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Eco-friendly business ideas, new products, and issues relevant to "green-minded" salons. Secret Ingredient: Vitamin E When vitamin E was discovered, the biggest producer of soybean oil was Eastman Kodak, which used the oil in photo processing. After realizing it could extract alpha tocopherol from the oil waste, it began selling it to vitamin producers and remains a leading supplier to this day. What it is: Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant. Discovered in 1922, vitamin E was scientifically named tocopherol and was recognized in 1968 as an essential vitamin for humans. Where it comes from: Though most abundant in wheat germ oil, vitamin E can be found in nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, leafy greens, and fortified cereals. Scientists estimate that as much as two-thirds of human vitamin E intake comes from salad oils, margarine, and shortening, while the rest comes from vegetables and various grains. Properties: In addition to being found in a variety of foods, pure vitamin E is commonly sold in gel caplets that can be taken orally or popped open and applied topically. There are many different forms of vitamin E, but its natural form is said to be the most potent. What it’s good for: In addition to its antioxidant properties, vitamin E increases blood circulation and consequently improves blood flow through hair and nail growth structures. It also aids in the formation of red blood cells, helps maintain oil balance in the skin, and helps slow or reverse the effects of sun damage. Vitamin E is also said to minimize wrinkles, though scientific research shows that vitamin E may be harmful if taken in excess. Where you’ll find it: In addition to occurring naturally in various foods, vitamin E can be found in oils, lotions, and other beauty products. It is also a popular ingredient in a variety of anti-aging treatments and creams. Other uses: Women with premenstrual syndrome, painful periods, menopause, and hot flashes often use vitamin E to reduce the severity of symptoms or pain. It is also used for preventing late pregnancy complications caused by high blood pressure. | Mid | [
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A manager at Grand Canyon National Park sexually harassed an intern, the Interior Department’s inspector general reported Tuesday. The manager, who was the intern’s supervisor, pursued a relationship with the intern for several months. The intern initially told the manager she did not want a relationship, but she eventually agreed to go out with him once. According to the intern, she did not go out with the manager again, but she and the manager continued to communicate through text messages until she ended the personal communication about two months later. Despite her objections, the manager continued to pursue a relationship with the intern by sending her text messages, the report found. The intern said the manager touched her inappropriately while at work after she stopped communicating with him. The manager admitted to sending the unwelcome messages but said he did not recall touching the intern at work. The investigation determined that National Park Service officials responded appropriately after the intern reported the sexual harassment. The manager resigned from the Park Service in October. This is not the first incident of sexual harassment among Grand Canyon employees. A Interior Department inspector general report issued in January 2016 found that 35 women saw or experienced sexual misconduct or harassment in the Grand Canyon National Park's River District. Most of the reported incidents came on trips down the Colorado River that were done for scientific, educational, or maintenance purposes. According to the report, 13 National Park Service employees had reported a sexually hostile work environment to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in February 2014, sparking the investigation. The investigation uncovered 22 other women who said they experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct or harassment. | Low | [
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package com.eeg_project.components.signal; import java.util.Arrays; // For printing arrays when debugging public class PSDBuffer2D extends CircBuffer2D { // This class extends CircBuffer2D to expose PSD-specific methods // such as noise marking in a joined buffer, and mean across epochs private boolean[][] noiseBuffer; public PSDBuffer2D(int length, int channels, int bins) { super(length, channels, bins); noiseBuffer = new boolean[bufferLength][nbCh]; } public void update(double[][] newData, boolean[] noise) { noiseBuffer[index] = noise; // update noise detection super.update(newData); } public void update(double[][] newData) { this.update(newData, new boolean[nbCh]); } public double[][] mean() { // Compute the mean of the buffer across epochs (1st dimension of `buffer`). // Doesn't include 0 values in calculation double[][] bufferMean = new double[nbCh][nbBins]; double[] nbPointsSummed = new double[nbCh]; for (int i = 0; i < bufferLength; i++) { for (int c = 0; c < nbCh; c++) { if(buffer[i][c][0] > 0){ nbPointsSummed[c]++; } for (int n = 0; n < nbBins; n++) { bufferMean[c][n] += buffer[i][c][n]; } } } for (int c = 0; c < nbCh; c++) { for (int n = 0; n < nbBins; n++) { bufferMean[c][n] /= nbPointsSummed[c]; } } return bufferMean; } public static void main(String[] args ) { // Create test buffer int testBufferLength = 5; int testNbCh = 4; int testNbBins = 3; PSDBuffer2D testBuffer = new PSDBuffer2D(testBufferLength,testNbCh,testNbBins); // Update buffer a few times with fake data double[][] fakeSamples = new double[][]{{0,1,2}, {3,4,5}, {6,7,8}, {9,10,11}}; int nbUpdates = 3; for(int i = 0; i < nbUpdates; i++){ testBuffer.update(fakeSamples); } // Update with specific noise detection testBuffer.update(fakeSamples, new boolean[]{true,false,true,false}); System.out.println(Arrays.deepToString(testBuffer.noiseBuffer)); // Print buffer testBuffer.print(); // Extract latest samples from buffer double[][][] testExtractedArray = testBuffer.extract(4); System.out.println(Arrays.deepToString(testExtractedArray)); // Reset number of collected points testBuffer.resetPts(); // Print mean of buffer double[][] bufferMean = testBuffer.mean(); System.out.println(Arrays.deepToString(bufferMean)); System.out.println(fakeSamples[0]); } } | Mid | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a memory card casing, and more particularly to memory card casing having ridges and ribs formed on a bottom cover of the casing so as to provide sufficient force to support thereon contacts of a printed circuit board. 2. Description of Related Art Digital cameras and other electronic devices such as cell phones depend on memory cards to store valuable information. According to their information storing capabilities, memory cards for storing large quantity of information may be divided into an SD (secure digital) card and an XD (extreme digital) card. However, because the thickness of the printed circuit board (PCB) of the memory card is reduced to less than 0.3 mm and respective thickness for the top cover and the bottom cover of the casing for receiving therein the PCB is less than 0.2 mm, the rigidness of the memory card is not sufficient. That is, the memory card is easily distorted and damaged especially when inserted into the receiving port of an electronic device. Moreover, the PCB normally has multiple contacts extending out of the casing for engagement with legs extending from the receiving port of the electronic device. Under the situation that there is no sufficient support to the contacts, the contacts are easily damaged when engaging with the legs of the electronic device. With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional memory card casing is shown and composed of a top casing (1) and a bottom casing (2). The top casing (1) has multiple openings (11) defined in a peripheral edge of the top casing (1) for exposing contacts on a PCB. In order to support and sandwich the PCB with the top casing (1), the bottom cover (2) has multiple columns (21) and ears (22) formed on a peripheral edge of the bottom cover (2) to correspond to a space between two adjacent openings (11) such that the columns (21) and the ears (22) are able to support the contacts of the PCB after the PCB is sandwiched between the combination of the top cover (1) and the bottom cover (2). Because the support from the columns (21) and ears (22) can only provide little support rigidness to the PCB contacts, the contacts are still easily damaged and distorted when inserted into the receiving port of an electronic device. To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved memory card casing to mitigate the aforementioned problems. | Mid | [
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Q: httr GET operation unable to access JSON response I am trying to access the JSON response from an API call in my R script. The API call is succesful, and I can view the JSON response in the console. However, I am unable to access any data from it. A sample code segment is: require(httr) target <- '#trump' sentence<- 'Donald trump has a wonderful toupe, it really is quite stunning that a man can be so refined and elegant' query <- url_encode(sentence) target <- gsub('#', '', target) endpoint <- "https://alchemy.p.mashape.com/text/TextGetTargetedSentiment?outputMode=json&target=" apiCall <- paste(endpoint, target, '&text=', query, sep = '') resp <-GET(apiCall, add_headers("X-Mashape-Key" = sentimentKey, "Accept" = "application/json")) stop_for_status(resp) headers(resp) str(content(resp)) content(resp, "text") I followed examples in the httr quickstart guide from CRAN (here) as well as this stack. Unfortunately, I keep getting either "unused parameters 'text' in content()" or "no definition exists for content() accepting a class of 'response.' Does anyone have any advice? PS the headers will print, and resp$content will print the raw bitstream A: Expanding on the comment, you need to set the content type explicitly in the call to content(...). Since your code is not reproducible, here is an example using the Census Bureau's geocoder (which returns a json response). library(httr) url <- "http://geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder/locations/onelineaddress" resp <-GET(url, query=list(address="1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC", benchmark=9, format="json")) json <- content(resp, type="application/json") json$result$addressMatches[[1]]$coordinates # $x # [1] -77.038025 # # $y # [1] 38.898735 Assuming your are actually getting a json response, and that it is well-formed, simply using content(resp, type="application/json") should work. | Mid | [
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Q: Accessing "real_field_non_translated"? - Mobility Is there a way, via ActiveRecord, to access the "real_field" (let's say)? For example. If I have a Model Company and do Company.create(name: "My Company Name") (with I18n.locale = :en), that name value won't be saved in the Company record, but in the Mobility table for the string. So doing Company.last will return #<Company id: 5, name: nil> But doing Company.last.name will return My Company Name (assuming the locale is set properly) Is there a way to do something like Company.last.real_name that would give me the actual value of the record? In this case nil. I would also like to have a real_name=. mobility (0.4.2) i18n (>= 0.6.10, < 0.10) request_store (~> 1.0) Backend: key_value A: Try this: Company.last.read_attribute :name Or this: Company.last.name_before_type_cast | Mid | [
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Brachytherapy treatment systems may treat a patient by inserting a hollow treatment device (aka “applicator”) into or close to a patient's target tissue, such as a prostate gland, a breast, a cervix, or other accessible areas in which a tumor is located. The treatment applicators are connected outside the patient's body with an after-loading apparatus having a radiation delivery unit for advancing one or more energy emitting sources through the catheters, which deliver doses of radiation to the patient's target tissue. A successful brachytherapy treatment may require careful planning to determine the location and boundary of the target tissue within the patient. In addition, the radiation dose applied to the patient via the applicator may need to be carefully controlled to effectively treat the cancerous cells, while limiting the exposure of adjacent tissues or organs to undesired levels of radiation. Conventional brachytherapy planning systems may use computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonant imaging (MRI) to visualize the target tissues and the surrounding organs of the patient for purpose of treatment planning. For example, CT images may be acquired from the patient after the applicator is placed in the patient. The CT images may be used to determine the location of the applicator's position relative to the patients' anatomy and to delineate organs at risk and target tissue (e.g., tumor delineation). However, tumor delineation may be difficult on CT images due to poor soft tissue contrast and thus introduce uncertainties in treatment planning. Although MRI images may provide high-contrast information and allow easy visualization of the target tissues, MRI equipment and procedures are expensive and may not be available to many patients. Therefore, there exists a need for the development of tools to improve the quality, increase the accessibility, and reduce the costs of the brachytherapy procedure. | Mid | [
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Q: Decision tree and missing values I need to predict with a simple model if a bank customer is still active. I have some information like the date of the last meeting with the customer, but some of them didn't have any meeting with their advisor. Customer_Id | Last_meeting_date (in days from now) | Gender |... A 115 F ... B NA F ... Is it possible to use a special value/flag like 1000 to "indicate" to the tree that we don't have any date ? In my mind, the decision tree isn't linear like regression, so it can make an exception, like if Last_meeting_date=1000 then... but I'm not sure of it. A: You will need to modify the algorithm slightly The modification: Building algo suppose that we have some splitting test criterion $T$ and dataset $S$ information gain for splitting $S$ using $T$ is $\Delta I (S, T) = I(S) - \sum_k \alpha_{T, k} \cdot I(S_k)$ let $S_0 \subseteq S$ for which we can't evaluate $T$ (because some values are NAs) if $S_0 \not \equiv \varnothing$ calculate the information gain as $\frac{|S - S_0|}{| S |} \Delta I (S - S_0, T)$ suppose such $T$ is chosen, what to do with values from $S_0$? add them to all the subsets with weight proportional to the size of these subsets $w_k = \frac{| S |}{|S - S_0|}$ and information gain is computed using sums of weights instead of counts Classification let $P(C | E,T)$ be the probability of classifying case $E$ to class $C$ using tree $T$ define it recursively: if $t = \text{root}(T)$ is a leaf (i.e. it's a singleton tree) then $P(C \ |\ E,T)$ is the relative frequency of training cases in class $C$ that reach $T$ if $t = \text{root}(T)$ is not a leaf and $t$ is partitioned using attribute $X$ if $E.X = x_k$ then $P(C \ |\ E,T) = P(C \ |\ E,T_k)$ where $T_k$ is a subtree of $T$ where $X = x_k$ if $E.X$ is unknown, then $P(C \ | \ E,T) = \sum_{k=1}^{K} \frac{|S_k|}{|S-S_0|} \cdot P(C \ | \ E,T)$ so we sum up probabilities of belonging to class $C$ from each child of $t$ predict that a record belongs to class $C$ by selecting the highest probability $P(C \ | \ E,T)$ Example Building Suppose we have the following data: There is one missing value for $X$: $(?, 90, \text{Yes}, +)$ let $I$ be the misclassification error $I(S - S_0) = 5/13$ (5 in "-", 8 in "+") $I(S - S_0 \ | \ X = a) = 2/5$ $I(S - S_0 \ |\ X = b) = 0$ $I(S - S_0 \ |\ X = c) = 2/5$ calculate IG $\frac{|S - S_0|}{| S |} \Delta I (S - S_0, T)$ $\Delta I = \frac{13}{14} \cdot (\frac{5}{13} - \frac{5}{13} \cdot \frac{2}{5} - \frac{3}{13} \cdot 0 - \frac{5}{13} \cdot \frac{2}{5}) = \frac{1}{14}$ So we obtain the following split Classification assume that $X$ is unknown - how to classify the case? $P(+ \ | \ E,T) = \sum_{k=1}^{K} P(+ \ | \ E,T_k) = \frac{20}{50} \cdot \frac{15}{20} + \frac{30}{50} \cdot \frac{5}{30} = \frac{20}{50}$ $P(- \ | \ E,T) = \sum_{k=1}^{K} P(- \ | \ E,T_k) = \frac{20}{50} \cdot \frac{5}{20} + \frac{30}{50} \cdot \frac{25}{30} = \frac{30}{50}$ $P(- \ | \ E,T) > P(+ \ | \ E,T) \Rightarrow$ predict "$-$" Source http://mlwiki.org/index.php/Decision_Tree_(Data_Mining)#Handling_Missing_Values (there's more on decision trees) | Mid | [
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Year of the Pig Newsweek gathered 8 interesting facts about Chinese New Year and are posted below. Gung Hay Fat Choy – traditional Chinese New Year Greeting Today, February 5, 2019 kicks off the Year of the Pig. Each lunar cycle in China is comprised of 60 years, with every 12 year period defined as a small cycle. Each of those 12 years is represented by an animal: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Year of the Pig is the twelfth sign of the Chinese zodiac and it signifies wealth and prosperity. According to legend, people share some personality traits with the animal that represents the year they were born in. China is not the only country to celebrate Chinese New Year. The holiday is observed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and other Asian countries. In Vietnam, for example, the holiday is known as Yet Nguyen Dan. The celebration around Chinese New Year lasts 15 days and concludes with the Lantern Festival. People celebrate with a reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which lands on February 4 this year, with their families. After the reunion dinner, families watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala. This last fun fact sounds awfully familiar. I wonder what CCTV’s answer to team Anderson & Cohen is. Were you born in a lunar year of the pig? If you were born in one of the following years, you were born in a lunar year of the pig. 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031 The Pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says that a wolf destroyed his house. He had to rebuild his home before he could set off. When he arrived, he was the last one and could only take twelfth place. The Pig is also associated with the Earthly Branch (??—dì zh?) hài (?), and the hours 9–11 in the night. In terms of yin and yang (??—y?n yáng), the Pig is yin. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. Their chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune as well. Pigs might not stand out in a crowd. But they are very realistic. Others may be all talk and no action. Pigs are the opposite. Though not wasteful spenders, they will let themselves enjoy life. They love entertainment and will occasionally treat themselves. They are a bit materialistic, but this is motivation for them to work hard. Being able to hold solid objects in their hands gives them security. They are energetic and are always enthusiastic, even for boring jobs. If given the chance, they will take positions of power and status. They believe that only those people have the right to speak, and that’s what they want. Find more fascinating facts about the year of the pig from the Chinese Zodiac website here. | Mid | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a closed structure and a method for fabricating the closed structure, and more particularly to a closed fluidic structure, such as a closed fluidic channel, and a method of fabricating a closed fluidic structure in a substrate using vapor deposition techniques. 2. Description of Related Art Nano-structures, such as nano-fluidic devices and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMs) (i.e., fluidic devices or electro-mechanical devices having cross-sectional dimensions fabricated at the nanometer scale), are an emerging technological field having significant commercial potential for the future. Nano-structures, including nano-fluidic devices having arrays of nano-scale channels, are contemplated for use in molecular/biological sensors, biological separations and catalysis, single cell analysis, single molecule manipulation, DNA stretching, nano-scale fluidic transport, and high throughput macro-molecular analysis. As an example, an array of nano-scale channels may facilitate the manipulation and analysis of bio-molecules, including DNA (having a persistence length of approximately 50 nm), proteins, etc. These arrays of nano-scale channels may possess channels of varying sizes, wherein each size, e.g., the cross-sectional dimensions of the channel, is selected for the passage of a specific molecular cross-section. Therefore, a pre-determined arrangement of the array of channels of varying size can permit the filtering of bio-molecules of different size. In yet another example, nano-fluidic devices are contemplated for conductive-convective cooling of micro- and/or nano-electronic devices. Due to the continuing reduction in electronic structure size and the increasing number density of devices on substrate real estate, the density of dissipated power increases, while the need to remove this heat becomes increasingly important in order to preserve the operating characteristics of the electronic device. | Mid | [
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Photo After six years of watching it go home with a visiting team, the Green Wave JV boys finally brought the Mulkey Invitational trophy back home. Summerville earned a 40-30 double-overtime win against Fort Dorchester Monday in the boys’ championship for the Mulkey Invitational JV Tournament. The Green Wave had to fight for the prize, but Summerville coach Ian Lenke was able to hoist the trophy for the first time since he took over the JV program five years ago. Lenke’s teams made the finals the past two years, but fell in the championship game to Goose Creek in 2011 and to Wando in 2012. “I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Lenke said. “It’s nice to finally get this win. Rae’saun (Brown) had a great tournament and D.J. Bennett, who is my sole returner from last year, had his best game tonight. But really, everyone stepped up.” Summerville advanced to the title game with wins over Andrews and Bishop England. Fort Dorchester advanced with wins over Wando and Goose Creek. After a pair of 3-point shots from Josh Tillman and Greg Archie, Fort Dorchester took an 8-6 lead into the second period of Monday’s championship. Then Summerville held the Patriots to a single bucket in the second period to take a 16-10 lead into the half. Fort Dorchester cut the lead to 4 in the third and tied the game at 25 on a Ra’Quan Simmons’ 3 with just more than four minutes remaining. The remainder of the game was a defensive battle. The Patriots tried to play for the final shot, but Brown made a steal in the closing seconds and the game went to overtime. Summerville’s Johnathan Bennett hit a pair of free throws but Simmons answered for the Patriots by scoring on a break for a 27-27 stalemate. With 3.3 seconds remaining in the period, Summerville was called for a non-shooting foul but the ensuing free throw missed its mark and Daquan Wilson made the crucial rebound for Summerville to force a second overtime. The teams exchanged buckets and then Brown passed to D.J. Bennett on a break and he made the layup. Bennett was fouled on the shot and his free throw gave Summerville a 32-29 lead with 1:39 remaining in the second OT. From there, Johnathan Bennett and Wilson grabbed some defensive rebounds and Summerville received free throws from Johnathan Bennett, D.J. Bennett and Matthew Lebby to secure the win. “These guys are just resilient,” Lenke said. “They had some tough calls but they kept it together. I’ve never had a group more tightknit than these guys and they work hard and get after it everyday so it doesn’t matter if we get down.” D.J. Bennett and Brown both finished with 13 points to lead all scorers. Johnathan Bennett added 7 for the Green Wave. Tillman led the Patriots with 12 points and Simmons added 7 for the Fort. Ashley Ridge went 1-2 in the tournament with a win over Andrews and losses to Goose Creek and Wando. Goose Creek placed third while Bishop England and Wando rounded out the Top 5. The tournament is held annually in honor of Louis Mulkey, the long-time Green Wave coach who lost his life fighting a blaze at the Sofa Super Store in West Ashley in 2007. He founded the event 11 years ago in an effort to give JV players in the area the opportunity to experience a tournament atmosphere similar to what varsity players have during the holidays. Comments Notice about comments: The Journal Scene is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Journal Scene. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions. | Mid | [
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Philippine volcano spews rocks, killing 5 climbers A cloud of volcanic ash shoots up to the sky as Mayon volcano, one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, erupts after daybreak, viewed from Legazpi city in Albay province in the central Philippines, Tuesday, May 7, 2013. At least five climbers were killed and more than a dozen others are trapped near the crater in its first eruption in three years, officials said. Rescue teams and helicopters were sent to Mayon volcano to bring out the dead. (AP Photo/Allan Imperial) Advertisement MANILA, Philippines (AP) — One of the Philippines' most active volcanoes spewed huge rocks and ash after daybreak Tuesday, killing at least five climbers and trapping more than a dozen others near the crater in its first eruption in three years, officials said. Rescue teams and helicopters were sent to Mayon volcano in the central Philippines to bring out the dead. At least seven were injured from a group of about 20 mountaineers who were caught by surprise by the sudden eruption, Albay provincial Gov. Joey Salceda said. Clouds have cleared over the volcano, which was quiet later in the morning. The climbers who died were struck by huge rocks, guide Kenneth Jesalva told ABS-CBN TV network by cellphone from a camp near the crater. They included a German, an Austrian and a Filipino. The injured included foreigners and Filipino guides. Some were in critical condition, said the chief of the national disaster agency, Eduardo del Rosario. Jesalva said he was in the group that spent the night on the picturesque mountain, known for its almost-perfect cone, when the volcano rumbled back to life early in the morning and rocks "as big as a living room" came raining down on them. He rushed back to the base camp to call for help. The head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Renato Solidum, said Tuesday's eruption was normal for the restive Mayon, about 340 kilometers (212 miles) southeast of Manila. It has erupted about 40 times during the last 400 years. In 2010, thousands of residents moved to temporary shelters when the volcano ejected ash in an 8-kilometer (5-mile) zone surrounding the crater. Solidum said that no alert was raised for the volcano following the latest eruption and no evacuation was being planned. Climbers are not allowed when an alert is up, and the recent calm may have encouraged this week's trek. | Low | [
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Pseudothrombocytopenia: a laboratory artifact with potentially serious consequences. When a low platelet count is unexpected or is unaccompanied by signs or symptoms of hemorrhage, pseudothrombocytopenia should be suspected. The platelet number and morphologic features should be examined on a smear prepared from blood anticoagulated with EDTA. Platelet counts should be repeated either by obtaining a finger-stock specimen with an ammonium oxalate Unopette and counting by phase microscopy or by collecting both an EDTA- and a sodium citrate-anticoagulated venous sample, performing a platelet count on both test tubes, and examining a blood smear from each test tube. If a Coulter Model S Plus IV or V or the Technicon H6000 is used for performance of platelet counts, examination of the histogram display of the Coulter instrument or the peroxidase X-Y display of the Technicon H6000 should alert the instrument operator to the presence of EDTA-induced platelet clumping and prevent the reporting of a spuriously low platelet count. | Mid | [
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Q: How to check the database if it has a quiz or not and show a message to the System Admin? I am developing an intranet web application which is a Quiz Engine. The admin has the ability to send the quizzes to all users in the database by clicking on a link to the page called SendingQuiz. Everything works well, but my problem is the email will be sent to all usres even if there is no quiz in the database. So how I should modify this code to avoid happening of this? For your information, in the database design, I have a table called Quiz which consists of: QuizID, Title, Description, IsSent What I want now is instead of sending emails without any available quizzes in the database which will let the user facing dump error page, I want to the system to check if there is a quiz in the system or not. If not, it should not send anything and tell the Admin that there is no more quizzes in the database. So how to do that? My C# code: protected void SendEmail(string toAddresses, string fromAddress, string MailSubject, string MessageBody, bool isBodyHtml) { SmtpClient sc = new SmtpClient("Mail Server"); try { MailMessage msg = new MailMessage(); msg.From = new MailAddress("[email protected]", "My Application"); // In case the mail system doesn't like no to recipients. This could be removed //msg.To.Add("[email protected]"); msg.Bcc.Add(toAddresses); msg.Subject = MailSubject; msg.Body = MessageBody; msg.IsBodyHtml = isBodyHtml; //Response.Write(msg); sc.Send(msg); } catch (Exception ex) { throw ex; } } protected void SendEmailTOAllUser() { string connString = "Data Source=localhost\\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=Test;Integrated Security=True"; using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(connString)) { var sbEmailAddresses = new System.Text.StringBuilder(2000); string quizid = ""; // Open DB connection. conn.Open(); string cmdText = "SELECT MIN (QuizID) As mQuizID FROM dbo.QUIZ WHERE IsSent <> 1"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText, conn)) { SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader(); if (reader != null) { while (reader.Read()) { // There is only 1 column, so just retrieve it using the ordinal position quizid = reader["mQuizID"].ToString(); } } reader.Close(); } string cmdText2 = "SELECT Username FROM dbo.employee"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText2, conn)) { SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader(); if (reader != null) { while (reader.Read()) { var sName = reader.GetString(0); if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(sName)) { if (sbEmailAddresses.Length != 0) { sbEmailAddresses.Append(","); } // Just use the ordinal position for the user name since there is only 1 column sbEmailAddresses.Append(sName).Append("@CompanyDomain.com"); } } } reader.Close(); } string cmdText3 = "UPDATE dbo.Quiz SET IsSent = 1 WHERE QuizId = @QuizID"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText3, conn)) { // Add the parameter to the command var oParameter = cmd.Parameters.Add("@QuizID", SqlDbType.Int); var sEMailAddresses = sbEmailAddresses.ToString(); string link = "<a href='http://Test/StartQuiz.aspx?testid=" + quizid + "'> Click here to participate </a>"; string body = @"Good day, <br /><br /> <b> Please participate in the new short safety quiz </b>" + link + @"<br /><br /> "; int sendCount = 0; List<string> addressList = new List<string>(sEMailAddresses.Split(',')); StringBuilder addressesToSend = new StringBuilder(); for (int userIndex = 0; userIndex < addressList.Count; userIndex++) { sendCount++; if (addressesToSend.Length > 0) addressesToSend.Append(","); addressesToSend.Append(addressList[userIndex]); if (sendCount == 10 || userIndex == addressList.Count - 1) { SendEmail(addressesToSend.ToString(), "", "Notification of New Weekly Safety Quiz", body, true); addressesToSend.Clear(); sendCount = 0; } } // Update the parameter for the current quiz oParameter.Value = quizid; // And execute the command cmd.ExecuteNonQuery(); } conn.Close(); } } A: You dont need to use While for the reader as you are expecting only one quizid and you can use an if clause to check if quizid before sending the mail protected void SendEmail(string toAddresses, string fromAddress, string MailSubject, string MessageBody, bool isBodyHtml) { SmtpClient sc = new SmtpClient("MAIL.Aramco.com"); try { MailMessage msg = new MailMessage(); msg.From = new MailAddress("[email protected]", "PMOD Safety Services Portal (PSSP)"); // In case the mail system doesn't like no to recipients. This could be removed //msg.To.Add("[email protected]"); msg.Bcc.Add(toAddresses); msg.Subject = MailSubject; msg.Body = MessageBody; msg.IsBodyHtml = isBodyHtml; //Response.Write(msg); sc.Send(msg); } catch (Exception ex) { throw ex; } } protected void SendEmailTOAllUser() { string connString = "Data Source=localhost\\sqlexpress;Initial Catalog=psspdbTest;Integrated Security=True"; using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(connString)) { var sbEmailAddresses = new System.Text.StringBuilder(2000); string quizid = ""; // Open DB connection. conn.Open(); string cmdText = "SELECT MIN (QuizID) As mQuizID FROM dbo.QUIZ WHERE IsSent <> 1"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText, conn)) { SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader(); if (reader != null) { if(reader.Read()) { // There is only 1 column, so just retrieve it using the ordinal position quizid = reader["mQuizID"].ToString(); } } reader.Close(); } string cmdText2 = "SELECT Username FROM dbo.employee"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText2, conn)) { SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader(); if (reader != null) { while (reader.Read()) { var sName = reader.GetString(0); if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(sName)) { if (sbEmailAddresses.Length != 0) { sbEmailAddresses.Append(","); } // Just use the ordinal position for the user name since there is only 1 column sbEmailAddresses.Append(sName).Append("@aramco.com"); } } } reader.Close(); } string cmdText3 = "UPDATE dbo.Quiz SET IsSent = 1 WHERE QuizId = @QuizID"; using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(cmdText3, conn)) { // Add the parameter to the command var oParameter = cmd.Parameters.Add("@QuizID", SqlDbType.Int); var sEMailAddresses = sbEmailAddresses.ToString(); string link = "<a href='http://pmv/pssp/StartQuiz.aspx?testid=" + quizid + "'> Click here to participate </a>"; string body = @"Good day, <br /><br /> <b> Please participate in the new short safety quiz </b>" + link + @"<br /><br /> Also, give yourself a chance to gain more safety culture by reading the PMOD Newsletter. <br /> <br /><br /> <br /> This email was generated using the <a href='http://pmv/pssp/Default.aspx'>PMOD Safety Services Portal (PSSP) </a>. Please do not reply to this email. "; int sendCount = 0; List<string> addressList = new List<string>(sEMailAddresses.Split(',')); StringBuilder addressesToSend = new StringBuilder(); if(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(quizid )){ for (int userIndex = 0; userIndex < addressList.Count; userIndex++) { sendCount++; if (addressesToSend.Length > 0) addressesToSend.Append(","); addressesToSend.Append(addressList[userIndex]); if (sendCount == 10 || userIndex == addressList.Count - 1) { SendEmail(addressesToSend.ToString(), "", "Notification of New Weekly Safety Quiz", body, true); addressesToSend.Clear(); sendCount = 0; } } } // Update the parameter for the current quiz oParameter.Value = quizid; // And execute the command cmd.ExecuteNonQuery(); } conn.Close(); } } | Mid | [
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Olfactory performance acts as a cognitive reserve in non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease. To explore whether olfactory performance acts as a cognitive reserve in non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Patients with non-demented PD (n = 119) underwent T1-weighted MRI and olfactory identification tests. According to their olfactory performance, PD patients were subdivided into three groups of high score (PD-H, n = 38), middle score (PD-M, n = 48), and low score (PD-L, n = 33). We investigated the pattern of gray matter (GM) density according to olfactory performance using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and analyzed the correlation between GM density and olfactory performance. No significant differences in demographic characteristics were observed among the groups. A neuropsychological test showed that cognitive deficits in verbal memory function were more severe in the PD-L group than in the PD-H group. However, a VBM analysis revealed that patients in the PD-H group possessed significantly decreased GM density in the bilateral temporal areas, orbitofrontal areas, mesiofrontal areas extending into the cingulate gyrus, and prefrontal areas, compared with patients in the PD-L group. No areas exhibiting a significant difference in GM density were observed between the PD-H and PD-M groups. Olfactory performance in patients with PD was negatively correlated with both the brain GM volume and intracerebral volume; in particular, GM density in the caudate nucleus and putamen exhibited a negative correlation with olfactory performance. Our data show that a high olfactory performance may compensate GM volume loss in order to minimize the exhibition of cognitive impairment and thus may act as a cognitive reserve in non-demented patients with PD. | High | [
0.691612903225806,
33.5,
14.9375
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Q: Neo4j 3.1.3 with Elasticsearch integration I'm going to integrate my Neo4j application with Elasticsearch. I'm going to try the following Neo4j plugin from GraphAware https://github.com/graphaware/neo4j-to-elasticsearch Could you please tell does it support Neo4j 3.1.3 version? Also, what version of ES should be used there ? Does it support ES 5.3.0 for example ? Right now I have installed Elasticsearch 5.3.0 locally. Also I have added 2 jars: graphaware-neo4j-to-elasticsearch-3.1.3.45.7.jar graphaware-server-community-all-3.1.3.46.jar to my Neo4j CE 3.1.3\plugins\ folder. Also, I have added the following config (as descrbed here https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-elasticsearch#example) lines into my database configuration(Neo4j Community Edition\neo4j.conf): elasticsearch.host_name=http://localhost:9200 elasticsearch.index_spec=decisions:Decision(name,description) But when I'm inserting the data through Spring Data Neo4j project nothing happens.. The Elasticsearch indexes still empty. What am I doing wrong and how to make it working ? UPDATED I made some progress on this: This is my Neo4j.conf: dbms.unmanaged_extension_classes=com.graphaware.server=/graphaware com.graphaware.runtime.enabled=true com.graphaware.module.ES.2=com.graphaware.module.es.ElasticSearchModuleBootstrapper com.graphaware.module.UIDM.uuidProperty=ID() com.graphaware.module.ES.node=hasLabel('Decision') com.graphaware.module.ES.relationship=(false) com.graphaware.module.ES.uri=localhost com.graphaware.module.ES.port=9200 com.graphaware.module.ES.index=neo4j-index In my application I have an entity: Decision. Decision is a complex type with a big parent hierarchy: Decision extends Commentable extends Votable extends Flaggable ... and so on. Right now I'm adding ~60 Decision nodes to my Neo4j database but I'm unable to see all of them at ES. I can see only the first one with a duplication per parent class in hierarchy. This what what I have now: $ curl -XGET 'http://127.0.0.1:9200/neo4j-index-node/_search?pretty=true&q=*:*' % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 0{ "took" : 1, "timed_out" : false, "_shards" : { "total" : 5, "successful" : 5, "failed" : 0 }, "hits" : { "total" : 8, "max_score" : 1.0, "hits" : [ { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Decision", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Authorable", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Subscribable", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "BaseEntity", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Votable", 100 7842 100 7842 0 0 7842 0 0:00:01 --:--:-- 0:00:01 7658kl", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Flaggable", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Likeable", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Commentable", "_id" : "null", "_score" : 1.0, "_source" : { "avgVotesWeight" : 0.0, "updateDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:36.883Z", "nameSlug" : "antivirus-software-for-windows", "lowerName" : "antivirus software for windows", "description" : "This is a non-exhaustive list of notable antivirus and Internet Security software, in the form of comparison tables, according to their platform (e.g. desktop and server, mobile, etc.)", "totalDislikes" : 0, "totalChildDecisions" : 59, "totalCriteria" : 19, "multiVotesAllowed" : false, "totalCharacteristics" : 8, "totalComments" : 0, "totalFlags" : 0, "likeSum" : 0.0, "totalVotes" : 665, "name" : "Antivirus software for Windows", "totalLikes" : 0, "createDate" : "2017-04-19T09:17:20.347Z" } } ] } } Why all of the Decision's sub-classes(like Votable, Likeable) are also duplicated there? As you can see from my config I have tried to exclude everything except: com.graphaware.module.ES.node=hasLabel('Decision') My goal is to index only Decision nodes at ES. Also, why the only single decision from ~60 is indexed there ? I think "_id" : "null" at the Elasticsearch JSON output is related to this issue. What am I doing wrong ? A: It seems our documentation has been weird about the usage of the internal id as document id : Replace this line : com.graphaware.module.UIDM.uuidProperty=ID() By this com.graphaware.module.ES.keyProperty=ID() However if you use the uuid module as well, it is best to use "uuid" instead of the internal ID I tested on community 3.1.3 with the versions mentioned and it is working. { "took" : 1, "timed_out" : false, "_shards" : { "total" : 5, "successful" : 5, "failed" : 0 }, "hits" :{ "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Decision", "_id" : "2", "_score" : 1.0, "_source":{"id":123,"title":"Ibiza"} }, { "_index" : "neo4j-index-node", "_type" : "Decision", "_id" : "3", "_score" : 1.0, "_source":{"id":123,"title":"Weird Decision"} } ] } } If your nodes have both labels Decision and Votable, then you have to exclude them in the configuration like this : com.graphaware.module.ES.node=hasLabel('Decision') && !hasLabel('Votable') && !hasLabel('BaseEntity') | Low | [
