(288))))*6)**2) + -1 + 3. -6174 + 1248*sqrt(2) Simplify 2*((5*sqrt(40)*1)/sqrt(8) + (((sqrt(5) - sqrt(20)) + sqrt(5))*-5 - (1 + sqrt(20)/sqrt(4)))**2). 12 + 14*sqrt(5) Simplify 5*3*-3*((sqrt(1088) + -5 + sqrt(1088)*2)**2 - (sqrt(1088) + (-1*sqrt(1088))**2 + 1))*6*5. -11782800 + 334800*sqrt(17) Simplify (sqrt(66)*4*-4 - sqrt(66)*-1*-4)/(((sqrt(96)*2 + sqrt(96) - sqrt(96))/sqrt(4))/(3*sqrt(36) - sqrt(4))). -80*sqrt(11) Simplify ((0 + sqrt(700)*1 - (sqrt(700) - (sqrt(700) + (sqrt(700) - (-5 + 1 + sqrt(700)))))) + (0 + sqrt(7)*-5 - (sqrt(280)/sqrt(8))/sqrt(5)))**2. 32*sqrt(7) + 128 Simplify (sqrt(242) + (sqrt(242) + (sqrt(242) - 6*sqrt(242)*1) - sqrt(242))**2)*6 + -2*(sqrt(24)/(sqrt(48)/sqrt(4))*2)**2. 66*sqrt(2) + 36284 Simplify ((-3*-6*(sqrt(152) - (sqrt(152) - -3*sqrt(152))*-2))/((-2*sqrt(800)*-3 - sqrt(800))*3))**2. 13851/625 Simplify (4*(sqrt(7920) + (sqrt(7920) - -3*-4*sqrt(7920)) + sqrt(7920)))/(sqrt(405) + sqrt(405)*-1 + sqrt(405) + sqrt(405) - (sqrt(125)*5 + sqrt(5))). 54*sqrt(11) Simplify (sqrt(486) + (-4*(sqrt(486) - sqrt(486)*2) - sqrt(486)))/(sqrt(3) + sqrt(432)*1 + -1*sqrt(108)). 36*sqrt(2)/7 Simplify 1 + (sqrt(5) + sqrt(20)*3 - (sqrt(180) + sqrt(180) + sqrt(180)*5))**2 + 4*sqrt(15)/(sqrt(27)*-6). -2*sqrt(5)/9 + 6126 Simplify ((1*sqrt(224))/sqrt(8) + -6*sqrt(224)/sqrt(8))/(-1*3*(sqrt(4) - sqrt(16)*2)). -5*sqrt(7)/9 Simplify -2 + -2*(1*3*(-5 + (sqrt(17) - sqrt(153))) + 5). 18 + 12*sqrt(17) Simplify 4 + ((2*(sqrt(5) + -1))**2 - sqrt(50)/(sqrt(10)*2)) + -3 + ((3*sqrt(400))/sqrt(8))/(-4*sqrt(10)*-1 - sqrt(10)). -15*sqrt(5)/2 + 25 Simplify (-5*(sqrt(228) + sqrt(228)*-2) - 3*2*sqrt(228))/((-3*2*sqrt(72) - sqrt(72))/sqrt(6))*3. 3*sqrt(19)/7 Simplify (((1*sqrt(648) + sqrt(648))/(-4*sqrt(18)/sqrt(2)) - (-5 + sqrt(162) + -1 + sqrt(162) + sqrt(162) + 4)) + -3)**2. 60*sqrt(2) + 1801 Simplify (((-1*sqrt(80))/sqrt(10))/(-4*sqrt(20)/sqrt(5)))**2 + -4*(4 + sqrt(50))**2*-2. 320*sqrt(2) + 4225/8 Simplify (5*((sqrt(304) + (sqrt(304) + -1)*-3 + sqrt(304) - sqrt(304)) + 2*(2*sqrt(304) - sqrt(304))) + -2)**2 + 2. 171 Simplify -2*(1*(-3*(sqrt(396) + -2) + 3 + sqrt(396) + 1))**2*-3. -1440*sqrt(11) + 10104 Simplify (2 + (-4*sqrt(228)*-2 - (sqrt(228) + (1*sqrt(228) - sqrt(228))*-6))/(sqrt(1452) + sqrt(1452)*2 - (sqrt(12) - sqrt(432))*3)*-4)**2. -7*sqrt(19)/3 + 1507/144 Simplify -6*-6*((sqrt(425)*2 + 0 + (sqrt(425)*2 - sqrt(425) - sqrt(425) - sqrt(425))*-1)**2 + (sqrt(425) - (sqrt(425) + 4 + sqrt(425)*1))**2 + -3). 1440*sqrt(17) + 153468 Simplify (((-1*sqrt(85)*4 - (3*sqrt(85)*3 + sqrt(85) + sqrt(85)))*-6)/(2*-2*sqrt(180)*5))**2. 153/16 Simplify (3*(2 + -3*sqrt(720)*-2 - (sqrt(720) + -1 + 0 + -2)) + 5)**2 + 2. 7200*sqrt(5) + 162402 Simplify 4 + -5 + (sqrt(5) - (sqrt(5) + sqrt(5) + -2)) + -1 - (0 + sqrt(245) + (sqrt(245) - (sqrt(245) - (5 + sqrt(245)*-3))**2)). -295*sqrt(5) + 3945 Simplify 1*((3 + 3*sqrt(19))*-1 + sqrt(76)/sqrt(4)*-5 + -4)**2*1. 112*sqrt(19) + 1265 Simplify (5 + (1*sqrt(108) - (sqrt(363) + 0)))**2 - (5 + 5 + ((sqrt(3) - sqrt(3)*2) + 0)**2). -50*sqrt(3) + 87 Simplify ((-1*(sqrt(1377) + 0) - (1*sqrt(1377)*-5 - sqrt(1377)))*-1 + 5 + sqrt(1377) + (sqrt(1377) - (-1 + sqrt(1377) + 1)) + sqrt(1377) + 4)**2. -486*sqrt(17) + 12474 Simplify (((-1*sqrt(153) - sqrt(153)) + sqrt(153))**2 - ((sqrt(68)/sqrt(4))**2 + -5)) + 5 - (sqrt(17) - (sqrt(2448) - sqrt(2448)*1) - (sqrt(153)*-1)/sqrt(9)). -2*sqrt(17) + 146 Simplify -3*-2*(4 + (-2 + sqrt(2548)*1 + sqrt(2548))**2 + ((sqrt(2548) - 1*-1*sqrt(2548)) + sqrt(2548) - (sqrt(2548) + (sqrt(2548) + 1)*6)**2)). -688128 - 7476*sqrt(13) Simplify -4 + (1*((sqrt(1872) - 2*sqrt(1872)) + sqrt(1872) + 3) - (-6*(sqrt(1872) + 1 - sqrt(1872)) + 5 + 0 + sqrt(1872))**2)*5. -9354 + 120*sqrt(13) Simplify 1 + (1*(-2 + sqrt(128) + -4 - (sqrt(128) + -2*sqrt(128) + -4)))**2*5. -320*sqrt(2) + 2581 Simplify ((sqrt(1200)*1 - sqrt(1200))/(sqrt(20)/(-2*sqrt(10))))/((1*sqrt(6)/sqrt(2) + -5*sqrt(3)*-2)*5). 0 Simplify ( | Low | [
0.5209302325581391,
28,
25.75
] |
Turkish Baklava in Istanbul If I weigh 250 pounds next time you see me arriving in America, this is the reason why: Karakoy Gulluoglu. This baklava shop, which a chance-met Korean named YuKyung was kind/terrible enough to introduce me to, is one of the most well-renown in Istanbul and by many accounts one of the best. Not only do they serve all manner and variety of baklava, from the traditional to the amazingly chocolatey goodness pictured here, but there’s a drink shop offering Turkish Coffee and Tea as well. You know those places where sometimes you intend to just drop in for a moment and end up staying for a day? That may well be Karakoy Gulluoglu for me as I pass through Istanbul again. All in the name of research though, you know? ———– Not quite enough Turkish food for you? Check out the chance to have Dinner with a local family instead! | Mid | [
0.616780045351473,
34,
21.125
] |
Introduction {#sec1} ============ Carbapenemase-producing *Enterobacteriaceae* (CPE) were detected about 20 years ago in the United States and are currently a global epidemic [@bib1]. The infections caused by these multidrug-resistant microorganisms have high rates of morbidity and close to 50% mortality, mostly due to the few therapeutic options available, such as tigecycline, polymyxins, fosfomycin and aminoglycosides [@bib2], [@bib3]. More than 2000 genetic variants of carbapenemases have been described. The predominant enzymes are as follows: *Klebsiella pneumoniae* carbapenemase (KPC; serin carbapenemase, Ambler group A), New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM; metallo-β-lactamase, Ambler group B) and OXA-48 (oxacillinase, Ambler group D). KPC carbapenemase predominates in endemic countries such as Greece, Italy and Israel, with incidences exceeding 30% [@bib4], while Turkey and other Mediterranean countries report the OXA-48 variant as predominant [@bib5]. NDM carbapenemase predominates in countries such as India, where it has a prevalence of 50% [@bib6]. Regarding Latin America, KPC carbapenemase is considered endemic in some countries such as Colombia, Argentina and Brazil, while Chile only reports outbreaks caused by this microorganism. NDM variant predominates in countries such as Guatemala. However, the latter variant and OXA-48 carbapenemase are usually reported with less frequency in Latin America [@bib7]. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases recommend early detection to prevent the spread of CPE [@bib8], [@bib9], [@bib10]. The early identification of these microorganisms is frequently carried out through rectal swab cultures. Given the fact that sensitive and specific methodologies with good turnaround times are required, several investigators have supported the use of chromogenic agars for identification [@bib10]. The sensitivity of these agars varies according to the type of carbapenemase studied and the brand. The CDC recommends the use of Landman\'s protocol for the detection of intestinal colonization of carbapenemase-producing *Enterobacteriaceae* [@bib11]. The CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar (CHROMagar) was marketed in 2016 as an appropriate alternative for the detection of KPC, NDM and OXA-48 like carbapenemases in *Enterobacteriaceae.* This chromogenic agar is based on a previous culture medium designed by Nordmann et al. in 2012 [@bib32], which had shown the best performance for CPE detection in many studies [@bib10], [@bib12], [@bib13]. However, to date, there is little scientific literature demonstrating its usefulness in surveillance cultures with patient samples. Our objective was to compare the performance of CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar with the method recommended by the CDC for detection of intestinal colonization by carbapenemase-producing *Enterobacteriaceae.* Materials and methods {#sec2} ===================== We carried out a prospective and multicentre study from February to April 2016. We included seven adult intensive care units from Guayaquil (Ecuador). Informed consent was obtained from each patient or their relatives for the sampling. Patient selection {#sec2.1} ----------------- Perineal swabs were collected weekly in each patient who had more than 48 hours of hospitalization. Microbiologic surveillance cultures {#sec2.2} ----------------------------------- Amies media was used to transport samples to the laboratories. All the swabs were processed by the CDC method as previously described [@bib11]. The samples were suspended in 5 mL of trypticase soy broth (Oxoid), and subsequently a 10 μg ertapenem (Oxoid) disc was added. The broth was incubated in air atmosphere for 24 hours at 35°C. After incubation, 100 μL of suspension was inoculated on MacConkey II agar (Becton Dickinson) [@bib11]. It was incubated for 24 hours at 35°C in air atmosphere. The CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar (SC) (CHROMagar) processing was performed in the bacteriology laboratory of the National Institute of Public Health Research 'Dr Leopoldo Izquieta Pérez.' The swab was plated in the agar prepared according to the manufacturer\'s instructions (≤72 hours of preparation) and incubated for 24 hours at 35°C in air atmosphere. Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility {#sec2.3} --------------------------------------------------------- For the CDC method, we considered presumptive CPE colonies to be those growing as lactose positive, following CDC recommendations. Additionally, we also considered lactose-negative colonies (Hardy Diagnostics). In the SC method, according to the manufacturer\'s instructions, red colonies were considered *Escherichia coli,* metallic blue the remainder of the coliforms and colorless colonies other Gram-negative bacteria. All presumptive CPE colonies cultured in the two agars were identified by the API 20E system (bioMérieux). We performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing by the disc diffusion method [@bib14]. Imipenem (IMP) 10 μg and meropenem 10 μg were used. Carbapenem-resistant *Enterobacteriaceae* (CRE) and nonresistant strains were defined according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute breakpoints. CRE strains were those with zone diameters ≤22 mm, and those with no resistance to carbapenem had zone inhibition diameters ≥23 mm [@bib14]. Phenotypic detection of carbapenem resistance mechanisms {#sec2.4} -------------------------------------------------------- We tested all CRE with the modified Hodge test (MHT) [@bib14]. Combined-disc tests of meropenem with and without phenylboronic acid (PBA) (Liofilchem) to detect serin carbapenemases and imipenem with and without EDTA (Liofilchem) to detect metallobetalactamase was performed as described elsewhere [@bib4], [@bib15]. Carbapenemase production was confirmed if MHT was positive and the combined-disc test with PBA or EDTA was positive. CRE with a negative or undetermined MHT and/or a combined-disc--negative test were also tested with the carbapenem inactivation method [@bib16] and MHT with Müller-Hinton agar (Becton Dickinson) supplemented with 250 mg/mL cloxacillin sodium salt (MHT-C) (MilliporeSigma) and meropenem disc (10 μg) according to previously described protocols [@bib17]. We defined isolates with negative carbapenem-inactivation method and MHT-C as CRE--non-producing carbapenemase (CRE non-PC). These isolates were also studied for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC production. An ESBL phenotype was defined in *Enterobacteriaceae* with a synergy effect observed among cefepime (30 μg), cefotaxime (30 μg) and ceftazidime (30 μg) discs and the amoxicillin/clavulanic acid disc (20 μg/10 μg), which was placed at 15 mm from centre to centre of ceftazidime, cefepime and cefotaxime [@bib14]. An AmpC phenotype was considered in CRE non-PC isolates, with a synergistic effect observed with the double-disc method with ertapenem (10 μg) and phenylboronic acid (300 μg) (PBA) discs (Kirby-Bauer method with ertapenem and PBA discs placed 15 mm from centre to centre in MHT-C) [@bib14]. *Escherichia coli* ATCC 25922, *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* ATCC 27853, *Klebsiella pneumoniae* ATCC 700603 and *K. pneumoniae* ATCC BAA-1705 were used as quality control strains for the described tests. Molecular detection of carbapenemases {#sec2.5} ------------------------------------- All CRE were subcultured on trypticase soy agar (Oxoid) for 24 hours at 35°C in air atmosphere. DNA was extracted using the Wizard Genomic DNA purification kit (Promega) following the manufacturer\'s recommendations. We assessed the DNA quality by analysing the ratio of the absorbance at 260 nm/280 nm. A previously described multiplex PCR protocol was used to detect KPC, OXA-48, VIM, IMP and NDM genes [@bib17]. Interpretation of results {#sec2.6} ------------------------- A CPE isolated with any of the two methodologies and molecularly confirmed was considered as a true-positive result. A true-negative result was defined when no CPE were recovered with any of the two methods studied. Samples with carbapenem-susceptible *Enterobacteriaceae* or CRE non-PC were considered as false-positive results. If one methodology recovered a CPE that was molecularly confirmed and the other did not, we considered the sample to be falsely negative. The discordant results were defined as any one that showed a different result regarding the positivity or negativity of the sample or the type or number of CPE isolated in one of the two methodologies. Concordance was defined as having the same result with the two methodologies. Cost analysis {#sec2.7} ------------- Cost of each method was calculated in US dollars at 2016 prices. Laboratory technologist charge was estimated at \$7.50 per hour, based on a monthly salary of \$1212 (scale remuneration of public service officers) [@bib18]. Statistical analysis {#sec2.8} -------------------- We used Microsoft Office Excel 365 (2015) by frequencies and percentages. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV), diagnostic accuracy, and positive and negative likelihood ratio of each method were calculated. The agreement between the two tests was established by Cohen\'s kappa index. The kappa index was interpreted as follows: 0.01--0.20, poor agreement; 0.21--0.40, fair agreement; 0.41--0.60, moderate agreement; 0.61--0.80, good agreement; and 0.81--1, very good agreement [@bib19]. Statistical significance was calculated by Pearson\'s chi-square test, and values of p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results {#sec3} ======= We processed 950 swabs corresponding to 605 patients (one to six samples per patient, with a mean of two samples per patient). We obtained 633 negative results and 317 positive results (228 patients), detecting a total of 330 CPE. A total of 269 of the 317 samples were recovered using the CDC method and 292 using the SC method ([Table 1](#tbl1){ref-type="table"}, [Table 2](#tbl2){ref-type="table"}). Thirteen samples had more than one CPE, with 12 detected with the SC method and one with the CDC method. CHROMagar mSuperCARBA was statistically more sensitive (p 0.003) than the CDC method, allowing us to detect more than one CPE in the samples studied.Table 1Results obtained from two methods in samples with one carbapenemase producing-*Enterobacteriaceae*Table 1Microorganism*N* (%)Concordant resultDiscordant result*Klebsiella pneumoniae* KPC277 (90.78)22453 (25 CDC^+^/SC^−^, 27 CDC^−^/SC^+^)*Enterobacter aerogenes* KPC4 (1.31)40*Enterobacter cloacae* KPC7 (2.30)25 (CDC^−^/SC^+^)*Escherichia coli* KPC1 (0.32)10*Klebsiella oxytoca* KPC3 (0.98)21 (CDC^−^/SC^+^)*Proteus mirabilis* NDM13 (4.27)013 (CDC^−^/SC^+^)Total30423372[^1]Table 2Results obtained from two methods in samples with more than one carbapenemase producing-*Enterobacteriaceae*Table 2StrainCDCSCMicroorganism 1Microorganism 2Microorganism 1Microorganism 228098V*Enterobacter cloacae bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~*E. cloacae bla*~KPC~---27037M*Klebsiella pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*E. cloacae bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27920L*E. cloacae bla*~KPC~---*E. cloacae bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27902NNegative---*Escherichia coli bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27411R*E. coli bla*~KPC~---*E. coli bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27405JNegative---*E. coli bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~28001S*E. coli bla*~KPC~---*E. coli bla*~KPC~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27301G*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*Proteus mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27306M*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*P. mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27046P*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*P. mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27302P*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*P. mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27303V*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~---*P. mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~27694V*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~*P. mirabilis bla*~NDM~*K. pneumoniae bla*~KPC~[^2] KPC was the predominating carbapenemase (92.24%). NDM carbapenemase was also detected in 5.75% of the samples, and OXA-48 carbapenemase was detected in none. Concordance {#sec3.1} ----------- A total of 91.05% (865) of the results were concordant. We observed considerable agreement between the two methods for CPE detection (kappa index 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.75--0.84). The best concordance was found for KPC variant (kappa index 0.87; 95% confidence interval 0.82--0.90), and there was no