0.504237288135593,
29.75,
29.25
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Q: Clear cell each 10 seconds in worksheet change In the following code I am trying to make the cell A1 empty each 10 seconds and at the same time to be able to work on the other cells or even any other worksheet without interrupt. Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range) Dim t As Date If Target.Address = "$A$1" Then t = Now() + TimeSerial(0, 0, 10) Do If Now() >= t Then Application.EnableEvents = False Range("A1").ClearContents Application.EnableEvents = True Exit Do End If DoEvents Loop End If End Sub The code may work and clear the cell contents but sometimes I found that it is not cleared and filled with the value entered in another cell. Any idea how to fix that? A: In the worksheet module: Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range) If Target.Address = "$A$1" Then 'existing call to clear? If scheduled > 0 Then Application.OnTime scheduled, "ClearIt", schedule:=False scheduled = Now + TimeSerial(0, 0, 5) Application.OnTime scheduled, "ClearIt", schedule:=True End If End Sub In a regular module: Public scheduled Sub ClearIt() Application.EnableEvents = False Sheet1.Range("A1").Value = "" Application.EnableEvents = True scheduled = 0 End Sub | Mid | [
0.598639455782312,
33,
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Room-Temperature Electron-Hole Liquid in Monolayer MoS2. Excitons in semiconductors are usually noninteracting and behave like an ideal gas, but may condense to a strongly correlated liquid-like state, i.e., electron-hole liquid (EHL), at high density and appropriate temperature. An EHL is a macroscopic quantum state with exotic properties and represents the ultimate attainable charge excitation density in steady states. It bears great promise for a variety of fields such as ultra-high-power photonics and quantum science and technology. However, the condensation of gas-like excitons to an EHL has often been restricted to cryogenic temperatures, which significantly limits the prospect of EHLs for use in practical applications. Herein we demonstrate the formation of an EHL at room temperature in monolayer MoS2 by taking advantage of the monolayer's extraordinarily strong exciton binding energy. This work demonstrates the potential for the liquid-like state of charge excitations to be a useful platform for the studies of macroscopic quantum phenomena and the development of optoelectronic devices. | Mid | [
0.63517060367454,
30.25,
17.375
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Bernard Jason Jason Bernard might have had a chance at stardom more than 20 years ago, but he didn't want to take the road that led to it. The co-star of today's Lifetime movie "Sophie & the Moonhanger" has been acting since 1961, but the roles offered to most African Americans during the '70s did not appeal to him. "It was the time of the blaxploitation picture and black actors were finally finding work," Bernard explains from his sprawling ranch in Santa Clarita. "Those films were negative and cheaply done." Jason Bernard might have had a chance at stardom more than 20 years ago, but he didn't want to take the road that led to it. The co-star of today's Lifetime movie "Sophie & the Moonhanger" has been acting since 1961, but the roles offered to most African Americans during the '70s did not appeal to him. "It was the time of the blaxploitation picture and black actors were finally finding work," Bernard explains from his sprawling ranch in Santa Clarita. "Those films were negative and cheaply done." The fourth annual Southern California all-star basketball games, matching many of the best players in the City and Southern sections, will be played tonight at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The girls' game will start at 6:30, the boys' at 8:30. Two uncommitted college prospects, Kevin Franklin of Woodland Hills Taft and Gary Gray of Granada Hills, will play for the City boys' team, as will J.D. Bishop Amat High School running back Eric Bieniemy, who scored 30 touchdowns last fall, was named the most valuable player in the Angelus League. Bieniemy has announced that he will attend the University of Colorado next season. Servite wide receiver Nick-John Haiduc was named the league's most valuable offensive player. Haiduc averaged 22.5 yards per reception. League champion Bishop Amat and Servite had eight players selected to the first team. Servite moved one step closer to defending its Southern Section Division II water polo title with an 8-4 victory over Esperanza in a quarterfinal playoff game Wednesday. The Serra League champions gave a 28-minute clinic at El Dorado High, using their trademark press defense to keep the Aztecs helpless and frustrated. "Defense is going to win the games," Servite Coach Jim Sprague said. "I was especially proud of the play of Mike Rustemeyer, who kept up good pressure on defense." The Inglewood High boys' basketball team staked its claim as the South Bay's top team Saturday by beating host Redondo, 86-64, in the championship game of 42nd Pacific Shores tournament. The Sentinels last won the 16-team tournament in 1979. "I thought it was very important for us to come out here and win this," Coach Pat Roy said. "We worked very hard during the summer, and we felt that we had to come out and win this to start things." One game does not a convincing win provide in volleyball, but this was as close as Newport Harbor and Manhattan Beach Mira Costa were going to get in determining the top boys' team in the Southern Section, for now anyway. The only time it will really matter is the playoffs, right? The teams met last Saturday at Redondo in the one-game semifinals of the Redondo-Mira Costa tournament. At stake: A trip to one of the top invitationals of the year, and a chance for No. An otherwise forgettable season for the North Torrance High football team will at least be memorable for the numbers of wide receiver Eric Hansen. Although the Saxons are 2-6 and have only an outside chance of reaching the playoffs, Hansen is on the verge of becoming the most productive pass catcher for a single season in South Bay history. With 72 catches in eight games, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound senior needs seven catches in North's last two Ocean League games to surpass St. Rick Hirtensteiner, star center fielder for Pepperdine's West Coast Athletic Conference champions, has been crowned with so many laurels this year that it's a good thing he is not allergic to that form of vegetation. The latest in a long list of honors received by Hirtensteiner, who recently graduated in business administration with a 3.85 grade-point average (on a 4-point scale), came when he was named the WCAC's outstanding senior male student-athlete. Wayne Wright, Pepperdine athletic director, said, "I cannot think of a young man at this institution who has better exemplified the term 'student-athlete. | Mid | [
0.5586206896551721,
30.375,
24
] |
Spectrum of renal osteodystrophy in dialysis patients at a tertiary hospital, riyadh, saudi arabia. To evaluate renal osteodystrophy (ROD), bone biopsies were performed in 57 patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) on dialysis, 46 on hemodialysis (HD) and 11 on peritoneal dialysis (PD). There were 29 males (mean age of 42 years) and 28 females (mean age of 39 years). Relevant presenting clinical features were pruritus in 46 cases, bone pains in 32, acute pseudogout in three, bone deformities in two, conjunctiva! calcification in two, cutaneous calcification in two, and corneal calcification in one. The mean value of predialysis blood investigations were as follows: urea 33.9 mmol/L, creatinine 913 umol/L, bicarbonate 18 mmol/L, calcium 2.36 mmol/L, albumin 40 g/L, phosphorus 1.69 mmol/L, alkaline phosphatase 178 U/L, parathyroid hormone 543 pmol/L, magnesium 1.06 mmol/L and aluminum 1.81 mmol/L. Skeletal survey showed no changes in 24 patients (42%), hyperparathyroid cystic changes of bones in seven, osteoporosis as the predominant features in seven, mixed picture of ROD in 12, subperiosteal resorption of the metacarpals in two, osteosclerosis (Rugger Jersey Spine) in two and osteomalacia in two patients. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry in the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN). All patients had low BMD (both LS and FN). Bone biopsy (BBX) revealed mixed picture in 30 cases, predominantly secondary hyperparathyroid changes in 10, mild hyperparathyroid changes in five, predominant osteoporosis in three, osteomalacia in four, aplastic (adynamic) bone in four, and aluminum deposition in one. All of the patients who showed evidence of bone involvement on BBX had abnormal BMD suggesting that BMD is a good non-invasive screening test for ROD but indiscriminative for the type of bone disease. BBX still remains the diagnostic tool to differentiate and classify different types of bone disease. | High | [
0.672750977835723,
32.25,
15.6875
] |
%module example %{ extern int gcd(int x, int y); extern int gcdmain(int argc, char *argv[]); extern int count(char *bytes, int len, char c); extern void capitalize (char *str, int len); extern void circle (double cx, double cy); extern int squareCubed (int n, int *OUTPUT); %} %include exception.i %include typemaps.i extern int gcd(int x, int y); %typemap(in) (int argc, char *argv[]) { int i; if (TYPE($input) != T_ARRAY) { SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError, "Expected an array"); } $1 = RARRAY_LEN($input); if ($1 == 0) { SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError, "List must contain at least 1 element"); } $2 = (char **) malloc(($1+1)*sizeof(char *)); for (i = 0; i < $1; i++) { VALUE s = rb_ary_entry($input,i); if (TYPE(s) != T_STRING) { free($2); SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError, "List items must be strings"); } $2[i] = STR2CSTR(s); } $2[i] = 0; } %typemap(freearg) (int argc, char *argv[]) { free($2); } extern int gcdmain(int argc, char *argv[]); %typemap(in) (char *bytes, int len) { if (TYPE($input) != T_STRING) { SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError, "Expected a string"); } $1 = STR2CSTR($input); $2 = RSTRING_LEN($input); } extern int count(char *bytes, int len, char c); /* This example shows how to wrap a function that mutates a string */ %typemap(in) (char *str, int len) { char *temp; if (TYPE($input) != T_STRING) { SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError,"Expected a string"); } temp = STR2CSTR($input); $2 = RSTRING_LEN($input); $1 = (char *) malloc($2+1); memmove($1,temp,$2); } /* Return the mutated string as a new object. */ %typemap(argout, fragment="output_helper") (char *str, int len) { VALUE o; o = rb_str_new($1,$2); $result = output_helper($result,o); free($1); } extern void capitalize(char *str, int len); /* A multi-valued constraint. Force two arguments to lie inside the unit circle */ %typemap(check) (double cx, double cy) { double a = $1*$1 + $2*$2; if (a > 1.0) { SWIG_exception(SWIG_ValueError,"$1_name and $2_name must be in unit circle"); } } extern void circle(double cx, double cy); | Mid | [
0.629032258064516,
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+358 9 8567 7824 10 oz 2014 Australian Koala Silver Coin You're using an older browser that we are unable to fully support. Your experience with our site may be less than optimal due to our focus on performance, security and reliability. Consider upgrading your browser if you have problems using our site. Learn More This website uses cookies to better serve you and provide a more user friendly experience. Year, style and other qualities may vary. Year, style and other qualities may vary. 7 Available New Purity: 999 Quantity Added 10 oz 2014 Australian Koala Silver Coin This is the latest issue in the Koala silver coins series from Perth Mint, and it is continuing the tradition of annual reverse design change. The reverse of this issue is an image of an adult koala's face and a sprig of gum leaves. Reverse Inscription includes AUSTRALIAN KOALA, 2014, 999 SILVER and the size. The obverse of the 2014 Australian Koala Silver Coins contain the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II of England, along with a face value inscription of AU$10. These coins is considered legal tender of that country under the Australian Currency Act of 1965. This coin comes with a coin capsule. SKU 2920 Year 2014 Country Australia Condition New Purity 999 Origin Australia Legal Tender AUD 10 Obverse Queen Elizabeth II - Australia - 10 Dollar First Released 2007 Diameter (mm) 75.6 Average Thickness (mm) 8.7 Metal Weight (ozt) 10.00 Manufacturer Perth Mint SKU 2920 Year 2014 Country Australia Condition New Purity 999 Origin Australia Legal Tender AUD 10 Obverse Queen Elizabeth II - Australia - 10 Dollar First Released 2007 Diameter (mm) 75.6 Average Thickness (mm) 8.7 Metal Weight (ozt) 10.00 Manufacturer Perth Mint Reviews Perth MintPerth Mint10 oz 2014 Australian Koala Silver Coin This is the latest issue in the Koala silver coins series from Perth Mint, and it is continuing the tradition of annual reverse design change. The reverse of this issue is an image of an adult koala's face and a sprig of gum leaves. Reverse Inscription includes AUSTRALIAN KOALA, 2014, 999 SILVER and the size. The obverse of the 2014 Australian Koala Silver Coins contain the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II of England, along with a face value inscription of AU$10. These coins is considered legal tender of that country under the Australian Currency Act of 1965. | Mid | [
0.5570175438596491,
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Umueze Anam Anam Anambra State is a community in Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. Origin and history It is said that Umueze Anam was founded by one hunter from Amadioba Nteje known as Nwavor in the 17th century. As a hunter, he used to hunt for game around the Omambala River when he found a peaceful peninsula across the river and settled there. Nwavor was accused of having a hand in the death of his archrival a kinsman of his and in other to free himself from the accusation decided to leave Nteje and settle at Odah. He first arrived at a place called Odah Anam where he found a lot of wildlife and fertile land for agricultural purposes. After settling for about a week he went back and brought his wife and brother Udora who was a farmer and fisherman to settle in the area. They were first to settle at Odah before other settlers like Mmiata, Oroma, Umuoba, Umuikwu and Iyiora to make up Anam in order of arrival. These initial settlers make up what is called Anam Nkpu Isaa (Seven nodes of Anam). Anam is a corrupt form of Anagba which means coming together of diverse people who have agreed to be united and leave in peace (Anam means Unity). The people of Anam being republican in nature do not have monarchical leadership there was no king, they have parliamentary system where the elders in council presides over the affairs of the people with the head of the council being the eldest man in the land (diokpala) determining who the eldest man became difficult until a situation came up when there was no fire to light up the settlement, and since there was no means of knowing who is the oldest person among them, decided that whoever would be brave enough to fetch fire from the slave camp at Odene-Nneyi would be crowned the diokpala. Nobody took that bold step, but the Great Nwavor, who went and brought fire from the camp for his brothers to use, was then crowned Diokpala (Eze-Anam). When Nwavor and his descendants further moved down to Aboh area (Area currently called Aboegbu and Miata Anam) and settled there until the early 19th Century when other Anam community fled Odah as a result of invasion of the area by Abor slave warriors, Umueze Anam took the bold step of returning to Odah to protect other Anam communities from further attacks. Descendants of Nwavor Nwavor married two wives, who gave birth to three sons; the first wife had Agha and Eze while the second had Ezumezu, hence the saying that Eze na Agha ovu isi anu. Agha was the eldest followed by Ezumezu and lastly Eze. Agha gave birth to Obialunozor and Ukoli, Ezumezu had Nsibe, Ibichi and Ezime, while Eze had Aneke and Ebendu Ada Invasion The Edda people from Ohafia who were slave merchants raided many parts of Igbo land taking some people captive and selling them to slave traders. They came to Onwumbala area and to Anam. Penetrating Anam people was not so easy for them as they were not good swimmers and cannot navigate through the river efficiently. Their attacks became so intense that Anam people decided to engage them in a battle. Anam people mobilized their youths who came out with several weapons and clubs hidden at the bank of the River, and lured the ada warriors to come and capture slaves they happily entered the boat and midway in the river the youths brought out their clubs and pelted them with stones and since they were not good swimmers they got drowned in the river and perished. This loss became so much that they withdrew from the area and never came back hence the saying Ada si Anam "kwali ive nye mili". Aboh Invasion After the Edda (Arochukwu) people came the Aboh Slave hunters, unlike the Ada people Aboh warriors are good sea pirates and can maneuver the Omambala River effectively. Their attack was so much on Anam people as a result so many persons were taken into slavery, they make use of the canon and den guns given to them by their Portuguese slave masters. When Anam people could no longer bear these attacks they consulted a diviner who told them that they can only defeat Aboh warriors led by Enebeli the Prince of Aboh with the aid of a charm to be prepared by him. He told them that the consequence of the charm is that the bearer of that charm must die and the charm will cause confusion when thrown into the Aboh Camp. The problem became who will carry the char, when no one volunteered again Iwo Odionwu a great son of Umueze Anam from Ebendu clan volunteered to carry out the task and his brother Amah Amakeme from the same umuebendu volunteered to accompany his brother such that if he is killed he will ensure that the head of his brother returns home while Obalichi from Umuoba anam lead Anam warriors to the fight. Eventually, they succeeded and defeated Aboh warriors and killed Prince Enebeli of Aboh. Ani Anam Anamites started stealing, killing and coveting people's wives. This was attributed to the infiltration of Anam by strangers, and prompted the elders of the town to make a covenant to put a stop to these evils. This again demanded a sacrifice; Odionwu, a descendant of Eze Nwavor, volunteered. The covenant is as follows: That if you don't commit evil, evil will not befall you; No Anam man shall kill his fellow Anam man; No Anam man shall steal his brother's belongings; No Anam man shall unlawfully sleep with his brother's wife; No Anam man shall disobey his elders. Umueze Anam, being the eldest man, was given custody of the symbol of authority of Ani Anam, while Agha was given the Abuke Anam deity, and Eze was given Ani Anam. Anam Title ceremony Umueze Anam celebrates achievements as in other parts of Igboland. Apart from kingship, Oba title-taking is a culmination of one's achievement in Umueze Anam. Titles are awarded for: Gaining of a position of authority and honour in the town; Provision of funds for his maintenance in his old age; Entitlement to have a say in the town councils; Immunity from assault or arrest in his own or any other friendly town; Exemption from manual labour; Authority to wear certain special regalia and insignia; Certain privileges sometimes accorded to his wife; Asserting oneself as a freeborn of the community. Oba Title Ogbuevi (Oba) title-taking in Umueze Anam is a long process of three distinct segments, Ijoku, Asammuo, and Ime Oba, which are performed sequentially. Before the title of Ogbuevi is conferred on anybody of Umueze lineage, the candidate is required to have successfully gone through the process of performing the special Oba Umueze ritual. Oral tradition holds that the first citizen of Umueze Anam to take the Ogbuevi title was Ogbuevi Dielie Mezie of Iweze Ogboru Eze. He was followed by Ogbuevi Agbogu Nwabude of Ezum Iyile Eze. Oba was the ceremony for the highest title in Anam. Before one will take the Oba title he is expected to perform the lesser titles such as Ijoku, Asamuo, and finally the Oba title. Before the Nigerian Civil War, Christians (Catholics) were unable to take the Ozo title because the rituals were perceived to be against their faith. This problem was looked into by the Commission set up by the Archbishop of Onitsha, Francis A. Arinze (later a cardinal). A solution was found as expressed below as the official Archdiocesan position immediately after the war in 1970: That the religious ceremonies traditionally connected with title-taking are hereby recognized as non-essential to the title itself. Therefore, the titled man who takes the title without these ceremonies must be regarded as fully titled, and in no way inferior to his counterparts who performed the ceremonies together with pagan religious observances. That everything connected with pagan religion which is in any way contrary to the Christian faith is hereby removed for all members, Christians or non-Christians, who want to be initiated into the title society. Therefore, there will be no consultation of fortune-tellers, no pagan sacrifices, no visitation of a pagan shrine, nor worship of the spirits or ancestors, no marks of office which are indissolubly bound up with pagan religion, etc. That the members of the title society, both Christians and non-Christians, may attend the funeral rites of a deceased member, but the title society will not perform pagan religious ceremonies of any shape or form. That all the formalities of title-taking, which are not against Christian beliefs and practices, may be preserved when Christians take titles. These include the payment of the stipulated sum or other goods, division of these things in the traditional way, feasting, dancing, etc. Sometimes, modification will be necessary. This applies, for example, to dress, dance, and some aspects of the outing function and widowhood ceremonies, if they offend against the Christian moral code. That the titled Christian assumes all the purely social insignia of his office, such as ankle cords, red cap, eagle feather, elephant tusk, etc. He also acquires all the social rights and privileges which are accorded to titled men according to tradition. 1. Ijoku Title:- Ijoku is the first to be taken, this qualifies him to answer the title name Uduezuo. Ijoku means the washing of the early morning hands. Which is to say that it was the first step leading to Oba title.This stage involves 300 tubers of yam (ji ommi) presented in October with 200 pieces of kolanut, tobacco, wine, money and a she goat (Ewu Ijoku). 2. Ekwu Title:- This is the second stage, it costs 209 tubers of yam, 500 kolanuts, wine, money a he goat (Nkpi ekwu), and smoked fishes (Ukpobu). 3. Asammuo Title:- This is the next in rank, it costs 290 tubers of yam, drinks, a pan of kolanuts, big she goat, ram and some money. The candidate after this stage is conferred with the title of Ogbuebunu. 4. Oba Title:- This is the final stage,Oba is the highest title in Anam, it is a big traditional ceremony that takes place before the conferment of the highest title of Ogbuevi to any Anam man. It involved a lot of merry making and for that reason a prospective initiate had to be well prepared before embarking on the Oba title. Oba involves 400 tubers of yam a cow or cash equivalent of the two items and presentation of ego nsunani Oba. Oba title is not for all comers in Anam, the candidate must be a good citizen and a free born, he must be an adult who must be able to keep to the rules pertaining to the title. One person could Take as many title as possible but must be conferred with one only. The number of Oba taken determines the number of shares one receives during sharing of items provided to ndi Oba. Omume Oba includes examination tests and rituals to prepare and make the candidate worthy of the title before he is conferred with it. The traditional symbol of authority (ofo) is stamped on the recipient chest. Oba title involves a lot of entertainment as guests usually attend the celebration from other villages that make up Anam. After 28 days of indoors, the celebrant is called seven times after which he will perform the oba rituals and blessed with the ofor. A day preceding the final day he is rubbed with uye and he dances the uvio music. Finally he performs the Ichi mmuo rituals and he is adorn with the red cap with eagle feathers and he picks a name for himself. He dances round the village with his wife. Ichi Muo Ichi muo title taking involves 12 hours ritual undergone by a candidate waiting to be conferred with Ogbuevi title after the completion of the initial formalities. The crucial aspect of the ceremony is usually performed at night and witnessed by title holders, family members and friends of the candidate. It was undergone by the candidate while his wife is asked to leave the premises only to come back after the title has been conferred on the husband. The candidate is made to take some vows that he would live above board that is he would not steal, commit adultery, lie, leak official secrets or conspire with others to do wrong things starting from the date he took the title. In other to be free from his previous sins he is made to go into hiding known as Izo mmuo (hiding from the spirit of ancestors) in other to purge himself of his wrongdoings. He is made to be half naked and his body robbed with uye (mud) for hours until its time to call him out in a ceremony known as Oku Oba ( a call for the candidate, purported to have been made by the ancestors). All these actions were believed to be enough penance for the candidate for his wrongdoings. The solitary confinement was to enable him reflect on his past, repent and resolve to make changes as from that date so as to be accepted by the ancestors. The mud was to show how dirty he was as a result of his sins. It makes the candidate to anxiously wait for the time he would be called out for cleansing. The call is made seven times but the candidate will answer only once, that is the last call. Failure to answer will be an offence which could be suspension from receiving the title (Idako n'oba) till another time. After tanswering the seventh call the candidate emerges from his confinement and presents himself for the stamping of the ofo on his chest. He receives oche mgbo ( three legged stool), an iron staff (Alo) and a head gear (ege). The offering and receiving of items were done within nge Oba a cane fence tied on four poles of 3metres square. It is only the titled men stays within the nge when the ritual is going on any uninitiated who enters the nge ekotego okwu ndi Oba and is imposed of a fine by ndi Oba. At the end of the presentation the candidate takes his bath and prepares for the outing the next day. Entertainment is presented to his guests on this day. The next day is the outing ceremony, during this day the New Ogbuevi in the company of the old ones adorn themselves with the expensive clothing called otachi and danced round in circle to the uvio music. The dance is known as Egwu ogbugbe. They blew their elephant tusks (oke) they salute the others with their nza (horse tail). At this stage the friends, family members and well wishers appreciate them by spraying money. It is at this point that the celebrant is permitted to put on the red cap and ege appended with eagle feathers. The Ogbuevi wears beads, ona worn on his legs and a rope worn on the anklets to show that he is now a titled man. Before he is allowed to wear these Regalia's the Ogbuevi is made to pay a fine to atune to the number of times he may have worn red caps in the past before he became an Ogbuevi. The Ogbuevi is also giving azizo oji (a wood carving) that he places on the wall at the entrance to his house. This azizo oji shows that the owner of the house is an Ogbuevi. The wall is also decorated with different colours ranging from blue, white red or yellow that painting is e signature of the Ogbuevi and the number of decoration tells us the number of Oba in that house. Ogbuevi expectations Ogbuevi is not expected to eat cassava or garri as such belittles him. He is expected to eat pounded yam hence the saying that "Duru meli Oba na eli nliji nke he emero Oba na eli mpicha". Ogbuevi does not eat food prepared by a woman who is undergoing her menstrual cycle such women are not allowed to enter his obi this was the reason why they marry more than one wife. He is not expected to lie or deliberately takes sides in judgement. He is expected to be transparent in his actions and judgements. He is expected to be outspoken and straight forward. As custodian of culture he is expected to interpret them correctly and ensure enforcement of the traditional laws and edicts. Otu Okpukpu (Iyom) Most prominent among women's social organizations in Umueze Anam is the Nde Okpukpu (Odu) Society. It is as ancient as the Oba institution which provides a pedestal on which the dignity of womanhood is elevated. A member at all times wears large ivory bangles on her hands and legs as a distinctive mark of nobility. After the initiation ceremony known as Isi Nli Okpukpu, the initiate is addressed as Iyom. Government The Governance of Umueze Anam Community rests on the shoulders of the council of elders (Irukpo and Izummuo). The chairman of the council of elders is the Diokpala who is regarded as the paramount ruler of the town (Igwe). The council of elders performs both judicial and legislative functions; they consist of men who are from the age of seventy years and above who have taken the oba and asammuo title and therefore cannot lie or mislead the community. Next in the hierarchy are the Okpokolo (from 60 years to 70 years), who enforce the laws made by the Irukpo and Izummuo; they determine the dates for the festivals of the community, and they are in charge of the masquerades and the cultural heritage of the community. During time of war they are in charge of recruitment of able-bodied men and prepare them for war. They lead the able-bodied men to prosecute the war. They are in charge of the oba title; they determine the requirements for the Oba title ceremony, as well as who is qualified for the title. Next after Okpokolo are the Owanuno (55 years to 60 years); they are the errand boys of the council of elders; they are responsible for sharing proceeds from ponds festivals, title taking and burials for the elders; they are in charge of the Owakwa masquerade. They are in charge of town crying and mobilization of the community for an important event. The Otuasa group (50 years to 55 years) are in charge of the community lands, ponds and other economic ventures of the town; they collect rents and royalties for the community and remit same to the council of elders. Isikolobia (40 years to 45 years) are the soul of the community. Their job is to mobilize the youths for work when the need arises such as clearing of bush paths, stream paths, digging of graves, and other works. They are also in charge of security of the village under the supervision of the Izummuo, and during war lead the able-bodied men to prosecute war. Mmeghe Ruling Age Grade are in charge of the town's developmental projects such as provision of basic infrastructure such as roads, school, and water. With the exception of the Elders council (Irukpo), every other group's tenure is four years. Kingship in Umueze Anam was a product of colonization by the British Imperialists who imposed warrant chiefs on the community. The first king in Umueze Anam was Igwe John Eziolise of Ebendu who reigned from 1974 to 1978 after which Igwe John Emeka of Ezumezu took over and reigned from 1978 to 2003. Igwe John Ikebudu of Aneke reigned from 2004 to 2009 though his reign was riddled with crises. Geographical divisions Territorially, Umueze Anam is segmented into six in a cluster of mixed families: Odah, Isi-Araka, Ndi-Osita, Ama-Orji, Ilo, and Isigom. For electoral purposes, there are two wards: Ward 1 (Ilo-Odah i.e. Agha and Aneke) and Ward 2 (Ilo-Isigom i.e. Ezumezu and Ebendu). The main advantage of this unique arrangement is that it guarantees enduring good neighbourliness as social tensions in a cluster cannot easily be transported to another cluster (when vengeance is lurking) for fear of harming a relation in there. It is a known fact that the neighbouring community, Onitsha, surreptitiously copied this culture, but the glamour was not properly assimilated and diffused there. Music Anam people were lovers of music. In fact, there was almost no function in Anam without one type of music or another. Music featured prominently at festivities and events such as childbirth, marriage, title taking as well as funeral ceremonies. From these, developed the huge business of the type of music that is known today all over Anam. The most popular musician in Umueze Anam is Sunday Mozie, a.k.a. 'Ugegbe Anam', a prolific (Egwu-Ekpili) recording artist and frequent live performer who skillfully blends Anam cultural rhythms with modern musical instrumentation. Religion Umueze Anam is predominantly traditional belief. They strongly believe in their Supreme Being called Chukwuobiama who sends guardian angels known as chukwuoke to each individual for protection. They commune with the saints known as the ancestors who intercede on their behalf to God. They believe in reincarnation, witchcraft, divination, and masquerading as the spirit of the dead. In order to attract favour from God, each family establishes a family altar (Okposi) where sacrifices are made and libation is poured to the ancestors, chukwuoke and Chukwuobiama. The traditional belief system is similar to Christianity, hence the embracing of Catholicism when Europeans came. Birth ceremony On the birth of a child in Umueze Anam, the family ceases from any form of work and feasts for twelve days after which the child is circumcised if male. Also, offering is made to the Ijeoku, ancestors of the family responsible for the gift of a child. It is the duty of the diokpala in the family to name the child. Marriage Umueze Anam sees marriage as a happy life for couples to enjoy together. It is also for procreation, carrying out economic activities together and joint ownership of wealth and investments. In Anam, marriage is very important to the survival of families. Anam are predominantly farmers and therefore sees marriage as getting a helper that will assist in farming and raising up children. This reason accounts to why we marry very early and marry more than one wife. The marriage ceremony is in four stages. Obanwa Obanwa could be done at the early stage. When a girl is born especially to a friendly family the father of the prospective suitor goes to the family of the girl and deposits five kobo (sisi) and the girl shall be deemed to have been betrothed to the young boy. Both of them grow up to see themselves as husband and wife. Obanwa symbolizes betrothal and is the first thing that is done after introduction. Presently five Naira, two cartons of beer, one schnapps and packets of cigarette is presented even though it varies from family to villages. The sisi is very symbolic in the marriage such that at the point of divorce it is this five Naira that is returned to the man irrespective of what is paid as bride price. Oliyi Oliyi is what is presented ndi uno to tell the ancestors that their daughter has been married out. The requirements varies from kindred to kindred. For my kindred Oliyi is five thousand Naira, two cartons of beer, one schnapps, packets of cigarette and tobacco. Irrespective of where the marriage was contracted these requirements must be sent down home to the kindred and shall be kept at the eldest man of the kindred's Obi until such a time the elders share this at the general meeting. Once this is accepted the marriage has been endorsed by the ancestors. Imego Nwunye The next is payment of bride price this is the prerogative of the father of the bride. After the payment of the bride price isikolobia, Umuada, inyemu ndi uno and umuagbo is settled the requirements vary from kindred to kindred. Itu oyi Nwa is when the bride price is paid the mother of the bride accompanied by her nwunyedis dances and makes a joyful noise to inform the neighborhood that the daughter has been given out in marriage. Ndunege Nwunye Ndunege Nwunye is the next in line, two young boys are asked to accompany the bride to the husband's home after sent forth is organized for the friends and well wishers. The parents of the bride provides items ranging from cooking utensils, clothing's, sewing machines etc. This will enable the bride to take off effectively in the management of her new home. These items are displayed on the eve of the sendforth. For a lady married by an Anam man, Nnatanwunye rite is done. The age grade of the groom assembles to receive their new wife. It is usually a colorful event. The bride is expected to perform itu ava, and dance kengedege Igba timu obu. Gifts and cash is showered on the bride and groom. Entertainment is provided and at about 12am the bride and the groom are escorted to their room to consummate their marriage while the age grade members continues with the merriment till dawn. The two young boys that saw the bride off to her grooms house comes back with aka ewu and some Olu oku (Goat upper limb and chicken laps) this is the most thrilling aspect as a young boy I used to fight with my cousin Onyekwelu over who takes up this duty of seeing our sisters off. This is because we are lavishly treated that you never wish to come back home. There is also an important ritual usually performed when the new bride enters a man's house for the first time, it is called ivili akwo (moulden of clay stove). It is symbolic because the grooms family gets a virtuous woman married to the grooms family who is adjudged to be of an exemplary wife, a role model to come and perform this task. This WO!an takes the new bride in and reveals to her the secret of marital success, tells her of the dos and donts of marriage as it affects the family. The bride is expected to see this woman as her role model and confidant. This akwo symbolizes the place of the bride in the family, every married woman in Anam must have an akwo hence the saying that our family is "Akwo ito" meaning that the family has three mothers married to one man. When the woman dies another ritual is performed it is known as ire akwo (breaking of the akwo) this is performed by a daughter in law who related very well with the woman while alive and has found favor in her. Inezi Ceremony INEZI promotes Industriousness, good cooking skills and handiwork which are very good qualities for sustaining marriage. It is expected that young maidens who have these qualities attached to their beauty are attracted to their suitors who ask for their hands in marriage. Their costumes are made up of natural cosmetics like uye, nzu, uli, which are used to adorn their body with beautiful marks. They wore beads known as Olokpo on top of their nja which they wear on their waist. Their legs are adorned with anklets called akpulu-ulu. Their hair do is usually is I mbute (wigs). These attire drive men crazy. The last four days were marked with a lot of celebrations, parents came to town with plenty of foods and drinks to entertain family members, friends in-laws who came to celebrate with their daughters. The isi ikolobia helps with fetching fire woods and pounding of yams and fufu. During the opu ive ezi (outing rite), all the maidens assembled themselves at Ilo for beauty parade. Having dressed to kill, they danced and demonstrated and showed their beauty especially to the eligible bachelors. Every participants were involved except those who had married and gone to their husbands already within the period of long ceremony. Some young men on having chosen some young girls to marry do not wait for them to finish the year long ceremony, for fear that men more handsome and richer than them would snatch them away. They rushed to finish everything and their heart throbs away before it became too late. In this regard such girls were made to have mock ezi known as iti udu before going to their husbands. For that reason, they were not required to come back and participate in the final ceremony. The young maidens during the parade carry udu (a small pot) which they beat as they parade with songs. This ceremony is known as ibi aka n'udu or iti udu. While the already married maidens parades while carrying chewing stick in their mouth the free maidens and not betrothed don't carry chewing stick. Therefore, chewing stick is a symbol to show that she is not free for suitors. This is fantastic and fascinating worth a colourful sight to behold. During the parade the most beautiful girl was noted and cheered but not giving any award except that she will have more suitors. After the ceremony the married maidens goes back to their husbands while those yet to be married wait for their time. It is important to note that its only the wayward girls never gets married months after the ceremony and during the ada masquerade such girls are usually sang with ( Nma enwerodi na Nma ekilisi ada). This waiting period is very critical and tempting for parents and it is their onus to guide against their daughter having