agreement at all for NDM detection (kappa index 0) Samples with discordant results occurred in 63 patients (including those with more than one CPE); 37 subjects (58.73%) had more than one sample collected during the study period. Eleven patients (31 samples) had the same discordant results more than once and could be corroborated ([Table 3](#tbl3){ref-type="table"}).Table 3Discordant results in patients with more than one sampleTable 3Patient no.Total samples/no. of samples with discordant results repeatedDiscordant result, CDC/SC15/2Negative/*Klebsiella pneumoniae* KPC25/3Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC33/2Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC45/2Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC53/3Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC64/4Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC75/2Negative/*K. pneumoniae* KPC82/2*K. pneumoniae* KPC/Negative93/3Negative/*Proteus mirabilis* NDM104/4Negative/*P. mirabilis* NDM[a](#tbl3fna){ref-type="table-fn"}114/4Negative/*P. mirabilis* NDM[a](#tbl3fna){ref-type="table-fn"}[^3][^4] False-positive and -negative results {#sec3.2} ------------------------------------ We obtained 24 (2.52%) false-positive results with the SC method, of which 14 were CRE non--carbapenem resistant and ten were susceptible to imipenem and meropenem. With the CDC method, we obtained 198 (20.84%) false-positive results, of which six were CRE non--carbapenem-resistant isolates and 192 samples had *Enterobacteriaceae* with susceptibility to imipenem and meropenem (129 *E. coli,* 54 *K. pneumoniae* and nine *Enterobacter cloacae*). The most frequent mechanism of resistance to carbapenems detected in non-CPE isolates was extended-spectrum β-lactamases combined with porin mutations. We obtained 22 (2.31%) false-negative results with the SC method and 47 (4.94%) false-negative results with the CDC method ([Table 4](#tbl4){ref-type="table"}).Table 4Sample results with non--carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant *Enterobacteriaceae* classified as falsely positiveTable 4MicroorganismLaboratory codeCDCSCImipenem (mm)Meropenem (mm)*Klebsiella pneumoniae* AmpC + porin mutations27111T−+2823/16*K. pneumoniae* AmpC + porin mutations27416T−+2419*K. pneumoniae* AmpC + porin mutations27740T−+2018*Enterobacter aerogenes* AmpC + porin mutations25428C+−2317*E. aerogenes* AmpC + porin mutations25729C+−1618*E. cloacae* AmpC + porin mutations28384A−+1323*Enterobacter cloacae* AmpC + porin mutations27909R−+612*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations25339R++2414*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations28736Z++1517*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations25337Z++1817*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations26745P−+2520*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations27104A++2213*K. pneumoniae* ESBL + porin mutations27185A−+2517*Escherichia coli* ESBL + porin mutations26422S−+2517[^5] Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy {#sec3.3} ---------------------------------------------------------- SC showed the best results in all statistical analyses ([Table 5](#tbl5){ref-type="table"}).Table 5Results of statistical analysisTable 5ResultCDCSC%95% CI%95% CISensitivity84.780.3--88.393.0589.6--95.3Specificity68.965.2--72.396.2194.4--97.5Positive predictive value57.352.8--61.792.488.9--94.8Negative predictive value90.187.1--92.596.594.8--97.7Diagnostic accuracy74.171.2--76.695.293.6--96.4[^6] Cost analysis {#sec3.4} ------------- We found that the CDC method was more expensive than the SC method (SC \$8990.72 vs. CDC \$ 10307.92). Although the total cost of the supplies used was estimated to be higher for the SC method (SC \$8477.32 vs. CDC \$7866.21) the cost of laboratory technologist time increased the total cost of the CDC method (SC \$513.40 vs. CDC \$2441.71), mainly due to the lack of specificity, in addition to the fact that 39.91% of the cost of the inputs of the CDC method was used to work samples with false-positive results ([Table 6](#tbl6){ref-type="table"}).Table 6Cost analysisTable 6MethodMinutesUnitary value (US\$)SCCDCPositive (*n* = 292)Negative (*n* = 634)Falsely positive, CSE (*n* = 10)Falsely positive, CRE non-PC (*n* = 14)Positive (*n* = 269)Negative (*n* = 483)Falsely positive, CSE (*n* = 192)Falsely positive, CRE non-PC (*n* = 6)CDC, broth--MacConkey120.58\$156.02\$280.14\$111.36\$3.48Chromogenic agar13.62\$1057.04\$2295.08\$36.20\$50.68API 20E identification system314.50\$4234.00\$145.00\$203.00\$3900.50\$2784.00\$87.00Susceptivity test, imipenem/meropenem10.59\$172.28\$5.90\$8.26\$158.71\$113.28\$3.54Phenotypic confirmatory method (boronic acid disc/EDTA disc)10.71\$207.32\$9.94\$190.99\$4.26Hodge test20.15\$43.80\$2.10\$40.35\$0.90Carbapenemase inactivation method (incubation time excluded)20.28\$3.92\$1.68Hodge test with cloxacillin50.20\$2.80\$1.20Total\$5714.44\$2295.08\$187.10\$280.70\$4446.57\$280.14\$3008.64\$102.06Total cost of supplies\$8477.20\$7866.21Technologist time\$0.13\$513.40\$2441.71Total cost\$8990.72\$10\<thinsp\>307.92[^7] Discussion {#sec4} ========== One of the main strategies to avoid transmission of CPE in healthcare settings is prompt detection of its intestinal carriers. In order for this strategy to be successful, the method used must be accurate and have quick turnaround times. In our study, the sensitivity of the SC method for CPE detection (KPC and NDM) was higher than that of the CDC method (93.05% vs. 84.7%). However, it is lower than that reported by García-Fernández et al. [@bib20] in 2016 (100%), in a study that used 210 rectal swabs from patients colonized with CPE carrying NDM, KPC and OXA-48 carbapenemases. Sensitivity reported by other authors is higher for the SC method as well. Garcia-Quintanilla et al. [@bib21] in 2017 demonstrated sensitivity and specificity of 100% for this medium when they tested 113 *Enterobacteriaceae* strains, including KPC, NDM, VIM, IMP and even OXA-48 compared to noncommercial Supercarba agar. Nonetheless, these studies mostly used strains previously characterized, not patient samples [@bib20], [@bib22]. The lower sensitivity obtained in this study could be due to the use of the same swab for the two procedures. In addition, it has been previously reported that enrichment of the sample in broth, conducted in the CDC method, increases the sensitivity of methodologies [@bib23]. We found that the sensitivity of the CDC method was relatively high (84.7%) despite its inability to detect NDM carbapenemase and the difficulty in detecting more than one CPE in the same sample (kappa index 0). The high sensitivity is probably due to the predominance of KPC carbapenemase (94.24%) in the analysed samples. This is in agreement with other authors reporting 98.8% sensitivities when processing rectal swab samples with KPC carbapenemase [@bib24]. However, a meta-analysis published in 2016 shows a lack of sensitivity of this method compared to other commercial agars for the detection of CPE in surveillance rectal swab samples [@bib4]. Nonetheless, this method is still routinely used because of its low costs [@bib25]. The literature describes specificities ranging from 49.6% to 100% [@bib26], [@bib27] for the CDC method. The specificity reported by us was mainly caused for the high number of false-positive results obtained; the majority (96.96%) were isolates that were not classified as CRE according to our definition (resistance to imipenem and meropenem). However, we do not know the mechanism of resistance implicit in these isolates and their susceptibility to ertapenem, which is a limitation of our study. However, there is a small chance for these isolates to harbour an OXA-48 like carbapenemase, which confers lower minimum inhibitory concentrations to carbapenems because it has not been reported in our country so far. It has been also described that the presence of OXA-48 carbapenemase is uncommon in strains with susceptibility to imipenem [@bib28]. However, it has been shown that SC has the best sensitivity for the detection of OXA-48 [@bib21]. The specificity of SC was 96.21%, which was better than the CDC method as well as other methods described in other studies that used rectal swabs [@bib10]. However, it is important to emphasize that the specificity will vary depending on local epidemiology of presence of ESBL and AmpC enzymes as the mechanism causing carbapenem resistance. In our study, the ESBL with porin mutations (70%, *n* = 10) predominated in those CREs that did not produce carbapenemases. Comparison of the sensitivity and specificity between different studies is difficult because of the limitations of each study, the differences in methods and the lack of a reference method. Additionally, the predominant CPE in swabs will depend on local epidemiology, which makes it difficult to extrapolate the results to other contexts. We had good agreement (kappa index 0.79) for the detection of CPE and an almost perfect agreement for the detection of KPC carbapenemase (kappa index 0.87). The discordant results in 27 samples could be because the detection limit of the SC method is 10 CFU/mL [@bib20] lower than the CDC method. There was no agreement observed for the detection of NDM carbapenemase (kappa index 0). The SC method had the better predictive values (PPV 92.4%, NPV 96.5%) than the CDC method (PPV 57%, NPV 90.1%). Although the CDC method is described as being more affordable [@bib25], its low PPV causes additional technical work in order to confirm suspicious isolates, which makes this protocol more expensive. As a consequence, it increases the workload in the laboratory, and lengthens the turnaround time and the time the patient needs to stay in isolation [@bib25], [@bib29]. Ecuador imports laboratory reagents, which increases the costs of testing and limits the options, with laboratories often having to resort to less specific and noncommercial tests. In this study, we used the MHT, which has moderate specificity but is cheap; the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommended it until 2017 [@bib14], [@bib30], [@bib31]. The selection of cheaper tests is a common practice in our country. However, we suggest that the tests for CPE surveillance should be based on local epidemiologic data after performing cost analysis. In conclusion, the SC method is a robust, useful and affordable laboratory diagnostic method for CPE detection in surveillance programmes in regions with high CPE prevalence, particularly when several CPEs are circulating. Conflict of interest {#appsec1} ==================== Ca. Soria Segarra is a speaker for Merck and 3M. The other authors declare no conflict of interest. Supported by grants from Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil (SINDE-0875-2015) and Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública 'Dr Leopoldo Izquieta Pérez' (PIS ID+I-24-2015). We thank H. Lopardo (Prof Consulto Microbiologia Clinica. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, UNLP. Consultor Honorario del Hospital de Pediatría Prof Dr. Juan P Garrahan), G. Esparza (Programa de aseguramiento de calidad PROASECAL. Profesor de microbiología, Universidad Javeriana), M. Cartelle Gestal (Harvill Lab, Center for vaccine and immunology, University of Georgia), O. Muñoz (One Health Center of Excellence and Department of Environment and Global Health, University of Florida) and J. P. Aguilar (Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University) for critical review and CHROMagar mSuperCARBA for providing the SC used in this study. [^1]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method; KPC, *Klebsiella pneumoniae* carbapenemase; NDM, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase; SC, CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar method. [^2]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method; KPC, *Klebsiella pneumoniae* carbapenemase; NDM, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase; SC, CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar method. [^3]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method; KPC, *Klebsiella pneumoniae* carbapenemase; NDM, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase; SC, CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar method. [^4]: Two samples of each patient had *K. pneumoniae* KPC by CDC method and *P. mirabilis* NDM and *K. pneumoniae* KPC by SC method. [^5]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method; ESBL, extended-spectrum β-lactamase; SC, mSuperCARBA agar method. [^6]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method; CI, confidence interval; SC, mSuperCARBA agar method. [^7]: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention method, CRE, carbapenem-resistant *Enterobacteriaceae,* CSE, carbapenem-susceptible *Enterobacteriaceae,* SC, CHROMagar mSuperCARBA agar method. | Mid | [
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Im me! Lee'Andrew, coolin doin me, tryina cross paths with woman that can last in all categories nd any aspects . Im a very a (more) Here's where you can meet singles in Antioch, California. Our Contra Costa County singles are in the 925 area code, and might live in these or other zip codes: 94509, or 94531 personals. There are thousands of active singles on DateHookup.com looking to chat right now. | Low | [
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Hosting an evening star party this summer? You’re in for a treat. Starting later this week, all five naked eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) are visible in the evening sky at dusk for a brief few weeks. We had a similar lineup in the dawn sky earlier in 2016, as the Earth had all the inner planets in its forward-facing view — now, we see these same planets in our collective rear view mirror, as we lap Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on the inner track, while Mercury and Venus race to catch up with us. At their narrowest, the planets from Saturn to Mercury fit within a span just 75 degrees wide in the last half of August. A wide field all-sky shot should catch ’em all in the same frame at once. This isn’t a ‘grand conjunction’ in a strict sense. To have all five planets visible, you need the slowest and outermost of the five — Jupiter and Saturn, with orbital periods of 11.9 and 29.5 years respectively — in the same general swath of sky. Both are headed towards conjunction on December 21st, 2020, making such groupings more frequent as they race past the other three. The next true quintuple grand conjunction occurs on September 8th, 2040, when all 5 planets span just 9.3 degrees of the sky… the closest span since September 18th, 1186! There’s a lot to watch out for in the next few weeks. Here’s a who’s who of planets this July and August, from east to west: Saturn: shining at magnitude +0.4 in the constellation Ophiuchus, Saturn is fresh off of opposition on June 3rd. Riding high in the southeast at dawn, Saturn makes a close 4.4 degree pass near Mars on August 24th, and the pair makes a straight line completed by the bright star Antares on the same date. Mars: High to the south in the constellation Libra at dusk, Mars begins its slow dive into the dusk during the last half of 2016. Currently shining at a respectable magnitude -0.9, Mars passed opposition on May 22nd and is headed towards a grand opposition in 2018, nearly as close as the historic close pass of 2003. Jupiter: Sitting in the constellation Leo, Jupiter shines at magnitude -1.6 and is about 20-30 degrees above the southwestern horizon at dusk. Jupiter passed quadrature 90 degrees east of the Sun on June 4th and opposition for 2016 on March 8th. Venus: The bashful planet of the group, Venus is slowly appearing from behind the Sun low in the dusk and headed for a brilliant dusk apparition later in 2016 and early 2017. Currently 3 degrees east of the Sun on July 31st, Venus reaches greatest elongation 47 degrees east of the Sun on January 12th, 2017. We’ve just been able to begin spying Venus using binocs last week from the rooftop of our Casablanca Air BnB. Follow that planet, as Venus makes a close 6′ pass near Jupiter on August 27th. Mercury: And the innermost planet makes five, as Mercury reaches greatest elongation 27 degrees east of the Sun on August 16th. When can you first catch sight of Mercury, completing the fivesome? Jupiter and Venus actually make great bookends in the hunt, as +0.5 magnitude Mercury wanders between them through early August. It’s too bad dusk twilight obscured the view this past weekend, as both Mercury and Venus photobombed the Beehive Cluster M44 in Cancer. Mercury also passes 20′ from the bright star Regulus on July 30th. But wait, there’s more. The Moon passes New on August 2nd, entering back into the dusk sky. The one day old Moon will pass the grouping of Venus, Regulus and Mercury on the evening of August 4th, actually occulting (passing in front of) Mercury for the southernmost tip of South America. The Moon then moves on to occult Jupiter for good measure on August 6th for the South Pacific and southeast Asia in the daytime. Finally, the waxing gibbous Moon makes a wide pass near Mars, Antares and Saturn on the evening of August 12th, on the same evening that the 2016 Perseids are due to occur. The Moon also reaches the nearest apogee (think ‘closest far point’) of the year, at 404,265 kilometers from the Earth on August 10th and reaches Full on August 18th, featuring a subtle penumbral eclipse and the start of eclipse season 2 of 2 for 2016. More on all of these events in the coming weeks. So, if you find yourself out hunting Pokémon G0 creatures ’til the late dusk hours this summer, don’t forget to look up at the greatest show in the solar system! | High | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for measuring and redistributing transmission power when allocating a radio frequency band resource in a Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) system. The present invention provides a technique for efficiently allocating a radio resource when integrating and allocating several bands to a Mobile Station (MS) in a Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) system for dividing the radio resource into a frequency band and allocating the divided radio resource. 2. Description of the Related Art An Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) system is a typical example of an SDMA system for dividing a radio resource into a frequency band and allocating the divided radio resource. FIG. 1 illustrates the downlink frame architecture used in the SDMA system. Referring to FIG. 1, a DownLink (DL) frame of the SDMA system is divided into preamble and MAP information on an entire frame, a Non Adaptive Antenna System (AAS) traffic zone not supporting SDMA, and an AAS zone supporting the SDMA. The AAS zone is again divided into 12 bands based on a frequency axis. A data burst is provided on a per-band basis and transmitted to an MS. Each band has channel qualities different from each other for one MS. The AAS zone has a minimum size of one band as a radio resource allocated to the MS. However, in case where the MS sends a request for allocating a data burst having a size of one or more bands to a Base Station (BS), the BS can merge several bands into one data burst and allocate the radio resources. Particularly, when receiving only one data burst per frame because, of limitation to its performance or a need to reduce the MAP information in size, the MS necessarily needs a method for merging several bands into one data burst and allocating a radio resource. An inefficient example of merging a plurality of channel bands into the data burst and allocating the radio resource will be described with reference to FIG. 2 below. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of allocating, by the BS, the data burst including the plurality of channel bands in the SDMA system. Referring to FIG. 2, the BS merges AAS Bands #1, #2, and #3 into one data burst, and allocates a radio resource to the MS. Resource #1 and Resource #2 refer to radio resources allocated to the same position by the SDMA system. The Resource #1 is allocated to a User #1 MS, and the Resource #2 to a User #2 MS. In FIG. 2, the BS fixedly distributes a transmission power (PWR) by 0.5 on a per-resource basis. When the BS distributes the transmission power by 0.5, the MS has a Carrier to Interference and Noise Ratio (CINR) and a Modulation order Product code Rate (MPR) corresponding to the CINR at each band as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, a fixed transmission power per band is 0.5 because the User #1 MS and the User #2 MS share the Resource #1 and the Resource #2, the radio resources of the same position. Here, the MPR, which is a rate of an amount of information transmitted using the radio resource of the same size, corresponds to the CINR. In case where the transmission power is distributed by 0.5 as shown in FIG. 2, AAS Band #1 and AAS Band #3 of the Resource #1 have an MPR of 1.5 but AAS Band #2 has an MPR of 0.5. Therefore, the User #1 MS has available a final Target MPR of 0.5. Accordingly, the User #1 MS is inefficient because a low CINR of the AAS Band #2 of the Resource #1 results in reduction of a total Target MPR. Alternatively, AAS Band #2 of the Resource #2 has an MPR of 2.0 but AAS Band #1 and AAS Band #3 have an MPR of 1.0 when the transmission power is fixedly distributed by 0.5. Therefore, the User #2 MS has a Target MPR of 1.0 and thus, results in a waste of the transmission power in the AAS Band #2 of the Resource #2. | Mid | [
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Cotter Promoted to Sergeant in Lynn Police Department Paul Cotter (center) was promoted to sergeant in the Lynn Police Department. Police Chief Kevin Coppinger and Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy congratulated Cotter after the ceremony held at Lynn City Hall. Paul Cotter was sworn in as a sergeant in the Lynn Police Department during a ceremony held Feb. 26 in the office of Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy. Cotter, 36, has been a Lynn police officer for 11 years. He attended Sisson and Pickering Schools in Lynn and graduated from Essex Agricultural School. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in Criminal Justice from Curry College. “I’m very excited and honored to be a sergeant,” said Cotter, son of Eleanor Cotter and the late Paul Cotter Sr. “Since I was a young boy I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. The chief [Kevin Coppinger], the deputies, and all the officers are great people and I look forward to making a difference in helping the citizens of Lynn.” Cotter also praised the mayor for her support of the Lynn Police Department. “The mayor is a very nice person and very supportive of the police department,” said Cotter. Chief Coppinger, several colleagues in the department, and members of the Cotter family attended the ceremony that was administered by City Clerk Mary Audley. Chief Kevin Coppinger said that Cotter has had a very distinguished career in the department “Paul has had five commendations, four letters of appreciation and he was voted officer of the month,” said Coppinger. “He is a very diligent officer when he is out on the street. Just a couple of weeks ago, he spotted a vehicle whose occupants had broken into a Walnut Street business, and he relayed the information and the State Police were able to apprehended the guys. Paul is always aware of his surroundings. He’ll do very well as a sergeant. He’ll take his skills and now as a leader he can teach the younger officer those skills, too.” Alan Webster, a personal friend, also congratulated Cotter on his promotion to sergeant. “The position that he is receiving today is well deserved,” said Webster. “He’s been there for the department and just as any police officer would give their full dedication, Paul has done that for the Lynn Police Department. I’ve known Paul since we were teenagers and we used to ride around together and go to scenes. I’m very proud of him.” Mike McEachern, Cotter’s former partner in the LPD, said, “Paul was a leader before he was a sergeant and now he has the stripes.” | Mid | [
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Exposing myth of the Jets Latest News SCOTT GARBARINI, Sports Network Dec 13, 2010 , Last Updated: 2:28 PM ET PHILADELPHIA -- They say it's not bragging if you can back it up. In the case of the New York Jets, however, the preseason sizzle has been replaced by what's looking more and more like another end-of-the-year fizzle. A season that appeared to have the makings of something special has instead turned into a potential reincarnation of 1986 revisited for the self- proclaimed Super Bowl contenders, thanks to two straight duds that have removed the luster from the NFL's biggest talkers' impressive outward appearance and revealed a dangerously soft underbelly that's been attacked at will by recent opponents. After being woefully outplayed and outclassed by the powerful New England Patriots in a 45-3 Monday night shellacking that sent shock waves throughout league circles, the Jets followed up with a second consecutive clunker in a 10-6 home loss to the unpredictable Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Those two disappointing results both featured a troubling lack of execution from an offence that now hasn't produced a touchdown in nine straight quarters while displaying a careless inability to adequately protect the football. A shaken and confused young quarterback Mark Sanchez was intercepted three times in the New England fiasco, then committed a pair of costly turnovers against the Dolphins while completing a dismal 17-of-44 passes and taking six sacks. Crazy as it may seem, Sanchez's wretched performance wasn't even the Jets' lowlight of Sunday's debacle. That was provided by strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi, who disgracefully tripped and temporarily injured Miami's Nolan Carroll as the Dolphins' rookie was sprinting along the New York sidelines while covering a punt in the third quarter. That shameful act did little to change the Jets' reputation of an assemblage of overconfident bullies that have drawn the ire of opponents and fans alike for their non-stop crowing in spite of relatively modest accomplishments. What Sunday's result more likely altered, however, is the public perception that head coach Rex Ryan's boastful bunch should be taken seriously as a major threat in the ongoing battle for AFC supremacy. New York's preseason credentials were built on two stirring road wins in last year's conference playoffs that sent Gang Green to a surprising appearance in the AFC Championship Game. This current edition sports just two victories in six bouts against teams presently holding winning records, having previously prevailed in earlier meetings with the Patriots and Dolphins. Those triumphs came during Weeks 2 and 3 of this 2010 campaign, however, as part of a 5-1 surge that had us all buying into what Ryan was selling through his boisterous -- albeit entertaining -- statements. In hindsight, perhaps we should have seen this slump coming, but narrow escapes over non-contenders such as Denver, Detroit and Cleveland were initially viewed as gritty measures of perseverance by a team that found a way to win when it wasn't on top of its game. Judging by the results of the past two weeks, it may be more apt to suggest that the gap between the Jets and those going-nowhere teams isn't as wide as initially thought. Those old enough to recall that 1986 season -- and longtime Jets supporters most certainly do -- remember a team that was 10-1 and standing on the top of the AFC mountain heading into a late-November showdown with the rival Dolphins also played before a Monday night audience. New York also lost that contest by a 45-3 margin, triggering a five-game free-fall and a backdoor playoff venture that brought about additional heartbreak. While it may be premature and unfair to compare this present swoon with that epic collapse, the prospect of a dubious repeat of history has at least entered the discussion. And considering that an offence that generated fewer points than the NHL's New York Rangers did on Sunday will be facing two of the NFL's top four scoring defences (Pittsburgh, Chicago) on the road in the next few weeks, a playoff entry that was perceived to be a lock in the not so distant past suddenly no longer becomes a guarantee. "I'm very concerned," a more humble and serious Ryan remarked after Sunday's setback. "You look at our next opponent, and if you think this defence [Miami's] is good, just wait until next week. Pittsburgh is going to be a huge challenge, and down the road, we need to make sure we find a way to get better. We have to get better." Though the most scarred and jaded of Jets' fans may have resigned themselves to a forecast of impending doom, both the talent level and last year's accomplishments suggest a turnaround clearly isn't out of the question, and a repeat of January's playoff run cannot be counted out either. But in order to for that scenario to unfold, the time is now for Ryan and his charges to finally put their money where their mouths are. | Low | [
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Vacancy – Casual Teacher We are seeking to appoint a teacher to join our experienced team of teachers at the Colne Community School and College to work on a casual basis covering classes as and when required. We’re looking for you if you have: The ability to teach engaging lessons. Experience of working with support staff and students to maintain high standards. Commitment to safeguarding and child protection. There has never been a more exciting time to join our school community. It is an unprecedented opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of our young students and work with us on our journey to success supported by The Sigma Trust, a large and local trust of schools We can offer you: A Competitive Salary Opportunities to work with colleagues across the Trust to share resources, ideas and build collaborative relationships Employee Benefits: Employee Assistance Programme, Pension Scheme, For additional information about the Trust and this school, please visit our website www.sigmatrust.org.uk To apply for this post, please complete an application form, available from The Sigma Trust/this website and return it to [email protected] . | High | [
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Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie and Rand Paul will participate in Florida’s upcoming Sunshine Summit. “As our list of participating candidates continues to grow, we are excited to welcome Gov. Christie and Sen. Paul to the Sunshine Summit in Orlando,” Florida GOP Chairman Blaise Ingoglia announced Monday. “With eight candidates announced to attend, and more to come, the Sunshine Summit is turning out to be the can’t-miss event of the primary election.” Participation in the event qualifies candidates to appear on the ballot for Florida’s March 15 Republican primary, therefore quelling the rumors that either candidate might soon be exiting the race. (RELATED: Super PAC Pulls Plug On Paul’s Presidential Push) The Sunshine Summit takes place from November 12-14 in Orlando. In addition to Gov. Christie and Sen. Paul, Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Marco Rubio and Mr. Donald Trump will also be in attendance. WATCH: Follow Datoc on Twitter and Facebook | Mid | [
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About ACA The American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. Founded in 1952, ACA is the world's largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings. What Is Counseling? According to 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling, the delegates comprised of 31 counseling organizations agreed upon a unified definition of counseling: Professional counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. Divisions, Branches, and Regions There are 20 chartered divisions within the American Counseling Association. These divisions provide leadership, resources and information unique to specialized areas and/or principles of counseling. ACA has four regions, which serves members in those regions. Lastly, ACA has 56 chartered branches in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Please click the following links to get more information about ACA's Divisions, Branches, and Regions. Latest News ACA in the News: Sleep & Memory by Amber McLaughlin | Jul 30, 2014 Robert Turner, a licensed professional counselor and member of the American Counseling Association, recently spoke with EmpowHER, a leading health website for women, about the link between sleep deprivation and memory loss. Turner explained the risk factors for developing memory problems as well as the three different areas of memory most affected by sleep deprivation. | High | [
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This invention relates to a device for use in facilitating or assisting a user in enhancing skeleto-muscular stability control via exercise. This invention also relates to an associated exercise method utilizing the device. Supine exercises on an unstable base challenge core stability. These exercises train torso, abdominal and hip muscles and increase stability of the pelvis and thus of the torso and spinal column. | High | [
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The invention relates to a submarine. Submarines having a drive which is independent of external air can operate in Arctic waters over a longer period of time below a closed ice sheet. However, with submerged travel below a closed ice sheet, those emergency situations which render it necessary for the crew to leave the submarine have been found to be fatal. In such a situation, the ice sheet or ice layer prevents these persons from getting to above the ice sheet. | Mid | [
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thanks for you opinion, I appreaciate it...I have always been interested in hybrids...and we have 8 corns , a corn rat mix, two gophers, a burmese, red tail, 7 ball pythons,2 scorpions, a chamelion, 2 bearded dragons, a golden gecko, and a lepoard gecko.I'm not looking for the beauty, just the possibilty...thank you very much | Low | [