illicit affair so that they won't get pregnant during that period and therefore lose their chance of getting a better suitor. Girls with such misadventure are married off to old men who might probably be looking children. This is a humiliation to both parents and family members (this is another pointer that INEZI does not promote promiscuity nor illicit affair as insinuated). The beautiful maidens wear skimpy dresses that reveal their pointed breasts which suggests they are virgins those breasts dangles as they dances and sets their admirers on fire. It is also believed that ibi aka n'udu is a symbol of virginity as those who are not virgins are not allowed to pass through that rite. It was also said that ezi ceremony helps young men who were not thinking of marriage to start thinking in that direction. Divorce Another part of marriage is divorce. In Anam, divorce is badly tolerated except for marital unfaithfulness and witchcraft allegation. If a man decides to divorce the wife such a person is expected to throw away the woman cooking utensils such as pots, stove etc. it will mean that the man has sworn not to marry again (inwu Iyi) at this point the woman will no longer be permitted to go into the man's house and will be taken home by her people. At this point the woman lives in her fathers house or rent a house (Obinkiti). The parents is expected to return the sisi to the husbands family but this is not done until she gets married again. The reason for this is because our tradition does not allow a woman to bear children in her fathers house. Such children do not bear the surname of their mother, our culture has it that all the children born by the woman while she was divorced belongs to the husband. This reason makes most men not to allow their wives to stay so long outside his home simply because they may not be able to tolerate children not fathered by them. This also contributes to the reason why divorce is not rampant in Anam too. In Umueze Anam a woman married to an Umueze Anam man and divorced cannot be married by another Umueze Anam man, unless he has married to another person outside the town and divorced. This is also a check to ensure that secret lovers do not instigate their lover to divorce their husband and get married to them. When the divorcee gets married to another man, the family of the former husband is notified and the sisi refunded back to them. This severed the ties the woman had with the man. When a man reconciles with the husband and returns to the man's house she is not expected to enter the mans unless a ritual is performed to exonerate her from the adulterous practices indulged in the past. This is usually done by Umuada. Iwanya Oji N'iyi Iwanya Oji n'inyi is a very simple ceremony for the cleansing of the woman who separated from the husband for sometime and has returned to the husband. It is assumed that within the period of their separation, she must have played around with men, unlike a married woman. The idea is to save the husband from the guilt of an adulterous wife by eating food prepared by her/ili nli oraakwu which may lead to his death. Ignoring the ceremony is like a man noticing and ignoring the adulterous life of his wife, for whatever reason, at the risk of his life, good health, progress in life or even the life of his children. Thus whether the wife leaves the matrimonial home on her own/is Isibe die gbapu/igbari die, or sent out of the house by the husband, through inwu iyi nwunye/just calling the nearest member of the village(onumbi)that its member must be called on notice while swearing in the name of a popular alusi/shrine that he will never marry that woman again, the estranged wife can never enter the house again without being cleansed through iwanya oji n'iyi. Should the man decide to ignore it, he will be ready to bear the consequences of the wife's oraakwu. The iwanya oji n'inyi is a very simple ceremony involving the right elder around using a kola nut to pronounce guilt and forgiveness on the woman at the same time, in the name of the appropriate alusi/shrine,before breaking the kola nut but for the couple to take. It is a very short reconciliatory ceremony performed at the corridor in the presence of a few witnesses for the wife to reunite physically with the husband or in spirit if he has just died and the wife has come to perform the necessary rites/rituals. It is different from iti igba mgbaata for a former wife and children supposedly born in the second marriage, as may have been assumed earlier by a contributor. Nkuchi Nkuchi nwanyi is a social phenomenon in which thé family of the dead man meets with the man's wife after the final burial rites/iputa ito or iputa isaa and presents a male member of the family younger than the deceased to inherit the man's widow to avoid the woman remaining a widow forever with her children not having anybody to take care of them as a father. The new husband may be the woman's step son or her brother in law or any other member of the family deemed fit for the task. He may be younger or older than the woman because there is no rule regarding the age of the man or woman, but he must be younger than the late husband. The widow is free to accept the person presented or reject him. Should the remarriage take place the woman becomes the bonafide wife of the man and any child she bears after nine months bears the new husband's name. A widow has the option of nkuchi or remain her husband's widow and be having children for him wherever she is or get married to a man of her choice. Nkuchi was designed to ensure that widows do not flirt around and drag the name of the family to the mud and also it helps the family to ensure that children fathered by people of questionable character are not being born to the family. It is in itself a good practice and not against Christianity and most importantly the widow's consent is obtained. Why people condemn it is because there are allegations of connivance to kill a man in other for both secret lovers to marry in the name of Nkuchi (though not witnessed in Anam) and also force union of two incompatible persons which often results in the man insisting on marrying his own wife (Nwunye Chi) which leads to polygamy and ill fighting in the family. Burial System In Umueze Anam death is seen as returning to the land of the ancestors,a person could only journey to the land of the ancestors if he led a good life while on earth he will be accepted by the ancestors and becomes the guardian and intercessors before God (Chukwu Obiama) for their people, but if the person led a bad life he is banished to abyss and will be crushed. For a deceased to have a smooth passage to the land of the ancestors a befitting burial ceremony. it is the belief that the deceased not properly buried will remain a wanderer and became an evil spirit tormenting people and manifesting in all forms. In Umueze Anam when a child dies it signifies a bad omen. It is either the child is an ogbanje or killed by witches, the child is buried that day without any ceremony or ritual. The child is not buried at home but in the bush so that such spirit will not reincarnate again to torment the parent. If the child is buried is suspected to be an ogbanje the corpse will be given a mark so that when he or she comes again he can easily be identified and treated with caution and disdain. For the death of a youth who is not married it is said that na okpali avala, which means that the death is untimely. The entire community will be calm since it is a taboo to hear that a youth died in some cases the age grade and family member will consult a diviner to know the cause of the death since according to the belief of the community such deaths is often caused by witches, oracle or evil deeds of either the parents, ancestors or the person in question. The notion is that if the death is not natural anybody participating in such may incur the wrath of the gods. If the cause is not natural the gods are appeased before the person can be buried and if it is caused by an oracle the corpse is either bailed from the oracle or returned to the oracle. During the burial the age grade assembles to perform the burial (igba okwa). The age grades during this burial exudes high degree of rage and bitterness during the igba okwa they will break anything that is kept along their part. They will patrol with blue powder and will pour it on any youth that did not join them in the mourning. There will engage in wrestling (ITU nyajili) and no weakling comes out during this period because such a person will be thrown on the floor. Every member of the age grade and any other youth shall contribute a token called utu mmanya this is necessary because the bereaved family is not expected to be burdened by the age grade. The family shall provide a goat known as ewu ikpo this will be used for onya is I ceremony. Onya is I ceremony is when the members of the age grades gather and people who are very friendly or known to the deceased shall come one after the other to eulogize the dead. They will come to testify on their encounter with the dead either as a friend or even a for or that they entangled in a wrestling bout. Onya isi is usually a solemn affair and at the end the bereaved family will confer and decide who is more closer to the dead that will kill the goat. When the person kills the goat, he is giving a knife to cut the goat and he will parade the town with the goat head to the admiration of the community he is expected to provide one carton of beer for the burial of his friend (itu uni). The mourning period for youths and persons not up to the age of okpokolo is 12 days (Izu ito). Burial of a woman married to an Anam man is not so complex. The children or family members is expected to notify the family of the deceased woman (ndi ikwu nneve) through a ritual called igbaje icho they are expected to present to the family a big metal pan or bowl, a paddle (eku), a metal cup (this signifies the return of the woman's cooking utensils presented to her by her parents). When this is done the woman's family will then prepare to attend the burial of the woman with their masquerade, or kindred igba, and with items for itu uni. If the woman's paternal home is close, the corpse may be taken to their house for final visit before burial. Umuotu will be notified of the burial of their colleague and they will come and perform the oni ozu and ire akwo. Umuada will also come and perform their own oni ozu while the inyemu ndi uno will perform the ritual of ire akwo. For family that is buoyant they will use a cow to perform the ire akwo and oni ozu but for those not buoyant ogu Akpa ego into (4000) will be paid to represent the cow. Ire akwo ceremony is performed by one of the daughters inlaw of the women who took care of the woman very well. This ceremony is usually done on the 12th day of the burial (Izu ito). There is also a ceremony called Ike omaba for the deceased this is usually done for those that took the iyom title (ive okpu). One of the daughter or daughter inlaw of the deceased will tie wrapper with special knotches and with an appe (hand fan) dances round the village with her fellow woman singing songs that eulogizes the deceased while sympathizers spray them money. For every other person who is neither an Oba title holder or among Okpokolo age grade there are not much attachment to their burial. Their burial activities end after Izu ito but for an Oba title holder who has performed the ichi Muo ceremony and has attained the age of okpokolo the burial extends up to izu isa (28 days). When an elderly man who is an Oba title holder dies, the first thing that is done is the idapu ozu, this includes what is called ote kpim kpim. The family of the deceased is expected to go house to house of his fellow elders and Oba title holders to notify them that the Ogbuevi has joined his ancestors and he is about to be laid in state. The Oba title holders shall first come to inspect the corpse to know if he is properly kept and dressed in his regalia. After this the ukolo is brought and played in a sound that will notify the entire village that a great man has joined his ancestors. The next is itupu okwa izizi (oso nkodo nkodo). The immediate family members are expected to adorn themselves with the regalia of the deceased such as otachi, okpu Mme, ooke, nza, etc. while the ada carries the ubom that is beaten by her. Such men according to our culture is usually buried in the night except for Christians whose corpse will be taken to the church to be prayed for. Burial in Anam is usually done in the night, and the ceremony continues in the evening with the age grades of the children and other extended family members supporting their bereaved colleagues with their music. The reason for this burial at night is because our people being predominantly farmers usually use the day to do their farm works and gathers during the night to continue with leisure it is not peculiar with burials alone. The bereaved family members entertains his age grade with drinks and food. A foul is killed in the early morning around 5am and it is called Okuku nlavochi and subsequently with ewu okwa the next evening. If he invites the entire Anam Mkpu isa he will kill seven fouls as oku nlavo chi and one cow as Ewu okwa. Recently people no longer use Okuku for nlavo chi but ewu. The age grade musicians entertains the age grade throughout the night after the ito onu token is presented. The members of the age grade contributes tokens to the bereaved as a means of cushioning his expenses. This contributions depends on how popular the person is and also if he does same for people as the list of benefactors are recorded. The next day, the in-laws, well wishers and friends come for itu uni, they will come with a piece of cloth, drinks, goat, cow and money depending on the person's capabilities. Some in-laws will come with dance groups or even masquerade. Ndi Nna Oche will come with their music and masquerade and when they are going they will be given a goat, ram or cow depending on relationships and capability of the bereaved family. This will continue until the next morning when ewu nsekute will be killed to mark the end of the first burial. The funeral room and the bed is left with the clothes, regalias and other precious ornaments of the deceased kept daily until after izu ito or izu isa as the case may be. For a woman who is an item her Ookpu (ivory) is displayed and for titled men his Ooke (elephant tusk) is kept and it is blown by the eldest son. During the lying in state of the deceased, when the corpse is laid, the wife or wives will be paraded to cry for the deceased that night they will be eulogizing the deceased as they sit beside the corpse faning it with a hand fan until it is buried. The same is done by the husband if the deceased is a woman. After the corpse is buried the spouses are made to sit on a mat in the funeral room everyday till izu ito and Izu isa is completed. During that period while the deceased are laid in state the wife puts on her best clothes and ornaments as it was when they wedded but the next day the spouses puts on nkilika okala (rag) during this period of nkilika okala he or she is not expected to talk to anyone their only duties is to come out before anybody wakes to cry in the morning after that crying he or she is given water to wash the face and goes inside. This is so because it is believed that the deceased spirit has not sojourned to the land of ancestors. This continues till after Izu ito for deceased woman or a man who has not attained the age of okpokolo and Izu is a for titled elderly man. After the isa oni ozu ritual will be performed to send the ancestors to the land of the dead before the wife will then start wearing agbo (white cloth) she can start talking to people but will not go out till after six months before she will then change the clothing to black and mourn for another one year. The period of mourning in Anam before was 18months until recently it was reduced to six months and the wearing of black removed. During the period of her wearing black, she is free to move about and talk to people but cannot see any man. After the burial ceremony, every morning and evening the first daughter (Ada) is expected to dress in her father's chieftaincy regalia and with ubom, which she will beat round the town eulogizing the father and notifying the village of the death of the father till a day before Izu ito and Izu isa as the case may be. When she gets to the frontage of any elder she while greet the person in the name of the late father and if she does it well people will be giving her money (ego ubom). She represents her late father every time she does that and on returning she will place the ubom in front of their house and puts the regalia and red cap on the ubom. That ubom standing outside represents the late father who is still believed to be hovering round the house. For a titled man during the izu ito, the first son shall be painted with uye wearing Ogoro and red cap with feather and oche mgbo on his armpit, he will be going round the titled men's house greeting them and they in return gives him money and drinks this rite is called ite uye after that during the izu isa the kindred parades the town with their communal drum while the children dressed on their fathers regalia dances as they parade this rite is called ipu ive isa. It is after this rite that the funeral room is dismantled. It is the custom of the land that the eldest son and daughter stays at home throughout the mourning period without going anywhere while the others are expected to provide them with all the support and feeding they needed. If they cannot as a result of their work, somebody will volunteer to stay on their behalf while they are expected to pay a fine and provide the person staying with the drinks and food needed to carry him and the strangers that will be coming throughout that period. Another rite of importance is the Ooni ozu, as an Ogbuevi, the children is expected to present to ndi Oba a live cow that will be shared by them and some money for snuff. If the family could not afford a cow, they will pay Ogwu akpego (4000) in place of the cow. The next is ikwabi ozu rite, this rite is done so that the spirit of the deceased can sojourn to the land of the ancestors. The age grade of the deceased gathers, with the closest family relative of the deceased among the age grade being in charge of the ceremony. An okposi is provided, the first rite is the olokpu azu, smoked sizeable fishes are provided with red oil and salt, this will be used to invoke the spirit of the dead on the okposi, the remainder of the fish is used to prepare very thick ogbono soup that is shared among all present. After this one Ikenga ewu is killed and the blood spilled over the okposi and it is used to prepare nsala soup, after invocation and appeasing of the spirit of the deceased to setforth his journey and join the good ancestors to intercede for them, the okposi is pushed outside with leg by the Celebrant (igbapu okposi n'lo), which means that he has accepted the sacrifice and has departed. This rite releases the wife of the man from the deceased so that she can start communication with others except for sexual intercourse. The spouse of the bereaved is expected not to shave or comb her hair until the period of mourning is over this is a sign to any man who makes advances to steer clear of the woman. After the period of mourning she is expected to shave her hair and burn her mourning cloths. When mourning is over the children of the deceased shares the belongings of their father including the pieces of clothes brought during itu uni. Also during that time they decide on who will kuchie the woman hence the popular saying that "nwanyi si ana akpa nkata aru eji ke ive diee si tinye kwe maka onye ya ekuchi ya" It is supposed to be the responsibility of the uncle to kuchie the deceased wife or the first born son if the woman is her step mother. The burial rite for the eldest man in the community (Diokpala) is similar to that of the titled men but the slight difference is that when the diokpala dies, the corpse is hidden for three native years (about 2 years) the burial is the responsibility of the entire community all the age grade will have their stand bring their music and prepare their dishes. The first thing in the morning of the burial is the ada masquerade performance, the night will be the akpali masquerade by 12am and subsequently the odumodu masquerade. After the burial and mourning of the deceased, the next to the eldest man will perform the ikpoche eziobi rite so that he can ascend the throne. Odumodu masquerade performs for elders who are a member of irukpo age grade as well. Umueze Anam Festivals and Celebrations Umueze Anam has two major festivals that is celebrated annually and they are Nzire Ani and Otite Anam festivals. Nzire Ani Nzire Ani or Nzide Ani festival is a festival celebrated by Anam people. The Name Nzire Ani means the coming down of Ani Anam deity from on top of Nkpu (Anthill) where it is kept during the flooding season. It marks the beginning of a new native year. It can be regarded as a pagan festival because it has the foundation from Ani Anam deity. Before we can understand the festival let's first of all treat Ani Anam deity. Ani Anam is best regarded as a covenant rather than an Oracle. During the early settlement of Anam people there was a lot of crime such as adultery, killing of a fellow Anamite, stealing, covetousness, betrayal etc. This resulted from the heterogeneity of Anam communities so the elders decided to have a bond that will bind all together and promote security and mutual trust. On that fateful day the elders gathered at Odah and made a covenant, that no Anamite shall kill a fellow Anamite, No Anamite shall covet another's property or wife, No Anamite shall betray his brother, No Anamite shall bear false witness against the other. This is why the invocation of the deity starts with Ani Anam akodi onye eme ive ma ive emie what it means is that the convenient goes after the guilty and not the just. The covenant is synonymous to the ten commandment. Anam being a flood prone area is usually being submerged in water during the rainy season, this flood destroys their houses, crops, livestock and something kills their children. During this season children and valuable artifacts are kept on the nkpu and okpulukpu (platforms) built in the house above water level. The people during this period prays to their ancestors for protection and safe keeping. The Ani Anam deity is also kept on this platform as well. When the flood receded, the chief priest announces a date for the Ani deity to return to its abode and it is marked with pomp and pageantry, the people gives offering of Thanksgiving to their chi for protecting them from destruction. Another aspect of the festival is the marking of the victory over the Adah and Aboh warriors. Anam people during the 18th century were usually invaded by the Adah warriors who usually come to the area for slave poaching, one day our people summoned the courage to fight back and on this fateful day the assembled all able bodied men, youths and children at Odah to await for the boat of this slave hunters, when they came the Anamites started pelting them with stones such that their boats capsized and they drowned in water, this marked the end of their exploits in the area. This victory over Adah warriors boosted the morale of ndi Anam that it is usually celebrated every year so that the story shall be told to generations unborn. This victory is also marked during the Nzire Ani festival. The third aspect of this festival is the dedication of the new year and the new planting season to God and the ancestors. This festival is used by the elders to appease the gods for a bountiful harvest in the new planting season. It is after this festival that farmers go back to their farms to cultivate. This festival was usually being celebrated in October but it was moved to the last eke day before the Christmas Day to accommodate people who may be coming home during the Christmas holiday and to ensure wider participation. The festival also reminds ndi Anam of their victory against the Aboh people. Ndi Aboh became a thorn in the flesh of Ndi Anam using ugbondu (canon shots) given to them by the Portuguese collaborators. The casualties became much that ndi Anam decided to consult a diviner to know what could be done to stop the invaders. The diviners told them that a charm shall be prepared, the charm shall be taken into the boat of the Aboh warriors but the person that will carry the charm must be killed by the warriors but the charm will cause confusion such that Anam warriors will slaughter all the Aboh invaders. The charm was prepared and the problem became who shall carry the charm no one accepted until one young man called Iwoegbune from Umuodionwu in Umuebendu quarters of Umueze Anam volunteered to carry the charm, this heroic volunteering thrown the town into joy such that his cousin Amah from Umuamekeme in Umuebendu quarters volunteered to ensure that his brother head returns home once killed while Obalichi from Umuoba led the warriors to fight the Aboh warriors led by the Aboh Prince. The plan was carried out perfectly such that the charm was taken by Iwo to the Aboh camp, he was killed as foretold his brother Amah fought and brought back the head of the hero while the warriors led by the great fighter Obalichi slaughtered all the Aboh warriors including the prince and freed Anam people in their slave camp some returned to Anam while others who could not return settled at Umunankwo in present-day Ogbaru. Prof Alex Asigbo you may correct if am wrong. This festival tells this story too. The celebration of this festival starts a month to the actual date of the celebration with the Otiekwe Adah, this a masquerade that moves round the village with a wooden gong to announce to the people that the festival is at hand. This is symbolic because it signifies the way the warriors that defeated Adah people were mobilized. The Otiekwe Adah moves round the villages every night with the chant "egwue egwue Otiekwe busa nkonko" It is usually called mmanwu anwulu. The eve of the Nzire Ani is usually eventful, it is the last day of Otiekwe masquerade performance and the dreadful Akpali masquerade. Akpali masquerade is the spirit that controls the water current (turbulence) when this masquerade performs at night and in the morning boats are docked ashore even at the village square, earthen pots kept carelessly are broken by this wave. The Akpali masquerades abhors light and breaks every light placed on their path. It is only the initiates that comes out at night to be a part of the masquerade procession while Izummuo (Otummuo) age grades regulates their activities . The Nzire Ani day is a very eventful day it starts at dawn with the procession of Adah masquerade. The Adah masquerade is led by odogwu Ada that goes with Oji and is led by Okpokolo age grade. The procession terminates at Odah bank of the Onwambala river where the masquerade pelts stones into the river to signify the defeat of the Adah people. After this is done, the next is the mobilization of the youths for ijo Nzire Ani, this Ijo is used to mock those who may have engaged in any immoral and evil acts. This is done to discourage people from carrying out evil plots. After the Ijo Nzire Ani, the elders converge at the eldest man's house to join him as he pours libations to the ancestors and prays for Gods's blessings, favour and protection on our people and for fruitful planting season. Otimkpala masquerade appears at this point with a whip and symbolically whips the eldest man on his leg this gives the otimkpala masquerades the powers to whip everybody that comes their way. The Otimkpala masquerades performs side by side with the libations and offer of Thanksgiving to their gods by the elders. At about 4pm the strong and brave youths appears at the village square with canes to wrestle With the spirits (okpa ege). The masquerades with their cane whips the men while the men dodges with their own stick and when a masquerade is thrown it goes out of the scene, same with the men the last man standing wins the contest in Umueze Anam this part is the one we enjoy the most and the likes of Jaja Chukwuemeka Nwanegbo, Isaac Emeka, Chuks Agu, Francis Ndife comes to mind. While the wrestling is going on, the Owakwa masquerade gets ready to perform. The Owakwa masquerade comes out with bravery and supernatural powers. The masquerade goes about with a live fowl tied on the head at the back, the opotiyi masquerade is expected to appear and cut off this fowl but the Owakwa will not allow it so both of them engages in hide and seek game while the opotiyi marshals out its plan to take the fowl, the Owakwa will be pursuing him with a big stick if the opotiyi fails to cut off the fowl, the Owakwa goes with it, but if he succeeds the opotiyi goes with it. At the sunset when the Owakwa finishes his performance, the about of eneooo takes over the airwaves and at this point the women and children goes to bed because the greatest of the masquerade (Odumodu) is getting ready to come out. At this point it is the time for ochiagba Odumodu and I enjoy this part a lot it is only the initiates comes out at this point. The Odumodu has so many powers and manipulations, one of this is that it duplicates itself such that one can be at one end of the town and the other at the other end. It has ibobo such that you cannot run faster than the masquerade. This masquerade remains powerless until it pays homage to the Ani Anam deity and the eldest man it is when it goes to the bearer of Ani Anam that he takes the cane and his powers restored to him. This masquerade performs all night long and in at dawn it goes home walking like a boneless wanderer hence the saying that " kero nke inaga ka Odumodu chi voru". Otite Anam The Meaning of Otite This five-letter-word "Otite" in Anam is the synonym for "Iwa ji" ceremony elsewhere in Igboland which is popularly referred to as "The New Yam Festival". The origin of Otite in Anam is as ancient as the evolution or fusion of the entity called Anam town or clan as some people may choose to call it. It is a yearly festival celebrated simultaneously in all the eight villages of Anam namely: Iyiorah, Mmiata, Oroma-Etiti, Umudora, Umuenwelum, Umueze, Umuikwu and Umuoba (i.e. going by the alphabetical order listing of all the villages in order to respect their status of equality literarily, as it were). Until about two decades ago, when Okpokolo" Anam, the Executive Arm of the Council of Elders mandatorily fixed the last Sunday Eke market day in the month of August, (the sixth month -onwa isii- in our local chronological time) that falls on Eke day, as the date for the yearly Otite Anam Festival, it was formerly celebrated on any chosen Eke day in August. In fact, it is only Otite of all the festivals in Anam that has a fixed date which is not affected by the vagaries of weather or season. What is being celebrated? It is an incontrovertible fact that Anam people are the greatest producers of big yam tubers throughout south-eastern Nigeria. Whether it is Onitsha yam, Otuocha yam, Okoti yam, Ochuche-Umuodu or Ani-Eze yam, the producers of about 80% of these yams (to be very modest) are Anam people. Therefore, just as farming is the chief occupation of Anam people, the chief product of our people's occupation is the Yam. Otite Anam Festival consequently, is the celebration of the chief product of our people's occupation. Today, all communities in Igboland celebrate the new yam festival yearly, beginning from the same month of August. But the irony of the new yam festival elsewhere in Igboland is that all the other communities visit the markets in all the places mentioned above to buy either Onitsha yam, Otuocha yam, Okoti yam or Ochuche-Umuodu yam to celebrate their new yam festivals. While Anam people celebrate with the yam harvested from their farmland and they thank their God for giving them a bountiful harvest. The Mode of Celebrating Otite Anam Because farming is the main occupation of the people, our fathers used Otite Festival day to offer sacrifices to their ancestors thanking them for the bumper harvest of the year or, in the year of scanty harvest, sued for the reversal of the harsh year in the following years ahead. The sacrifice used to be in form of offering kola nuts, food and drinks to their ancestors ilo mmo imploring them to intercede for them through their deities (gods) to the Almighty God (Chi-Ukwu). It is an ancient practice that during the Otite Anam, the community through the elders and ruling age grades pays homage to the eldest man in the town (diokpala) with the first fruits (ivenru). The community will present him with best of fishes or presently goats and even cow. With this he prays and sacrifice to the God on behalf of the community in Thanksgiving and prays for a better season ahead. He is the first to offer sacrifice in the land before any other person. On Otite day, pure and unadulterated pounded yam with ove-mmanu, agbonor or egwusi soups thickly garnished with dried fish would be prepared by every family in the village. No matter how impoverished any family was, Otite day used to be a day of plenty as far as winning and dinning were concerned. At that time, fish was abundant in our waters and fishes like aja, usolo, alila, egbili, okwo, etc., would richly adorn every pot of soup. In today's world of shallow waters in and around Anam, which scenario has accounted for the extinction of many fish species, fish is now very scarce during Otite Festival and its use has almost given way to fowl and goat meat on Otite day. Since the inception of Otite Festival up till today, Otite Festival day, has been a day of giving gifts and alms to the less-privileged, the infirm, widows and the aged. Today, no matter wherever any married daughter of an Anam man is, it has become a sacred obligation for such a daughter to send to her father and mother (whoever is still alive) mainly, four tubers of yam, fish or (money in lieu of fish) and drinks at least a day, before Otite Festival day. Some well-to-do daughters even buy goats in addition to yams and drinks as well as some items like clothes, bed and beddings, etc., and send to their parents during Otite Festival. Otite Anam Festival therefore, is a very great festival in Anam as it accords recognition and honour to the main product of our people's occupation of farming – the Yam. How Otite Festival is Celebrated In the morning of Otite day, it is the oldest man in each village of Anam called "Diokpala" that kick-starts the festival. He does so by inviting the Members of the Council of Elders to his house. He thereafter, starts off with bringing down his omo-oku usually from a high elevation in his house like igbara in olden days but now table, and commences igo-ovo (Otite prayers) with kola nuts, local gin and nzu (the white chalk with which the ogbuevis adorn their eyes). He also brings eight to ten biggest yams from the stock presented to him by his sons, relations and villagers as nruu together with fish or goat as the case may be, and places them in front of his omo oku. He prays and thanks our ancestors for the bountiful harvest of the instant year, or if the reverse (poor harvest) is the case, sues for the reversal of the bad omen in the years ahead. After this, the alo mmo commences. In the olden days, the house of the Diokpala paraded a very sizeable stock of yams and fish he received as nruu during the period of Otite. As the preparation of the alo-mmo meal is in progress, the Diokpala shares out some dried fish from the stock presented to him as homage (nruu) by his villagers to members of the Council of Elders present. The dried fish shared out is eaten with red oil prepared for that purpose, while drinking the local gin until the real alo-mmo meal is ready. After the Diokpala's alo-mmo, other members of the Council of Elders follow suit and the festival commences in earnest. In those olden days, homages were paid to the Diokpala by his villagers during Otite Festival. In fact, all heads of big fishes like: aja, usolo, alila, egbili, eevi, okwo and even ekwum, belonged to him if killed by any of his villagers. The roasting of the new yam as is the vogue elsewhere in Igboland during the new yam festival is alien to Anam culture and does not form part of Otite Festival mode. During ikpa unwu, a mini cultural ceremony performed by the Diokpala in the presence of members of the Council of Elders with the stock of old yams (ji okpoo) remaining unconsumed, about a month before Otite Festival, the end of the previous year's farming products especially yams, is signaled. After ikpa unwu ceremony, the Diokpala could begin to eat the new products of the instant year's farming season like new yam, corn etc. The new yam could then be used to offer sacrifices to idols, and anybody wishing to roast the new yam is free to do so. At this period the old yam (ji okpoo) could hardly get dawn if cooked. In the late afternoon of Otite day, mgba otite (local wrestling competition) was organized for teenagers between the ages of 15–20 years as sports and entertainment. This aspect of Otite programme is no longer in vogue due mainly, to the fact that members of these age brackets are now students who view the art of coming out bare-bodied in public to engage in wrestling as primitive. Whether that view is correct or not, the truth of the matter is that age-grade wrestling used to be part of Otite highlights, which form part of the culture and heritage of Anam people. Before the outbreak of the Nigeria Civil War (1967–70) there used to be a customary type of marriage in Anam called nwunye o-oba. By this method, a father could betroth the daughter of his friend or of any person whose family possessed good character traits for his son. The girls so betrothed could be in their infancies or in their teens. Such betrothed girls when they reached the age of ten and above, started visiting the homes of their future husbands during Otite in what Anam people called ije oku. Before a betrothed girl visited the home of her future husband at Otite, he (the future husband) would send two boys from his family to bring his future wife in what was called izute-oku. Then oku lasted for four days starting from Otite day. On arriving the home of the betrothed girl whether within the same village or at any other village in Anam, one of the two errand boys sent by the future husband of the betrothed girl as proxy, would hold a pestle (akosi) which he turned up-side-down hitting the reverse side on the ground as they marched along in the village of the betrothed girl and in their own village on arrival. The significance of the pestle was to assure the parents of the betrothed girl and other villagers that the future husband of the girl was capable of feeding his future wife and to fend for all her needs. As the trio marched on, the boy holding the pestle and hitting same on the ground would be in front with the betrothed girl following him closely while the second boy carrying the girl's box of cosmetics and clothes kept the rear. Within the four-day period of oku the betrothed girl would be lavishly entertained with unadulterated pounded yam served with soups – nsala, ove-mmanu, agbonor or egwusi- richly garnished with fresh or dried fish. It must be pointed out here succinctly, that the future husband of the betrothed girl was mandatorily prevented from sleeping with his future wife whether she was mature or not, let alone having sexual intercourse with her until they were formally joined in marriage after the girl's onine ezi ceremony. In the year of ine ezi ceremony of a betrothed girl, she attended the last Oku referred to as oku nchebi at the home of her future husband. It was at this last oku that the future husband of a betrothed girl spent lavishly on his future wife both materially and in kind. In that same year, the future husband in company of one or two of his friends or family members offered one full-day free job at the farm of his future father or mother-in-law as the case may be. Also, while departing from oku nchebi, the betrothed girl was given many gifts. First, her box would be loaded with clothes, soaps and cosmetics. Other family members of her future husband (males and females alike) would each, be offering her money for soap, with some contributing dried fish – all to impress her parents that their future in-law and his family members would be able to take good care of their daughter when finally joined in marriage formally. All these would not prevent anu kwa yim (I will not marry you) from occurring, if it must. However, marriages by betrothals are no longer in vogue in Anam in view of the perils associated with this type of marriage. One of such perils was that many of the girls betrothed in their infancy or early teens grew up to develop dislike for their future husbands or vice versa. When such a thing happened, the future husbands who had spent fortunes to fend and provide for their wives to- be, were at the losing ends. Such a development meant that all fishes, clothes, yams, and free jobs given out, not only by the future husbands alone, but also, by their family members to impress their future in-laws, had gone down the drains. At such instances, the only option available to the men engaged in betrothals was payment of dowry by the eventual husbands of the girls (and scarcely men) who adopted the slogan anu kwa yim (I will not marry you). But such dowries calculated customarily in monetary terms were so infinitesimal to compare with what the short-changed husbands and their family members actually expended both materially and in kind, to win the hands of their betrothed wives. So, it was the men who lost out eventually in all such cases and that scenario was responsible mainly, why that type of cultural marriage waned into insignificance in Anam today. Significance of Otite Festival in the lives of Anam people Otite Anam Festival ranks next only to Nzireani amongst all the festivals in Anam. This is because while Nzireani is the commemoration of the ancient origin of Anam town or clan, and celebrating the recession of the flood water that forced our ancestors to live on bamboo decks in their thatched houses from the end of September – early November each year, Otite Festival is the celebration of the product of our people's occupation, Farming - which sustained them after the fusion of the different people that teamed up at Odah to form Anam Ogbe. Secondly, the period of Otite Festival is the only period in the year when Anam people boycott working in their farms for four consecutive days in honour of the pride of the ancient tradition of our forefathers. This point is now so widespread that yam traders who patronize markets in the abovementioned places where Anam people sell their yams, stock-pile yams in other to forestall scarcity during the four-day period of Otite Anam, before the festival starts. Thirdly, Anam people use the period of Otite Festival to assess the success or failure of their hard yearly toil at the farms. As a result, all their major financial projects and commitments are scheduled after the harvest period which starts before Otite Festival. Any wonder then that one often hears the following statements from their creditors mainly from Nteje and Umueri: " O’ kwa unu etechewo Otite unu avu nini? Kwuo m ugwo m". Indeed, Otite Anam occupies a prominent position in the lives of Anam people as well as being the pride of the product of what Anam people know how to do best – Farming. Otite Mbah In Umueze Anam Otite Mba is celebrated a month before Otite Anam reason and why is not clear to me. Some school of thought said that one Mba Nwinya who was a renowned farmer and harvests yam quite early ahead of others and for this reason will celebrate his otite to enable him eat the fruit of his labour as at then it is not honorable to eat yam if otite has not been celebrated. This is practice later was popularized and celebrated in Umueze Anam the Mba family holds this tradition till date. Age grade system Umueze Anam practices Republican method of governance in which power is devolved to age grades. Each age grades consists of people within three years age bracket. Ikpoko Ogbo At the age of fourteen, all young males within this age bracket (3 years) come together in groups to form the age grade system. During this period maturity is tested through wrestling and anybody defeated will not join the group. Ibanamanwu After four years of Ikpoko ogbo, the age group at 18 years is initiated into the masquerade system. On the day of initiation during the Nzire Ani festival, the courage and endurance of the group is tested through whipping by anyanchu cain on their legs. They are exposed to the egwegeregwe awala masquerade which dances at the village square kindred by kindred. Igbajisi At the age of forty, all male adults of this age grade are initiated into adulthood through this ceremony. Prior to this ceremony it is expected that all of them must have married and the first to marry is celebrated as the father of the age grade (Nna Iru). After this celebration they are cleansed through shaving of their youthful hairs before taking up Isikolobia. As Isikolobia they are responsible for the organization and supervision of the youths to undertake specific jobs assigned to the youths such as vigilante services, clearing of village square, pathways, streams, fetching of firewood, digging of graves etc. Otu asa After the headship of Isikolobia, the age grade graduates to Otu asa, outasa is responsible for collection of royalties and rents accruing from ponds, lakes, rivers, land and farm settlements and submit the accruals to Izumuo. Alagbo These are age grades that has no responsibility, it is a period of rest before taking up higher responsibilities. Mmeghe This is the age grade that oversees the development activities of the town. They are responsible for imposition of developmental levies. Owanuno This is the age grade that enforces fines and penalties and are in charge of the mobilization of the youths in times of war. Okpokolo They are in charge of title taking, festivals and enforcement of punishment for masquerade offenders. Izumuo They in conjunction with irukpo governs and legislate over the affairs of the community. They enforce laws, mobilizes the youths and collect all fines and punishments as determined by the elders council. Irukpo They are the paramount rulers of the town, they legislates and adjudicates over the affairs of the community. They holds the judicial powers and their decision is final. The chairman of this group is the Diokpala who is the paramount ruler of the town. References Anam People's Website Joe Ameke, Anam 17th–20th Century, 1998 Category:Populated places in Anambra State Category:Communities in Igboland | Mid | [