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The Open Relationship Incubator: A 90-Day Program for Couples to Learn How to Get Off to a Healthy Start in Your Open Relationships! In the 16 years since I first started living polyamorously, I’ve seen more and more people exploring the possibility of open relationships. There are books, movies, reality tv shows, blogs, and community groups. The open relationship conversation is no longer relegated completely to the fringes. More people are ready for new relationship paradigms, where they get to define their relationships on their own terms—not based on what society tells them. “The Open Relationship Incubator” is for you if: You’re an established couple and you’ve been thinking about opening your relationship for a while, but you’re not sure if it’s really right for you You know you want to open your relationship, but you aren’t sure where to start You’re a newer couple, and each of you has some open relationship experience, but you’re wanting a supportive structure to help you lay a solid foundation for this new open relationship As a body-centered psychotherapist and relationship expert, I specialize in creative life and relationship design for visionary “out-the-box” thinkers. I work with individuals, couples, partners, and families to support you in feeling more alive, connected and authentic in your lives and relationships, and I’m delighted to offer this program for you if you are ready to create your relationships on your terms. In addition to offering relationship therapy and coaching to lots of creative couples and poly partner constellations over the years, I have been teaching about polyamory for nearly a decade. I, now, also train other therapists in working with polyamorous family systems. Why did I put this program together for you? When I first started exploring open relationships, there wasn’t a lot of information or support that was easily available. My partner, at the time, and I struggled just to find a therapist who could tolerate the idea of open relationships, let alone help us figure out how to navigate the process. We spent a lot of time looking for and building community to help us sort through all of the intense dynamics—managing agreements, handling jealousy, figuring out how to find partners who respected our lifestyle. It was a lot to learn, practically, on our own. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone. In this 90-day program, you’ll get my expert guidance to help you: Decide if open relationships are right for you Define what healthy open relationships look like for you Clarify your needs and boundaries Set up agreements Learn practical ways to make sure you don’t blow up you relationships right out of the gate Build confidence in your choices Learn more effective ways to deal with jealousy Gain valuable skills to support you in getting off to a healthy start I’ve seen what can happen when couples don’t get the right support at the beginning of this process: hurt feelings, painful breakups, dishonesty, loss of trust, shattered families, broken social connections… Why suffer through all of that if you don’t have to? While there are a lot of social outlets and support groups for exploring open relationships, it is especially important for couples who are just beginning the “opening up” process to have dedicated, professional support and expertise so that you can have the important conversations you need to have with each other in a facilitated context, while also doing the deep inner work and learning the skills necessary to thrive in your relationships and manifest your relationship visions. In this program, you’ll get: A 75-minute in-person kickoff expert strategy session with me for just the two of you, where we’ll outline your open relationship issues and questions. You’ll leave with a custom designed action plan to guide you in maximizing the 90-day program with a focus on your specific challenges. A daylong group retreat where we’ll lay the foundation for your open relationship journey (Saturday 1/18 10am-5pm in Oakland, gourmet lunch provided) 5 two-hour live, experiential group sessions where we’ll dive deep into the core questions and skills that are essential for navigating open relationships (5 Saturdays 11am-1pm: 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, 3/8, 3/22 in Oakland) You’ll also receive these bonuses: This is a totally confidential group. You’ll get to know each other and connect deeply with a community dedicated to supporting your learning, growth and exploration. This program is a fit for you if… You know yourself well and are pretty self-reflective You’re comfortable with being in an emotional process You like to be challenged You are up for trying on some new ideas, and willing to do things differently than you have done before You’re willing to speak up when you’re not getting what you need, even if it’s hard You feel empowered around your exploration of open relationships. This means that, even if it’s your partner’s idea, and you’re feeling less certain about it, you are ready to explore because you see some personal benefit for yourself and your relationship. And you feel free to choose. You are committed to showing up 100% for this program. You’re excited about working together towards manifesting the relationship vision you really want! This program is not a fit for you if… You’re feeling bullied into exploring open relationships, responsible non-monogamy or polyamory. You really don’t want to do it, but feel like you have no choice in the matter. You feel so anxious and stressed out about the idea of opening your relationship, that you get nauseous. You really want to support your partner so you’re willing to try it anyway even though the thought of it makes you ill. If any of these “NOT right” situations applies to you, individual and/or couples therapy really is a much better option for you. Contact me to request an appointment or to get a referral. How to Apply The Open Relationship Incubator application process is currently closed. Use “The Open Relationship Incubator” to: Get clear about your vision for your relationship together. Whether you decide that opening up is right for you or not, this program will help you to get on the same page about where you are and where you’re headed in your relationship. Deepen your connection with your partner. Taking the time to really know and understand your needs, feelings and concerns and then share them with each other is a profound way to move towards deepening intimacy and connection between you. You get to use this process to feel more heard and understood as you consider your relationship wishes and options. Heighten the level of communication between you. Communication skills are crucial in navigating this process, and this group will help you get better at saying what you need to say with grace. Identify and address the relationship hot spots that leave you feeling vulnerable with one another. Your deepest fears and longings are likely to get stirred up in this process. This group will help you identify your vulnerabilities and triggers so that you can begin to find effective ways to address them. Create a safe container for your relationship to continue to grow through your open relationship exploration process. I will be with you each step of the way to support you in using these conversations and processes to create more safety and ground for you in your relationship journey. I’m looking forward to reading your application and connecting with you personally. Just know, it is possible to thrive and feel grounded and secure in open relationships! About Sonya Brewer Sonya Brewer, MA, is a body-centered psychotherapist and relationship expert in Albany, CA, where she specializes in creative life and relationship design for geeks, weirdos, artists, radicals, outsiders and other “out the box” thinkers (and “feelers”). She loves helping quirky people find their creative voice and express their unique ways of being so that they can feel more alive, connected and authentic in their lives and relationships, while also bringing their gifts to the world. Sonya brings a wide breadth of experience including in-depth training in somatic psychology at the California Institute for Integral Studies, training in relational psychotherapy at the Women’s Therapy Center, and extensive training in trauma recovery through Generative Somatics and Somatic Experiencing (not a certified practitioner). Sonya’s work is also deeply influenced by training and experience in bodywork, dance, and mindfulness meditation as well as over seventeen years of living polyamorously. She has taught workshops on embodied living and sacred sexuality, and appears in the film “Hearts Cracked Open: Tantra for Women Who Love Women” by Betsy Kalin. Sonya has been teaching about polyamory for nearly a decade, and now also trains other therapists in working with polyamorous family systems. To learn more, visit www.sonyabrewer.com. Registered Marriage & Family Therapist Intern # 61996. Supervised by Margie Cohen, LCSW LIC # LCS11263 | Mid | [
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BOSTON – Joe Girardi stewed inside his office for nearly four hours, long enough to conduct some research. After the Yankees captured a 9-6 victory over the Red Sox, Girardi issued a vigorous defense of third baseman Alex Rodriguez and a furious denunciation of Boston starter Ryan Dempster, who plunked Rodriguez in the second inning. This led to Girardi’s rapid ejection from the game by umpire Brian O’Nora. “Dempster’s hit six guys in [313 innings from 2012 to 2013],” Girardi said. “He threw the first ball behind him. Intentional. He threw the next one inside. He didn’t hit him. Intentional. “At some point, Brian O’Nora’s got to give him a warning. And he should have thrown him out of the game.” O’Nora did neither. Instead, he ran Girardi, who went apoplectic after Dempster hit Rodriguez with a 3-0, 92-mph fastball in the left elbow and ribcage. Rodriguez exacted revenge with a rally-starting home run in the sixth inning. But still Girardi sought punishment. He wants Dempster to be suspended, and miss at least one start. And one more thing: “I wish he had to hit,” Girardi said. “That’s what I wish.” Players across the game dislike Rodriguez. He is baseball’s premier villain, especially as he plays while appealing a 211-game suspension. But Girardi said it was unfair for him to be targeted for utilizing the process allowed to him by the game’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. “It can’t happen,” Girardi said. “You can’t just start taking pot shots because you disagree with the way the system is set up. … I want (the players) to come out (of the dugout). As I’ve said all along, you may not agree with the way Major League Baseball is handling this or that, that’s everyone’s opinion, and I respect that, I’m OK with that, but that’s your teammate, and we don’t allow people just to get plunked.” Dempster offered a dubious defense. “I was just trying to pitch inside,” he said, which prompted laughter from the SportsCenter anchors broadcasting his comments inside the Yankees clubhouse, and disdain from the small group of players watching the television. CC Sabathia referred to Dempster’s behavior as “bootleg.” Brett Gardner, who later put the Yankees ahead with a three-run triple, needed to be restrained by Robinson Cano during the ensuing brouhaha on the field. “It was obvious what was going on,” Gardner said. “But we were able to come together, get fired up, and he gave up seven runs, and we got the win.” He added, “How can you not get fired up?” Rodriguez sounded thankful for the support. He lavished praise on Girardi, and others. “That today kind of brought us together,” he said. “Joe’s reaction was amazing. Every single one of my teammates came up to me and said ‘Hit a bomb and walk it off.’ They were as pissed as I was.” Rodriguez called Dempster “unprofessional.” “Whether you like me or hate me, what’s wrong is wrong,” he said. “That was unprofessional. It’s silly. It’s kind of a silly way to get somebody hurt.” Girardi agreed. On another evening of high drama, he displayed himself once more as a staunch support of Rodriguez – even as Rodriguez begins a protracted legal battle against the team. “You can’t start throwing at people,” Girardi said. “People have had concussions. Lives are changed by getting hit by pitches. Whether I agree with everything that’s going on, you do not throw at people and you don’t take the law into your own hands. You don’t do that.” | Mid | [
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Q: python if condition "and" keyword issue I simply trying calling this code uname="" passwd="jhj" if uname =="":print "uname" if passwd=="":print "passwd" if not uname and passwd: print "either" and the output is: uname either shouldn't It be "uname"?how can I fix this? A: Simple fix would be if not uname and not passwd: since it evaluates as if (not uname) and (not passwd): or if not (uname or passwd): but this would not work as awaited if neither uname nor password are provided (it would print all three). You could change the logic to this construct where only one print is executed: uname = "" passwd = "jhj" if not (uname or passwd): print "either" elif not uname: print "uname" elif not passwd: print "passwd" A: What you are doing here is this: if (not uname) and passwd: If you want to check if they are both false, you need to do: if not uname and not passwd: Note that: if not (uname and passwd): Is not the same thing, as if one item is True, the whole thing will evaluate false. If you want to do it with one not, the correct logic is: if not (uname or passwd): | Mid | [
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MS. HARF: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the daily briefing. I don’t have anything at the top. Deb, go ahead and get us started. QUESTION: Okay. I’d like to start with Libya. What’s your read on what really happened there? Does the U.S. feel like it bears any responsibility for the abduction of this Prime Minister? Because they’re saying it was in retaliation for the al-Libi raid. Is that true? MS. HARF: Well, a couple points. We just put out a statement from Secretary Kerry right before we came out. I hope folks saw that. That’s one of the reasons I was probably a little late. But he made clear that we condemn the events that have happened over the last 24 hours. We’re happy to hear that he’s been released, but I think we want to underscore the fact that this kind of violence, this kind of activity, has no place in a new Libya. We’re monitoring the situation closely and trying to determine the facts of exactly what happened here. I don’t think we can yet confirm who was actually responsible. There have been different claims out there, and we’re still trying to get some clarity on that, but I don’t want to guess about the reason the perpetrators would have done this. I think we’ve been clear that we’re going to keep working with the Prime Minister, with his government, on these shared issues, and including increasing their capacity to confront security challenges themselves. QUESTION: Is it possible that it was a staged abduction? I mean, it only lasted a few hours. MS. HARF: I guess everything’s possible. We’re still trying to get clarity into what happened here. And we very strongly condemn it and think that it was a serious situation. We don’t have all the details yet. We’re happy to hear that he’s been released, but again, this really – this kind of activity against a democratically elected head of state really just has no place in a new Libya, and we’re committed to working with the government going forward. QUESTION: But isn’t this a setback to getting more cooperation with the government? MS. HARF: What happened over the last 24 hours? In fact, I think it underscores the fact that we’re working together to help the Libyan Government continue to strengthen its institutions, continue to strengthen the rule of law, and continue to strengthen its own security internally. We know this is a challenging time for the Libyan Government; we’ve said that for a long time. And I think it actually underscores why we need to work more quickly to help them in a lot of these areas. QUESTION: Yeah, but he can’t maybe do that. MS. HARF: Well, he’s the Prime Minister of Libya. We’re committed to working with him, absolutely. Yes. QUESTION: Can we go to Egypt? MS. HARF: Yeah. QUESTION: Oh, one more on -- MS. HARF: Uh-huh. QUESTION: -- Libya. It’s actually kind of broader. You look at what’s happening there, after an Arab Spring type of uprising, you look at what’s happening in Egypt, look at Syria, look at Iraq – there seems to be a pattern here of things falling apart after there is this great hope about democracy, then an intervention of some type, and then it falls apart. And there are countries that criticize what’s going on. I know that’s kind of a general question, but it doesn’t seem to be working very well – let’s put it that way – in these countries that the United States had great hopes for. MS. HARF: Well, I’d make a few points, Jill. The first is that each country goes through these transitions in their own way and in their own timeframe. And we always knew in each one of them that there would be a lot of challenges. But I would take, I think, issue with the notion that these countries are all falling apart. Look, where we are in Libya today is we have a democratically elected government that we’re working with to continue to strengthen their capabilities to do things, but compare that to the situation where we were under Qadhafi’s rule. And yes, there are difficulties, but it’s a much better situation for the Libyan people, certainly. And that’s why we’re going to continue working with the Government of Libya moving forward to help them on this transition. If you look at Yemen, if you look at Iraq, if you look – which, obviously, Iraq is a very different case; I wouldn’t necessarily put it in the Arab Spring category, as we all know the history with their transition, with their government. But for the Arab Spring countries, we knew there were going to be challenges. We knew that the road was going to be rocky here. As I’ve repeatedly said, our own democratic transition in the U.S., building this democracy, was challenging. And we knew also that this would take time. This is a generational shift. And in a lot of places, there are positives you can point to. We also know there will be setbacks. So I think I’d look at, across the Arab world, whether its Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, elsewhere, Egypt, these countries are all moving on their own path and on their own timeframe. And what our objective has always been is to work with them to promote our interests, to promote our values, and to help them in any way we can move forward in this democratic process, even though it’s really hard. QUESTION: Do you think it was helpful, though, to take Mr. Libi from the streets of Tripoli, for the Libyan Government? MS. HARF: Well, I think terrorists like Mr. al-Libi aren’t just threats to the U.S; they’re also threats to the Libyans – the Libyan people, Libyan Government. I would underscore the fact that he’s indicted in the Southern District of New York for two bombings of embassies, in conjunction with those two bombings that killed a lot of non-Americans – a lot of Kenyans, a lot of Tanzanians. These kinds of terrorists are threats to everybody, including in Libya. So we think that it was a good thing for Libyan security, for our security, for global security to get these guys off the battlefield, absolutely. QUESTION: You don’t think it was perhaps ill-conceived to leave such a heavy footprint behind of U.S. power on a government that’s very – is struggling with all these challenges, as you just outlined? MS. HARF: Well, I’m not sure exactly what “heavy footprint” means. I believe this was a quite targeted operation. I will say that and I’ll leave it to DOD to further characterize it. But we’ve been talking with the Libyans about counterterrorism for a long time, and we’ll continue doing so. They agree it’s a shared challenge that we both face, and we’re going to continue these conversations. What we’re focused on now is where the relationship goes from here and how we can help them best move forward. Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Marie, any update on communication today between this building and Libyan Government officials, or is this all being handled at Ambassador Jones’s level? MS. HARF: Which Ambassador Jones? QUESTION: In Libya. MS. HARF: In Libya. You always have to ask when it comes to the NEA region. I will get you an update on – I know there has been communication today – nothing, I believe, from the Secretary today. But I’ll get you – if I can get you specifics about who’s been in contact with the Libyan Government today, I’m happy to do so. QUESTION: And on the question of – you referenced the indictment and the status of al-Libi. Any timeframe in these conversations that the Ambassador has had – Ambassador Deborah Jones – with the Libyan Government about the detention? When do you expect him to be coming to the U.S. to face those trials? MS. HARF: Well, we don’t know what his final disposition would be. So I’d make that point again. I think we’ve said that repeatedly. There’s a couple of different options. I know DOJ is probably best situated to answer what those options might look like. So we don’t have a timeframe. As we said, he remains in U.S. military custody. QUESTION: So even though he’s in U.S. custody and he’s under indictment in a U.S. court, it’s not a sure thing that he’ll come back to the United States to face those charges? MS. HARF: His final disposition just hasn’t been decided. We’ve talked about a number of different things, whether it’s military commissions, Article 3 courts. We just don’t have any further details about where he might end up. QUESTION: But he might not end up on U.S. territory. MS. HARF: I’m just not going to outline what the different options are. DOJ, I think, is probably really best suited to speak to those. QUESTION: Is one of them handing him back to the Libyans? MS. HARF: Again, I would refer you to DOJ for questions about his final disposition after U.S. military (inaudible). QUESTION: Okay. Two more things on this. Yesterday, I think Jo had asked you about – or a couple days running, but including yesterday – about the international law under which you believe his abduction is justified. MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Were you able to find that cite? MS. HARF: So I got a little bit more. I don’t know if it will satisfy everyone, but I tried to get a little bit more. So Mr. al-Libi, as I said yesterday, was lawfully apprehended and is lawfully detained under the Law of Armed Conflict. We also call it the Law of War; it’s what I mentioned yesterday. And that’s comprised of a body of international law that consists both of treaties, like the Geneva Convention and others, and customary international law. So as we’ve explained, the United States is in an armed conflict with al-Qaida and its associated forces, and as such, we can lawfully use force in that conflict, including to capture and detain individuals who are part of al-Qaida or its associated forces. So that’s the international legal basis for what we’re talking about. QUESTION: So it’s based on the U.S. belief that it is in a state of armed conflict with al-Qaida? MS. HARF: Correct. QUESTION: Okay. And then -- MS. HARF: And that under the Laws of War, the body of international law consisting, again, of treaties and customary international law, that this is indeed lawful. QUESTION: And then yesterday, you had told us that you’re in – you’ve had contact with the Libyan Government about consular access? MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Has he received consular access? MS. HARF: Well, again, I’d stress that I don’t know what his final disposition will be. He remains in U.S. military custody. I can assure you of a few things: First, that we will meet our ICRC notification obligations as appropriate, and our consular access obligations as and when appropriate. Those discussions are ongoing right now with the Libyan Government. We’re talking to them about this exact issue. And I’m not going to get ahead of those discussions or that process until -- QUESTION: But it’s not automatic? When you say as and when appropriate, that implies -- MS. HARF: As and when appropriate. QUESTION: -- that you may judge that it’s never appropriate and he could be held incommunicado indefinitely without access to officials from his government. MS. HARF: Well, I don’t think anybody has said that he will be held incommunicado or indefinitely. That’s certain. QUESTION: No, I didn’t – well, he is being held incommunicado, I mean, but -- MS. HARF: Well -- QUESTION: -- that’s not what I said. I said it leaves open the possibility that he could be, not that you said he would be. MS. HARF: Well, decisions about his detention are a little separate and apart from the consular access question, right? How long he’s in military custody, where he ends up being – his disposition is – that’s a separate question from consular access, and I would – and so DOD, as they are the ones who has him in custody, I think is best able to speak to those issues. QUESTION: But -- MS. HARF: But we will meet our obligations, our consular access obligation, as and when appropriate. And we’re in discussions with the Libyans right now. I just don’t want to get ahead of those discussions (inaudible). QUESTION: No, I get it. But it seems to me that the phrasing, “as and when appropriate,” implies that you may judge that it is never appropriate, and that, I think, would set a very -- MS. HARF: I would not jump to that assumption. I think -- QUESTION: So you intend to provide consular access at some point? MS. HARF: Again, we don’t know what his eventual disposition will be like, where that will be, but as and when appropriate, depending on what that disposition is, where he’s in custody, all of these play into this discussion, and that’s the discussion that’s going on right now. QUESTION: Why does he -- MS. HARF: We’re committed in general to the principle, of course, of consular access. QUESTION: Yes, but the problem is the particular, and I wonder – my question is: Why is he not entitled to consular access now? MS. HARF: I didn’t say that. I said the discussion is ongoing with the Government of Libya and -- QUESTION: And you provided “as and when appropriate.” MS. HARF: Correct. QUESTION: But not that you will necessarily provide it. MS. HARF: But not that we necessarily won’t, which is where you’re taking it. QUESTION: But you’re leaving the possibility that you won’t. MS. HARF: I just said we’re committed to the principle of consular access. The question is when it’s appropriate. That’s what’s being discussed right now with the Government of Libya. And when we are able to give you more details about what that might eventually look like, we certainly will. QUESTION: So he will definitely get it at some point? MS. HARF: I’m not promising anything from here. That conversation’s ongoing. I just -- QUESTION: But wouldn’t – if he were a U.S. citizen, wouldn’t you want the Libyan Government, if they were holding a U.S. citizen, to commit to providing access to – because you’re not doing that here. MS. HARF: But I’m not – this is going to sound like I’m playing a word game. I’m not not doing that either. I’m just saying that the discussion’s ongoing. We’re committed to the principle of consular access. And when it’s appropriate in this case, we will live up to our obligations. It’s an ongoing discussion. QUESTION: What could – what determines when it’s appropriate? Could you give us a ball – a guideline on what is appropriate? MS. HARF: It’s a good question. I don’t have more details for you on all of our obligations under the applicable conventions. If I have any more to share with you tomorrow, I can. Again, I think we don’t know what his final disposition will be, so as this case unfolds, I think we’ll probably keep talking about it. I also don’t want to get ahead of the discussions with the Libyan Government. QUESTION: Now, just – I mean, you’re making the determination about what is appropriate. It’s not under the obligations, from the sound of what you were saying, anyway. MS. HARF: Well, and we’re in discussions with the Libyans about it too. QUESTION: So I just wondered what you meant by what is appropriate. MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. If I have more granularity on that, I’m happy to share it. QUESTION: Because part of the problem about getting information about Mr. Libi is, unfortunately, many of your opposite numbers at DOJ are furloughed, so we can’t actually talk to them. MS. HARF: Oh. Well, see -- QUESTION: So you are a very useful point of contact. MS. HARF: -- another way the government shutdown is affecting national security right there. QUESTION: It – yes. (Laughter.) MS. HARF: I will endeavor to get you as much more detail as I can. Obviously, this is – these are issues that involve a lot of buildings around town, a lot of different equities. I’m attempting to get as much for you as possible. I promise. QUESTION: And did you – I don’t know if you saw yesterday that there was – the New York Public Defenders have called for them to be allowed to be the ones who represent Mr. Libi. I wondered if you had a comment on that. MS. HARF: I don’t. Again, I would stress that his final disposition hasn’t been determined, so I think we’ll probably have those conversations when we get closer to that time. QUESTION: So here’s a question that I should have asked yesterday in the briefing – in the telephone briefing: Does -- MS. HARF: I told you all, by the way, we would get a lot of chance soon to talk about this in the briefing room. QUESTION: Yes, yep. MS. HARF: Sooner than everyone thought. QUESTION: Does the U.S. Government have to pay any penalty – make any penalty payments to U.S. arms manufacturers as a result of yesterday’s decision to withhold deliveries of the large military systems to Egypt? MS. HARF: Yes, and thank you for the question. It’s an important one. In some cases, there are costs associated with the suspension of some programs – or “holding” of some programs is really the term we’re using. Holding some deliveries may involve costs. For example, we may incur storage costs for equipment that is not delivered. The actual cost will depend on a number of factors, including the terms of the relevant contracts. We will, of course, continue to meet our obligations to American contractors where programs conflict with the policy objectives we have outlined. We will work with U.S. vendors to ensure that any issues are resolved consistent with the terms of the individual contracts; all the contracts are worded a little bit differently. We will – if there is physical equipment we do not deliver, we will evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis to determine the most appropriate disposition of any equipment, including taking into account the cost and other factors. Some equipment could be put in storage, for example, while we continue to assess the situation. QUESTION: So what’s your – because you must have a – naturally this was part of your calculations – you must have an estimate what that’s going to cost the U.S. taxpayer. I mean, these contracts are signed and so you’ve had a chance to look at them – not you personally, I hope, but somebody -- MS. HARF: I’ve gone through all of them last night. Can you believe that? QUESTION: Excellent. I’m delighted. Well, then you can tell us: What’s this going to cost the U.S. Government? MS. HARF: So on numbers – and it’s a good question because I’m sure there are lots of numbers questions – it’s difficult to give specific answers about numbers for a variety of reasons. There’s – it’s not as if there’s some finite thing that’s been stopped necessarily forever, right? So some of the money that might have been allocated toward certain things will be recalibrated in the sense that it will be repurposed towards other ends, like assistance that might have just been provided in the past as cash assistance, which we know we’re not providing right now, we could maybe use that in other ways to help the Egyptian people. So there’s not a one-to-one calculation here, and I think that’s sort of the crux of why numbers are really tough to get at. We’re determining what all – what should happen to all of this right now, but when you add up the categories of things that we’ve mentioned will be held, it adds up to the hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance. QUESTION: Yeah, but I – my question is not about the economic stuff, but specifically the military hardware. Do you not – I mean, you took a long time to do this review, months. Do you not have an estimate for what it’s going to cost the U.S. Government per day, per week, per month to withhold these deliveries? MS. HARF: Well, I think folks are looking at all the contracts right now and seeing what they can do with each part of it – what the storage costs might be, if there are different options, better options. That work is ongoing, so I don’t have an estimate because it’s just very complicated and there’s a lot of, for lack of a better term, moving parts to what we’re doing now with things that aren’t being delivered. QUESTION: I’m going to keep asking because I think it’s reasonable for the – for people to know what this – what are the implications? MS. HARF: I probably won’t have an answer, but I can keep trying as well. QUESTION: Thank you. MS. HARF: So keep asking; I’ll keep trying. QUESTION: Good. MS. HARF: We’ll see what we can do. QUESTION: Okay. Is the penalty cost or termination cost that you’re trying to assess, is there enough in the account to cover that? Is the 584 million that was obligated by the end of last month, is that going to be enough to cover -- MS. HARF: I don’t know the answer. QUESTION: And by the way, you said 584, or is it 585 as you said for many, many weeks? MS. HARF: I thought it was 585, yeah. QUESTION: It’s – but, well, no. But you guys said 585 for weeks, and then Jen said 584 the other day. QUESTION: Jen said 584. MS. HARF: Okay. QUESTION: And I’d like -- MS. HARF: I’ll double-check. QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: It was my understanding it was 585. QUESTION: Right. MS. HARF: I will double-check. QUESTION: It happened to -- QUESTION: Do you also -- QUESTION: And. it’s the same with cash assistance as well. Is that 250 or -- MS. HARF: 260. QUESTION: It is 260. MS. HARF: 260. Cash assistance is 260. QUESTION: Notwithstanding the fact that I was told – I mean, it’s normally 250 million a year. MS. HARF: Uh-huh. QUESTION: I was told that because of sequestration, it was in fact 241 million for FY 2013. So I would love to know if it’s 241 or 250 or 260. MS. HARF: Well, what I have -- QUESTION: It’s 260. MS. HARF: -- from our experts is 260. QUESTION: I have a follow-up on this. MS. HARF: Okay. QUESTION: Do we know how many defense contractors are involved? MS. HARF: I do not. QUESTION: Are we talking a couple? MS. HARF: I honestly don’t know. I’ll see if I can get more clarity. QUESTION: Dozens? MS. HARF: I don’t know. QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: I can take that one for you. QUESTION: Can I just flip a coin on the numbers, and possibly you can’t answer it this way around either -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- but as I asked last night in my email to you, is it possible to say what the value is of the programs that are left, the ones that were mentioned by one of the – some of the officials, the education, the health -- MS. HARF: That are continuing -- QUESTION: -- the economic reform, and so on and so forth? MS. HARF: I think – and this is one of the reasons, actually, it’s hard to give a number, because some of what we’re not providing, we may repurpose that money for things we still are providing. QUESTION: Right. MS. HARF: Those calculations are ongoing. If we have numbers eventually to share, I’m happy to. That just may continue to be ongoing. We may never settle on a static number, but I’ll be happy to continue looking into it. QUESTION: Operationally, where’s