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Corporate bases on Mars and Nazi infiltration of US Secret Space Program Secret Space Program whistleblower, Corey Goode (aka GoodETxSG), has revealed astounding details involving classified activities on Mars and the Moon. Most disturbing are his revelations about the influence of a secret NAZI breakaway civilization that successfully infiltrated the US national security system. His responses go into great detail of how secret space program activities in the US and globally, have been co-opted by unscrupulous forces and institutions that are denying humanity the benefits of the technological secrets acquired over the last century. Corey released his latest information in response to a set of email questions sent to him on May 14. In previous Q & A email sessions, public forums and his website, Cory has released details of an alliance of five extraterrestrial races called the Sphere Alliance, three of whom he has had direct physical contact with at a number of meetings involving delegates from different secret space programs. At these diplomatic meetings, he claims to have interacted not only with representatives from different secret space programs, but also representatives of different extraterrestrial civilizations, 22 of which have contributed their genetics to the evolution of humanity. The responses to the latest questions have been divided into two parts. Part one (see below) begins with Coreys knowledge of what is happening on Mars. He claims to have personally traveled to Mars and describes witnessing a number of facilities which are owned by a space program called the Interplanetary Corporate Conglomerate (ICC). The condition of workers he saw at these ICC facilities made him suspect that they were being used as slave labor. Surprisingly, the Corporate Conglomerate has authority over military facilities that have also been built on Mars by other space programs. Coreys response that a corporate entity essentially runs Mars using slave labor is quite disturbing. Even more disturbing are his revelations about a secret Nazi Space Program that became operational during the Second World War despite the defeat of the Axis powers. The Nazis, according to Corey, escaped to secret bases in South America and Antarctica, where they established an alliance with a group of extraterrestrials called the Draco Reptilians. The Nazis were then able to successfully defeat a punitive military expedition by Admiral Byrd called Operation Highjump in 1947. Corey says that after a demonstration of Nazi technological superiority during the 1952 Washington UFO Flyover, both the Truman and Eisenhower administration negotiated agreements with the Nazi breakaway civilization. The Nazis then proceeded to infiltrate the U.S. national security system in ways that have undermined the independence and integrity of various US and international space programs, both civilian and military. Slave labor was a major practice in Nazi World War 2 industries, it appears that this continues with organizations that the Nazi breakaway civilization has infiltrated such as ICC operations on Mars. The information Corey reveals is both astounding and deeply disturbing. For some it may appear too fantastic to believe. Yet, in my own due diligence of Coreys claims and credibility I have found nothing suggesting any intention to misrepresent or deceive on his part. He sincerely believes he is telling the truth about his past experiences working with different secret space programs. Other insiders have also vouched for Corey having participated in one or more secret space programs, suggesting that his claims, at the very least, deserve serious investigation. © Michael E. Salla, Ph.D. Copyright Notice Questions for Corey Goode on Mars, Moon and Nazi Space Program May 14, 2015 [Questions sent on May 14. Answers received on May 19] Q1. You have said that the Interplanetary Corporate Conglomerate (ICC) owns most of the Mars Bases. How many Mars bases do they own, and who owns the other bases on Mars? The ICC has an entire industrial infrastructure that includes bases, stations, outposts, mining operations and facilities on Mars, various moons and spread throughout the main Asteroid Belt (where a Super Earth Planet once existed). They have facilities to take raw materials and turn them into usable materials to produce both complex metals and composite materials that our material sciences have not dreamt of yet. They have separate groups of facilities that produce various types of technologies as well as each facility or plant that produces a specific component of a technology so that those working in the facilities and living in the support colonies/bases do not know exactly what they are producing. Much of the time the components are multiuse and are used in cross over projects. There are facilities on Earth that operate in much the same manner that contribute to the SSP on several levels. There are other bases on Mars that are controlled by Military/Security groups as well as some scientific outposts. These can be owned and maintained by other SSP Programs but are usually going to report to the ICC on some level since the ICC controls much of the Air Space and Security Operations on and around Mars. Most of the security personnel that are assigned to Mars are assigned to and serve under the ICC. The military groups that will be returning to their previous organizations (SSP Groups) are kept isolated from the population and personnel who live and work on the Colonies, Bases and Industrial Facilities that they protect. They are normally in the rather Spartan outposts that I have described previously in other writings. I had seen a few of these outposts built from the Ground Up. They were always quite a distance from the main underground colonies, bases and industrial facilities and spread out in a Multi-Teared Perimeter Defensive type of system. There are Non-Humans also having bases on the planet. Some of them have been there for some time and have the highly coveted larger lava tube systems that have been built out into base systems that are unimaginably huge and can securely reside millions of inhabitants. Q2. Did you ever spend time on any of the Mars bases? If so, what did you say, and how long did you spend there? Yes, there were several occasions where there were specialty equipment malfunctions that needed to be repaired immediately. When the ICC was unable to arrange their personnel from Earth or other facilities in the Sol System to make a trip to a colony, base or industrial facility in the time needed a request was put through to the specialists on our scientific research vessel. On these rare occasions we would fly down to the location where we would be met by 4 to 6 armed guards. We would be instructed not to make eye contact or communicate with anyone for any reason unless it was directly related to the work we were there to do. In these situations there would normally be one of our security team, an Intuitive Empath, and a scientist and two technicians along with tools and parts that may be needed. We would be escorted directly to the location of the work. The local facilities security team would watch us very closely and then escort us directly back to our shuttle craft after the work had been completed and tested. We were never asked if we would like a tour, invited to spend the night or stay and share a meal with the personnel or inhabitants of the facility. We did however get a chance to see some of the people. They were usually pale, unhealthy looking both physically and mentally and seemed very much like slave labor. On more than one occasion we saw four identical people carrying crates and other items around that were obviously clones. I did notice in one colony that there was what looked like an Art Wall where people were hanging art work that they had drawn and painted. This was the only time I saw anything that looked like it was meant to be positive for the metal health of the inhabitants. These were always places that we were relieved to leave. When we would visit the military outposts they were regimented but had a completely different feel or energy about them. We were also more comfortable in some of those locations because we had actually seen and been a part of them being built at an earlier date. Q3. Were you ever briefed about and/or experience the atmosphere on Mars? Is it breathable for short periods as some whistleblowers claim? Yes, I was suited up and observed some of the outposts being constructed in the Northern hemisphere. There is a thin atmosphere (like being at very high altitudes on Earth) but the atmospheric pressure is very low as is the temperature most of the time. There are times depending on Mars season and weather that make it possible for very short exposure time on the surface. I would imagine that some have slightly acclimated to it. I would not want to spend any amount of time outside of the light duty suits we wore especially if you were doing anything physically exertive. There were some small wild life and vegetation that we observed in the general location of where the construction was being done. The sky was a light blue to lavender and pinkish especially during sunset when there wasnt a lot of dust in the upper atmosphere (which occurred frequently when we were on the surface). Q4. Does the Solar Warden Space Program operate any off-planet bases? If so, where are these located? Yes, there were some stations (Located in certain areas of the Solar System where vessels would dock for repairs, conferences and personnel transfers etc ), there were also other bases on some moons and even Venus (on the surface and in the upper atmosphere). There are also some bases in nearby Star Systems that I know next to nothing about (never had a Need to Know). Q5. In the 1963, the USAF announced the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) where they secretly trained military astronauts to go into space to conduct space surveillance. The MOL was publicly canceled in 1969 apparently due to the development of unmanned satellites. Was the cancellation of MOL genuine? Did the military astronauts go on to serve with Solar Warden or another space program? The Earth Based Military Black Ops Services have had separate and ongoing lower level space programs from the beginning. They are very compartmentalized, and those who actually operate craft and stations in various orbital zones around Earth never have an opportunity to see what else is going on out there. NASA ISS see their activities, these lower level military black ops programs see the NASA, Advanced (Breakaway) Secret Space Program activities as well as some activities of off-world groups. They know there is a lot more going on beyond their programs but do not have a need to know and are debriefed routinely by the Earth military forces to get as much information as they can about what may be going on in the Break Away Secret Space Programs that are more advanced. Very few below those in command of these black ops programs and the operators know of the other activities going on in the Sol System. The support and infrastructure portion of these black ops programs are not read into the small circle of information known by the operators and command structure and are kept oblivious of the other activities being observed outside the atmosphere of the Earth. That being said, there have been many other space stations and similar training labs that have been launched into orbit for periods of time, used in secret and then allowed to burn up in reentry after they have served their purpose. I do not know if the particular orbital laboratory was ever an active program or not. The LOC [Lunar Operations Command] would keep up with the traffic of all space programs (civilian/military/intelligence satellites, NASA, secret military, other nations and of all of the Advanced Secret Space Programs) and their assets to try to plan and schedule their locations to prevent them from being visible to each other as much as possible. This includes keeping track of ground based astronomical observatories and their highly documented and controlled access times and the windows of the sky they are scheduled to observe. This is why there are no real accidents when it comes to SSP vessels flying through the live video feeds of the NASA ISS. The traffic is very highly planned and tracked and if a vessel/craft is caught on the live feed it was done on purpose. Q6. In 1959, the US Army proposed Project Horizon which examined the possibility of establishing a Moon base. Officially, Project Horizon didnt progress beyond the feasibility stage. Is this accurate or did Project Horizon secretly proceed and/or was it combined with any other lunar base program? I do not know if this was one of the programs that was combined or cannibalized into the decades long expansion of the Lunar Operation Center or not. There were several programs that were not only on the books but also already funded that were merged into both the advanced Secret Space Programs (advanced) as well as into the Military Black Ops Space Programs. Some people think it is ridiculous that there would be lower level military black ops space programs (Space Plane/Shuttle etc ) as well as the continued development of advanced air craft based on 19th/20th Century aeronautics principals. With all of the technology available in the Break Away Civilizations this is pretty ridiculous. When you think about the fact that most of the people in the Aeronautic Industries and Military know nothing about the Break Away Civilizations and their advancements then you will understand why they are still spending trillions of dollars developing technology on a separate developmental track. They are developing technology to fight wars in the only way they know exists. Q7. You have said that the Nazis established a base on the Moon, and this was later built over creating Lunar Operations Command. When did the Nazis establish their moon base? They had made several attempts at creating a moon base that did not go so well going back to the 1930s. They did find an ancient building that was obviously built by much larger beings that they could cement and repair enough to pressurize and use as a temporary base while they constructed the underground base that had a few visible structures on the surface one of which did take the shape of a Swastika. This base was still being built when they made the break through deals with the Americans in the early 1950s that gave them access to the Industrial Might that had cost them the European War. They now used this Industrial Power (Soon to be known as the Military Industrial Complex) to their favor and built out a massive base that went down many levels in a Bell Shape and the surface structures built around the former structures to become what we now call the Lunar Operation Command aka LOC. Q8. Which group of extraterrestrials helped the Nazi’s in their battle with Admiral Byrd in 1946/1947, and developing an off-world presence? There was help from the Draco Federation as well as a group that the NAZIs were led to believe were ETs (referred to as Arianni or Aryans, sometimes called Nordics) but were actually an Ancient Earth Human Break Away Civilization that had developed a Space Program (referred to as The Silver Fleet) and created vast bases below the Himalayan Mountains (largest in Tibet and call the system Agartha) and a few other regions. The first craft they built used Mercury turbines, and electro-gravity engines were developed by the assistance of this group. Again the NAZIs and to this day many Earth Humans who are in contact with them and others believe them to be ETs (because of their deceptions) when they are actually very much Earth Based Humans from Ancient Break Away Civilizations. I have heavily avoided speaking in depth about the few Ancient Break Away Earth Civilizations that have Space Programs and massive bases on the Earth, the Moon and elsewhere in the Sol System and other Sol Systems. Some of them have been extremely deceptive and convinced some people that they are ET groups that are here to assist Humanity. Some people have memorized some of these stories like some people memorize religious text. The Illuminati/Cabal has had a falling out with some of them and want them exposed for what they are. I think they should do the dirty work. I am not going to cause controversy that will just be a distraction from the main Blue Avian Message of Becoming Loving, Forgiving and Focusing on Expanding your Consciousness and Vibration. Q9. Do you know anything about Hans Kammler and the Kammler Group that was in charge of the covert Nazi reverse engineering program, and its relocation to Antarctica/South America/Moon? Yes, there was much documentation about him and his teams being in both the three known Antarctic (Cities/Bases) and several secret underground bases in Argentina. If he was stationed on the Moon I didnt see anything about that. Q10. What role did Maria Orsic and the Vril Society play in the Nazi moon base? The Vril, Thule and Order of the Black Sun Orders were all involved in these programs. They had overlapping ideologies and agendas. Much of the Star Wars ideology of The Force and Dark Lord Siths and their Masters and The Power of the Dark Side, Dark Energy and Dark Star Energy was a mixture of science and religion to them. Many in the Intel Community became quite convinced that Maria Orsic was one of the Blondes that would land in UFOs and talk to people in German pretending to be an ET from another star system. When some of the witnesses were shown her photo they identified her as the same person that they had met from the Flying Saucer. She has obviously made it to the Antarctic Bases/Cities where she was taking part in a program using the NAZIs Flying Disk technologies to spread disinformation through some contactees. What part she may have played in the Moon Base I do not know. I do know that these Societies were very much the backbone of what survived the war and who were in control of the facilities along with the group they believed was ET as well as the Draco Federation that they allied themselves with. Q11. Is it true that in addition to the NAZI SS flying saucer program run by Hans Kammler, that the Vril Society had their own, possibly more successful program due to ET assistance? The Vril, Thule, Black Sun Societies (Kammler was NAZI SS and very active in the Black Sun and Thule Societies) were involved in several parallel programs to develop advanced technology. They had channeled information that had sent them on a path to reverse engineer ancient documents from the East which led them to build very similar craft as one the Ancient Break Away Earth Human Civilizations that convinced them that they were ETs from another Star System. A couple of these Ancient Break Away Civilizations had done the same thing to the early Secret Space Programs until it was discovered that they were not ETs at all but were actually Humans of self-isolated genetic groups that belonged to extremely ancient civilizations that had existed on the face of the Earth. They sometimes looked slightly different from us but were very much our genetic forefathers. At the same time these Societies had made contact with the Draco Federation and another group that avoided the Dracos. The German Occultists were very busy from the early 1900s especially the time just before, during and after World War One. Their major breakthroughs occurred in the late 1930s and these Secret Societies had already began their own mini-break away civilization that was kept from the German War Machine and Leadership. Q12. Did Orsic/Nazi organize an expedition to the Aldebaran star system? Yes, there was an early attempt at sending their early craft designs through natural portals before they fully understood portal physics. This expedition ended up being much like the Philadelphia Experiment that the Americans would end up doing years later. There is a lot that goes into portal travel and an entire new physics and mathematics model was developed for calculating travel. Without the help of both off world groups and the deceptive Ancient Break Away Civilizations masquerading as ETs they and the early Joint Programs (post Eisenhower Treaty Era, which became the various SSPs) would have had to have built these models from the ground up and learn many lessons the hard way. I have written the basics of Traveling the Cosmic Web aka Portal Travel in an article in the link below. To understand the logistics of portal travel between astronomical bodies both inside a Sol System and between Star Systems this basic article should be consulted. At some point I will expand on this information and provide more details on the point to point traveling protocols discussed in the article. It wasnt that the NAZI base that became the LOC was abandoned. During the 1950s and after they had successfully infiltrated and subverted the Military Industrial Complex and major Corporate heads they had effectively won control of the direction of not only the Break Away Civilization Programs but also the mainstream government and financial system. It was a very effective and silent coup that gutted what was once the American Republic and turned it too into a Corporate Entity with each of us being Assets with our very own serial numbers. This plan was in action far before World War One by various secret societies who controlled the financial system and as many know financed both sides of the wars. When both Truman and Eisenhower signed treaties with the NAZI Break Away Civilization/Societies it was then that the already well placed Operation Paperclip Operatives (in Military, Corporate Industry, Intelligence and established Secret and Public Space Programs) easily slid into more powerful and influential positions over the massive industrial complex of the USA that they coveted to expand their operations in space and form what would later become the ICC (as well as were involved in setting up all of the other Space Programs). So they did not lose the Lunar Base, they infiltrated the groups that put a massive effort into expanding it into the massive complex that it is now. Mechanics of Portal Travel through the Cosmic Web via Torsion Fields and Scalar Energy Q14. Where exactly is the Lunar Operations Command on the moon, how big is it, and do you know of any NASA pictures revealing its location? I cannot give any direct information about the location on the Lunar Surface of the LOC. Yes, there have been photos taken of it by NASA/Military and a couple other countries. The photos have been airbrushed to remove all structures from the Moon that NASA employees believe are ancient. There is a story about the Ancient Builders that makes its rounds and there are items found below the ground in deep caverns in the Earth that expeditions go after to locate that were engineered by The Ancient Builder Race. People debate the Hollow Earth theory. It is not hollow but it is a Honeycomb and some of the caverns are more massive than anyone can imagine. Q15. You say that the Nazis infiltrated the U.S. secret space program, is that the dark fleet/Cabal and/or Solar Warden, or another SSP? Yes, I speak about it in some of the other questions here and in an article I wrote on my website. The NAZI Break Away/Secret Society Groups and their Allied ET/Ancient Break Away Civilization Groups needed the massive industrial machine of the United States that had defeated the Axis powers in World War Two. They had the Science and Technology covered but if they wanted to meet their goals of moving out into the Sol System to colonize on a large scale and setup industrial facilities and infrastructure across the Sol System to mine materials and create what they have today which has been largely achieved through the ICC Group Effort. When they had forced the hand of the United States to sign a treaty and create a joint secret space program they had already positioned operatives throughout the Military, Intelligence, Aerospace and Corporate world. They already had the Financial/Banking world in various society hands for generations before World War One. These groups were all woven in and working together with other groups that are under the Illuminati/Cabal Umbrella. The U.S. Military had known about the NAZIs landing in their exotic craft dressed up and approaching people in Europe presenting themselves as benevolent ETs from far away star systems (we know where they learned that trick) that were here to assist Humanity. After the treaty was signed and the joint Secret Space Programs began in earnest things quickly got out of hand and the NAZI Break Away group won the race to infiltrate and take over the other side. They soon controlled every aspect of the U.S. from the Financial System, The Military Industrial Complex and soon after all three branches of the government itself. This may be very difficult for some people to believe, however the more people are waking up to what our own Government has been up to the last 70 years the more people are coming around to realizing what has happened to the US. Q16. Where do the Nazis fit in terms of the SSP Alliance and the different ancient civilizations? Are they part of the Dark Fleet SSP? As explained, the NAZI remnants that were made up mostly of Secret Societies that created a Break Away Civilization that kept the most advanced technology secret from even their highest Military and Political leaders, setup enclaves in South America and Antarctica. The locations in Antarctica were some ancient civilization ruins that had remained occupied by certain groups in thermal areas that cause areas similar to lava tubes and domes under the glaciers. There was an underground and under glacier city complex that was already occupied and setup in a couple of locations and the NAZIs renovated an area that was mostly crushed above the surface but had plenty of room under the domed ice, thermal underground energy and caverns (accessible via U-boat under the ice flows and openings that made it ideal for a hidden multipurpose base) that were perfect for them to secretly build out during the entire Second World War. They had been making contact with civilians from various countries for years claiming to be aliens themselves for counter intelligence reasons. The US had figured this out quite early and after the failed Operation High Jump Mission the Operation Paperclip Scientists were asked to negotiate meetings. The NAZI Breakaway group knew that the Americans had recovered crashed craft from several different species of off world visitors that were so far advanced that they were getting nowhere with the reverse engineering of their technology. They had also received intelligence from their Paperclip spies that the Americans had implemented an Executive Order making the existence of alien life the most classified subject on the planet. The reason being that the development and release of free energy would quickly destroy the Oil Trade, and soon thereafter the entire Babylonian Money Magic Slave System that all Elites use to control the masses. The NAZIs used this to their advantage in some very public sorties over Washington D.C. and highly Secret Atomic Warfare Bases to mention a few. Eisenhower finally relented and signed a treaty with them (and a few other groups both ET and Ancient Civilizations pretending to be ET). The Americans fully planned on infiltrating the NAZIs and taking them over. As is not obvious, the opposite occurred. NAZI Occult Societies therefore infiltrated every single high tech corporation and position of power inside the now Joint Break Away Civilization/Program. They have been involved in all western space programs and projects ever since. It is true that the Dark Fleet personnel have been called Storm Troopers and Space Nazis both because of the way they act, dress, the symbols they wear as well as the shape of their Vessels (Star Wars Like). They are very dark individuals who work alongside the Draco Vessels mostly outside the Sol System helping them in offensive activities against enemies off the Draco Joint Federation. Continued in Part 2. More information about Corey and the Sphere Alliance at: Sphere Being Alliance (Twitter) Sphere Being Alliance (YouTube) Sphere Being Alliance (Blog) Sphere Being Allince (Home Page) To continue the Q & A process go to the following part (FAQ) of the Sphere Being Alliance Home Page and click Ask A Question. Type in your question in the field and click Submit. I am happy to answer all of your readers direct questions here at this location. I look forward to providing them more information and answering their questions. http://spherebeingalliance.com/faqs FURTHER READING Share this: Share Twitter Reddit Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Like this: Like Loading... Tags: Corey Goode, extraterrestrial life, Mars, Mars base, moon, Moon base, Nazis, secret space programs | Mid | [
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HD 190647 HD 190647 is a yellow subgiant star located approximately 178 light years away in the constellation of Sagittarius. The apparent magnitude is 8 and absolute magnitude is 4. It is also called HIP 99115. In 2007, a planet was found to be orbiting the star. See also HD 100777 HD 221287 List of extrasolar planets References Category:G-type subgiants 190647 099115 Category:Sagittarius (constellation) Category:Planetary systems with one confirmed planet Category:Durchmusterung objects | Mid | [
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Star Trek: Picard is beaming into CCXP 2019. Amazon Prime Video, Picard’s international distributor, confirmed it will attend the event when it is held at the Sao Palo Expo on December 5th through December 8th. Prime Video is bringing cast members from several of its original streaming series and setting up more than one thousand square meters of booth space. Fans will be able to immerse themselves in the worlds of those original programs, including Star Trek Picard. Then, on December 6 beginning at 6:30 pm, the CCXP attendees will be able to enter the Cinemark XD Auditorium for Prime Video’s series of panels. Star Trek: Picard stars Santiago Cabrera, Michelle Hurd, Isa Briones and Jonathan del Arco will be in attendance to represent the new series, which debuts on Prime Video for international audiences on Prime Video on January 24th. Other Prime Video panels include The Boys and The Expanse. The Prime Video booth will feature materials from The Boys, Carnival Row, The Expanse, Star Trek: Picard, and American Gods. Sir Patrick Stewart is set to return as his beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation character Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard. The show will live on CBS All Access in the United States but will be distributed internationally via Amazon’s streaming video service. Amazon will stream the series in more than 200 regions outside of the United States and Canada, with episodes becoming available 24 hours after their US debut. “For 50 years, the Star Trek series have been a global sensation, spanning generations and audiences of all ages,” said Armando Nuñez, president-CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group when the distribution deal was announced. “We look forward to working with the team at Amazon Prime Video to bring this next chapter of the incredible Star Trek franchise to its passionate international fan base.” “We’re thrilled to partner with CBS to bring the newest edition of the storied Star Trek franchise to our international Amazon Prime Video customers,” said Brad Beale, vice president of worldwide content licensing for Amazon Prime Video. “With the incredible Sir Patrick Stewart returning as the beloved Jean-Luc Picard, we’re excited we can give Trek fans both old and new the opportunity to see him back in action.” Are you excited for Star Trek: Picard to attend CCXP 2019? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments. Star Trek: Picard debuts January 23rd on CBS All Access. | Mid | [
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<?php /** * Tests for AMP_Service_Worker. * * @package AMP * @since 1.1 */ use AmpProject\AmpWP\Option; use AmpProject\AmpWP\Tests\Helpers\AssertContainsCompatibility; /** * Tests for AMP_Service_Worker. * * @covers AMP_Service_Worker */ class Test_AMP_Service_Worker extends WP_UnitTestCase { use AssertContainsCompatibility; /** * Set up. */ public function setUp() { parent::setUp(); unset( $GLOBALS['current_screen'] ); if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_service_workers' ) ) { $this->markTestSkipped( 'PWA plugin not active.' ); } } /** * Test default hooks in init. * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::init() */ public function test_default_init_hooks() { remove_all_filters( 'query_vars' ); remove_all_actions( 'parse_request' ); remove_all_actions( 'wp' ); remove_all_actions( 'wp_front_service_worker' ); AMP_Service_Worker::init(); $this->assertSame( 10, has_filter( 'query_vars', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_query_var' ] ) ); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'parse_request', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'handle_service_worker_iframe_install' ] ) ); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'wp', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_install_hooks' ] ) ); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_cdn_script_caching' ] ) ); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_image_caching' ] ) ); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_google_fonts_caching' ] ) ); } /** * Test unconditional hooks in init. * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::init() */ public function test_theme_support_hooks() { remove_all_filters( 'query_vars' ); remove_all_actions( 'parse_request' ); remove_all_actions( 'wp' ); remove_all_actions( 'wp_front_service_worker' ); add_theme_support( 'amp', [ 'service_worker' => [ 'cdn_script_caching' => false, 'image_caching' => true, 'google_fonts_caching' => true, ], ] ); AMP_Service_Worker::init(); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_cdn_script_caching' ] ) ); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_image_caching' ] ) ); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'wp_front_service_worker', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'add_google_fonts_caching' ] ) ); } /** * Test add_query_var(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::add_query_var() */ public function test_add_query_var() { $query_vars = AMP_Service_Worker::add_query_var( [ 'foo' ] ); $this->assertSame( 'foo', $query_vars[0] ); $this->assertCount( 2, $query_vars ); $this->assertInternalType( 'string', $query_vars[1] ); } /** * Test add_cdn_script_caching(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::add_cdn_script_caching() */ public function test_add_cdn_script_caching() { AMP_Service_Worker::add_cdn_script_caching( wp_service_workers()->get_registry() ); $this->assertArrayHasKey( 'amp-cdn-runtime-caching', wp_service_workers()->get_registry()->registered ); } /** * Test add_image_caching(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::add_image_caching() */ public function test_add_image_caching() { $before = wp_service_workers()->get_registry()->caching_routes()->get_all(); AMP_Service_Worker::add_image_caching( wp_service_workers()->get_registry() ); $after = wp_service_workers()->get_registry()->caching_routes()->get_all(); $this->assertCount( count( $before ) + 1, $after ); } /** * Test add_google_fonts_caching(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::add_google_fonts_caching() */ public function test_add_google_fonts_caching() { if ( class_exists( 'WP_Service_Worker_Fonts_Integration' ) ) { $this->markTestSkipped( 'WP_Service_Worker_Fonts_Integration is present.' ); } $before = wp_service_workers()->get_registry()->caching_routes()->get_all(); AMP_Service_Worker::add_google_fonts_caching( wp_service_workers()->get_registry() ); $after = wp_service_workers()->get_registry()->caching_routes()->get_all(); $this->assertCount( count( $before ) + 2, $after ); } /** * Test get_precached_script_cdn_urls(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::get_precached_script_cdn_urls() */ public function test_get_precached_script_cdn_urls() { $urls = AMP_Service_Worker::get_precached_script_cdn_urls(); $this->assertArraySubset( [ wp_scripts()->registered['amp-runtime']->src, wp_scripts()->registered['amp-bind']->src, wp_scripts()->registered['amp-form']->src, wp_scripts()->registered['amp-install-serviceworker']->src, ], $urls ); // Comments. $this->assertNotContains( wp_scripts()->registered['amp-live-list']->src, $urls ); add_theme_support( 'amp', [ 'comments_live_list' => true, ] ); $this->assertContains( wp_scripts()->registered['amp-live-list']->src, AMP_Service_Worker::get_precached_script_cdn_urls() ); // Analytics. $this->assertNotContains( wp_scripts()->registered['amp-analytics']->src, $urls ); add_filter( 'amp_analytics_entries', static function () { return [ [ 'type' => 'foo', 'config' => '{}', ], ]; } ); $this->assertContains( wp_scripts()->registered['amp-analytics']->src, AMP_Service_Worker::get_precached_script_cdn_urls() ); } /** * Test add_install_hooks(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::add_install_hooks() */ public function test_add_install_hooks() { remove_all_actions( 'amp_post_template_footer' ); remove_all_actions( 'wp_footer' ); AMP_Options_Manager::update_option( Option::THEME_SUPPORT, AMP_Theme_Support::READER_MODE_SLUG ); $post_id = self::factory()->post->create(); $this->go_to( get_permalink( $post_id ) ); $this->assertFalse( amp_is_request() ); AMP_Service_Worker::add_install_hooks(); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'amp_post_template_footer', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'install_service_worker' ] ) ); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'wp_footer', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'install_service_worker' ] ) ); AMP_Options_Manager::update_option( Option::THEME_SUPPORT, AMP_Theme_Support::STANDARD_MODE_SLUG ); $this->assertTrue( amp_is_request() ); AMP_Service_Worker::add_install_hooks(); $this->assertSame( 10, has_action( 'wp_footer', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'install_service_worker' ] ) ); $this->assertFalse( has_action( 'wp_print_scripts', [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'wp_print_service_workers' ] ) ); } /** * Test install_service_worker(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::install_service_worker() */ public function test_install_service_worker() { $output = get_echo( [ 'AMP_Service_Worker', 'install_service_worker' ] ); $this->assertStringContains( '<amp-install-serviceworker', $output ); } /** * Test handle_service_worker_iframe_install(). * * @covers \AMP_Service_Worker::handle_service_worker_iframe_install() */ public function test_handle_service_worker_iframe_install() { add_filter( 'wp_die_handler', static function () { return static function() { throw new Exception( 'exited' ); }; } ); // Nothing should happen here. $this->go_to( home_url() ); // Now try to go to the iframe endpoint. ob_start(); $exception = null; try { $this->go_to( add_query_arg( AMP_Service_Worker::INSTALL_SERVICE_WORKER_IFRAME_QUERY_VAR, '1', home_url() ) ); } catch ( Exception $e ) { $exception = $e; } $this->assertInstanceOf( 'Exception', $exception ); $this->assertEquals( 'exited', $exception->getMessage() ); $output = ob_get_clean(); $this->assertStringContains( '<script>navigator.serviceWorker.register', $output ); // Go back home to clean up 🤷! $this->go_to( home_url() ); } } | Mid | [
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*n**2 - d*n**4. Find the second derivative of w(v) wrt v. -6 Let k(n) = 2*n + 1. Let h(j) = 88*j - 78. Let y(f) = -h(f) - k(f). What is the first derivative of y(o) wrt o? -90 Let z(h) be the second derivative of -h**7/21 - 8*h**4 - 247*h**3/6 + 450*h. Find the second derivative of z(r) wrt r. -40*r**3 - 192 Suppose -5*s - 5 = -0, s = 4*x - 21. Differentiate -8 - 5*j**2 - 10*j - x*j**2 + 10*j wrt j. -20*j Suppose 0 = 5*q - 4*q - 2, 0 = v - q + 2. Let i = 118 - 114. Find the first derivative of v + 6 - 5*h**4 + h**i wrt h. -16*h**3 Suppose 0 = -s + 3 - 4. Let h(d) = 22 + 33 - 3*d**2 + 6*d - 43. Let w(k) = k + 1. Let q(c) = s*h(c) + 6*w(c). Differentiate q(m) with respect to m. 6*m Find the third derivative of -l**3 - 2*l**3 + 4*l + 32*l + 5*l**3 + 82*l**4 + 3*l + 7*l**2 wrt l. 1968*l + 12 Let s(o) = 3*o**2 + 3*o - 56. Let i(k) = -7*k**2 - 6*k + 110. Let n(l) = 6*i(l) + 13*s(l). Differentiate n(q) wrt q. -6*q + 3 Let c(l) be the first derivative of 0*l**3 - 4*l**5 + 0*l - 44 + 0*l**4 + 35/2*l**2. Find the second derivative of c(q) wrt q. -240*q**2 Let w(s) = s**2 + 3*s + 4. Suppose -f + 0 = -2. Let i(t) = -2*t**f - 21 - 5*t + t**2 + 12. Let d(o) = 3*i(o) + 5*w(o). Differentiate d(a) with respect to a. 4*a Let r(c) be the third derivative of -359*c**6/120 + 7*c**3 - 5*c**2 + 31. Differentiate r(h) wrt h. -1077*h**2 Let t(z) be the second derivative of 1/12*z**4 + 0*z**5 + 7/15*z**6 + 0 - 23*z + 0*z**2 + 0*z**3. Find the third derivative of t(n) wrt n. 336*n Let z be 6 - (-1 - -7 - 4). Suppose v = z*v - 24. Find the third derivative of -4*c**5 - v*c**2 - 6*c**2 - 2*c**5 - 4*c**5 wrt c. -600*c**2 Let w(h) be the first derivative of 14 + 20/3*h**3 - 17/2*h**2 + 0*h. What is the second derivative of w(p) wrt p? 40 Let a(d) be the second derivative of 163*d**8/56 + d**7/14 + 103*d**4/3 + 8*d - 1. Find the third derivative of a(t) wrt t. 19560*t**3 + 180*t**2 What is the derivative of -3*b**2 + 0*b**2 + 0*b**2 + 0*b**2 + 4*b**2 + 230 - 138*b wrt b? 2*b - 138 Let f(c) be the second derivative of -c**6/15 + 9*c**5/20 + c**4/4 - 11*c**3/3 - c - 5. Find the third derivative of f(z) wrt z. -48*z + 54 What is the second derivative of 15 + 2*x - 7*x**2 - 2*x**2 - 6*x**2 - 18*x**2 wrt x? -66 Let d(p) = -p**3 + 7*p**2 - 3*p - 13. Let g be d(6). What is the third derivative of -15*l**2 + 58*l**5 + 4*l**6 - 58*l**g wrt l? 480*l**3 Let p(d) = -516*d**3 + 17*d**2 - d + 5. Let w(b) = -b**3 - b**2 - b. Let o(r) = -p(r) + w(r). Find the third derivative of o(x) wrt x. 3090 Suppose -v + 2 + 2 = 0. What is the derivative of 6*k**4 - 2 - v*k**4 + 1 + 3*k**4 wrt k? 20*k**3 What is the first derivative of 253 - 139*g**2 - 137*g**2 + 300*g**2 wrt g? 48*g Let p(x) = x**4 - 3*x**3 + x**2 + 1. Let c(q) = -20*q**4 - 18*q**3 + 6*q**2 + 18*q + 6. Let j(l) = -c(l) + 6*p(l). What is the second derivative of j(a) wrt a? 312*a**2 Let x(q) = -22*q**2 - 7*q + 3. Let d(j) = -112*j**2 - 36*j + 15. Let s(r) = 2*d(r) - 11*x(r). What is the second derivative of s(f) wrt f? 36 Find the third derivative of 2*n + 25*n**5 + 2549*n**2 - 4*n - 3*n**4 - 2316*n**2 wrt n. 1500*n**2 - 72*n Suppose l = 5*l - 12. What is the derivative of -12 + 3*r**2 - l*r**2 - 12 + 21*r**3 wrt r? 63*r**2 Suppose -5*p + 30 = 2*m, -11 = 3*p - 2*p - 3*m. What is the first derivative of 3 + 2 + 6*b + 1 + p wrt b? 6 Let w(z) = -z**3 - 6*z**2 + 7*z + 5. Let m be w(-7). Suppose m*r - 2*r = 15. What is the third derivative of 6*s**5 - 4*s**2 + 3*s**2 + 3*s**r wrt s? 540*s**2 Let v(h) be the second derivative of 23*h**6/2 + 37*h**3/6 - 721*h. Find the second derivative of v(s) wrt s. 4140*s**2 Let n(w) = w**2 + w + 3. Let t(a) = 136*a**2 + 135*a + 18. Let m(v) = 6*n(v) - t(v). Find the second derivative of m(s) wrt s. -260 Suppose -5 = 4*y - 29. Let b be (-4)/3*(-9)/y. What is the third derivative of 4*o**2 + o**b - 5*o**4 + 9*o**4 - 9*o**4 wrt o? -120*o Let o = -79 + 81. Find the second derivative of -179*g**o + 0*g + 195*g**2 + 14*g wrt g. 32 Suppose -4*x - 2 = -5*q, -3*q - 4 = -q - 4*x. What is the third derivative of z**4 - 19*z**2 + 17*z**q - 10*z + 0*z**3 + 26*z**3 wrt z? 24*z + 156 Let n(l) be the second derivative of -l**6/15 + 3*l**5/20 + 7*l**4/12 - 7*l**3/6 - 6*l + 3. Find the third derivative of n(s) wrt s. -48*s + 18 Let i = 1 + 1. Suppose -1 = -f + 4*p + 9, 0 = -2*f + 5*p + 14. What is the first derivative of -1 - 2 + i*m**f - m**2 wrt m? 2*m Suppose 5*l = -3*x, 4*l - l + x = 4. Find the second derivative of 11*i**3 - 59*i + 6*i**l + 60*i wrt i. 102*i Let s(y) = -24*y**3 - 40*y**2. Let n(j) = -16*j**3 - 27*j**2. Let l = 28 - 33. Let w(t) = l*s(t) + 8*n(t). What is the third derivative of w(d) wrt d? -48 Suppose 5*k + 6 = 16. What is the third derivative of -4*b**6 - 8*b**2 + 13*b**k + 23*b**6 wrt b? 2280*b**3 Let y(d) be the second derivative of -3/4*d**4 + 30*d + 0*d**6 + 0*d**2 + 0 + 0*d**5 - 4/7*d**7 + 0*d**3. Find the third derivative of y(c) wrt c. -1440*c**2 Let i(o) be the second derivative of o**6/30 + 2*o**4/3 + 29*o**3/2 + o**2 - o - 56. Find the second derivative of i(b) wrt b. 12*b**2 + 16 Differentiate -101*w**2 - 32*w**2 + 209 + 4*w**2 - 65*w**2 wrt w. -388*w Let m(s) be the second derivative of 0*s**3 + 0 - 2*s**2 + 5/3*s**4 - 11*s. What is the first derivative of m(t) wrt t? 40*t Let i(q) be the first derivative of q**5/2 + 5*q**4/12 - 2*q + 13. Let b(u) be the first derivative of i(u). What is the third derivative of b(o) wrt o? 60 What is the second derivative of -13*o**4 + 5*o + 17*o**4 + 3*o**4 + 13*o**4 + 9 wrt o? 240*o**2 Let b(f) = 21*f**2 - 11*f**2 - 9*f**2 + f + 1. Let y(g) = 11*g**2 - 2*g - 6. Let x(d) = 6*b(d) + y(d). What is the second derivative of x(v) wrt v? 34 Let k be 0 - (0 - 2)/(-1). Let p = k + 7. What is the derivative of 5*t**2 + p + 0*t**2 + 4 wrt t? 10*t Suppose -d - 13 + 21 = 0. What is the derivative of -19*a**3 - d*a**2 - 50 - 5*a**2 + 13*a**2 wrt a? -57*a**2 Let t(c) = -5*c + 40. Let j be t(-17). Differentiate -6*i**4 + j*i - 125*i - 9*i**4 + 18 with respect to i. -60*i**3 Let d(n) be the third derivative of -2*n**9/63 - 22*n**5/15 + n**2 + 47. What is the third derivative of d(u) wrt u? -1920*u**3 Let h(u) be the second derivative of 289*u**5/20 - 69*u**4/4 + 87*u - 2. Find the third derivative of h(w) wrt w. 1734 What is the second derivative of -17*a**5 - 48*a**4 + 25*a + 49*a**4 + 23*a wrt a? -340*a**3 + 12*a**2 Let z(k) = k**2 - 7*k - 6. Let y be z(7). Let f = 9 + y. What is the derivative of x**2 + 7*x**f + 0 - x**2 - 5 wrt x? 21*x**2 What is the derivative of -156*m**4 + 88*m**4 + 5*m**3 + 0*m**3 + 94 + 76*m**4 wrt m? 32*m**3 + 15*m**2 Let k(v) be the second derivative of 3*v**7/2 + v**3/6 - 9*v**2 + 8*v - 1. Find the second derivative of k(x) wrt x. 1260*x**3 What is the second derivative of -9 - 22*b**3 - 649*b + 18 - 9 wrt b? -132*b Let k = -4 + 6. Let h = 7 - k. What is the first derivative of 15*s - 2*s**2 - h - 15*s + s**2 wrt s? -2*s Suppose -28 = -3*o - 1. Let s(a) = a - 6. Let l be s(o). Find the third derivative of 0*v**3 + 6*v**3 - 5*v**2 - v**2 - 2*v**l wrt v. 24 Let x(w) = -87*w**3 - 20*w + 2. Let z(g) = 173*g**3 + 39*g - 3. Let b(s) = -5*x(s) - 3*z(s). What is the second derivative of b(t) wrt t? -504*t Differentiate 220*c - 1 - 126 - 98 + 134*c with respect to c. 354 Suppose -5*b + 3*b + 10 = 0. Differentiate 9 - 13*w**3 - 11 + b with respect to w. -39*w**2 Find the first derivative of 15 + 90*m**2 + 40 + 21 + 1 wrt m. 180*m Let p(d) be the second derivative of 3*d**6/40 - 13*d**5/60 + 3*d**2 + 8*d. Let z(y) be the first derivative of p(y). Find the third derivative of z(r) wrt r. 54 Let q = -91 - -121. Find the third derivative of -13*u**3 - 381 + 19*u**3 + q*u**3 - 2*u**2 + 373 wrt u. 216 Find the second derivative of 178*j**5 + 161 - 333 + 165 - 8*j wrt j. 3560*j**3 Let f be (-11 + 14)*(-40)/(-3). Let n(x) be the first derivative of 44*x + 8 - f*x - 2 + x**5. What is the first derivative of n(m) wrt m? 20*m**3 Find the third derivative of 3*k**2 + 45*k**5 + 37*k**5 + 38*k**5 - 16*k**2 wrt k. 7200*k**2 Suppose 3*n + 0*n = -105. Let c = n - -43. What is the second derivative of 115*q**4 - 2 + c*q + 2 - 128*q**4 wrt q? -156*q**2 Suppose -3*a = -4*g - 0*a + 7364, 3*a - 5502 = -3*g. What is the third derivative of -15*o**5 + 1854*o**2 - 2*o**5 | Mid | [
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Toronto FC announced Wednesday that the club has re-signed midfielder Victor Vázquez to a multi-year contract extension. Vázquez, 31, was named to the Major League Soccer Best XI for the 2017 season, after finishing second in the league in assists (16), and leading MLS with six game-winning assists. Vázquez made 39 combined appearances, registering 10 goals and 20 assists across all competitions (MLS league, MLS Cup Playoffs and Canadian Championship). He was named MLS Player of the Week four times (Weeks 13, 25, 27 & 28). “Following the conclusion of the 2016 season, teams within MLS started to figure out they could sit back on us. It was critical for our group to find a top-level talent that could help unlock teams and put us over the top,” said Toronto FC Sr. Vice-President, Soccer Operations & General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. “Victor ultimately would become that piece helping us in our success last season in winning the treble. We are pleased to get this deal done so that Victor can help us defend our titles this season and beyond.” Vázquez has made five appearances across MLS league play and the Concacaf Champions League this season for Toronto FC. TRANSACTION: Toronto FC re-signs midfielder Victor Vázquez VICTOR VÁZQUEZ #7 Position: Midfielder Height: 5’9 Weight: 167 lbs Birthdate: January 20, 1987 (Age – 31) Birth Place: Barcelona, Spain Nationality: Spanish Last Club: Toronto FC Pronunciation: “VAS-KEZ” | High | [
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Google & Play-Well Connecting Over LEGO We recently ran a Play-Well Team Building Event for Google’s Global Food Program Team. The goals were to inspire creativity, collaboration, all while solving problems in a fun way. And of course, we used LEGO to do this. Check out some of the LEGO challenges they got to do. The team dove fully into the project, sometimes even standing on tables in order to accomplish their goal. We hope that will stay up there. Staff took a lot of joy in trying to knock each other’s LEGO Towers down. This LEGO tower was left standing though. Now on to the more complex LEGO build. One of the challenges is to figure out how to get many different contraptions to work all at a uniform rate. Attendees used everything at their disposal to help solve a complex LEGO build. Even choosing to build on the floor if necessary. One of the managers overseeing his staff’s work. He was quite impressed. Now they have figured out what they need to do and are building fast. We even had time for LEGO car races. And the competition was fierce. Some staff even left the build to watch the LEGO races. Back in the room, the large build is moving quickly. Once that task was done, it was time for the creative LEGO builds. Many different ideas were coming into play. This build included a pirate theme and a flag. This group incorporated flowers, twigs, and a wine cork into their LEGO contraption. This team was quite proud of their LEGO creation. Overall, people were having a great time. In the end, we had a debrief about the build and the day. Many people had built some impressive LEGO creations in such a short span of time. We reviewed some of the lessons we learned that day about the team. Overall, a really great group that worked extremely well together. | High | [
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Q: Tables: How Many Rows Inserted and Updated How do I find number of rows inserted in a table, and number of rows recently updated? We had a data warehouse stored procedure today, which updated a table. I don't care which rows, just the counts (Inserted/and updated) from each transaction. Our database does not have CDC/or CT. Is there a way to query the Sys DMVs or logs? I am inheriting legacy code, so will add manual logging in future, just curious if SQL Server has this auto logged anywhere. A: This might help you, We can achieve this in two ways. 1. OUTPUT Clause : Returns information from, or expressions based on, each row affected by an INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or MERGE statement. These results can be returned to the processing application for use in such things as confirmation messages, archiving, and other such application requirements. The results can also be inserted into a table or table variable. Additionally, you can capture the results of an OUTPUT clause in a nested INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or MERGE statement, and insert those results into a target table or view. 2. @@rowcount : Returns the number of rows affected by the last statement. If the number of rows is more than 2 billion, use ROWCOUNT_BIG. CREATE TABLE TEMPS ( ID INT, ENTRY_DT DATETIME, BIRTH_DT DATETIME, NAMES VARCHAR (25) ) /*----------------------1. Get Inserted & Updated record using @@ROWCOUNT-------------------------------- */ declare @rowcnt int INSERT INTO TEMPS VALUES ('123', '6/10/2015', '2/6/2018', 'JOHN'), ('123', '2/4/2018', '2/6/2018', 'SMITH'), ('123', '2/4/2018', '2/6/2018', 'DOE') set @rowcnt = @@rowcount update temps set Names ='rima' where temps.Names = 'SMITH' set @rowcnt = @rowcnt+@@rowcount select @rowcnt "total_rows_affected" /*----------------------2. Get Inserted record count using Output Caluse-------------------------------- */ DECLARE @MyTableVar_Inserted table( Inserted_Cnt int ); INSERT INTO TEMPS output inserted.ID Into @MyTableVar_Inserted VALUES ('123', '6/10/2015', '2/6/2018', 'JOHN'), ('123', '2/4/2018', '2/6/2018', 'SMITH'), ('123', '2/4/2018', '2/6/2018', 'DOE') select * from temps select count(*) from @MyTableVar_Inserted /*----------------------Get Updated record count using Output Caluse-------------------------------- */ DECLARE @MyTableVar_Updated table( Updated_Cnt int ); update temps set Names ='rima' OUTPUT INSERTED.ID cnt INTO @MyTableVar_Updated where temps.Names = 'SMITH' select count(Updated_Cnt) from @MyTableVar_Updated | High | [
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Q: How can I prevent Desktop Users from accessing any online website? How can I prevent Desktop Users from accessing any online website in Ubuntu? I tried 127.0.0.1 * in /etc/hosts but it didn't do the trick. Please note that I need to keep http://localhost fully functional. A: Options. Options. just ifdown the eth0 interface. iptables as suggested above. better to use: iptables -A output -p tcp --dport 80 ! --destination 127.0.0.1 -j DROP as suggested by @hlovdal. Actually i think both options are very crippling to the system... Is there a reason that we can know why you need the proposed changes? Maybe we can have some easier changes if we know more about your need... | Mid | [
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READ ALSO: Times View NEW DELHI: All polluting industries along the river Ganga will have to set up sensor-based real-time online effluent monitoring system by March 31 next year. The government on Wednesday said it was serious about the deadline with water resources minister Uma Bharti issuing a veiled threat to industries—-mend your ways or face the consequences.The government also said that its long-term goal was to implement "zero liquid discharge" where all the water used by industries could be recycled and re-used.Sending a tough message to polluting units, Bharti said that if she had to choose between the Ganga and industry, she would choose the river unless polluting industries adhere to all environment norms and the deadline.Using the analogy of a delivery procedure where a mother's life may be at stake, the minister said she would ideally like both the mother (Ganga) and child (industry) to survive. But, if she has to choose between the two, she would choose "Ma" (mother Ganga), she said."If the child (industry) would suck mother's (Ganga) blood, she would prefer the mother to survive", said Bharti. While claiming she was running out of patience, the minister refrained from using harsh words at a time when industries are voluntarily turning up to hold consultations for finding a solution.Bharti underlined the fact that whatever the government was doing to rejuvenate the Ganga, would serve as a template for all rivers across the country.Her remarks came after several rounds of consultation with representatives of polluting industries. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar and many experts — including Vinod Tare, coordinator of IIT Consortium that is preparing the Ganga River Basin Management Plan and R K Pachauri, director general of TERI and chairman of the UN's IPCC — attended the consultations and pitched for quick action to save the river.The idea of setting up a sensor-based online monitoring system is to reduce human intervention and bring transparency in the process of monitoring which has, so far, failed to stop discharge of untreated industrial waste into various rivers across the country.Under the new system, the industries are required to install "continuous effluent and emission monitoring devices" at their ends (discharge outlets). The devices would be linked online with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) offices in state capitals and with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) headquarters in Delhi. It will allow the central pollution watchdog to monitor the discharges from the industries on real-time basis.( A file photo of a Ganga ghat in Varanasi: Getty Images)The dialogue on Wednesday involved specific consultation with Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) located in five states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal — along Ganga river main stem.The discussions involved presentations from CPCB on the regulatory framework and from leading industrial associations regarding action taken and challenges faced in order to reduce the pollution generated during the industrial processes.The minister's tough stance on severely polluting industries along the Ganga is indeed welcome. She should however not restrict it to this river alone.The vast majority of India's rivers and water bodies face appalling levels of pollution and action on them cannot be taken sequentially. It must be done simultaneously. The message must go out clearly to all polluters clean up or shut down. The environment ministry must also buttress this with a similarly uncompromising stance on all forms of pollution. | Mid | [
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Today, Sparrow CEO Dom Leca sent me an e-mail entitled, "An Update from the Sparrow Team." But it should have been entitled, "So long, and thanks for all the fish." As my Ars colleague Andrew Cunningham reports, Sparrow—the makers of the much-beloved eponymous mail app for Mac OS X and iOS—has been acquired by Google. Thousands of other users made it a top-selling application in both the Mac App Store and the iTunes store because we love the software and thought it was promising. But now, as Leca and his team move to their shiny new Mountain View offices, yet another promising application has been cut down. Like most Sparrow users, the news caught me off-guard; the application had recently been updated in Apple’s App Store, and the latest version had widened its performance lead on Apple’s Mail.app and other Mac OS mail software. But the update turned out to be a final act instead of a prelude to something bigger—and the bow was an undisclosed payday for Leca and Kima Ventures, the French venture capital team that originally backed the company. This is the sort of exit that's become common to software and Web companies in the current economy, where the only way to get the big payout is to be acquired by a Google, or a Facebook, a Microsoft or an Apple. Larry Page and Sergey Brin once claimed "Don’t Be Evil" as Google’s unofficial motto. Acquiring and shuttering Sparrow is not evil, but it's also not good customer service. Sure, Leca, his team, and his backers all win. But customers who paid for Sparrow through Apple's App Store believing they were paying for a product with a longer future are left with a hearty handshake and a product that, if not yet killed, is clearly now on minimal life support—there will be no further development of Sparrow beyond critical bug fixes. "It’s been an honor and a pleasure to build products for all of our wonderful users who have supported us over the years," Leca wrote. "We can't thank you enough." Well, thank you for thanking me, Dom. Sure, $10 wasn’t a lot to pay for software in the scheme of things, but for those of us who live in e-mail daily and have grown dependent on a tool that didn’t suck nearly as much as the alternatives, gratitude for our support is not exactly what we were looking for. This is not the first time Google has bought and killed a product out from under users like me, and it will not be the last. It’s part of a pattern of behavior by the company in its march toward Web domination. Just go to the search engine of your choice and enter the phrase, "Google acquires kills," and you’ll get an inkling of the carnage. Since January, Google has acquired: Digg founder Kevin Rose's mobile social networking startup Milk (just for the talent) The iOS mail app maker reMail (just for the talent) KikScore, an e-commerce "trusted site" scoring service (killed because it competed, sort of, with Google Trusted Store) The mobile productivity tool developer Quickoffice (for a front-end for Google Docs and its talent) The Meebo Web-based instant and social messaging platform (for what, we're not sure). With the exception of Quickoffice, all of the acquisitions' existing products were abandoned, and their staff and technology were assimilated into Google’s hive mind. Meebo may not be as mourned as reMail or Sparrow—it was an instant messaging tool, after all, and getting acquired by Google was part of Meebo’s original 2005 business plan. But like Sparrow, reMail, and Quickoffice, Meebo had gained some success with its mobile applications as a way for users to cut through the proprietary client mess of multiple services and take control of their content. When Google yanked the plug on Meebo Messenger and pretty much everything else but the Meebo bar on July 11, killing the functionality that many customers had embedded in their websites and rendering the mobile apps useless, I’m pretty sure Meebo’s millions of users were not cheering. All told, Google has made over 100 acquisitions since 2001, and 17 in the last 12 months. Not all have been euthanized; Quickoffice’s assimilation may be more benign, and Google can hardly afford to kill off Motorola. But the vast majority of the products Google has acquired have at best been broken up for parts and wired into other Google services. Other notable recent applications in Google’s acquisition body count include: Apture, the multimedia and search service for Web publishers (shut off, and assimilated into Google Search) Clever Sense and its iOS and Android Alfred application (incorporated into Android, iOS product abandoned) The BumpTop 3D desktop for Windows and Mac OS X (now part of Android) PostRank’s social media analytics tools (bought last year, and "sunsetted" this May, shifted over to Google Analytics) The SageTV DVR and home theater application for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux (merged into the ill-starred GoogleTV platform) Fridge, the social networking and photo sharing tool, that became the basis for Google+ "circles" But at least Google bought these companies; Facebook just wholesale hired the staff of mobile imaging app startup Lightbox and left investors and users holding the bag. I guess Sparrow users can take cold comfort in knowing that at least the software will continue to be patched for a while, and it won't become just the funding model for the next version of Facebook Messenger. But it's still bad customer service on Google's part. Whether or not Sparrow lives on in some future GMail client that is recognizable as a Sparrow descendant, Google has made it a too-frequent habit to turn off or shut down the products it acquires and leave users with a bad taste in their mouths. Update: I've changed much of this to clarify some of my points above. | Low | [
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Cooperative Energy Futures Unlike other solar gardens, which in Minnesota have largely been proposed in rural or suburban sites, the Shiloh site is right in the middle of a dense urban neighborhood that has a reputation for crime and limited economic opportunities for residents. Yet at the same time the area is showing signs of revival, among them a plan to capitalize on Minnesota’s growing solar garden movement. The more than 200 kilowatt (kW) solar garden project is the culmination of a goal by a faith-based nonprofit to develop community solar in a disadvantaged community and use the project for job training and employment creation. “We put together the coalition to make sure communities of color and low income communities have access to solar,” said the Sierra Club’s Karen Monahan. “All these community solar installations will create jobs and we’re trying to make sure communities of color are part of that.” Solar activists sought out a church to partner with on the project because many neighborhood residents are “more comfortable working with faith-based communities,” she said. Julia Nerbonne, executive director of MNIPL, said her organization helped pull together volunteers to create The Just Community Solar Coalition around six months ago with the idea of building a community solar garden in north Minneapolis. ‘All these community solar installations will create jobs and we’re trying to make sure communities of color are part of that.’ Part of the effort was intended to use community solar as a way to create education and job opportunities as well as give North Side church members and residents a break on their utility bills. Community solar on the North Side, home to the city’s garbage burner and some heavy industry, gives residents a glimpse of the potential for clean energy, she said. A door-to-door campaign in Minneapolis has begun to inform neighbors of the benefits of community solar garden subscriptions, and groups have been tabling at the church and different community events. So far, the coalition partners have knocked on 500 doors and gathered the names of more than 170 homeowners who expressed interest in subscribing to community solar gardens. The solar installation is expected to produce enough electricity to power 50 to 60 homes, and Nerbonne is confident all the subscriptions will be sold. The project has a preference for Shiloh congregants and north Minneapolis residents, she said. To avoid seeing economically disadvantaged residents barred from community solar due to low credit scores, the coalition has come up with a novel financing twist. Should residents fail to make payments, faith-based institutions who are subscribers would simply increase the size of their subscriptions. Since solar gardens allow for subscribers to purchase 120 percent of their annual energy needs most institutions will have plenty of leeway to add more solar power to their energy mix if needed, she said. The first targets for the solar garden campaign are Shiloh congregants, MNIPL members and North Side residents. If subscriptions are still available later the rest of the city will be invited, Nerbonne added. Clients can either pay for the full subscription or a monthly fee that will still save them money when compared to traditional energy bills, Nerbonne said. The solar garden contracts are for 25 years but should any subscribers pay the full freight of a subscription they could be in for substantial savings, said Cooperative Energy Futures general manager Timothy DenHerder-Thomas. The cost of a full subscription – that would offset all of a homeowner’s energy use – will be roughly the equivalent of 10 to 11 years of electric consumption, he said. The calculation is based on a three percent increase in annual energy costs, said DenHerder-Thomas. The result would be potentially years of little to no electricity costs should some subscribers take that route. If they move or become ineligible they will receive a pro-rated refund, he added. Bishop Richard D. Howell, Jr., the leader of the Pentecostal church, said the solar garden “is a great project for our community as well as for the North Side community,” he said. “This is what we call going green while helping preserve the environment and our resources.” Arnetta Phillips, who does community outreach for the 1,200-member church, said several congregants are interested in subscribing to the solar garden and others, who do not live in the neighborhood, have begun to explore putting solar panels on their roofs. The church is reaching out to local businesses, too, to consider subscribing to the solar garden, she said. More informational meetings are being held to tell residents and businesses about the project and the potential job opportunities, said Phillips. Job training One of the project’s unique characteristics is a collaboration between the solar developer Cooperative Energy Futures and Renewable Energy Partners. The installation will be an opportunity to train north Minneapolis residents, many of whom struggle to find work, for positions in the solar industry. “We’re seeing it as workforce training for low income communities,” said Jamez Staples, who owns Renewable Energy Partners. “The goal is to train between 150 and 200 solar workers who will be able to get jobs in the industry.” A grant will help pay for the training and Staples has begun recruiting people to participate in the program. He’s decided to team with the local nonprofit construction training organization Builders Institute on his program, and may invite other partners to participate, too. Training will lead not only to jobs in the solar industry but to positions with investor-owned utilities and in other energy fields, Staples said. People of color are woefully underrepresented in renewable energy circles, if his own experience is any indication. ‘When I go to [clean energy] events and conferences I’m one of the only, if not the only, African American.’ “When I go to events and conferences I’m one of the only, if not the only, African American,” he said. “We need to change that. We need more people of color working in the renewable energy space.” The developer Cooperative Energy Futures has focused mainly on residential solar installations and has done 43 projects, according to DenHerder-Thomas. The Shiloh project is Cooperative Energy’s first foray into community solar and a rare opportunity to show how the power could be distributed to people of all income levels. The array will be between 210 and 235 kW, DenHerder-Thomas said. While it’s larger than most solar arrays that have sprung up on churches in the Twin Cities over the past year, it stays under a solar garden rate structure that pays more 1 cent per kW more for installations under 250 kW. The array will fill up the entire roof of the 30,000 square foot church, which takes up a significant portion of a city block, DenHerder-Thomas said. Cooperative Energy plans to finance the project itself using tax equity and debt financing. North Minneapolis residents are “pretty aware and excited about solar but they assumed it was too expensive for them to do right now,” he said. “Once we talk to them about subscriptions they begin to see how they will save money.” One of those hoping to save money is Bishop Howell. The church pays $5,000 or more a month for heating and cooling. “I’ll be more excited about the project when I see our utility payments going down,” he said. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article misstated the size of the church’s roof. Subscribe to our newsletter Don't miss the latest headlines. Sign up for our Daily Digests. Midwest Headlines National Headlines Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light and the Sierra Club are members of RE-AMP, which publishes Midwest Energy News. | High | [
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Does stage at diagnosis explain the difference in survival after breast cancer in Denmark and Sweden? Breast cancer survival differs 9 percentage points between the neighbouring countries of Denmark and Sweden. The authors' aim was to analyse whether this was caused by early detection in Sweden. The extent of disease and outcome was compared in two population-based breast cancer cohorts in 1983-1989. Breast cancer management was decentralized in Denmark without mammography screening whereas treatment in Sweden was centralized and the population partly screened. Ten- and 15-year relative survival was 15% and 6% higher in Sweden (p<0.001) with corresponding differences in crude and disease-specific survival. Stage distribution was significantly more favourable in the Swedish cohort. In multivariate analysis age, tumour size, extent of axillary surgery, and spread affected survival; however, the impact of region persisted (p<0.001). Reanalysis without screening-detected patients only slightly affected the impact of region. It was concluded that early detection had significant impact on survival but other regional differences might be of importance. | Mid | [
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The White Musk/Moss Fragrance is redolent of exotic and luxuriant woodlands. Its gentle, subtle and discreet notes fail to subdue the mystery of a scent, which evokes underlying memories of a distant time and place. White Musk/Moss Body Cream envelopes in the subtle white moss fragrance but its combination of the precious ingredients, wheat germ oil, lemon balm distilled water, and jojoba oil also moisturize and nourish the skin of the entire body. | Mid | [
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Q: Same Data Appear only once I have the following code which produces following output:- <? $tablaes = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM members where id='$order[user_id]'"); $user = mysql_fetch_array($tablaes); $idsd=$user['id']; $rPaid=mysql_query("SELECT SUM(`price`) AS total FROM order_history WHERE type!='rent_referral' AND date>'" . strtotime($time1) . "' AND date<'" . strtotime($time2) . "'"); $hdPaid = mysql_fetch_array($rPaid); $sPaid=mysql_query("SELECT SUM(`price`) AS total FROM order_history WHERE user_id='$idsd' AND type!='rent_referral' AND date>'" . strtotime($time1) . "' AND date<'" . strtotime($time2) . "'"); while ($hPaid = mysql_fetch_array($sPaid)) { ?> <td><?=$user['username']?></td> <td><?=$hPaid['total']?></td> <? } ?> </tr> It appears like this http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14384295/darrenan.jpg I want same data to appear only once.. Like Username: Vegas and price with him only once. A: Change to $tablae = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM order_history where date>'" . strtotime($time1) . "' AND date<'" . strtotime($time2) . "' GROUP BY user_id"); Sorry didn't add tablae in the first post. anyway solved. | Low | [