the storage facility? Are these things like sitting in a garage somewhere? (Laughter.) MS. HARF: The answer is I don’t know. I think different places around the U.S. QUESTION: Not mine. (Laughter.) MS. HARF: I know that the F-16s that weren’t delivered are someplace in the U.S. and – yeah. QUESTION: But they’re staying with the manufacturer, or they’re sitting with, like, DOD? MS. HARF: I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t know who – it probably varies from contract to contract, but I just don’t know. DOD would probably be able to answer that. QUESTION: Is it possible they’ll get delivered to another customer in the meantime? MS. HARF: That’s a good question. I don’t know. QUESTION: Can you ask? MS. HARF: I can ask. QUESTION: Because that would reduce the costs on -- MS. HARF: That would. And we certainly are attempting to reduce the cost. QUESTION: Yes, please. MS. HARF: There just will be some cost associated. QUESTION: And then -- MS. HARF: I’ll come to you next. QUESTION: Sorry. And then are there any costs associated with – and maybe this is what you just asked, but are there any costs associated with terminating any of the programs that you are terminating, the non-military ones? MS. HARF: We’re holding programs. We’re not terminating. QUESTION: Holding. Excuse me, excuse me. MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Are there any costs associated with holding the non-military programs that you are going to put on hold? MS. HARF: That’s a good question. I don’t – I mean, there’s obviously no cost associated with the cash assistance. QUESTION: You’re actually probably making money by having – making interest. But I’m thinking about other stuff. MS. HARF: Also a good question. QUESTION: Yeah. Can you ask that one? MS. HARF: Yes. The answer is I don’t know and I will try to find out. QUESTION: Yes, please. MS. HARF: Yes. QUESTION: Regarding this – the holding and you do the – Arshad asked a question about the contract that they are not delayed or whatever. MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: It was mentioned before certain numbers – I’m not sure, about 2 billion or whatever – but in the same time it was mentioned, one of the congressional aide mentioned that they maybe asked Egyptians to pay for the storage from the aid. Is it true that it can be done like that? MS. HARF: I haven’t heard that. That’s not my understanding of how it works. QUESTION: I mean, part of this 1.3 or 2 million – billion dollars -- MS. HARF: That’s not my understanding of how it works, but let me see. I can check and see if there’s any discussion of that. QUESTION: So that -- MS. HARF: And basically, what happened to the 585 that we were – that we’ve been talking about is it got obligated into Egypt’s account, the Egyptian account, but never given to Egypt, right? We talked about this at the time. It had to be obligated by the end of the fiscal year, but the money was never obligated for specific contracts for anything for Egypt. So the money is sitting there right now and that’s some of the money we’ve been talking about, whether it will be needed for some of these costs associated with holding things. And that’s what Deb asked about, if it would cover that. So that’s where that money is right now. QUESTION: I think I was – I read something related to this put-aside money so it can be used for similar things of storage and all these things. I’m not sure. That’s why I’m asking. MS. HARF: Okay. QUESTION: My second question: You said about this – is this, the 260, which is maybe become 241 or -- MS. HARF: Well, I think it – I’m pretty confident it’s 260, but -- QUESTION: 260, okay. MS. HARF: I’m sorry if there are different numbers floating around. QUESTION: Is this economic assistance or military assistance? MS. HARF: It’s cash assistance -- QUESTION: Cash -- MS. HARF: -- that goes directly to the interim government, which is – it’s not military assistance. It’s economic assistance. QUESTION: So – okay. Now it’s economics. So my question is: When it was raised, this issue – not this, the number issue because it was raised that it was said that we will work directly with the Egyptian people -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- instead of – and in the projects of health and education and enterprise, economic enterprise. Is this going to be through this money, or other money is there? MS. HARF: Well, the assistance that will continue comes from money that will fund a lot of these programs – the economic, the health programs, the – excuse me, education, health programs, things that we’ve talked about. But another thing that we’re continuing that I should mention is working with the interim government on security issues. When we talk about countering terrorism, particularly in the Sinai, we talk about training and education for their military. We have Egyptian military folks here right now. So I just wanted to reiterate it’s not just the economic part of it that’s continuing. There is some other -- QUESTION: I understand that part, but what I’m trying to figure out -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- when you said this which is cash assistance to the government -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- and it’s holded now -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- holding now that money, and then you said you are going to go work directly with the people -- MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: -- to do what? I mean, what is the money? Where is the money? MS. HARF: Well, it’s not – it’s from a separate – and I’m going to hate to use the term again but it’s from a separate bucket of money. And I’m not going to get too much in the weeds about different buckets of money. We’ve been through that and I’m just – we’re not going to do it again. But it’s just a separate funding for programs that are ongoing. But just a separate source of funding. QUESTION: The question that – I recognize yesterday and today and maybe I’m – I hope I’m wrong – that we are talking about money but we are not mentioning numbers. I mean, that’s a very interesting concept. MS. HARF: Well, we’ve mentioned a few. QUESTION: I mean, it’s quantity. Money is quantities, not quality. MS. HARF: Well, we’ve mentioned a few. We’ve talked about the 260. And look, we all know what the overall package is in terms of assistance to Egypt. So we know at a minimum, right, that 260 million in cash assistance is not being provided, and on top of that some fairly big ticket military equipment items are being held. So I think it’s fair to say that this is – demonstrates that – the amount that we’re holding demonstrates the severity of the situation but at the same time, what we’re focused on is maintaining an assistance relationship and an overall relationship going forward. So where we provide assistance that speaks to our core national security interests on issues like counterterrorism, security in the Sinai, regional stability, helping Egypt move forward on its democratic transition – that work will continue. QUESTION: Marie – MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. And then I’ll go to you. QUESTION: Did you see the reaction from the Egyptian foreign ministry about the decision to hold the arms deliveries, which is calling it flawed and saying that it raises serious questions about the United States’ readiness to provide strategic support to Egypt’s security programs? What would be your reaction to that? MS. HARF: Well, I think everyone’s been clear since we’ve announced this policy that we believe it is absolutely in our interest to maintain a strong strategic partnership with the Government of Egypt. That’s exactly why we’re continuing this partnership. And we’re continuing a lot of important work with them. It’s also why we’ve said this is not a permanent situation, that this is just being held, and that we will evaluate and assess the progress the interim government makes on its democratic transition and in other areas and continue to reevaluate our posture. So I think we’re – everyone should come out of this policy review understanding that we believe it is absolutely crucial that we continue to have a strategic partnership. Business couldn’t continue as usual and it’s not. But we hope the goal, right, is for Egypt to make progress on its democratic transition, continue to move forward, and eventually to get back to a place that is more like business as usual. QUESTION: And I wonder if business as usual – is that actually going to take on a different hue perhaps once all this crisis is passed and it will be less top-heavy military aid and perhaps a bit more diverse in the programs that you’re willing to support? Because as you mentioned on the call yesterday, as the officials were talking about, there are a lot of economic and political challenges that Egypt could really use the money for. MS. HARF: Absolutely. And these were programs we’re already committed to but they’ll be ongoing because they’re so important for the Egyptian people and for the democratic transition. But I would also stress that the military-to-military ties – yes, while there won’t be – while some big-ticket items are being held, I think it’s important to understand that the military training in the U.S. will continue, the military education which in Egypt and other countries we’ve seen has actually been very successful at forming these military-to-military ties. And we’ll be continuing to work with their military on security issues, particularly in the Sinai. So I think it would be incorrect to say that just because some big-ticket military items aren’t going forward that that – the military-to-military relationship is going to drastically suffer because of it in any way. But certainly, the programs that were mentioned are very important and I’m glad that we can continue to fund them. I think it’s important for the Egyptian people and for our relationship. QUESTION: Does the Egyptian military need F-16s and M1A1 Abrams tanks? MS. HARF: Well, those are a couple of the things that we will not be sending right now. QUESTION: I know. I know. So why do they – but why do they need – I mean, I’m sure you know there’s been a large debate for years about the utility of U.S. military assistance to Egypt, and there has been a very widely held view on the part of officials in Washington that these are no longer necessary. Former Ambassador to Egypt Daniel Kurtzer tells a wonderful story about attending an event in Egypt where – I forget what number it is – the 300th or the 500th M1A1 Abrams tank rolled off the assembly line and he’s there, and then he goes back a couple of years and that exact tank is like still on display – (laughter) – like it hasn’t been deployed, which raises a question, and I know it’s a question that people who deal with this policy have been asking for a long time: Why do the Egyptians need the F-16s that the U.S. Government pays for? Are they going to use them against Israel? Israel has much better fighters. Why do they need the tanks? Do they plan to fight a tank battle? And if so, against whom? So the reason I’m asking is, why should the U.S. Government continue – I mean, you hold out the prospect of resuming these deliveries. The question I’m asking is: Why do the Egyptians need these particular things anyway? Why not use this as an opportunity to redirect them toward things that you think maybe are more important? MS. HARF: It’s a good question, Arshad. And (a), I’m not an expert on order of battle or those issues and why certain things are needed for what, but I think broadly speaking, a couple of points: The first is that we constantly reassess and reevaluate what military equipment and hardware makes the most sense to provide to our friends and partners around the world. That’s an ongoing discussion, not just with Egypt but with a lot of countries, as we know. And you’re absolutely right that that assistance and those deliveries need to match the operational picture and threat picture on the ground, certainly. But this has been a discussion that’s been ongoing for a long time. I would absolutely imagine that as we discuss the relationship going forward, and eventually if we get to a place where we’ll start with – back again with some of the big ticket military items, we’ll talk about what is – what could best meet their needs going forward. I don’t have any previews of that discussion, obviously, but it’s a fair question, certainly one people in this building think about a lot, not just with Egypt but with a lot of countries that we provide -- QUESTION: True. MS. HARF: -- this kind of hardware to, quite frankly. And it’s a good question particularly because we’ve seen sort of the operational picture and threat picture change a lot over the last decade, right? QUESTION: So maybe -- MS. HARF: So I think it’s a fair question. QUESTION: -- even if you resume these then, or if you resume big ticket military items, it’s conceivable that you might deliver other items, not these? MS. HARF: I don’t want to venture to guess at that. I mean, if these are things that we’re contractually obligated to, who knows what the contract looks like. I’m not -- QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: -- in any way prejudging an outcome of that discussion. I’m just saying that I’m sure it’s an issue that people are thinking about, as they always do. QUESTION: Marie, just to get into that a little bit deeper. I mean, back when you guys were briefing us on – in August on sort of the mechanism of the FMF fund money and how that’s distributed, I think Jen made it sound like it’s kind of a collaborative process, that there’s a dialogue between the Egyptians and the folks at DOD about what the needs are. MS. HARF: Absolutely. QUESTION: And then that’s when DOD signs off on certain items that get shipped over. But now that these big ticket items are being held up on, is there a possibility that that – the money that would have gone to those will then be repurposed to other things that might be more palatable for the U.S. to provide? MS. HARF: Well, we’ve said that there’s certainly an ability and a – we’re looking at now how to repurpose some of the funding. Quite frankly, I don’t know, for example, if the Apaches are already ready to go. If there’s a possibility for money – for any money to be repurposed or if it’s already been spent, I just don’t know the answer. DOD might have some more information about specifics on the military hardware side. But we’ve said where there is funding or assistance that’s not being delivered, if we can repurpose it we will look at fair ways to do so. I just don’t know. QUESTION: Is that one of the reasons why it’s so hard to provide numbers, because that money is fungible and can kind of be moved around a little bit? MS. HARF: Absolutely. That is the crux of the reason why it’s so hard to provide numbers. Absolutely. Yes, Jill. QUESTION: Change subject? MS. HARF: Oh, Egypt? QUESTION: Just a few questions. MS. HARF: Okay. QUESTION: I mean, more not strategic questions. I’m trying to be simple. How do you foresee the direct relations with the people and our experience or the U.S. Government experience with the Egyptians, whether it’s NGO and other projects in the last two, three years was really a lot of troubling? I mean, is there a way to get to the people directly without barrier or let’s say the filter of the government? MS. HARF: Well, that’s exactly what I think some of our programs are designed to do, the programs that are continuing. Working directly with the Egyptian people on education or health, civil society, that’s absolutely what we’re going to continue doing. That’s why that assistance isn’t stopping. QUESTION: Yeah, I mean, the other question, which – I mean, that the reason I’m asking how you are seeing it because the experience tell us our experience or, let’s say, in general experience told us that it’s hardened, it’s – especially in this type of the countries and populations. The other thing, it was mentioned yesterday that this is not – there is going to be a regular or let’s say periodical review of this relation. Is there a timeframe for that, or is just like -- MS. HARF: No. No time frame. QUESTION: Okay. QUESTION: On that note, Marie, have you outlined specific objectives for Egypt to achieve, as in writing a constitution, parliamentary elections, election of a new president? MS. HARF: It’s a good question. We’ve obviously welcomed the interim government’s commitment to a political roadmap that they’ve talked about to restore democratically elected civilian government. And that’s what we’ll focus on in the coming months. We’re not going to get into specific criteria, but we will review our assistance levels against several factors, including progress the Egyptian Government is making towards restoring – towards again restoring a democratically elected civilian government. Some of those things you mentioned certainly fall into that category. I’m not going to set specific milestones, but certainly those are part of the larger conversation. QUESTION: But wouldn’t it be easier if you did? If you said, when you elect a new government, we’ll turn back on – like while they sit in the penalty box, we send some mixed signals, maybe mixed signals to our allies? MS. HARF: No, no. I don’t think it’s mixed signals at all. I think the holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance isn’t a mixed signal; I think it sends a very clear signal. But suffice to say we’re having more specific conversations with the Egyptian Government, and we’ll continue to do so about what they need to do. I’m just not going to outline all of those publicly. QUESTION: Understood. And you