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Population-based surveys indicate that 68 percent of adult Americans drink at least one alcoholic beverage per month. About 10 percent consume more than two drinks per day, which is a commonly used definition of "heavy drinking" ([@b29-257-269]). However, substantial differences exist in the prevalence of heavy drinking among population subgroups. For example, 18 percent of men but only 3 percent of women are classified as heavy drinkers, and heavy drinking is more common among Whites than among African Americans or Hispanics. Heavy drinking and its consequences are important public health problems, as illustrated by the following statistics: - Five percent of the deaths occurring annually in the United States (approximately 100,000 per year) are either directly or indirectly attributable to alcohol abuse ([@b29-257-269]). - Only about 10 percent of all drinkers account for 50 percent of the total alcohol consumption in the United States per year ([@b36-257-269]). - About 13.8 million people in the United States meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence specified in the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's *Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders* ([@b28-257-269]). - About 15 percent of U.S. alcoholics eventually will develop alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a broad spectrum of liver injuries---ranging from asymptomatic fatty liver (i.e., steatosis) or abnormalities of liver enzymes to end-stage liver disease---that result from alcohol ingestion. Women in general show greater susceptibility to ALD than men, and African Americans show greater susceptibility than Whites. - Among heavy drinkers, liver disease is highly prevalent. Thus, 90 to 100 percent of heavy drinkers have steatosis, 10 to 35 percent have alcohol-induced inflammation of the liver (i.e., alcoholic hepatitis), and 8 to 20 percent have alcoholic cirrhosis ([@b42-257-269]). - The 5-year and 10-year survival rates for patients with alcoholic cirrhosis are 23 percent and 7 percent, respectively ([@b42-257-269]). These rates are significantly worse than survival rates for patients whose cirrhosis was not caused by alcohol. Alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease in the United States and worldwide. In Western countries, alcohol is the major causative factor in about 50 percent of deaths from end-stage liver disease ([@b42-257-269]). To date, liver transplantation (also known as orthotopic[1](#fn1-257-269){ref-type="fn"} liver transplantation \[OLT\]) is the only definitive treatment for end-stage liver disease. However, OLT for patients with ALD continues to be controversial because of the ever-increasing demand for donor organs and the inadequate rate of organ donation, combined with concerns that alcoholic patients might relapse to drinking, thereby damaging the transplanted liver. This review discusses the patterns and controversies relating to liver transplantation in patients with ALD. After providing some historical perspective and summarizing the current status of OLT in these patients, the article discusses elements of the pretransplantation evaluation that can help identify suitable patients for the procedure. Outcomes for ALD patients who have received liver transplants are reviewed, and the ethical issues surrounding this procedure in alcoholic patients are discussed. This article concludes by summarizing future research directions that might improve the outcomes of liver transplants in alcoholics and thereby resolve some of the ethical concerns. Historical Perspective and Current Status of OLT in Alcoholic Patients ====================================================================== Historical Perspective ---------------------- Before the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference on Liver Transplantation in 1983, OLT rarely was performed in patients with ALD. The Consensus Conference concluded that ALD is an appropriate indication for OLT if the patient is judged likely to abstain from alcohol after transplantation ([@b37-257-269]). This conclusion, which was adopted by many transplant centers, led to an increase in the number of transplants performed for ALD. A report by [@b55-257-269] made the most convincing argument for OLT for ALD patients, demonstrating that 73 percent of ALD patients who had received a liver transplant still were alive 1 year after the procedure, and that only 3 percent of those patients had relapsed to alcoholism. Based on these findings, in 1991 the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) identified ALD as one of the seven conditions for which it approved payment for OLT, but the HCFA recommended a "significant" period of abstinence for alcoholics before undergoing the procedure as well as the availability of a reasonable social support system. To identify alcoholic patients suitable for OLT, [@b7-257-269] proposed a selection method that included measures of the likelihood of abstinence, such as the extent to which alcohol dependence was recognized by the patient and his or her family, the patient's degree of social stability, and the nature and extent of lifestyle changes conducive to long-term abstinence. Using this selection method, [@b39-257-269] reported on a multidisciplinary collaboration of transplant hepatologists, surgeons, and psychiatrists that identified psychosocial predictors of long-term sobriety and compliance after OLT in alcoholics. (These predictors are summarized in the University of Michigan Alcoholism Prognosis Scale, which is discussed later.) These researchers reported that ALD patients judged suitable using these criteria had outcomes after OLT that were similar to outcomes for transplant patients with non-alcohol-related liver disease (non-ALD). People who were judged suitable for OLT included patients with severe end-stage liver disease without an available alternative therapy, who showed a clear understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure, had a favorable psychiatric assessment including acceptance of alcoholism, and had favorable prognostic factors for future sobriety. The minimal listing criteria established by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in 1996 do not include an absolute requirement for a 6-month period of abstinence before ALD patients are listed as candidates for OLT ([@b61-257-269]). Furthermore, a 1996 NIH workshop on OLT for patients with ALD concluded that liver transplantation provides a good outcome in alcoholic patients and that relapse rates after OLT were lower if the patients had successfully completed conventional alcohol rehabilitation programs prior to OLT ([@b29-257-269]). ALD now is widely accepted by many transplant centers as a valid indication for OLT, provided the transplant team caring for the patient can reasonably expect him or her to remain abstinent after the transplant. Current Status -------------- According to the UNOS database, 41,734 liver transplants using organs from dead donors (i.e., cadaveric transplants) were performed in the United States between 1992 and 2001 ([@b62-257-269]). Of those, 12.5 percent were performed in patients with ALD, and 5.8 percent were performed in patients with ALD and a concurrent infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).[2](#fn2-257-269){ref-type="fn"} This makes ALD the second most frequent indication (after HCV infection alone) for which OLT was performed during this period. As of November 2002, 17,646 patients in the United States were on the waiting list for a cadaveric liver transplant; of these, about 14.1 percent had ALD, and 6.2 percent had combined ALD and HCV infection. Overall, the number of liver transplants performed annually for ALD has been relatively constant for many years (see the accompanying figure), but the number performed because of chronic HCV infection has increased annually, as has the number of liver transplants for combined ALD and HCV infection. Pretransplant Evaluation of Patients With ALD ============================================= To ensure the success of liver transplantation, ALD patients are required to undergo a thorough evaluation to determine whether they are suitable candidates. This evaluation addresses any coexisting medical problems that might influence the outcome of the transplant and includes a psychological evaluation to identify those patients who are most likely to remain abstinent and comply with the medical regimen after the procedure. Coexisting Medical Problems --------------------------- Alcohol affects many organ systems in addition to the liver. For example, as described by [@b32-257-269] and [@b45-257-269], alcohol abuse can lead to: - Damage of the heart muscles (i.e., cardiomyopathy) and skeletal muscles (i.e., skeletal myopathy). - Inflammation of the pancreas (i.e., pancreatitis). - Malnutrition. - Central and peripheral nervous system dysfunction. - "Soft" bones that lack minerals for stability (i.e., osteopenia/osteoporosis). - Cancers of the airways and digestive tract. These conditions, particularly if they are severe, can complicate the management of patients with ALD both before and after OLT, and some may even be contraindications for OLT ([@b32-257-269]). However, some of these alcohol-induced conditions (e.g., cardiomyopathy and acute pancreatitis) can be reversed by abstinence, and when such a reversal occurs, these conditions do not affect the decision on a patient's suitability for a transplant. The clinical approach to evaluating a patient for OLT also may be markedly altered by other disorders that can coexist with ALD, such as infection with hepatitis viruses, particularly HCV, and the presence of liver cancer. The impact of all these coexisting conditions is discussed in the sections to follow. ### Cardiomyopathy The exact prevalence of heart disease in patients with end-stage ALD is unknown ([@b32-257-269]). Overall, cardiomyopathy is far more common in actively drinking alcoholics than in abstinent alcoholics ([@b13-257-269]). In general, alcohol-related cardiomyopathy rarely is a reason for refusing liver transplantation ([@b37-257-269]). Anecdotal evidence suggests that coronary artery disease (CAD) may be more prevalent than cardiomyopathy in patients with ALD ([@b32-257-269]). To identify either condition in liver transplant candidates, many transplant centers routinely assess cardiac function through noninvasive tests (e.g., electrocardiography, echocardiography, and stress tests) as part of their pretransplant evaluations ([@b45-257-269]). A more invasive technique, coronary angiography, uses X rays to visualize the structure of the heart and blood vessels following the injection of a contrast medium, and can identify more patients with CAD than the various noninvasive cardiac tests used ([@b32-257-269]). Although CAD is not a reason to refuse a patient a transplant because it usually can be reversed by abstinence, the condition can create problems if it has not been identified prior to the OLT. ### Skeletal Myopathy Muscle damage occurs in up to 42 percent of alcoholic patients with ALD; 46 percent of actively alcoholic men show changes in muscle cell structure indicative of skeletal myopathy ([@b32-257-269]). This condition is manifested as muscle weakness, muscle pain, and abnormal tests for muscle enzymes; the disorder results from a combination of alcohol's direct effects on the muscles, malnutrition, and alcohol-related inflammation or degeneration of nerves (i.e., neuropathy) ([@b32-257-269]). The presence of skeletal myopathy appears to depend on how much alcohol the person has consumed over his or her lifetime ([@b32-257-269]; [@b13-257-269]). In general, skeletal myopathy is not a contraindication for OLT, and severe myopathy is unusual in potential alcoholic OLT candidates. ### Pancreatitis Chronic inflammation of the pancreas is five times less common in people with ALD than in alcoholics without liver disease; the reasons for this difference are not known ([@b32-257-269]). In general, pancreatitis is not considered a contraindication for liver transplantation; however, severe chronic pancreatitis can adversely affect the absorption of medications that prevent the immune system from rejecting the transplanted liver. Therefore, patients with pancreatitis may require closer monitoring for rejection of the transplanted organ as well as administration of higher doses of antirejection medications to achieve effective concentrations. ### Malnutrition Malnutrition occurs in many, if not all, patients with ALD. Causes of malnutrition include a poor diet; increased breakdown (i.e., catabolism) of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids in the body; as well as impaired absorption of nutrients, interruption of the bile flow (i.e., cholestasis), reduced pancreatic function, bacterial overgrowth, and/or alcohol-induced injury to the intestinal mucosa ([@b41-257-269]). In particular, alcoholics commonly show deficiencies in various vitamins, including thiamine, which is essential for normal brain functioning. Therefore, alcoholics with ALD routinely should be prescribed thiamine and multivitamins. Severe malnutrition is associated with a poorer prognosis after OLT and may require postponement of the procedure until the patient has achieved a better state of nutrition ([@b41-257-269]). The nutritional status of OLT candidates can be improved by providing additional nutrition directly into the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., by enteral feeding). Moreover, nutritional support before and after the transplant can improve the clinical outcome after OLT ([@b41-257-269]). ### Neurological Deficits Chronic alcoholism may lead to neurological deficits through alcohol's direct actions on the brain and nerve fibers, which can result in structural damage ([@b37-257-269]; [@b32-257-269]). In patients with ALD, however, neurological deficits also can result from a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, which is caused by the damaged liver's inability to remove substances from the blood that can interrupt brain function. In these patients, it is difficult to distinguish deficits resulting from alcohol's direct effects on the brain from those resulting from hepatic encephalopathy. Severe neurological deficits may contraindicate liver transplantation because the patient may not be able to comply with post-transplant medication regimens and because OLT may not improve the patient's quality of life significantly. Therefore, most transplant centers routinely perform brain-imaging analysis of OLT candidates to identify any structural damage that may exist before the transplant and which could affect the patient's outcome after the transplant ([@b37-257-269]). ### Abnormal Bone Structure Patients with ALD are prone to bone loss because of impaired activity of the bone-producing cells; reduced activity of the ovaries or testes, which produce hormones regulating bone formation; reduced body mass index; and limited physical activity ([@b32-257-269]). Between 10 and 42 percent of patients with ALD have a reduced bone density, which can lead to a condition called osteopenia (or, in severe cases, osteoporosis), which is characterized by bone softening, accompanied by weakness and susceptibility to fractures. Therefore, routine bone mineral density measurements and, in appropriate cases, blood tests assessing calcium metabolism and ovarian or testicular function are recommended in patients with ALD. Treatment with calcium and vitamin D (which regulates calcium metabolism) can improve bone mineral density in patients with ALD ([@b53-257-269]). Other approaches used to improve bone mineral density in patients with non-ALD include administration of hormones to compensate for reduced ovarian or testicular activity as well as treatment with other compounds that influence calcium metabolism (i.e., calcitonin and biphosphonates) ([@b53-257-269]). The effectiveness of these approaches in alcoholics, however, has not been studied specifically. ### HCV Infection About 20 to 30 percent of patients with ALD are infected with HCV ([@b32-257-269]), and the rate of progression of liver disease and the long-term outcome are worse for these patients than for alcoholics not infected with HCV ([@b50-257-269]). In addition, the most commonly used treatment for HCV infection---an agent called interferon---is less effective in active alcoholics, probably because the antiviral activity of interferon is decreased in these patients ([@b50-257-269]). HCV infection in alcoholic patients also influences the outcome after liver transplantation; in fact, the transplanted liver is much more likely to be damaged by renewed HCV infection in these patients than by a relapse to alcohol abuse. Patients with ALD who also are infected with the hepatitis B virus face challenges similar to those experienced by ALD patients with HCV infection. In general, patients with liver disease resulting from alcohol abuse and coexisting viral infection appear to have a worse prognosis than patients with liver disease resulting from only one of these factors ([@b2-257-269]). ### Liver Cancer Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis have an increased prevalence of liver cancer (i.e., hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC) ([@b50-257-269]; [@b58-257-269]). These tumors can substantially influence the patient's outcome after OLT because of the risk that they will recur. The presence of HCC itself is not a contraindication for OLT, because patients can have a reasonably good prognosis after OLT if they have only small tumors (≤ 5 centimeters \[cm\] in diameter) and/or fewer than four tumors of 3 cm or less each that have not spread to major blood vessels or outside the liver. Studies have found that cancers other than HCC (e.g., cancers of the airways and digestive tract or lymph node tumors) occur significantly more commonly in patients undergoing OLT for ALD than for non-ALD and are a major cause of illness and death late after OLT for ALD ([@b2-257-269]). To rule out the presence of a coexisting liver cancer, routine hepatic imaging studies are recommended as part of a pretransplant workup for all OLT candidates. Similarly, it is imperative that patients being considered for OLT undergo a thorough pretransplant screening for tumors outside the liver as well as a regular evaluation after the transplantation. Psychiatric Evaluation ---------------------- For OLT to be successful in alcoholic patients it is essential that the patients remain abstinent after the transplant and comply with the demanding medical regimen (e.g., consistently take the necessary antirejection medications). Routinely conducting psychiatric evaluations before patients are included on the list of candidates for transplantation may identify those who are most likely to fail these criteria.[3](#fn3-257-269){ref-type="fn"} In a survey using a five-point questionnaire, staff at 93 percent of transplant centers felt that a psychiatric evaluation was an important component in the pretransplant workup, and staff at 83 percent of the centers reported routinely using a psychiatrist or addiction specialist during the pre-transplant evaluation ([@b20-257-269]). In most cases, the psychiatric evaluation includes assessments of the patient's socioeconomic condition as well as of underlying psychiatric disorders, job status, number and duration of prior attempts at abstinence, and use of other drugs. During this evaluation, the psychiatrist routinely interviews both the patient and one or more family members, and estimates the risk of post-transplant alcohol relapse. One measure that has been proposed to predict post-transplant sobriety is the University of Michigan Alcoholism Prognosis Scale (MAPS), which assesses a variety of factors, including: - The patient's and family's recognition and acceptance of alcoholism. - Four prognostic factors indicating sobriety, including involvement in activities that can substitute for drinking (e.g., sports), negative behavioral consequences of alcoholism, presence of hope/self-esteem, and availability of social relationships. - Social stability factors, such as a stable job, residence, and marriage, or living with another person. Data on the effectiveness of the MAPS are equivocal, however. In a prospective study, patients identified as suitable OLT candidates based on their MAPS scores had a low incidence of pathological drinking 3 years after liver transplantation ([@b8-257-269]). Conversely, a retrospective study conducted 5 years after ALD patients had received transplants showed that their pretransplant scores did not predict continued sobriety ([@b40-257-269]). Some researchers consider an abstinence period of 6 months prior to OLT a predictor of long-term abstinence ([@b6-257-269]; [@b64-257-269]). Some transplant programs and insurance companies insist on an absolute 6-month period of abstinence before a patient with ALD can be listed for liver transplantation. This 6-month rule remains controversial, however, and appears to be arbitrary. Some studies favoring the 6-month rule have demonstrated that patients who are abstinent for less than 6 months have a greater relapse rate ([@b6-257-269]; [@b64-257-269]), but these studies only examined short periods of time, included only a small number of patients, and did not include control subjects. In contrast, many retrospective and prospective studies have demonstrated that the 6-month rule does not predict long-term sobriety after OLT (see [table 1](#t1-257-269){ref-type="table"}). As a result, the current minimal listing criteria for liver transplantation proposed by UNOS do not require a 6-month period of abstinence before listing ALD patients for liver transplantation. As an alternative to the 6-month abstinence requirement for predicting abstinence after OLT, [@b66-257-269] proposed a High Risk Alcoholism Relapse (HRAR) scale, which is based on the patient's history of heavy drinking, usual number of drinks, and number of prior alcoholism inpatient treatment episodes. Initial studies have demonstrated that patients with low HRAR scores had a low relapse rate and could be deemed eligible for transplant without a pre-OLT 6-month period of abstinence ([@b66-257-269]). A subsequent study by the same research group, however, showed that the HRAR scale had little ability to predict continued sobriety after OLT ([@b16-257-269]). Outcomes for ALD Patients After OLT =================================== When assessing the long-term outcome for patients receiving OLT or any other kind of transplant, researchers and clinicians evaluate numerous factors in addition to the survival of the patient, including how long the transplanted organ continues to function (i.e., graft survival) and the patient's quality of life. Out of concerns that ALD patients may resume drinking after OLT and thereby damage the transplanted liver, investigators frequently assess graft survival in these patients. These assessments have found that the graft-survival rate in patients with ALD is comparable to that of patients with non-ALD (see [table 2](#t2-257-269){ref-type="table"}) ([@b62-257-269]). This finding suggests that the ALD patients are not more likely to relapse (or that their alcohol consumption may not be likely to damage the transplanted liver). In fact, the 1- and 3-year graft-survival rates in patients with ALD are above the average graft-survival rates for all diagnoses for which OLTs are performed (see [table 2](#t2-257-269){ref-type="table"}). Moreover, the presence of a concurrent HCV infection does not appear to alter the 1-, 3-, and 5-year graft-survival rates in patients with ALD. However, a study by [@b45-257-269] demonstrated that patients undergoing OLT for combined ALD and HCV infection were more likely to develop hepatic fibrosis than were patients with either ALD or HCV infection alone. Additional survival rates reported by various groups of investigators are summarized in [table 1](#t1-257-269){ref-type="table"}. A few retrospective studies have been performed in abstinent patients who underwent OLT for ALD. These patients' livers subsequently were removed and examined for the presence of hepatitis caused by alcohol. Again, the presence of hepatitis appeared to have no impact on outcome, with the survival and relapse rates of these patients comparable to those of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis alone ([@b38-257-269]). No specific studies have assessed OLT survival rates and sobriety in patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis. Quality of Life --------------- The term "quality of life" encompasses various factors that influence a patient's subjective well-being, such as medical status, social status, employment status, or relationships. Overall, the physical and psychological outcomes for ALD patients after OLT appear similar to those of non-ALD patients ([@b49-257-269]). However, patients who relapse to alcohol use after receiving transplants have poorer post-transplant scores on quality-of-life measures than patients who do not relapse ([@b15-257-269]). ALD patients in general have problems keeping a job and fulfilling their job requirements (i.e., they have low levels of occupational functioning). OLT can ameliorate these problems to a certain extent. Nevertheless, an analysis combining the findings of several studies (i.e., a meta-analysis) demonstrated that the employment status of ALD patients both before and after transplantation is dismal ([@b12-257-269]). Before transplantation, 29 percent of ALD patients and 59 percent of non-ALD patients were employed. At 3 years after the OLT, employment rates for non-ALD patients had increased substantially (i.e., to 80 percent), whereas employment rates for ALD patients had increased only marginally (i.e., to 33 percent). Furthermore, no associations were found between alcohol use and employment status after OLT or between pre- and post-transplant employment and sobriety. With all these findings it is important to note, however, that the employment status reported in many studies is based on self-reports, which have substantial limitations (i.e., respondents may not always answer truthfully or may not accurately recall the information). Relapse to Alcohol Use ---------------------- As mentioned previously, an important concern in selecting alcoholic candidates for OLT and evaluating the outcome of the procedure is the likelihood of a relapse to alcohol use after the transplant. The definition of an alcohol relapse is controversial, varying from any use of alcohol after OLT to alcohol abuse resulting in physical and social consequences or rehospitalization for alcoholism ([@b24-257-269]). Although any alcohol use after OLT should be viewed as serious because it is the earliest indicator of high risk for the long-term viability of the graft ([@b4-257-269]), not all relapses may be harmful to the transplanted liver and the patient. The occasional use of small amounts of alcohol (i.e., a "slip") is not considered harmful and should not be treated punitively ([@b24-257-269]). These slips may not progress to an overt relapse that is potentially harmful to the new liver. Because of the differing definitions of relapse, the reported relapse rates vary widely across studies (see [table 1](#t1-257-269){ref-type="table"}), whereas the rates of graft dysfunction resulting from alcohol relapses are more consistent regardless of the definition of relapse used. Furthermore, the transplanted liver is rejected at a similar rate in both abstinent and nonabstinent alcoholic patients ([@b13-257-269]). This rejection reaction can occur if the patient does not consistently take necessary antirejection medications. Studies have found that among patients receiving OLT for ALD, the overall rate of non-compliance with the antirejection medications is as high as 16 percent ([@b10-257-269]). However, alcohol relapses per se do not appear to influence the patients' compliance with their medication regimen. Interestingly, a meta-analysis found that ALD and non-ALD patients reported similar rates of alcohol use at 6 months (4 percent and 5 percent, respectively) and 12 months (17 percent and 16 percent, respectively) after OLT ([@b12-257-269]), although heavy drinking was more common in patients who had undergone liver transplantation for ALD. At 7 years after OLT, 32 percent of ALD patients reported drinking some alcohol ([@b12-257-269]). As previously mentioned, continued alcohol use after OLT puts the patient at risk for renewed ALD. Studies have found, however, that from a purely biological perspective, recurrent ALD is less prevalent and less severe after OLT than recurrent liver disease from other causes (e.g., reinfection with a hepatitis virus) ([@b2-257-269]). The reported relapse rate is influenced not only by the different definitions of relapse but also by the method used to identify a relapse. The most useful identification method appears to be a clinical interview conducted by a transplant psychiatrist or a questionnaire interview by an assistant ([@b17-257-269]). Biochemical markers (e.g., alcohol levels in the blood, urine, or breath, or tests for the presence of certain enzymes) as well as regular liver biopsies are less effective at identifying relapses ([@b45-257-269]; [@b17-257-269]; [@b14-257-269]). Relapse rates are highest during the initial 6 months after the transplant and decline after this period ([@b51-257-269]). About 95 percent of all relapses occur in the first 2 years after OLT. Predictors of Relapse After OLT ------------------------------- Most patients with ALD are less severely dependent on alcohol than patients attending alcohol clinics ([@b30-257-269]), possibly because patients who do not exhibit symptoms of severe alcohol dependence are at greater risk of developing ALD because they can sustain continuous alcohol consumption over many years ([@b65-257-269]). The patient's premorbid social stability and Alcoholics Anonymous attendance record before OLT are important determinants of sustained abstinence after the procedure ([@b30-257-269]; [@b5-257-269]). Such factors can be assessed prior to a transplant using measures such as the Strauss-Bacon and Skinner indices, but few transplant centers report using these indices ([@b5-257-269]). Another factor influencing relapse risk is the presence of other psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of preexisting psychiatric disorders in ALD patients is unknown. The few studies conducted in this patient population appear to show a higher rate of major psychiatric disorders among ALD patients than in the general population ([@b5-257-269]). However, major depressive disorders or schizophrenic conditions, which would indicate a greater risk of relapse after OLT, occur only rarely ([@b30-257-269]; [@b5-257-269]). The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder also increases the risk of alcohol relapse. Coexisting dependence on drugs other than alcohol also is associated with higher rates of alcohol relapse. Studies have found that although 30 to 50 percent of patients who are dependent only on alcohol achieve sustained abstinence after alcoholism treatment, only 10 percent of patients who used more than one drug achieved abstinence ([@b5-257-269]).[4](#fn4-257-269){ref-type="fn"} A prolonged period of documented abstinence from all drugs can indicate a low risk of relapse. Conversely, multiple failed attempts at alcohol abstinence before OLT are considered an indication that the prognosis for sustained sobriety after the transplant is poor ([@b5-257-269]). Based on long-term studies of alcoholism remissions and relapses, [@b63-257-269] proposed four prognostic factors that indicate a favorable outcome: the patient's involvement in activities that can substitute for alcohol, a caring relationship with another person, a source of hope or improved self-esteem, and negative behavioral reinforcement for subsequent drinking (e.g., the development of acute pancreatitis). When at least two of these factors are present, the patient is likely to remain abstinent for 3 or more years. If none of these factors or only one of them applies, the patient is likely to relapse within 2 years. Individual transplant centers also assess long-term abstinence among their patients. Based on their findings, UNOS developed the following guidelines for considering individual alcoholic patients for liver transplantation ([@b61-257-269]; [@b63-257-269]): - A few months of sobriety as a test of short-term compliance (UNOS does not require a 6-month period of abstinence). - Presence of a supportive social network at home. - Absence of comorbid risk factors. - A clinical impression that the patient has been compliant in the past. Some transplant centers have used contingency contracting as a method to improve long-term abstinence ([@b18-257-269]). With this approach, the patient and the center enter a formal agreement that specifies the consequences of certain actions of both parties. No studies to date have assessed the efficacy of this strategy, however. Several investigators have proposed additional risk factors for an alcohol relapse (also see the textbox). A study by [@b51-257-269] suggested that these risk factors include being female, having a poor social environment, having poor personal stability as assessed by a psychologist, and completing less than 6 months of abstinence. [@b17-257-269] identified a history of other drug use, a family history of alcoholism, and previous experience with alcoholism treatment as risk factors associated with a higher incidence of alcohol relapse. These investigators did not find any relationship between a prior psychiatric disorder and abstinence at 6 months after the transplant. ###### Predictors of Relapse in Patients With Alcoholic Liver Disease Following Liver Transplantation 1. Psychiatric comorbidity 2. Social instability 3. Prior rehabilitation attempts 4. Lack of involvement with other activities 5. Poor self-image 6. Associated chronic illness 7. Abuse of more than one drug 8. Lack of coordinated care Types of Liver Damage During an Alcohol Relapse ----------------------------------------------- Although it is not necessary to take a tissue sample (i.e., biopsy) of the liver to make a diagnosis of recurrent ALD in patients who have relapsed to alcohol use, researchers have examined changes in liver structure (i.e., histological changes) that occur in these patients. These analyses found that the histological features of recurrent ALD that affect the transplanted liver are similar to those of ALD in the native liver ([@b35-257-269]). The major histological changes seen with recurring ALD in transplant patients are steatosis, which is found in 83 percent; steatosis accompanied by inflammation (i.e., steatohepatitis), found in 10 percent of cases; fibrosis in certain areas of the liver, which occurs in 28 percent of patients; and cirrhosis, found in 23 percent of patients. Other less commonly seen changes include enlarged mitochondria[5](#fn5-257-269){ref-type="fn"} in 14 percent of cases, excess levels of iron (i.e., siderosis) in the liver cells in 24 percent of cases, and interruption of the bile flow within the liver. These changes are not specific for ALD, and the physician therefore must exclude the presence of other diseases (e.g., viral infection). Management of Alcoholic Patients After an OLT ============================================= With the exception of patients who are dependent on other drugs in addition to alcohol, ALD patients do not have a higher incidence than non-ALD patients of pre- or postoperative psychiatric problems that would necessitate additional treatment ([@b30-257-269]). However, ALD patients at high risk for relapse should be followed closely, and regular psychiatric followup should be considered in such cases. To date, no controlled studies have evaluated specific treatment methods for managing relapse after liver transplantation. The alcoholism treatment approaches used in the general population are probably applicable to these patients as well, with close monitoring by the transplant psychiatrist/psychologist and physician. Several studies have demonstrated that the involvement of a transplant psychiatrist or psychologist both before and after OLT reduces the alcohol relapse rate after transplantation ([@b39-257-269]; [@b9-257-269], [@b10-257-269]). Several investigators have attempted to study the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy in patients who relapse after liver transplantation ([@b18-257-269]). The results of such studies are unclear, however, because few patients enroll in these studies and because other problems are associated with the care of such patients. Another approach to achieving abstinence in alcoholic patients, administering the medication disulfiram, which serves to deter people from drinking by causing unpleasant effects when combined with alcohol, is not recommended in patients after OLT because disulfiram has toxic effects on the liver. Ethical Issues Associated With OLT for ALD Patients =================================================== Although most people in the population consume alcohol at least occasionally, alcoholism and the diseases caused by it continue to carry a stigma among the general public. This is true particularly for ALD, and no other alcohol-induced organ damage is viewed so negatively. Many people have a bias against liver transplants in alcoholics, resulting at least in part from the continued organ shortage and ever-increasing demand for donor organs, which necessitates rationing of the donor organs. For example, some people consider ALD a self-inflicted disease and therefore propose that ALD patients have lower priority on transplant waiting lists. This attitude is reflected in an opinion poll conducted in Great Britain, which showed that both the general public and family physicians believed that alcoholic patients should have a lower priority than others for OLT ([@b44-257-269]). Similar results were reported in Oregon, where the general public was asked to allocate priorities for 714 disorders or treatments. The respondents rated the priority of OLT for non-ALD patients at a moderate level (364 out of 714), but gave a very low priority (695/714) to OLT for ALD ([@b43-257-269]). Transplant psychiatrists and psychologists, however, have a more favorable opinion on OLT for alcoholics. For example, in a survey of these health care professionals from 14 academic liver transplant centers in the United States, a consensus favored offering further alcoholism treatment to patients who continued to use alcohol rather than refusing OLT outright ([@b54-257-269]). Researchers and clinicians originally thought that ALD patients would have poorer graft and patient survival rates than non-ALD patients, but such a difference has never been documented. Neither has the assumption of high relapse rates in ALD patients been confirmed. Relapse rates following OLT are lower than in patients undergoing alcoholism treatment, and serious relapses that adversely affect the transplanted liver or the patient are uncommon (see [table 1](#t1-257-269){ref-type="table"}). In contrast, patients who receive OLT because of an infection with hepatitis B or C viruses always experience disease recurrence and have an increased likelihood of losing the transplanted liver primarily because of this recurrence. Another concern, that patients with ALD would not be able to comply with the anti-rejection medication regimen, also has not been confirmed. Graft-rejection rates are similar for patients transplanted for ALD and those transplanted for other types of liver disease, which indicates comparable rates of compliance with the antirejection medications. Finally, it was anticipated that ALD patients would utilize more resources, thereby incurring higher costs, than non-ALD patients, but again this assumption never has been corroborated by research evidence ([@b13-257-269]). In contrast to these negative assumptions regarding the outcome of OLT in ALD patients, many clinicians argue that ALD is an excellent indication for liver transplantation. For example, the overall improvement in the status of patients with ALD after OLT, including the improvement in productivity, supports considering such patients for liver transplantation. Moreover, the long-term costs of OLT and the subsequent management of the alcoholic patient probably are lower than the costs of managing alcoholism and ALD without transplantation. This assumption is based on the observation that only 22 percent of all alcohol-dependent people seek help within any 1-year period, and fewer than one drug abuser in eight receives formal treatment for alcohol or other drug dependence ([@b32-257-269]). The suitability of ALD patients for OLT also must be considered in the context of the three principles of organ and tissue allocation identified by UNOS ([@b19-257-269]). First, *the principle of medical utility* requires that organs be allocated to those patients who are likely to experience the maximum medical benefit. This requirement is well satisfied by patients with ALD. Second, *the principle of justice* requires that equal respect and concern be given to all patients in need of an organ or tissue. This principle generates some ethical questions regarding the potential wastage of organs by transplantation in patients who may "voluntarily" revert to alcoholism. Third, *the principle of autonomy* requires that the personal choices of the patients be respected. In this regard, the UNOS Ethics Committee holds the view that a person's past behavior (including alcohol consumption) should not be considered as an exclusion criterion for OLT. There is no one-to-one correlation between alcoholism and ALD ([@b3-257-269]). Only a minority of alcoholics develop ALD and may require OLT; conversely, many patients diagnosed with ALD do not meet the criteria for alcoholism. However, the indiscriminate allocation of a donor liver to an alcoholic who may relapse and thus endanger the function of the transplanted organ is not justifiable to the general public. It is important to remember that the general public makes up the donor pool and may be discouraged from organ donation by a policy of equal transplantation for alcoholics and nonalcoholics. Thus, clinicians must make an effort to identify OLT candidates among the ALD patients who are at low risk for relapse. Moreover, additional education of the public is necessary to displace the stigma for OLT in alcoholics and to increase organ donation. Future Directions ================= Because outcome after liver transplantation, particularly the risk of relapse, is such an important concern in patients with ALD, identifying the factors that could indicate the most suitable candidates for OLT is a highly desirable goal of research ([@b36-257-269]). The following lines of inquiry show promise in this regard: - Studies have identified genetic characteristics that influence alcohol intake. Additional in-depth analyses are needed to determine the specific influences of these genes on the development of ALD or on the risk of alcohol relapse after OLT. - Genetic factors may determine a person's susceptibility to developing liver damage after alcohol consumption or to becoming alcohol dependent. Such possible factors should be investigated further, because transplanting a new liver might alter or negate the genetic influence. For example, a patient with a high susceptibility to ALD might not be as susceptible to ALD after OLT even if he or she returned to heavy drinking because the new liver would be governed by its own set of genetic factors. Conversely, if genetic factors determining alcohol metabolism by the liver play a role in maintaining alcohol dependence, then OLT might "cure" the addiction. - Researchers must develop better means of identifying ALD patients who are at risk of relapse after OLT. With better identification methods, transplant centers could focus their resources on this rather small group of patients before OLT in an effort to prevent subsequent relapses. Furthermore, research assessing various treatment programs may identify those approaches that best improve abstinence rates after OLT. - Currently no definite blood tests (i.e., biochemical markers) can identify relapses after OLT. Isolated elevations in a liver enzyme called gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase without concomitant elevation of another enzyme, called alkaline phosphatase, may serve as a surrogate marker of relapse ([@b48-257-269]). Further research directed at identifying a marker that can indicate abstinence over a period of time would be valuable for monitoring the patients' drinking behavior before and after OLT. - Investigators must further evaluate the outcome of liver transplantation in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis; currently these patients rarely are considered for an OLT (because they usually do not have enough time to prove sobriety). Conclusions =========== OLT currently is the only definitive treatment for liver failure, including ALD. Because of the shortage of donated organs, however, OLT in patients with ALD remains controversial, mainly out of concerns that the transplanted liver could be "wasted" on a patient who eventually relapses to drinking, thereby damaging the transplanted liver. To address this concern, transplant centers generally perform a multidisciplinary screening procedure before the transplant to identify psychosocial predictors of relapse and select suitable ALD patients for OLT. Higher survival rates and lower relapse rates than expected in ALD patients after OLT have encouraged many transplant centers to reevaluate their criteria for these patients. As a result, many transplant centers currently do not require that ALD patients complete a 6-month abstinence period before being placed on a transplant list. Nevertheless, future studies should focus on identifying patients at risk for relapse, so that preventive and therapeutic interventions can be selectively targeted to these patients. The ethical debate regarding the justification of OLT in patients with ALD continues, although this subject is less controversial than in the past. Further education of the public regarding the outcomes of liver transplantation in ALD patients should help eliminate the stigma and misapprehensions associated with ALD in the context of OLT and could increase organ donation rates. Orthotopic means "in the normal or usual place." Infection with HCV (as well as with other related viruses, such as the hepatitis B virus) can lead to chronic inflammation of the liver (i.e., hepatitis), which eventually can cause complete liver failure and death. Currently, ALD patients get on transplant lists later than patients with nonalcoholic liver disease because of the requirement for an evaluation of future abstinence. The failure of investigators to distinguish between alcohol dependence and multiple-drug dependence in patients with ALD is one of the reasons for the variable relapse rates after OLT. The mitochondria are membrane-enclosed components of the cell that are responsible for most of the cell's energy production. {#f1-257-269} ###### Studies Reporting Outcomes of Orthotopic Liver Transplantation (OLT) in Patients With Alcoholic Liver Disease Study[\*](#tfn1-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} Period No. of Patients No. of Patients Lost to Followup Months of Followup After OLT Patients Employed (Part-Time/Full-Time) (%) Used 6-Month Abstinence Criteria? Survival (%) Patients Who Relapsed (%) Research Method Used Patients Who Experienced Graft Dysfunction Because of Relapse (%) Deaths Related to Relapse (%) ----------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------------- ---------------------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- -------------- --------------------------- ---------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------- ------ --------------------------- ----- ----- Starzl et al. 1980--87 41 11 12--36 N/A N/A No 73 \- \- \- 3 Retrospective 3 3 Kumar et al. 1982--88 73 21 25 0 54 No 74 \- \- \- 11.5 Phone interview 2 2 Bird et al. 1980--89 24 6 4--84 N/A 94 No 66 \- \- \- 22 Retrospective 17 0 Stevens et al. 1985--90 10 \- 1--24 N/A N/A No \- \- \- \- 0 Retrospective 0 0 Knechtle et al. 1984--90 41 30 N/A 63 33 No 83 \- \- 71 13 Psychiatric interview 0 0 Goldstein et al. 1985--91 41 4 6--66 N/A N/A Yes 86 \- \- 72 13.5 Retrospective N/A N/A Gish et al. 1988--91 29 0 12--41 N/A 80 No 93 \- \- \- 21 Prospective, combined \- 0 Osorio et al. 1988--91 43 0 7--38 62 59 Yes 100 \- \- \- 19 Mailed questionnaire N/A 0 [@b9-257-269] 1982--93 58 14 33 48 89 No 71 66 \- 63 31 Clinic interview 16 3.4 Howard et al. 1987--92 20 20 12--72 N/A N/A N/A 79 \- \- \- 95 Extensive interviews 10 N/A Raakow et al. 1988--94 78 0 0.5--64 N/A 99 No 96 96 \- 85 22 Retrospective \- 2.6 Gerhardt et al. 1985--91 67 26 36--96 N/A N/A No 90 84 82 76 49 Phone interview N/A 4.5 Tringali et al. 1988--90 103 45 18--46 33 40 No \- \- \- \- 21 Retrospective, combined N/A N/A Zibari et al. 1986--92 42 0 N/A 0 76 No 74 71 71 \- 7 Retrospective, combined 0 0 [@b40-257-269] 1987--91 59 9 6--89 N/A N/A No 80 \- \- 77 34 Combined N/A 2 Foster et al. 1986--94 84 21 28--70 N/A N/A No 79 75 \- \- 21 Combined 17 5 Anand et al. 1987--94 39 0 7--63 N/A N/A No 79 \- \- 79 13 Clinic interview 2.6 0 Everson et al. 1988--96 68 6 \< 90 N/A N/A N/A 91 \- \- \- 30 Phone interview 9.7 6.5 Stefanini et al. 1986--96 18 7 \< 118 0 73 Yes 75 75 \- 75 27 Retrospective, combined 27 N/A Fabrega et al. N/A 44 0 20--59 N/A N/A Yes \- \- \- \- 18 Urine alcohol measurement 7 N/A Tang et al. 1987--96 71 15 NA 8 52 No 83 80 \- \- 48 Clinic interview N/A 1.4 Pageaux et al. 1989--94 53 0 42 N/A 30 No 75 69 67 62 32 Clinic interview 4 2 For full citations of these studies, see References. ###### Percentage of Liver Transplant Patients in Whom the Transplanted Organ Was Still Functional at 1, 3, and 5 Years After the Procedure, Listed According to the Underlying Causes of the Patient's Liver Disease Underlying Cause of the Liver Disease Number of Patients Survival (%) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- -------------- ------ ------ Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection 9,525 77.3 67.5 61.0 Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) 6,527 77.1 68.9 60.8 Acute hepatic necrosis[\*](#tfn2-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} 3,546 66.9 59.4 54.2 Other postnecrotic[\*](#tfn2-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} causes 3,500 72.7 63.8 56.6 Primary sclerosing cholangitis[\*](#tfn2-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} 3,469 83.0 77.8 74.1 Primary biliary cirrhosis[\*](#tfn2-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} 3,345 80.3 75.5 71.3 ALD + HCV infection 2,402 79.8 67.9 61.7 Metabolic disease 1,958 77.3 71.6 67.3 Autoimmune[\*](#tfn2-257-269){ref-type="table-fn"} liver disease 1,381 78.8 71.5 66.0 Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) 1,187 68.1 51.2 37.5 All Causes 46,940 74.5 67.4 62.7 Necrosis is tissue death occurring in groups of cells; cholangitis is an inflammation of the bile ducts; biliary cirrhosis is an inflammation of the liver resulting when bile flow through small ducts in the liver is obstructed; autoimmune diseases are those conditions in which the body's immune system erroneously attacks the body's own cells. SOURCE: United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry, 1988--2001. Public data from UNOS/OPTN scientific registry (<http://www.unos.org>). Accessed December 2002. | Mid | [
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Many Oscar voters, like this one, respond to emotion, and deny new Oscars to people who have already won. With Oscar ballots filed, we’re forging ahead with our third annual series of interviews with Academy voters from different branches for their candid thoughts on what got picked, overlooked, and overvalued this year. Best Picture Nine is too many. This was a lackluster year. I struggled to come up with five. We know the Academy is all about the actors, the largest group of people who dominate and decide everything! “Parasite.” It’s an invigorating movie to watch. Bong Joon Ho took me places I didn’t think I was going to go. The performances are great. The story it told at this moment in time of the haves and have-nots was fascinating. The humor, we need humor! In all this grimness. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has humor within the story. Even “The Irishman” has moments of humor; it helps to leaven the grimness. I liked “Parasite” the best. I’d vote for something else for Best International Feature Film. “The Irishman.” The performances were great; you got inside the head of a murderer, and how he evolved. Marty Scorsese is a deft director — you put yourself in his hands and you have an excellent journey. I did watch it in the theater at 11 a.m. so as not to fall asleep. It was three-and-a-half hours long, but I was gripped. “Little Women.” I don’t have as much invested as other people I know; it wasn’t a book I grew up with and adored. I came to it with a cleaner slate. I wasn’t as upset with the feminist changes Greta Gerwig made — I enjoyed it. The performances were entertaining! I had problems with the backwards and forwards construction; I found it confusing and not necessary. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” I loved the “what if?” conceit of the movie; it was brilliant. Quentin Tarantino’s gratuitous violence turns me off. I sit there with my hands over my eyes. “Jojo Rabbit.” It was a brilliant conceit, and the performances were great. I couldn’t quite get into it; it’s tough. Not because Taika Waititi’s making fun of Hitler and the history of Nazis — it was a leap I didn’t entirely make — but I was watching from a distance, in a way. “Marriage Story.” I like Noah Baumbach’s movies generally, but he lost me, because suddenly this guy who runs this podunk theater in New York has enough money to hire a big lawyer and rent an apartment in LA, fly backwards and forwards? That stepped out of reality for me. I didn’t believe the characters anymore. It’s such a kitchen-sink story. I went with the stuff about why they’re splitting up, but the minute it became a divorce saga of expensive lawyers vying with each other, I didn’t care, I didn’t believe it anymore. It was sad. “1917.” Manohla Dargis said it the best. It was pretentious and lengthy and Richard Brody did a good critique of it; the story is limited and one-note. I was watching this clever trick of doing the supposed one shot throughout the movie, which of course it isn’t. I grew a bit bored by it. It was very real — I’m interested in that period and stories of men in that war — but I was disappointed. “Joker.” I was beaten on the head over and over again. I didn’t want to be there with these people. “King of Comedy” had gone into that territory and done it better. It was too unpleasant, and I don’t know the purpose of it. Maybe it’s a reflection of our society, but I see Trump on TV every day and I don’t need this. Best Director Martin Scorsese. It’s a lifetime achievement thing with him. I don’t know that “The Irishman” is my favorite movie of his. He’s such an excellent director. Bong Joon Ho. That’s a dilemma. It’s a very close first, if I could vote for two. I can’t stand the idea of Quentin Tarantino up there banging on. The ego, the ego! Best Actor They’re all really good actors; that’s not the issue. it’s whether their moments in the films moved me or I felt galvanized by them. Jonathan Pryce. I voted for “The Two Popes” as one of my favorite movies of the year. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was a smart movie. I’d give it to Pryce, with Antonio a close second. Antonio Banderas. I didn’t love that movie as much as other Pedro Almodóvar movies. Adam Driver. I am in love with him, but how much I didn’t like the movie supersedes the performance. I can’t disassociate. Sony Best Actress I’m not thrilled by any of them. I don’t know who I would have put in instead . Saoirse Ronan is really good; I liked “Little Women” more than the other films. Renée Zellweger. I didn’t love “Judy.” It’s a shame she sang. Bob Ackerman’s “Judy” was fine with Judy Davis. Cynthia Erivo. I didn’t love “Harriet.” Charlize Theron. At the end of “Bombshell” I didn’t know who these women were and what really motivated them. Best Supporting Actor Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”). I was nervous about seeing him do that. He walked a fine line between imitating someone, which gets old, and doing an interpretation, particularly with such a recognizable voice and cadence. It could get annoying. So I give him props for that. Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”). I might have to vote for him for sheer lust. Pitt gave a nuanced performance, as he did in “Thelma and Louise.” He has the chops. But his looks are distracting and take away from his ability to perform. You get seduced and distracted by that. Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”). What was so clever was their foreign accents, which were enough to understand that they came from someplace else and where, but it wasn’t overwhelming. Anthony gave a refined low-key performance that was nice to see. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”). With Al, the hair was distracting. When you are looking at a big screen it takes up a lot of space. He’s better than he has been in a while, not chewing up the scenery as much as he can. I’m glad they were in the movie; they augmented it. I didn’t feel so moved by their performances; I appreciated them. Fox Searchlight Supporting Actress Scarlett Johansson (“Jojo Rabbit”). She had quite a range in that role, from being charming, to being caught in a bad situation and trying to deal with this impossible world, which was not exactly surprising from her but unexpected. She had an accent, she was real, this person existed in this fantasy world the director had created. That’s important: she had that base that you can hang onto as you go for the ride. Kathy Bates (“Richard Jewell”). Her performance is pretty amazing, and moving. I really cared about this woman. She captured that maternal angst [and] I can identify with, God forbid, being powerless to do anything about [what’s happening to your child]. Margot Robbie (“Bombshell”). She was so good in “I, Tonya.” I can’t fault her, again. That moment in the office with John Lithgow is extraordinary. You viscerally feel what she’s going through, what she’s on the verge of capitulating to. Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”). My dislike of the movie overrides her performance for me. Florence Pugh (“Little Women”). I wasn’t knocked out. Adapted Screenplay Anthony McCarten (“The Two Popes”). This excellent story well told was given short shrift. It’s a complicated story he was telling, with the trick of how you portray people who are still alive. He did it really powerfully. The flashbacks integrated into the movie were well done. Original Screenplay “Parasite.” It’s so original, clever, and brilliant. Costume Design “Jojo Rabbit.” It’s historically accurate; there’s a twist on the costumes, they are reflections of the story, which is a fantasy in some ways. The costumes are a little extreme, not what everyday people in Germany would be wearing. They have a toe in reality, so they’re not totally outrageous. The designer took it that extra step, which melded with the tone of the movie. I hope that one wins. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Arianne Phillips did a great job with the costumes. They are very textured, with lots of variety — there’s hippies, and the more stylish, sophisticated looks for Sharon Tate. It wasn’t too kitschy. Sometimes period stuff can get too obvious. There was a range she covered, pretty accurately, with subtlety. The clothes looked worn, they were a bit funky, crumpled. They weren’t pulled freshly out of dry-cleaning bags, but reflected the way Brad Pitt lived in that trailer. Things were not spick and span. There was a variety of looks appropriate for each character, like Leonardo’s leisure suit. Things repeated a bit, again how people really wear their clothing. It’s not a new outfit every time; people have a uniform they wear. “Little Women.” I went with the costumes. Greta was giving us a rose-tinted view of the world they lived in, which is true of a lot of period films. The hair and makeup can make or break it; if you go over the top, it takes away from the costumes, it distracts you. That’s not good. Laura Dern would never have hair like that. These people bathed once a month, plus all that food on the table! They were living in the land of plenty. The hair did them in. If the hair been more realistic it would have dialed down everything. “Knives Out.” Contemporary films often get short shrift. I was pleased it also got the CDG [Costume Designers Guild] prize. It was witty, and the costumes reflected the tone of the movie: that’s what a good costume should do, as well as interpret the character. “The Irishman.” Sandy Powell, she’s great. But how many Oscars does she need? Spread it around a little. If I don’t like the movie, it’s hard for me to separate the movie from the costumes. “Joker.” Joaquin Phoenix was terrific, but the movie left me cold. So, I’m less enthusiastic about the costumes. Also, Mark Bridges has won a couple of Oscars. Neon International Feature Film “Honeyland” (Macedonia). It’s a gripping documentary about the extraordinary world of this woman, her life, and these people invading, how they take over and almost destroy her, and how she survives. It’s a mirror, again, of what’s going on in the world. Everything is different in this very remote place, but no, it’s filled with humans who behave badly, just like everywhere. And it’s touching because she tried to be a good Samaritan and the kids do nothing but abuse her. What’s clever about it: you also feel for the family, they’re trying to survive, they’re being stupid about it, they’re mistaken about what they’re doing, which leads to disaster. They could have gotten on together and been all right, but the guy gets too greedy. And it all falls apart. It’s an extraordinary movie. “Parasite” (South Korea). If you’re going to compete in Best Picture you shouldn’t be in Best International Film Feature; that takes an opportunity away from someone else. It’s double-dipping. What about all those poor foreign movies? “Parasite” got an insane amount of publicity — how do you compete with that? To be in too many categories is not fair. If the Academy Awards do in fact mean something and can help a movie make money, let’s give that opportunity to as many people as we can. Documentary Feature “For Sama.” I went to a small screening. [Waad Al-Kateab] was there with the guy [Edward Watts] who helped put it together. I was weeping. For the sheer emotional experience you can’t beat “For Sama.” It takes us out into this world we can’t even imagine. That they stayed [in Aleppo] trying to do good, while they jeopardized their lives and their daughter, is a kind of bravery beyond my comprehension. It’s an important story to get out: what goes on in these countries we’re toying with, not giving aid to, or [where we’re] backing the wrong person. “American Factory” is incredible, an excellent documentary that also tells the story of something really important. Cinematography “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Robert Richardson has won a ton but he’s a great cinematographer. “1917” looked gorgeous but I didn’t like the movie. “The Lighthouse.” I hated the movie, it could have taken an hour or so, but went on and on in such bleakness. It was visually extraordinary. With a movie like that, I often think, “the poor cast and crew, such a miserable shoot!” “The Irishman” had a good look, but that weird CGI stuff making actors look younger was distracting, which was not [Rodrigo Prieto]’s fault. Editing It was between “Parasite” and “The Irishman.” Thelma Schoonmaker deserves it for dealing with Marty. If she had never won I’d vote for her [she has won three times]. “Ford v Ferrari.” The race sequences were confusing. I couldn’t tell which car was the car I was meant to be watching. Roadside Attractions Makeup and Hairstyling “1917” has excellent wounds and horrible things: the distress of the human body going through war. “Judy” was not a standout for what they did to Renée. That’s what’s good about it; you’re not distracted by it which would have been bad. “Bombshell.” They did such an amazing job of making Charlize Theron look like Megyn Kelly that it’s almost creepy. Production Design “Parasite” was fantastic, that world he created, between the horrible apartment and the fancy house, and then the surprise dungeon. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Barbara Ling’s period stuff was more spectacular. She recreated things that don’t exist anymore, taking familiar landmarks and seeing them through period eyes. “1917.” The production design of Dennis Gassner was amazing. “The Irishman” had a nitty gritty, grim very real look to it; the color palette was dowdy and sad. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | Low | [
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Let’s talk about the power of the word? About his great power of persuasion and coercion … Or rather about scammers who, without resorting to any other influences, as soon as to the power of verbal persuasion, leave listeners listening to them, at times, literally without pants. These amazing conversations are usually as follows. On the street, two or three guys approach you and start a conversation with the following content. Like, you, of course, are a brother, I’m sorry,… It turns out that by doing an image, you can kill two birds with one stone. And the firm’s representativeness to strengthen, and … the nature of subordinates to know. Here, for example, you have conceived the once and for all to solve the issue with the uniform of your staff. And, reflecting, asked each of their subordinates to bring you on the table applications for the colors of the future uniform. But the point is that you are the… No one is immune from that black day when, picking up his phone, he will hear on the other end of the wire the angry-hissing voice of a telephone blackmailer or just a bully. That’s about these sizzling voices, or rather, about how to deal with them, and will be discussed in our today’s issue. What is there to do? The main thing that needs to be done is to find out the identity that hid on the opposite end… Time is troubling now, wherever you look – solid terrorists. And they, the terrorists, also have their favorite jobs. For example, planes. About them today and speech. So, if you go on a trip, you suddenly found that your plane was captured by terrorists, and if you are not Bruce Willis, to save life and health, both yours and others, we hasten to resort to the following tricks of the unprofessional hostage . The first rule of the seized teapot… The Polish proverb says that a good opinion of yourself is half the happiness. Having understood the wisdom of the people, we will try to make a good opinion of ourselves. Quickly, without hesitation, choose one of the five proposed figures (square, rectangle, triangle, circle, zigzag) one that you liked best. And now … listen to the characteristics of people who chose this or that figure. So, the square. He corresponds to such qualities as diligence, diligence, the need to… According to wise psychologists, almost every urban resident is prone to such a serious ailment as stress. We can not put up with this situation, and therefore we will devote a couple or two useful tricks to getting out of a stressful situation. And the first thing we do, exactly repeating the recommendations of psychologists, is to put the right hand on the back of the head, and put the left hand on the navel. This, psychologists say, listening to… We continue our previous conversation about children, their parents, as well as about funny stories, with all this connected. The most common family history is not a friendly view of the Yeralash newsreel, it’s a quarrel. You can quarrel differently, you can throw stools at each other, you can beat dear grandmother’s service and so on, to infinity. However, if a child is present in the family, then the family scandal should be limited to some limits. We will talk… We continue to master and comprehend the simple tricks of the beginning careerist. Have you ever wondered why this is the only thing obtained from the first time, quickly and almost effortlessly? Once they only show their radiant face, how luck itself floats in their hands. But for the others, though turn out on the wrong side, it still does not work! The whole secret is that these same ones, that is, the first ones, are able to look successful,… Summer. Heat and ultraviolet stimulate not only sexual, but (pardon the pun) social activity. Today we will touch on the topic of rules of behavior (read – survival) for those who happened to be at a demonstration, a rally and similar crowded gathering. I will make a reservation that we will deliberately consider the most extreme rally, which you can imagine, so that even at events that are much calmer, you feel theoretically savvy. So, if you deliberately or accidentally… We continue to share in the secrets and secrets of the human body. Not in the sense of understanding the basics of Kama Sutra, about this somehow next time. And in the sense that the body is, as you know, a piece that does not lie. Here is such a scientific fact! And even if the owner of this body is a lit-up liar, it will always preserve chaste honesty. And therefore, knowing and knowing how to read body language… | Low | [
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// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information. // <reference path="ms-appx://$(TargetFramework)/js/WinJS.js" /> ///<reference path="../../typings/typings.d.ts" /> ///<reference path="../TestLib/liveToQ/liveToQ.d.ts" /> ///<reference path="../TestLib/winjs.dev.d.ts" /> module CorsicaTests { "use strict"; export class Nav2Tests { testNavigationEvents(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; var navHit = false; var navPromiseHit = false; var navingHit = false; var navingPromiseHit = false; var beforeNavHit = false; var nav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("navigated", nav, true); navHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigated", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { navPromiseHit = true; })); }; var naving = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("navigating", naving, true); navingHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigating", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { navingPromiseHit = true; })); }; var beforeNav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("beforenavigate", beforeNav, true); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("beforenavigate", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { beforeNavHit = true; })); }; WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("navigating", naving, true); WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("navigated", nav, true); WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("beforenavigate", beforeNav, true); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingPromiseHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navPromiseHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(beforeNavHit); var cancelBeforeNav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav, true); e.preventDefault(); }; WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav, true); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("second!").then(function (s) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(s); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); complete(); }); }); } testNavigationEventsTyped(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; var navHit = false; var navPromiseHit = false; var navingHit = false; var navingPromiseHit = false; var beforeNavHit = false; var nav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.onnavigated = undefined; navHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigated", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { navPromiseHit = true; })); }; var naving = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.onnavigating = undefined; navingHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigating", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { navingPromiseHit = true; })); }; var beforeNav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.onbeforenavigate = undefined; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("beforenavigate", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { beforeNavHit = true; })); }; WinJS.Navigation.onnavigating = naving; WinJS.Navigation.onnavigated = nav; WinJS.Navigation.onbeforenavigate = beforeNav; LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingPromiseHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navPromiseHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(beforeNavHit); var cancelBeforeNav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.onbeforenavigate = undefined; e.preventDefault(); }; WinJS.Navigation.onbeforenavigate = cancelBeforeNav; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("second!").then(function (s) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(s); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); complete(); }); }); } testNavigationErrors(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; var navHit = false; var navingHit = false; var navingPromiseHit = false; var nav = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("navigated", nav, true); navHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigated", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("error", e.detail.error); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); }; var naving = function (e) { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("navigating", naving, true); navingHit = true; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("navigating", e.type); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", e.detail.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, e.detail.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); e.detail.setPromise(WinJS.Promise.timeout(16).then(function () { navingPromiseHit = true; throw "error" })); }; WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("navigating", naving, true); WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("navigated", nav, true); // error is signaled *before* navigated is raised. // WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }). then( function () { LiveUnit.Assert.fail("This should not be called!"); }, function (err) { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("error", err); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navingPromiseHit); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(navHit); // per WinBlue:136721 "If there is any error from 'navigating' then 'navigated' event should be fired after error is signaled" complete(); } ); } testBasicNavigation(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }).then(function () { ; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location, "first nav location correct"); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, WinJS.Navigation.state.a, "first nav state correct"); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); return WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a", { a: 321 }); }).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location, "second nav location correct"); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(321, WinJS.Navigation.state.a, "second nav state correct"); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); return WinJS.Navigation.back(); }).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location, "back worked"); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); return WinJS.Navigation.forward(); }).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location, "forward worked"); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); complete(); }); } testCanceledNavigation(complete) { var cancelBeforeNav = function (e) { e.preventDefault(); }; WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, WinJS.Navigation.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a", { a: 321 }); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(321, WinJS.Navigation.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav); WinJS.Navigation.back().then(function (s) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(s); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav); return WinJS.Navigation.back(); }).then(function (s) { LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(s); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav); return WinJS.Navigation.forward(); }).then(function (s) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(s); WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("beforenavigate", cancelBeforeNav); complete(); }); } testStateRoundtrip(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("home", { a: 123 }); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); var lastState = WinJS.Navigation.history; WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); WinJS.Navigation.history = lastState; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("home", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(123, WinJS.Navigation.state.a); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); complete(); } testBackForwardDepthTest(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a"); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("b"); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("c"); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("d"); WinJS.Navigation.back(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("c", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("d", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.back(2); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("b", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("c", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("d", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.back(3); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(2); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("c", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(1); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("d", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.back(1000); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("a", WinJS.Navigation.location); WinJS.Navigation.forward(1000).then(function () { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("d", WinJS.Navigation.location); complete(); }); } testInitialNavigation(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = { backStack: [], current: { location: "", initialPlaceholder: true }, forwardStack: [] }; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a"); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a"); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack); complete(); } testStateManip(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a", { step: 1 }); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("b", { step: 2 }); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("c", { step: 3 }); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("c", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(3, WinJS.Navigation.state.step); WinJS.Navigation.state = { step: 5 }; LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(5, WinJS.Navigation.state.step); WinJS.Navigation.back(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("b", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(2, WinJS.Navigation.state.step); WinJS.Navigation.state = { step: 4 }; WinJS.Navigation.forward(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("c", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(5, WinJS.Navigation.state.step); WinJS.Navigation.back(); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual("b", WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(4, WinJS.Navigation.state.step); complete(); } testCheckEventErrors(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; var failed1; var failed2; try { WinJS.Navigation.addEventListener("foo", function () { }); failed1 = true; } catch (e) { failed1 = e; } try { WinJS.Navigation.removeEventListener("foo", function () { }); failed2 = true; } catch (e) { failed2 = e; } LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(true, failed1); LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(true, failed2); complete(); } // use different types for location and state testTypeAsLocationState() { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; // string, number, array, Boolean, Date, regex, function. If you want to add new types, just add them to the array. var jsTypes = ["string", 2, [1, 2], true, new Date(), /^\d+$/, function () { return 3; }]; // assign different types to location going forward jsTypes.forEach(function (item, index) { LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.navigate(item, item)); LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack, index > 0); }); // now go backwards and verify location == jsType[n] for (var n = jsTypes.length - 1; n >= 0; n--) { LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(jsTypes[n], WinJS.Navigation.location); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(jsTypes[n], WinJS.Navigation.state); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(WinJS.Navigation.canGoForward, n < jsTypes.length - 1); LiveUnit.Assert.areEqual(WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack, n > 0); if (WinJS.Navigation.canGoBack) { LiveUnit.Assert.isTrue(WinJS.Navigation.back()); } } } testBoundaryConditions(complete) { WinJS.Navigation.history = {}; // going back with empty history should be ignored WinJS.Navigation.back().then(function (v) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(v); // going forward with empty history should be ignored return WinJS.Navigation.forward(); }).then(function (v) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(v); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("a"); WinJS.Navigation.navigate("b"); return WinJS.Navigation.forward(); }).then(function (v) { // going forward from the end of the history 'b' should be ignored LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(v); WinJS.Navigation.back(1); // going back from the start of the history 'a' should be ignored return WinJS.Navigation.back(); }).then(function (v) { LiveUnit.Assert.isFalse(v); complete(); }); } }; } LiveUnit.registerTestClass("CorsicaTests.Nav2Tests"); | Mid | [
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Q: Scala: parsing an API parameter My API currently take an optional parameter named gamedate. It is passed in as a string at which time I later parse it to a Date object using some utility code. The code looks like this: val gdate:Option[String] = params.get("gamedate") val res = gdate match { case Some(s) => { val date:Option[DateTime] = gdate map { MyDateTime.parseDate _ } val dateOrDefault:DateTime = date.getOrElse((new DateTime).withTime(0, 0, 0, 0)) NBAScoreboard.findByDate(dateOrDefault) } case None => NBAScoreboard.getToday } This works just fine. Now what I'm trying to solve is I'm allowing multiple gamedates get passed in via a comma delimited list. Originally you can pass a parameter like this: gamedate=20131211 now I want to allow that OR: gamedate=20131211,20131212 That requires modifying the code above to try to split the comma delimited string and parse each value into a Date and change the interface to findByDate to accept a Seq[DateTime] vs just DateTime. I tried running something like this, but apparently it's not the way to go about it: val res = gdates match { case Some(s) => { val dates:Option[Seq[DateTime]] = gdates map { _.split(",").distinct.map(MyDateTime.parseDate _ )} val datesOrDefault:Seq[DateTime] = dates map { _.getOrElse((new DateTime).withTime(0, 0, 0, 0))} NBAScoreboard.findByDates(datesOrDefault) } case None => NBAScoreboard.getToday } What's the best way to convert my first set of code to handle this use case? I'm probably fairly close in the second code example I provided, but I'm just not hitting it right. A: You mixed up the containers. The map you call on dates unpackes the Option so the getOrElse is applied to a list. val res = gdates match { case Some(s) => val dates = gdates.map(_.split(",").distinct.map(MyDateTime.parseDate _ )) val datesOrDefault = dates.getOrElse(Array((new DateTime).withTime(0, 0, 0, 0))) NBAScoreboard.findByDates(datesOrDefault) case _ => NBAScoreboard.getToday } This should work. | Mid | [
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Q: Pandas - row to new column by value merging by index I am trying to manipulate some data in pandas so that it's compatible with an existing piece of software, the operation to perform would be similar to this: original dataframe: some_data language spelling 1 12 french un 1 12 english one 1 12 spanish uno 2 52 french deux 2 52 english two 2 52 spanish dos target dataframe: some_data lang_en lang_fr lang_sp 1 12 one un uno 2 52 two deux dos So it will merge the indexes and reorder some of the rows to show it in a column, while keeping any supplementary column data. All the columns that are not to be 'spitted' (some_data, in this example) contain duplicate data across a single index, many such columns exist in the real data. I would definitely be able to do it by looping on the dataframe, but am trying to figure out if it's possible to do this entirely with pandas. A: You can use: df.set_index(['some_data','language'])['spelling']\ .unstack()\ .rename(columns=lambda x: 'lang_' + x[:2])\ .rename_axis([None], axis=1)\ .reset_index() Output: some_data lang_en lang_fr lang_sp 0 12 one un uno 1 52 two deux dos | High | [
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Painted Daughters Painted Daughters is a 1925 Australian silent film directed F. Stuart-Whyte. Only part of it survives today. Plot Mary Elliott and Courtland Nixon are dancing partners in a stage show called Florodora. Mary leaves Courtland and marries a wealthy admirer, who soon goes bankrupt and kills himself, leaving Mary to raise their daughter, Maryon. Maryon grows up to become a dancer. A theatrical press agent, Ernest, reunites the cast of Floradora and Courtland is reunited with Mary. There is a fire in which both Mary and Courtland are injured, but they survive and decide to get married. So too do Maryon and Ernest. Cast Zara Clinton as Mary Elliott Nina Devitt as Maryon Fielding Billie Sim as Rita Railton Marie Lorraine as Evelyn Shaw Loretta May as Sheila Kay Fernande Butler as Nina Walcott Lucille Lisle as Olive Lennox Peggy Pryde as wardrobe mistress Belle Bates as Salvation Nell Phyllis du Barry as Saharab Rawdon Blandford as Courtland Nixon Martin Walker as Warren Fielding William O'Hanlon as Ernest Glenning Compton Coutts as Harry Selby Billy Ryan as Eric Thurston Herbert Walton as Harry Gratton Grafton Williams as Edward Thayne Roland Conway as Charles Dailey Louis Witts as Peter Flynn S Hackett as Flash Production The movie was the first in a series of films produced by Australasian Films and released through Union Pictures under the banner of "Master Pictures". It was part of an attempt by Australasian Films and Union Theatres, led by Stuart F. Doyle, to make world-class films for the international market. He ended up spending over £100,000 on developing a new studio at Bondi and making a series of features from 1925-28. For this first movie, Australasian decided to import a director from overseas. F. Stuart-Whyte, a Scotsman who worked in Hollywood for fifteen years, arrived in Sydney in November 1924 to commence pre-production. The movie was shot in a studio at Rushcutter's Bay in Sydney with former Hollywood star Louise Lovely assisting with screen testing. The majority of cast and crew were Australian, but the cast included British music hall star Peggy Pryde, who was then living in Australia. During production, a portion of the movie worth ₤600 was stolen from the production office. Reception The movie was popular at the box office. The success of this and Sunrise (1926) prompted Australasian to announce they would make twelve new films over the next twelve months. This did not eventuate however the company did make several more films. References External links Painted Daughters at National Film and Sound Archive Category:Australian films Category:1925 films Category:Australian drama films Category:Australian silent feature films Category:Australian black-and-white films Category:1920s drama films Category:American drama films Category:American films | High | [
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Articles Tagged With ‘wave energy’ A storm system over the central Pacific will send waves of up to 19 feet to the Central Coast Thursday night, peaking Friday afternoon. [LATimes] From Thursday at 6 p.m. until Sunday afternoon, a high surf advisory issued by the... (Continue reading) A Cal Poly institute recently founded by former state Sen. Sam Blakeslee is exploring the potential of wave energy. [Tribune] In December, the Cal Poly Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department... (Continue reading) | Mid | [