say we’re still supporting in counterterror, but couldn’t some weapon systems like an Apache helicopter be useful in counterterror, especially in the Sinai? MS. HARF: Well, they already have some. We’re just not delivering new things. They already have a lot of military equipment that supports counterterrorism. And as we said yesterday, we will continue to supply spare parts, replacement parts for what they already have. We won’t let those things just go derelict. So they have a lot of that already. QUESTION: And lastly, could some of this been done in private, some of these – yesterday, it was very quick, abrupt, we’re pulling the aid. Was some of this discussion done in private, and when you didn’t see certain things taking place, that’s when you turned off the aid? MS. HARF: Well, we’ve been having discussions – you mean discussions with the interim government in private. We’ve been having discussions with the interim government in private since July 3rd, and we’ve been clear with them that there’s an ongoing policy review in place. You’ll remember that right after it happened, we didn’t take immediate steps. We sort of let the situation play out on the ground to see what was happening. Then we came up against a few immediate deliveries that we decided to hold, which prompted a larger review, right, of the entire assistance as things got worse. At every – that a lot of steps in the process things continued to get worse on the ground, and that really led us to a place where we were forced by the interim government’s actions to undertake an entire policy review. So that’s what we’ve been doing for the last few months. It was a very thorough and comprehensive review, which is why it took a little while. But those discussions were going on privately and publicly in some cases, and they will continue to. Absolutely. QUESTION: One more on Egypt? Sorry. MS. HARF: One more – last one on Egypt. QUESTION: Senior Israeli governments – both in public and in private – have made clear their unhappiness at the U.S. decision to withhold this equipment and money. And the thrust of their argument is that they are concerned that the withholding of the military and economic aid by the United States may, in and of itself, vitiate the Egyptian Government’s commitment to the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. How do you answer that concern? MS. HARF: Well, first that we would never undertake any policy that put Israel’s security at risk, period. Across the board, we would never do anything -- QUESTION: Really? MS. HARF: We would never undertake any policy that we believe would put Israel’s security at risk. QUESTION: Even if you felt that U.S. security were imperiled? MS. HARF: Well, I mean, I don’t know if you’re talking about something hypothetical, but certainly, in this case, we would never undertake any policy with Egypt that put Israel’s security at risk, period. That’s one of the reasons, quite frankly, we’re still committed to counterterrorism, particularly in the Sinai. And we’ve talked for a long time about Egypt’s commitment to maintaining the peace treaty, which they’ve done. So we’ll continue those conversations, but we believed that this was the best decision for U.S. national security interests, including regional stability, which is also, of course, an Israeli national security interest. And we’ll continue the conversations with our Israeli friends about how this will all be implemented going forward. Yes, Jill. QUESTION: Can I change -- MS. HARF: Jill and then I’ll come up to you. QUESTION: Other subject? MS. HARF: Yeah. QUESTION: Snowden? MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. Back in the news. QUESTION: Yeah, amazing. He – because we haven’t heard much from him for quite a while. But his father’s there and it just raises this issue – number one, if you had anything to say about that, period. But it raises that issue of he is the father, so it’s an immediate family member, but is there anything legally that he is precluded from doing when he’s there? I mean, can he – because after all, Snowden, Jr., is on the lam. So can he -- MS. HARF: Is there anything his father is precluded from doing, or else -- QUESTION: Yeah. Like can he meet – would it be a violation of some type of law to meet with his son? MS. HARF: Not to my knowledge. And the father really isn’t our concern, and even the father meeting with the son really isn’t our concern. Our concern really is Edward Snowden returning to the United States. He’s accused of very serious charges here, and he’ll be accorded full due process and protections applicable under U.S. law. It’s not really our – I think our concern about the meeting or our place to comment on it, and I don’t think we’re focused on his father at all in any way. I think we would just encourage Mr. Snowden to return. QUESTION: Yeah. Well, I mean, obviously it would be kind of a legal question. Is there really something – like, if you were to meet with, I don’t know, a terrorist to be in collusion with a -- MS. HARF: I will take the legal question. I don’t think there is, but let me ask my experts. QUESTION: Just for the future, it might be interesting. MS. HARF: Yeah. No, it’s a good question. QUESTION: And then also, is there anything – any update on consular access? MS. HARF: No. QUESTION: Has he talked with U.S. officials? MS. HARF: No, he has not. QUESTION: Nothing? MS. HARF: Nothing. QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: To my knowledge, nothing. No. QUESTION: So you have -- MS. HARF: Scott -- QUESTION: You have no reaction or – to the visit by – or no comment on the visit of Mr. Snowden to -- MS. HARF: Well, I mean, the reaction is the same it’s always been. Mr. Snowden needs to return to the United States to face these charges. Yeah, I really don’t have anything to say about the specific meeting with his father. It’s just not really what we’re focused on. QUESTION: He didn’t contact anybody, as far as you know, within the Administration to say he was going? MS. HARF: His father? QUESTION: Yeah, the father. MS. HARF: I do not know the answer to that question. I don’t know -- QUESTION: I’m just wondering if he – if it was perhaps timed by – that he might have had some discussions -- MS. HARF: Did he have to get a visa with -- QUESTION: Yeah. MS. HARF: I just – I have no idea. I can try to find out. I don’t think so, though. QUESTION: Okay. I just wondered. He might have had discussions with somebody. He might be carrying a message to his son. MS. HARF: Not to my knowledge, no. Nothing at all like that. No, nothing. QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: Scott, yes. QUESTION: Elections in Azerbaijan. MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: The OSCE says the vote did not meet international standards. The Azerbaijani Government says it was a historic moment for a country committed to strengthening its democratic society. So which is it? MS. HARF: Well, I think we would agree with the OSCE here. And I just put out a statement on it, but let me talk about it a little bit. As you know, the elections were yesterday. I would reiterate here that the electoral process doesn’t begin or end on election day and we’re following events closely. We repeatedly called on the Government of Azerbaijan to ensure free and fair electoral process and we regret that this election fell short of international standards. You mentioned the OSCE’s report. It noted serious problems on election day, such as ballot stuffing and irregularities with vote counting. They also noted significant shortcomings in the pre-election period. Embassy Baku observed similar problems, and of course, we are disturbed by these shortcomings in the process. And as we all know, the immediate post-election period is as important, I think, to the overall process as what occurs on election day, so we call on Azerbaijani authorities to respect the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and speech, and urge restraint and avoidance of violence. QUESTION: So do you expect there to be any implications for the future of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations as a result of this? MS. HARF: We’ll keep evaluating the situation and take a look at our policy and see where things may go from here. QUESTION: North Korea? MS. HARF: Mm-hmm. QUESTION: Does the U.S. believe that the North Koreans have restarted their reactor at Yongbyon? MS. HARF: I think I’ve addressed this a few times, and I’m still in the same place, that I am not going to confirm those reports one way or the other. QUESTION: Okay. MS. HARF: As Arshad pointed out yesterday, I’m going to address a hypothetical for once, that if it were the case, they would, of course – now twice, now twice, two days in a row – but if it were the case, they would, of course, be in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and their commitments under the joint statement from September 2005. I’m just not going to comment on those one way or the other. QUESTION: Because the reason I ask is this background briefing you guys sent out. A senior State Department official was asked about Yongbyon and said that Secretary Kerry and President Park discussed some of the specific actions that North Korea is taking and said that in this conversation there’s no disagreement about what North Korea is doing. But can you tell us what North Korea is doing? MS. HARF: I am not going to go any further than the background readout, but thank you for the question. QUESTION: Mm-hmm. MS. HARF: Yes. QUESTION: The same question I asked yesterday on North Korea. In informal meeting with North Koreans and ex-U.S. Government officials, including Ambassador Bosworth -- MS. HARF: Right. None of those are current U.S. Government officials. They’re all former. QUESTION: Yeah. MS. HARF: There was no official State Department representation there. QUESTION: Okay, okay. And at that meeting, North Koreans said they are prepared to take – if the Six-Party Talks resumed, they are prepared to take some steps to build confidence. Those includes moratorium on nuclear test and missile testing. And do you have any comment on that kind of proposal? MS. HARF: Well, I’d reiterate that the D.P.R.K. committed on numerous occasions, including in the September 2005 joint statement of the Six-Party Talks, to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing programs. That’s a pretty broad commitment. The onus is, of course, on North Korea to take meaningful steps towards living up to those obligations. I’m not going to outline specifically what that might look like, but they committed to abandoning their entire program and we hope that there would be some movement in that direction. Yes, Scott. QUESTION: Can I ask you two questions about Africa, please? MS. HARF: Always, yes. QUESTION: The United States is sponsoring a UN resolution on Central African Republic. MS. HARF: Yes. QUESTION: What is the hope there? MS. HARF: Well, I believe that it was adopted this morning -- the Security Council resolution. I think it was adopted unanimously. And we see this as a positive first step towards enabling political stabilization and an end to the ongoing violence in the Central African Republic. The resolution demands that the Seleka rebels and other armed groups immediately lay down their arms and expresses the UN Security Council’s readiness to consider appropriate measures against those who undermine peace, stability, and security. We were also pleased that the resolution expresses the Council’s unanimous support for the political transition roadmap which should lead to elections in 18 months, as defined by the transition charter which took effect in August of this year. QUESTION: I don’t know how much time you spend watching Gambian state television, but the – (laughter) -- MS. HARF: More than you would think, Scott, actually. How did you know? That was my secret. QUESTION: The Minister of Presidential Affairs Momodou Sabally has accused the United States and the United Kingdom of sponsoring a series of coup plots. MS. HARF: I did see those comments, actually. QUESTION: Is the United States at present actively engaged in overthrowing the Government of Gambia? (Laughter.) MS. HARF: We have seen and reject the baseless accusations made in recent statements by the Government of the Gambia. We have a longstanding relationship with the government and its people. Our desire and intention is to pursue healthy bilateral ties. | Low | [
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First United Bank First United Bank is a community bank headquartered in Durant, Oklahoma that provides personal and commercial banking, investment management, insurance, and mortgage products and services to customers at more than 85 locations throughout Oklahoma and Texas. First United has recently grown from having combined assets of over $6 billion to having almost $8 billion in combined assetsand is the 7th largest bank in its home state of Oklahoma. First United is owned by the Massey family whose patriarch is former Oklahoma state senator, John Massey. Mr. Massey serves as chairman of First United, and his son, Greg Massey leads the bank as chief executive officer. The bank defines its purpose as follows: To inspire and empower others to Spend Life Wisely. First United's Spend Life Wisely philosophy encompasses four pillars: faith, financial well-being, wellness and personal development. Locations Oklahoma locations include: Ada, Bokchito, Calera, Colbert, Durant, Holdenville, Hugo, Madill, Maysville, Moore, Norman, Oklahoma City, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Sapulpa, Seminole, Shawnee, Tecumseh, and Wewoka. Texas locations include: Austin, Bonham, Bulverde, Dallas, Denison, Denton, Fredericksburg, Frisco, Gainesville, Garden Ridge, Horseshoe Bay, Kingsland, Krum, Lakeway, Leonard, Marble Falls, McKinney, Pottsboro, Prosper, Sanger, Schertz, Seguin, Sherman, Temple, and Whitesboro. History First United began as Durant National Bank on Oct. 2, 1900 when it first opened its doors in Blue County, Choctaw Nation Territory, which is known today as Durant, Oklahoma. In 1915, Durant National Bank absorbed eight banks in the Oklahoma region, and in 1916, constructed a new building in Durant at 2nd and Main Streets. In 1963, Durant National Bank was renamed to Durant Bank & Trust becoming one of the first banks in Oklahoma to have full trust powers. Durant Bank & Trust was then renamed to be First United Bank in 1998. Oklahoma native, John Massey joined Durant Bank & Trust in 1966 as a director, and was appointed chairman of the board in 1986. At that time, he also became the majority shareholder and CEO. Greg Massey, joined the bank in 1990, and succeeded his father as CEO in 2003 when the bank had 18 locations in Oklahoma. After a series of acquisitions, including the merger with American Bank of Texas in 2016, First United has grown to over 85 locations in Oklahoma and Texas with more than $7 billion in assets. Types of Account First United Bank offers many different types of checking and savings accounts. There are three types of personal checking accounts and four different types of savings accounts to fit different needs. Personal Checking Accounts There are three types of personal checking accounts: Prestige Checking, Basic Checking, and Secure Checking. Prestige Checking is a checking account that offers interest. It has a monthly fee of $7.50 unless you keep a minimum daily balance of $1,000. The Basic Checking account has a $3.50 fee unless you have at least one of these three things - eStatements, a direct deposit into the account every 30 days, or a $10,000 minimum balance. The Secure Checking account is the account that offers the most benefits. It has a $6.95 monthly fee. It includes access to ID Protect and Cell Phone Coverage. ID Protect includes access to triple-bureau credit file monitoring and access to your credit report. It also has total identity monitoring and identity theft resolution services. It also will reimburse you up $10,000 for fraud-related expenses. Business Checking Accounts First United Bank offers three different types of business checking accounts: United Business Free Checking Account, United Business Checking Account, United Commercial Account. The United Business Free Checking Account is designed for growing businesses that need to manage cash flow on the go. It has no service fee. The United Business Checking Account is designed for business that have moderate to high checking needs. This account has $9.95 per month service fee that can be waived if you maintain a minimum monthly balance of $15,000 or a minimum daily loan balance of $50,000. Then, First United offers the United Commercial account which is designed for businesses with large balances and over 75 checks per month. The United Commercial Account has no service fee. Personal Savings Accounts There are four different types of personal savings accounts that First United Bank offers. There is just a Savings Account, a SmartStart Kid's Savings Account, Certificates of Deposit (CD), and a Money Market Account. All of these accounts are interest bearing and have limitations when it comes to different types of withdraws from the account. The Savings Account is a free account that allows up to 9 free withdraws in a quarter and has an opening deposit amount of $100. The SmartStart Kid's Savings Account has an opening deposit amount of $10 and has no fees or limits on withdraws. The CDs offered by First United Bank have terms from 91 days to 5 years and require an opening deposit of $500. The Money Market Account has an opening deposit amount of $100 and up to 6 free withdraws a month. It does have a service fee of $9.95 that can be waived by maintaining a minimum daily balance of $1,500 or greater. Business Savings Accounts First United Bank offer two different types of savings accounts for businesses: the United Business Money Market Gold and United Business Now. The United Business Money Market Gold Account requires an opening balance of $1,000 and has a monthly maintenance fee of $9.95 unless you maintain a minimum daily balance of $5,000. The United Business Now Account is only available for sole proprietors, public funds, trusts, non-profits, and other eligible fiduciary accounts. This account has a $9.95 monthly maintenance fee unless a daily minimum balance of $5,000 is maintained. Routing Numbers The routing number for account opened online or Oklahoma is 103100881. The routing number for accounts opened in Texas is 111911321. References External links SpendLifeWisely.com FirstUnited.com Category:Banks based in Oklahoma Category:Banks established in 1900 Category:Bryan County, Oklahoma | Low | [
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Q: Using Emacs align-regexp to format tables Vim has the neat Tabular plugin that allows you to quickly align some text. I use it a lot to align blocks of code along a certain character (mostly things like = and =>). But it also does a very good job at ad-hoc tables. Given something like |Name|Rank|No.| |Stan Ridgway|Private First Class|8797| |John Rambo|Private|889897| |George S. Patton|General|0879797| it's easy to get it to end up like this: | Name | Rank | No. | | Stan Ridgway | Private First Class | 8797 | | John Rambo | Private | 889897 | | George S. Patton | General | 0879797 | Select it (or simply place the cursor on the first line), then execute :Tabularize /|. As I'm currently trying to cross-pollinate Emacs and Vi a bit, stealing from both sides, looking for matching plugins, etc., I'd like to do the same in Emacs. Now, for the aforementioned =/=> stuff, align works very well, and even does most things pretty automagically. And for the more complicated stuff, there's align-regexp. I would dare a guess that it's probably just the matter of getting the right regexp to feed to it (probably in the C-u prefixed extended version). Any suggestions in this direction or other functions/packages? A: Type M-x orgtbl-mode, then C-c C-c | Name | Rank | No. | | Stan Ridgway | Private First Class | 8797 | | John Rambo | Private | 889897 | | George S. Patton | General | 0879797 | A: C-u M-x align-regexp \(\s-*\)| RET RET 0 RET y Regarding the regexp: \(\s-*\) is there by default, so you only need to type the | Regarding the 0: it means no extra trailing space, ie: |longest-field-in-column| Quoting from Alignment Commands Repeating align-regexp Arguably, for daily use, it’s better to define some adhoc align command, e.g. (defun align-repeat (start end regexp) "Repeat alignment with respect to the given regular expression." (interactive "r\nsAlign regexp: ") (align-regexp start end (concat "\\(\\s-*\\)" regexp) 1 1 t)) | High | [
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“The legend of the Wandering Jew.” The Jew flees the cross and spends, this is no legend, all of time wandering, wondering, not daring to consider that he might have been wrong about the man called Yeshua. Motherless on Purim: The wine in Gematria In Kabbalah, therefore in the Zohar, therefore in Chabad Judaism, therefore in “de facto Judaism” (Rabbi Shmueley Boteach), the permutations of the twenty-two Hebrew letters “suffice to cover every object and every concept” (Preface to the Zohar). One of the pivotal tools of the Zohar is Gematria. Gematria assigns numerical values to a word or phrase, in the belief that those words or phrases with the same numerical values are related to one another. The Talmud states that “on Purim we are obligated to drink wine to the point where we do not know the difference between Boruch Mordechai (‘Blessed be Mordechai!’) and Arur Haman (‘Cursed be Haman!’).” Our Rabbis point out that according to the rules of gematria, the letters that constitute the two phrases have the same numerical value; our Sages’ injunction means that we should drink to the point that we are unable to realize this relationship. But once a person is intoxicated, he is incapable of even the simplest numerical computation; why, then, do the Sages tie the amount of wine one is obligated to drink on Purim to this particular gematria? This question can be answered by realizing that a numerical correspondence between two words in gematria is not coincidental, but reveals an intrinsic bond between them. The Torah states that G d created the world through speech. The Alter Rebbe explains that the letters that spell out the Hebrew name of an object comprise the conduit which conveys its G dly life-force, bringing it into being and maintaining its existence. It follows that if there is a letter-relationship between the names of two objects, there is also an underlying spiritual relationship between them. Hence, though the expressions “Blessed be Mordechai” and “Cursed be Haman” appear to be diametrically opposed, their shared numerical value reveals a basic similarity between them. The same Divine intention motivates both of these expressions. So, the best way to enjoy and (not?) understand anything about Purim is when you’re motherless. | Mid | [
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#!/usr/bin/perl -w # # # Author: Preslav Nakov # [email protected] # National University of Singapore # # WHAT: This is an official output file format checker for SemEval-2010 Task #8. # # Use: # semeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl <PROPOSED_ANSWERS> # # Examples: # semeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl proposed_answer1.txt # semeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl proposed_answer2.txt # semeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl proposed_answer3.txt # semeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl proposed_answer4.txt # # In the examples above, the first three files are OK, while the last one contains four errors. # And answer_key2.txt contains the true labels for the *training* dataset. # # Description: # The scorer takes as input a proposed classification file, # which should contain one prediction per line in the format "<SENT_ID> <RELATION>" # with a TAB as a separator, e.g., # 1 Component-Whole(e2,e1) # 2 Other # 3 Instrument-Agency(e2,e1) # ... # The file does not have to be sorted in any way. # Repetitions of IDs are not allowed. # # In case of problems, the checker outputs the problemtic line and its number. # Finally, the total number of problems found is reported # or a message is output saying that the file format is OK. # # Participants are expected to check their output using this checker before submission. # # Last modified: March 10, 2010 # # use strict; ############### ### I/O ### ############### if ($#ARGV != 0) { die "Usage:\nsemeval2010_task8_format_checker.pl <PROPOSED_ANSWERS>\n"; } my $INPUT_FILE_NAME = $ARGV[0]; ################ ### MAIN ### ################ my %ids = (); my $errCnt = 0; open(INPUT, $INPUT_FILE_NAME) or die "Failed to open $INPUT_FILE_NAME for text reading.\n"; for (my $lineNo = 1; <INPUT>; $lineNo++) { my ($id, $label) = &getIDandLabel($_); if ($id < 0) { s/[\n\r]*$//; print "Bad file format on line $lineNo: '$_'\n"; $errCnt++; } elsif (defined $ids{$id}) { s/[\n\r]*$//; print "Bad file format on line $lineNo (ID $id is already defined): '$_'\n"; $errCnt++; } $ids{$id}++; } close(INPUT) or die "Failed to close $INPUT_FILE_NAME.\n"; if (0 == $errCnt) { print "\n<<< The file format is OK.\n"; } else { print "\n<<< The format is INCORRECT: $errCnt problematic line(s) found!\n"; } ################ ### SUBS ### ################ sub getIDandLabel() { my $line = shift; return (-1,()) if ($line !~ /^([0-9]+)\t([^\r]+)\r?\n$/); my ($id, $label) = ($1, $2); return ($id, '_Other') if ($label eq 'Other'); return ($id, $label) if (($label eq 'Cause-Effect(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Cause-Effect(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Component-Whole(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Component-Whole(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Content-Container(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Content-Container(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Entity-Destination(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Entity-Destination(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Entity-Origin(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Entity-Origin(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Instrument-Agency(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Instrument-Agency(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Member-Collection(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Member-Collection(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Message-Topic(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Message-Topic(e2,e1)') || ($label eq 'Product-Producer(e1,e2)') || ($label eq 'Product-Producer(e2,e1)')); return (-1, ()); } | Low | [
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Tag Archives: merged ISTANBUL, October 21 (CDN) — A court in southeast Turkey on Friday (Oct. 15) ordered the arrest of a suspected “middleman” linking the murder of three Christian men to alleged high-level masterminds. The arrest order came after the testimonies of a former prison inmate and an incarcerated ex-gendarmerie intelligence worker at Friday’s hearing. Journalist Varol Bulent Aral – one of the suspected “middlemen” who allegedly incited five young men to stab to death Turkish Christians Necati Aydin and Ugur Yuksel and German Christian Tilmann Geske at the Zirve Publishing Co. in Malatya – was re-arrested at the hearing. The three Christians were bound and tortured before they were murdered on April 18, 2007, at the Christian publishing house, where they worked. Suspects Salih Guler, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker, Abuzer Yildirim and alleged ring-leader Emre Gunaydin were caught trying to escape from the scene of the crime. Attorneys said the last hearing of the Malatya murders was productive in tracing links between the five murderers and political masterminds whom prosecution lawyers claim are behind the slayings. A key witness, Orhan Kartal, was instrumental in proving that Aral was behind the murders, lawyers said. “Not only this witness, but Emre also accused Aral before and then changed his statement,” said one of the prosecuting lawyers, Orhan Kemal Cengiz. “Before he retracted his statement, he gave details that couldn’t have been fabricated. So from the beginning we saw Aral was involved but couldn’t prove it.” Kartal spent two months in prison with Aral in Adiyaman in 2008, where they were both held for crimes not related to the Zirve murders. Kartal said that while in prison together Aral detailed how he had planned the attack on the Zirve publishing house by psychologically preparing the five young murderers for the gruesome act. According to Kartal, Aral said he gave the young men the weapons they used to kill the three Christians. In Kartal’s account, Aral also claimed that there was a higher figure behind him, retired Gen. Veli Kucuk. This year Aral completed his previous prison sentence. He is now again in prison as a key suspect in the Malatya murders. In a previous statement, Aral had complained that retired Gen. Kucuk had threatened him about testifying. Gen. Kucuk has been arrested in connection with Ergenekon, a loose collection of ultra-nationalist generals, businessmen, mafia and journalists who planned to destabilize the government. Evidence in Malatya hearings over the past three years suggests that the murders were instigated by Ergenekon. Aral has also been implicated in the Ergenekon case, the hearings of which are underway. Prosecutors believe the Malatya murders are directly linked with a military operation called the Cage Plan within the scope of Ergenekon activities. A document entitled “Cage Plan,” found on a retired general’s computer, described assassinations that targeted the country’s small Christian communities. The document referred to the Malatya murders as a “successful operation.” A second witness, Erhan Ozen, also in prison for other offenses, worked for the clandestine Gendarmerie Intelligence Organization (JITEM). He said that as early as 2004, JITEM personnel were planning the Malatya murders and the assassination of Armenian editor Hrant Dink. Ozen said that after a meeting, some co-workers talked about how they were organizing an operation against the three Christians in Malatya in an effort to portray the state as ineffectual. He also testified that the rector of the local university and JITEM were monitoring the activities of the three Christian men. “He was convincing because he gave many details that were coherent and that confirm each other, so his testimony seems to me authentic,” attorney Cengiz said. “But of course, we will see.” In April the Malatya court added the Cage Plan indictment to its case file. Prosecuting lawyer Erdogan Dogan told Compass that this is clear evidence linking the Malatya murders to the Cage Plan. For almost a year, prosecution lawyers have tried to make the case that the two court cases should be merged. “We had progress in the case,” Dogan said of the two testimonies on Friday. “They might decide to join the two cases in the next court hearing.” Judges had found the phone numbers of ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz and Sevgi Erenerol, spokesperson for the Turkish Orthodox Church – a Turkish nationalist denomination –in Aral’s personal phone book. Both figures are accused of playing leading roles in Ergenekon and spearheaded prosecution of Christians Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal for speaking to people about their faith. This week various media released autopsy pictures and images of police videos showing the five suspects as they walk through the blood-stained Zirve office explaining how they committed the crime. Lawyers said they did not know who leaked these to the press, but they didn’t think the images would affect the case. “These will, however, show the country how the young men were incited and murdered the men, full of racism and hatred,” said Dogan. “This will be obvious and should be noted. The state needs to urgently address the fact that these youngsters, or anyone, can become so filled with racism and hatred.” He said that acceptance and tolerance of other people’s thoughts and beliefs is fundamental, and that the state should teach these values to its people. As Victorians brace themselves for hotter weather this weekend and the possible return to ‘fire weather,’ there are still some 15 major bushfires burning, a further 18 fires burning out of control and about 100 fires considered under control. Each day there are new fires and new threats, though these are not viewed with the same level of concern as the fires last Saturday and Sunday. However, as the weather conditions begin to turn more towards ‘fire weather’ status, each fire will be viewed with increasing concern. Should conditions deteriorate no further, fire-fighters can expect to be fighting these fires for a further 2 to 3 weeks. Fire-fighters from Canada, New Zealand and the United States have now joined the thousands of Australian fire-fighters in the fight against these bushfires. Though Australia has some of the best-trained and prepared fire-fighters in the world, every bit of help that can be given is appreciated and required. Authorities are facing growing problems associated with the bushfires and relief efforts, with rubber-neckers (sightseers), looters, arsonists and fraudsters preying on victims and the generosity of most Australians who are doing what they can for the victims. Collection tins have been robbed by a bloke without compassion (captured on security footage as seen below) and one fire-ravaged town has posted signs throughout their community warning that looters will be shot on sight. Another town is issuing citizens special stickers for their cars so locals will know who should be there and who shouldn’t be. It is a tragedy that grows worse by the day, in more ways than one. 1831 homes have now been confirmed destroyed in the bushfire emergency, along with numerous other structures including 2 police stations, three schools, a water treatment plant, a timber mill, a football club, a kindergarten, a church, etc. The damage bill will be enormous. The death toll currently stands at 181 confirmed dead with many still missing. The death toll will reach 200 plus (possible 300). 7000 people are now homeless. 4 300 further homes remain without power. ABOVE: Images of Fire Victims 420 000 hectares of bushland, farmland and communities have been reduced to ash by the fires. It is thought that there may be as many as 1 million animal victims of the bushfires. ABOVE: Animal Victims of the Fires With arsonists being blamed for a number of fires, one fire near Murrindindi is being blamed on a careless person who threw a cigarette from a car window. A farmer says he saw the fire begin on the side of the road near Murrindindi Mill. This fire merged with the Kilmore fire and destroyed Kinglake and Marysville. IMPORTANT NOTE News reports of persecution and other information posted here does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the 'Blog Author-Master.' Genesis 9:13-16: The Rainbow 13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: 15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. | Mid | [
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