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Greek Loans Threatened by Missed Reforms, Budget Shortfall Greece and its international lenders — a troika of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank — have not yet reconciled their expectations regarding the 2014 Greek budget. The Greek government estimates a €500 million gap, while the troika believes the gap is €2 billion. In addition, the Greek government has not yet met reform milestones for downsizing the civil service and privatizing utilities. Release of €1 billion in promised loans is contingent on those reforms being met. | Mid | [
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Original sin (economics) Original sin is a term in economics literature, proposed by Barry Eichengreen, Ricardo Hausmann, and Ugo Panizza in a series of papers to refer to a situation in which "most countries are not able to borrow abroad in their domestic currency." The name is a reference to the concept of original sin in Christianity. Original sin hypothesis The original sin hypothesis has undergone a series of changes since its introduction. The original sin hypothesis was first defined as a situation "in which the domestic currency cannot be used to borrow abroad or to borrow long term even domestically" by Barry Eichengreen and Ricardo Hausmann in 1999. Based on their measure of original sin (shares of home currency-denominated bank loans and international bond debt), they showed that original sin was present in most of the developing economies and independent from histories of high inflation and currency depreciation. However, this early study left the causes of original sin as an open question. In the second version of the original sin hypothesis, Barry Eichengreen, Ricardo Hausmann and Ugo Panizza in 2002 discarded the domestic element of original sin and redefined (international) original sin as a situation in which most countries cannot borrow abroad in their own currency. They showed that almost all of the countries (except US, Euro area, Japan, UK, and Switzerland) suffered from (international) original sin over time. Eichengreen, et al. concluded that weaknesses of national macroeconomic policies and institutions are not statistically related with original sin and found that the only statistically robust determinant of original sin was country size. Moreover, they claimed that international transaction costs, network externalities, and global capital market imperfections were the main reasons (which are beyond the control of an individual country) of the original sin. Hence, as a solution for the original sin problem, they proposed an international initiative and recommended development of a basket index of emerging-market currencies so that international financial institutions could issue debt denominated in this index until a liquid-market in this index had developed. Burger and Warnock (2003) suggested inclusion of information on domestic bond markets to account for the possibility that foreign investors were holding local-currency emerging market bonds to analyze the determinants of original sin. Using this expanded measure, they showed that emerging markets economies could develop local bond markets (in which they can borrow in domestic currency) and attract global investors with stronger institutions and credible domestic policies. Reinhart, Rogoff and Savastano (2003) criticized the suggested international solution for the original sin problem by claiming that the main problem of emerging market economies is to learn how to borrow less (debt intolerance) rather than learn how to borrow more in their domestic currency. In these two earlier versions of original sin hypothesis, Eichengreen, Hausmann and Panizza argued that in the presence of high levels of original sin, domestic investments will have a currency mismatch (projects that generate domestic currency will be financed with a foreign currency) so that macroeconomic and financial instability will be unavoidable. Hence, original sin and currency mismatch are used interchangeable in these early studies. Goldstein and Turner (2003) criticized this by showing that large output losses due to the currency mismatches during financial crises could not be attributed to original sin. Hence, they claimed that the original sin is not a sufficient condition for a currency mismatch. In their last version of their original sin hypothesis, Eichengreen, Hausmann and Panizza defined domestic component of original sin as the "inability to borrow domestically long-term at fixed rates in local currency" while keeping the definition of (international) original sin same. They reported that no country (having an original sin ratio higher than 0.75) with high domestic original sin had low international original sin suggesting that if a country could not persuade its own citizens to lend in local currency at long maturities, it could not convince foreigners to do the same. On the other hand, they reported that seven countries, among the 21 emerging countries included in their sample, had low domestic original sin but relatively high international original sin, suggesting that dominant use of local currency in domestic markets is not a sufficient condition for dominant use internationally. Measures of original sin There are three different measures of original sin in economics literature. These measures are defined mathematically as one minus the fraction of own currency-denominated securities in the relevant total. Original sin measures range between 0 and 1. A high measure of original sin indicates that a country suffers from high level of original sin. Thus, a country that issues all of its securities in foreign currency would have an original sin measure of one, while a country that issues all of its securities in its domestic currency would have an original sin measure of zero. OSIN1 The first measure of original sin (OSIN1) is defined as one minus the ratio of the stock of international securities issued by a country in its own currency and the total stock of international securities issued by the country. As this measure tends to 1, the greater the original sin. This index suffers from two shortcomings. First, it is based solely on securities but no other debts. Second, it ignores the effect of other financial instruments, e.g., swaps, which are widely used for hedging currency risk. OSIN2 The second version of the original sin index (OSIN2) is based on two intermediate measures: INDEXA and OSIN3. Unlike OSIN1, INDEXA accounts for bank loans in addition to bond debt and OSIN3 accounts for swaps. Thus, OSIN2 has the advantage of wider coverage; however, it is a less precise measure of original sin because of data limitations of bank loans. where; OSIN3 The last measure of the original sin is based on an intermediate index (INDEXB) which aims to capture the effects of the swaps on original sin and is defined as where INDEXB is defined as one minus the ratio between international securities issued in a given currency and the amount of the international securities issued by the corresponding country. These measures of original sin suggest that the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland (financial centers), and Euroland countries are more successful in issuing their securities in their own domestic currencies relative to developing countries. Moreover, these measures indicate that the original sin is persistent over 1993-2001 period in all country groups. Determinants of original sin Empirical studies mainly focus on a few parameters as being the determinants of the original sin: (i) the level of development, (ii) monetary credibility, (iii) level of debt burden, (iv) the exchange rate regime, (v) slope of the yield curve, and (vi) size of the investor base. The first determinant is level of development; measured generally with GDP per capita. Empirical studies indicate that GDP per capita is significantly correlated with original sin. However, this result is not robust to inclusion of other regressors (Hausmann and Panizza, 2003). The second determinant of the original sin is monetary credibility. This is important for both domestic and international original sin. The monetary credibility is proxied usually by inflation. Generally, the ratio of domestic debt to total public debt is higher in countries with lower and less volatile inflation indicating that inflation can change the composition of public debt and make it riskier. Hausmann and Panizza (2003) find that monetary credibility, as measured by lower inflation and the imposition of capital controls, are associated with lower domestic original sin in emerging economies. On the international side, their study shows that if the monetary and fiscal authorities are inflation prone, foreign investors will lend only in foreign currency, which is protected against inflation risk, or at short maturities, so that the interest rates can be adjusted quickly to any acceleration of inflation. The third determinant is the level of debt burden. High public indebtedness gives rise to an inability to service debt. Consequently, governments attempt to reduce debt service costs through inflation, unexpected changes in interest rates, explicit taxation, or outright default. Such situations reduce their credibility. Therefore, governments will tend to have a shorter maturity debt composition to enhance credibility when the debt burden is high. Most commonly, the ability to service debt is proxied with an array of macroeconomic indicators including the ratios of the fiscal balance to GDP, primary balance to GDP, government debt to exports and government debt to GDP (Hausman et al.,2003 and Mehl et al.,2005). The fourth determinant is the exchange rate regime. As indicated by Hausmann and Panizza (2003), countries with fixed exchange rate regime experience large volatility in their domestic-currency interest rate, while countries that have a floating exchange rate regime experience larger exchange rate volatility. This creates differences in the structures of borrowing. Empirical studies show that fixed exchange rate regime is the main reason of liability dollarization. Despite these common weaknesses, emerging and developing economies have been able to attract capital because they have often operated under fixed or pegged exchange rate regimes until the early 2000s. The fifth attempt is the slope of the yield curve. In theory, and given the existence of term premiums, issuing short-term debt is cheaper than issuing long-term debt. However, refinancing risk is higher for short-term debt and frequent refinancing implies a larger risk of financing with higher interest rates. Therefore, governments face a trade-off between cheaper funding costs, which tilts the duration towards short-term maturities and refinancing risk, which tilts the duration towards longer-term maturities. Generally, an upward-sloping yield curve is associated with higher long-term borrowing to meet investor demand and, hence, lower original sin. Moreover, size of the investor base is another determinant of the domestic original sin. This concept actually indicates the level of financial development which is measured most of the time by a ratio of total domestic credits to GDP. Finally, a special care to the level of openness which is generally measured by total foreign trade, should be taken into account. See also Debt intolerance Asset liability mismatch Emerging market debt External debt List of countries by external debt Third world debt Odious debt Eurodad Currency crisis Sovereign default Domestic liability dollarization References Further reading Bussiere, M., Mulder, C., (1999). "External Vulnerability in Emerging Market Economies: How High Liquidity Can Offset Weak Fundamentals and The Effects of Contagion", IMF Working Paper, 99/88. Borensztein, E., Chamon, M., Jeanne, O., Mauro, P., and Zettelmeyer, J., (2004). "Sovereign Debt Structure for Crisis Prevention", IMF Working Paper. Calvo, G.A., (1998). "Varieties of Capital Market Crises", in G.A. Calvo and M. King (editors), The Debt Burden and Its Consequences for Monetary Policy, Chapter 7; London: Manmillon Pres Ltd. International Monetary Fund, (2003). "Sustainability Assessments: Review of Application and Methodological Refinements?", Policy Development and Review Department. International Monetary Fund, (2003). "Public Debt in Emerging Markets: Is It too High?", World Economic Outlook. Jeanne O., Guscina, A., (2006). "Government Debt in Emerging Market Countries: A new Data Set", IMF Working Paper, 06/98. Rodrik, D., Valesco, A., (1999). "Short-term Capital Flows", NBER Working Paper No. 7364. Rogoff, K., (2003). "Emerging Market Debt. What is the Problem?", Speech at Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism Conference. Category:International finance Category:International macroeconomics | Mid | [
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Essay calling for a new perspective on business schools and the humanities Submitted by William Major on July 28, 2014 - 3:00am I. Close the Business Schools Ask anyone professing the humanities today and you come to understand that a medieval dimness looms. If this is the end-times for the ice sheets at our poles — and it is — many of us also understand that the melt can be found closer to home, in the elimination of language and classics departments, for instance, and in the philistinism represented by governors such as Rick Scott of Florida[1] and Patrick McCrory[2] of North Carolina, who apparently see in the humanities a waste of time and taxpayer subsidies. In the name of efficiency and job creation, according to their logic, taxpayers can no longer afford to support bleary-eyed poets, Latin history radicals, and brie-nibbling Francophiles. That there is a general and widespread acceptance in the United States that what is good for corporate America is good for the country is perhaps inarguable, and this is why men like Governors Scott and McCrory are dangerous. They merely invoke a longstanding and not-so-ugly stereotype: the pointy-headed humanist whose work, if you can call it that, is irrelevant. Among the many easy targets, English departments and their ilk are convenient and mostly defenseless. Few will rise to rush the barricades with us, least of all the hard-headed realists who understand the difficulties of running a business, which is what the university is, anyway. I wish, therefore, to propose a solution that will save money, save the humanities, and perhaps make the world a better place: Close the business schools. The Market Argument We are told that something called “the market” is responsible for the great disparities in pay between humanities professors and business professors. To a humanist, however, this market is the great mystifier; we find no evidence of an “invisible hand” that magically allocates resources within the university. The market argument for pay differentials between business professors and historians (average pay[3] in 2014 for full professors at all institutions: $123,233 and $86,636, respectively, a difference of almost 30 percent; average at research institutions is $160,705 and $102,981, a difference of 36 percent), for instance, fails to convince that a market is operating. This is because administrators and trustees who set salaries based upon what the market can bear, or what it calls for, or what it demands, are actually subsidizing those of us who are who are manifestly out of the market. Your average finance professor, for instance, is not a part of this market; indeed, she is a member of the artificial market created by colleges and universities themselves, the same institutions that tout the importance of critical thinking and of creating the well-rounded individual whose liberal arts study will ostensibly make her into a productive member of our democracy. But the administrators who buy the argument that the market allocates upward of 20, 30, or 40 percent more for the business professor than it does her colleague in the humanities have failed to be the example they tout: they are not thinking. The higher education market for business professors and legal scholars, for instance, is one in which the professor is paid as if she took her services and sold them on what is commonly call the market. Which is where she, and her talents, manifestly are not. She is here, in the building next to ours, teaching our students and doing the same work we are. If my daughter cuts our lawn, she does not get paid as if she were cutting the neighbor’s lawn. The business professor has sacrificed the blandishments of the other market for that of the university, where she can work softer hours, have her December/January vacation, go to London during the summer on a fellowship or university grant, and generally live something approaching the good life — which is what being employed by a college or university allows the lucky who earn tenure. She avoids the other market — eschews the long hours in the office, the demands of travel, the oppressive corporate state — so that she can pick up her kids from school on occasion, sleep in on a Saturday, and turn off her smartphone. She may be part of a machine, but it is a university machine, and as machines go she could do worse. This “market” is better than the other one. But does she bring more value to the university? Does she generate more student hours? These are questions that administrators and business professors do not ask. Why? Because they wouldn’t like the answers. They would find that she is an expensive acquisition. Unless she is one of the Wharton superstars and appears on CNN Money and is quoted in The Wall Street Journal, there’s a good chance that the university isn’t getting its money’s worth. The Moral Argument There is another argument for wishing our business professor adieu. She is ostensibly training the next crop of financiers and M.B.A.s whose machinations have arguably had no salutary effects on this democracy. I understand that I am casting a wide net here, grouping the good with the bad, blaming the recent implosion of the world economy on business schools. One could, perhaps, lay equal blame on the mathematicians and quantitative analysts who created the derivative algorithms and mortgage packages that even the M.B.A.s themselves don’t understand, though there’s a good chance that business school graduates hired these alpha number crunchers. Our investment bankers and their ilk will have to take the fall because, well, they should have known better. If only because, at bottom, they are responsible — with their easy cash and credit, their drive-through mortgages, and, worst of all, their betting against the very system they knew was hopelessly constructed. And they were trained at our universities, many of them, probably at our best universities, the Harvards and Princetons and Dartmouths, where — it is increasingly apparent — the brightest students go to learn how to destroy the world. I am not arguing that students shouldn’t take classes in accounting, marketing, and economics. An understanding of these subjects holds value. They are honorable subjects often horribly applied. In the wrong hands they become tools less of enlightenment and liberation than ruthless self-interest. And when you have groups of like-minded economic pirates banding together in the name of self-interest, they form a corporation, that is, a person. That person, it is now apparent, cannot be relied upon to do the right thing; that person cannot be held accountable. It’s not as if this is news. Over 150 years ago, Charles Dickens saw this problem, and he wrote A Christmas Carol to address it. The hero of Dickens’s novella is Jacob Marley, who returns from the grave to warn his tightfisted partner Ebenezer Scrooge that he might want to change his ways. When Scrooge tells Marley that he was always a “good man of business,” Marley brings down the thunder: “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” In closing the business schools, may the former professors of finance bring to the market a more human side (or, apropos of Dickens, a more ghostly side). Whether or not they do, though, closing the business schools is a necessary first step in righting the social and economic injustices perpetuated not by capitalism but by those who have used it to rend the very social fabric that nourishes them. By planting the seeds of corporate and financial tyranny, our business schools, operating as so many of them do in collusion with a too-big-to-fail mentality, have become the enemy of democracy. They must be closed, since, as Jacob Marley reminds us, we all live in the business world. II. Save the Humanities Closing the business schools will allow us to turn our attention more fully to the state of the humanities and their apparent demise. The 2013 report[4] released by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which asserts that “the humanities and social sciences are not merely elective, nor are they elite or elitist. They go beyond the immediate and instrumental to help us understand the past and the future.” As if that’s going to sell. In the wake of the academy’s report, The New York Times dutifully ran three columns on the humanities — by David Brooks, Verlyn Klinkeborg, and Stanley Fish — which dove into the wreck and surveyed the damage in fairly predictable ways (excepting Fish, whose unpredictability is predictable). Brooks remembers when they used to teach Seneca and Catullus, and Klinkeborg looks back on the good old days when everyone treasured literature and literary study. Those days are gone, he argues, because “the humanities often do a bad job of teaching the humanities,” and because “writing well used to be a fundamental principle of the humanities,” though it apparently is not anymore. Why writing well isn’t a fundamental principle of life is perhaps a better question. We might therefore ask: Aside from the typical obeisance to something called “critical thinking,” what are the humanities supposed to do? I propose that one of the beauties of the liberal arts degree is that it is meant to do nothing. I would like to think, therefore, that the typical humanities major reads because she is interested in knowledge for purposes outside of the pervasive instrumentalism now fouling higher education. She does not read philosophy because she wants, necessarily, to become a philosopher; she does not read poetry to become a poet, though she may dream of it; she does not study art history, usually, to become an art historian, though she may one day take this road. She may be in the minority, but she studies these subjects because of the pleasure it gives her. Reading literature, or studying philosophy, or viewing art, or watching films — and thinking about them — are pleasurable things. What a delight to subsidize something that gives her immediate and future joy instead of spending capital on a course of study that might someday allow her to make more money so that she can do the things she wants to do at some distant time. Henry David Thoreau said it best: “This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of it reminds me of the Englishman who went to India to make a fortune first, in order that he might return to England and live the life of a poet. He should have gone up garret at once.” If you want to be a poet, be done with it. Does she suffer for this pleasure? It is an unfortunate fact of our political and cultural economy that she probably does. Her parents wonder helplessly what she is up to and they threaten to cut off her tuition unless she comes to her senses. The governor and legislature of her state tell her that she is wasting her time and that she is unemployable. She goes to her advisers, who, if they are in the humanities, tell her that the companies her parents revere love to hire our kind, that we know how to think critically and write clearly and solve problems. And it isn’t that they are lying, exactly (except to themselves). They simply aren’t telling her the whole truth: that she will almost surely never have the kind of financial success that her peers in business or engineering or medicine will have; that she will have enormous regrets barely ameliorated by the thought that she carries the fire; that the digital humanities will not save her, either, though they may help make her life slightly more interesting. It is with this problem in mind that I argue for a vision of the university as a place where the humanities are more than tolerated, where they are celebrated as intrinsic to something other than vocationalism, as a place in which the ideology that inheres to the industrial model in all things can and ought to be dismantled and its various parts put back together into something resembling a university and not a factory floor. Instead of making the case that the humanities gives students the skills to “succeed in a rapidly changing world,” I want to invoke the wisdom of Walt Whitman, one of the great philosophers of seeming inactivity, who wrote: “I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.” What does it mean to loafe? Whitman is reclining and relaxing, but he is also active: he “invites” his soul and “observes” the world around him. This conjunction of observation and contemplation with an invitation to the soul is the key here; using our time, energy, and intellectual faculties to attend to our world is the root of successful living. A world of contemplative loafers is one that can potentially make clear-eyed moral and ethical judgments of the sort that we need, judgments that deny the conflation of economic value with other notions of value. Whitman would rather hang out with the men who brought in the catch than listen to the disputations of science or catch the fish himself: “You should have been with us that day round the chowder-kettle.” While I am not necessarily advocating a life of sloth, I’m not arguing against it, either. I respect the art of study for its own sake and revere the thinker who does nothing worthwhile, if by worthwhile we mean something like growing the economy. Making a living rather than living is the sign of desperation. William Major is professor of English at Hillyer College of the University of Hartford. He is author of Grounded Vision: New Agrarianism and the Academy (University of Alabama Press, 2011). | Mid | [
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About 50% of the people in the U.S. require prescription eyewear. The vast majority of these people wear conventional eyeglasses and even the people who wear contact lenses will wear eyeglasses from time to time. For these people, the solutions for addressing their sunglasses needs are not satisfactory. One solution is to wear photo-gray lenses in their glasses. This solution is reasonably good at providing an "all-in-one" solution. However, these lenses usually take a while to change plus they are not as stylish as most sunglasses, and can be very heavy as the lenses must be made of glass. Another possible solution is to maintain two pairs of glasses, one with regular lenses and one with tinted lenses. This solution is attractive and feasible if the individual can afford both pairs and wear the sunglasses for extended periods, thus avoiding frequent switching of glasses. Yet another solution is to wear a pair of tinted goggles over the prescription glasses. These are functional, but awkward and not very stylish. The final alternative is the conventional clip-on which is generally flimsy and not very stylish, standing out obviously as clip-ons. The clip-ons are not very versatile with each type of clip-on fitting only a limited set of eyeglass frames. Even if a person is able to find a clip-on that fits, the attachment is likely to be unreliable and lost or damaged in a strenuous activity such as snow skiing. As a consequence, it is the object of this invention to provide to those who wear conventional eyeglasses an improved removable sunglasses design that is 1) easily attached and detached to and from a large variety of eyeglass frames; 2) securely mounted with respect to the frames; 3) comparable to conventional sunglasses in fashion and attractiveness; 4) simple and economical to manufacture; and 5) designed for reliability with a minimum number of parts with no conventional clips, springs, screws, or moving parts. | High | [
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Contact Info x We repair all makes, models and brands of Hot Tubs and Spas in the Albany (Capital District), Saratoga, Glens Falls/Lake George, regions of New York State. We carry a variety of parts and chemicals too. We repair all makes, models and brands of Hot Tubs and Spas in the Albany (Capital District), Saratoga, Glens Falls/Lake George, regions of New York State. We carry a variety of parts and chemicals too. When experience matters, give us a call. We carry our own line of Spa's too. | Low | [
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urban: decline and regeneration Joint venture development in West Hampstead, London, by Ballymore Group and Network Rail, consisting of 198 flats (32% classified as affordable), shops, restaurants, a food market, 5,000 square feet of offices and 2,600 sq ft of leisure space. All the flats have been sold off-plan. | Low | [
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To facilitate transfer of technology and arms to India, recently designated as a major defence partner, the United States has made several changes to its stringent export laws. The new rules seek to "create a presumption of approval" for sharing technology and selling sensitive equipment. With new rules in place, India will now be denied access to US technology and arms only in the rarest of the rare cases. Industry in India has welcomed the news as unrestricted access to US technology will help it realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of Make In India. “I'm pleased to see India's status as a 'Major Defence Partner' - a designation that we have strongly supported - be translated into tangible regulatory reform,” president of US India Business Council (USIBC) Mukesh Aghi was quoted as saying. Indian companies, after they become Validated End User (VEU), will not need individual licenses. According to Benjamin Schwartz, director for Defence and Aerospace at USIBC, these changes will help US and Indian companies in building global supply chains easily. “This is a very favourable policy for Indian companies. The rule will make business substantially easier for Indian companies in the defence sector, especially those partnering with American companies. This gives Indian and US companies operating in India the ability to be reactive in real time to meet their supply chain needs,” the Economic Times quoted Schwartz as saying. | Mid | [
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Q: Delayed start of Ajax.PeriodicalUpdater In my web-app have a statusbar for my users where number of new messages etc is shown. I use Ajax.PeriodicalUpdater for refreshing every 60 sec. But the PeriodicalUpdater is doing the first fetch on initialization when there is no need as the data is fresh on page load. So what is your best practice to start the Updater 60 seconds after page load? I am using a window.setTimeout to call a function that starts the updater, but is there something better? function statusbarUpdate(){ new Ajax.PeriodicalUpdater({ success: 'statusbar' }, '/status', { method: 'get', frequency: 60, decay: 1 }); } window.setTimeout("statusbarUpdate()", 1000 * 60) A: There is nothing in Ajax.PeriodicalUpdater's source that allows for a delayed start. However for a bit of syntactic sugar the last line can be neatened: statusbarUpdate.delay(1000 * 60); | Low | [
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--- author: - | Paul S. Ray and Pablo M. Saz Parkinson for the [*Fermi*]{} LAT Collaboration,\ the LAT Pulsar Timing Consortium, and the LAT Pulsar Search Consortium title: 'Pulsar Results with the [*Fermi*]{} Large Area Telescope' --- Introduction {#sec:intro} ============ Gamma-ray Pulsars in the Year 2000 {#subsec:EGRET} ---------------------------------- Ten years ago, on 4 June 2000, the *Compton Gamma Ray Observatory* (CGRO) was de-orbited, ending nine years of operation, during which it revolutionized gamma-ray astronomy. In particular, the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) surveyed the sky at energies $>100$ MeV with much better sensitivity than previous experiments. The landmark Third EGRET (3EG) Catalog [@3rdCat] reported the characteristics of 271 gamma-ray sources. The largest class of identified sources were blazars, with 66 sources, followed by 5 pulsars (Crab, Vela, Geminga, PSR B1055$-$52, and PSR B1706$-$44), 1 solar flare, the Large Magellenic Cloud, and one probable radio galaxy (Centaurus A). Interestingly, the majority of the 3EG sources (170 of them) were not associated with any known classes of gamma-ray emitting objects. It was widely believed that a large number of the unidentified EGRET sources, particularly along the Galactic plane, could be pulsars [e.g. @yad95], and several radio pulsars were, in fact, discovered by searching the error circles of EGRET unidentified sources [e.g. @Halpern2001a; @Roberts2002]. Further work on EGRET data revealed one more high-confidence pulsar (PSR B1951+32) and several candidates, including one millisecond pulsar [@Kuiper2000]. An excellent observational summary of what was known about gamma-ray pulsars at the end of the EGRET era was presented by @thom01. It is also worth noting that a 7th gamma-ray pulsar (PSR B1509$-$58) was detected by the COMPTEL experiment up to 10 MeV [@Kuiper1999], though it was never seen with EGRET. Pre-launch predictions of the number of gamma-ray pulsars that [*Fermi*]{} LAT would detect (as well as the fraction of those that would be radio quiet) are highly dependent on the assumed gamma-ray emission model, ranging from a few tens to many hundreds [e.g. @Ransom07], with the larger number (and fraction of radio-quiet pulsars) usually predicted by outer-magnetosphere models, where the gamma-ray beam is expected to be broader [@Jiang06; @Harding07]. It should be noted that the detection of a gamma-ray pulsar, in this context, does not necessarily imply the detection of its pulsations; most models, for example, “predict" that EGRET detected far more than the 6 gamma-ray pulsars for which high-confidence pulsations were actually observed, a view that is supported by the subsequent detection of pulsations from many formerly unidentified EGRET sources by the LAT. [*Fermi*]{} and [*AGILE*]{} --------------------------- After almost a decade without an orbiting GeV telescope, two new satellites were launched in 2007–2008, ushering in a new era of gamma-ray astronomy. *AGILE* (an Italian acronym for *Astro-rivelatore Gamma a Immagini LEggero*) was launched on 23 April 2007 and the *Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope* (formerly GLAST) was launched on 11 June 2008. The prime instruments on both spacecraft are pair production gamma-ray telsecopes, like EGRET. However, instead of a gas spark chamber, they employ more modern solid-state silicon strip detectors to track the gamma-ray and particle events. While *AGILE* had a 14-month head start on *Fermi*, and has made many important contributions, it represents a modest improvement in sensitivity compared to EGRET. In this paper we focus on the pulsar results made possible by the enormous leap in sensitivity afforded by *Fermi*. The primary instrument on *Fermi* is the Large Area Telescope (LAT) [@LATinstrument]. The LAT is a pair conversion gamma-ray telescope where incoming gamma rays are converted to electron-positron pairs in a set of tungsten foils. The resulting electron-positron pair and shower of secondary particles are tracked by a stack of silicon strip detectors to determine the incident direction of the photon before the energy of the shower is recorded in a CsI calorimeter. The instrument is wrapped in a segmented anti-coincidence detector that aids in the separation of events due to charged particles from those resulting from photons. This is critical because charged particle events outnumber photon events by a factor of 10$^4$. The LAT is sensitive to photons in the energy range 30 MeV to $>300$ GeV, with an effective area of $\sim8000$ cm$^2$ at 1 GeV. The point spread function is $\sim 0.8^\circ$ at 1 GeV and is a strong function of energy, scaling like $E^{-0.8}$ until the resolution becomes limited by position resolution in the tracker at about 0.07$^\circ$[^1]. Compared to EGRET, the LAT represents a major improvement in effective area, field of view, and angular resolution. In addition, it operates in a sky survey mode which avoids loss of observing efficiency from Earth occultations and covers the sky nearly uniformly every two orbits ($\sim 3$ hours). These characteristics give the LAT unprecedented sensitivity for discovery and study of gamma-ray pulsars. The First [*Fermi*]{} LAT catalog [1FGL; @1FGL] of 1451 gamma-ray sources detected during the first 11 months of science operations contains 56 sources that have been firmly identified as pulsars through their gamma-ray pulsations. Several additional gamma-ray pulsars have been identified since the release of the catalog, bringing the total number to more than 60. In the following sections, we describe the various populations of gamma-ray pulsars being explored by the LAT, and the different techniques employed in their detection, as well as some of the new insights being gained through these new findings. We end with a brief summary and some thoughts on the future goals and expectations for pulsar astrophysics with the LAT in the coming years. The EGRET Pulsars in Exquisite Detail ===================================== The EGRET experiment represented a major improvement relative to previous gamma-ray missions (e.g. SAS-2 and COS-B). In addition to increasing the number of high-confidence gamma-ray pulsars from 2 to 6, the higher sensitivity of EGRET led to a better understanding of the known gamma-ray pulsars (at the time, only the Crab and Vela). Similarly, the LAT, with its improved sensitivity and broader energy range is not only enabling the discovery of a large number of new gamma-ray pulsars, but is also greatly expanding our knowledge of the previously known EGRET-detected pulsars. Because these pulsars are among the brightest known gamma-ray sources, the LAT is able to accumulate enough statistics to allow for detailed (and phase-resolved) spectral analyses, in many cases answering some questions left over from the EGRET era, or challenging some of the previous EGRET results which in most cases were based on limited statistics. Early LAT observations of Vela, the brightest steady gamma-ray source, confirmed some of the basic features of this pulsar: It has two asymmetric peaks that evolve differently with energy, and a phase-averaged spectrum well modeled by a hard power-law with an exponential cutoff in the 2–4 GeV energy range. In addition, the much better statistics and time resolution of the LAT data reveal pulse structures as fine as 0.3 ms, and a hitherto unknown third peak in the light curve, which evolves with energy (see Figure \[fig:vela\_third\_peak\]). Spectral fits to the LAT data suggest that a simple exponential cutoff is preferred over a super-exponential one, indicating that outer-magnetosphere emission models are favored over polar cap type models [@LATVELA]. More recent results on Vela, using 11 months of observations, show detailed phase-resolved features which confirm the EGRET results on the spectral evolution of the two main peaks. In addition, while the first peak is seen to fade at higher energies, the newly-discovered third peak, along with the second peak, are present up to the highest detected pulsed energies [@LATVELA2]. ![Pulse profile of the Vela pulsar, as a function of energy. The different behavior of the two main peaks is evident. A third peak is seen to appear at higher energies, with its position shifting in phase, as a function of energy [from @LATVELA2 reproduced by permission of the AAS].[]{data-label="fig:vela_third_peak"}](Vela.png){width="75mm"} LAT results on the Crab pulsar confirm that it shares many of the properties of Vela, with two asymmetric peaks evolving differently with energy. The Crab pulsar spectrum is also best modeled with a power law with an exponential cutoff, but the cut-off energy in this case is much higher than Vela ($\sim$6 GeV), with pulsed gamma-ray photons being detected at least up to $\sim$20 GeV [@LATCRAB]. One of the new features uncovered by the LAT is an apparent phase shift between the main radio peak and the first gamma-ray peak. Previously, it was thought that these two were aligned, but the fine time resolution of the LAT allows us to determine that the first gamma-ray peak leads the main radio pulse by ($281\pm12\pm21$) $\mu$s (see Figure \[fig:crab\]). In addition to being the second brightest non-variable source in the GeV sky, Geminga was the first known radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar. As such, it cannot be timed in radio and until now, a good timing solution relied on X-ray observations. Using $\sim$1 year of observations, consisting of over 60,000 photons, a timing solution was obtained based solely on gamma rays [@LATGEMINGA]. Geminga shows many similarities to Vela and the Crab. The phase-averaged spectrum is also well represented by a power law with exponential cutoff, with a hard spectral index and a cutoff energy between 2–3 GeV, leading to pulsed gamma rays being detected up to at least 18 GeV [@LATGEMINGA]. Detailed phase-resolved spectroscopy shows an evolution of the spectral parameters with phase and appears to indicate that there is emission coming from the pulsar at all rotational phases, favoring, once again, outer-magnetospheric emission models [@LATGEMINGA]. The remaining EGRET pulsars, PSRs J1057$-$5226, J1709$-$4429, and J1952+3252, while still bright, were not as bright as Vela, the Crab, and Geminga. LAT observations of these pulsars shed light on some of the key questions left over from the EGRET era. All three pulsars, once again, can be fit with a power law with a simple exponential cutoff. This contradicts earlier EGRET results that indicated that PSRJ1709$-$4429 could be fit with a broken power law and PSRJ1952+3252 showed no signs of a cutoff below 30 GeV [@LAT3EGRETpulsars]. It is interesting to note that the conclusion about the EGRET spectrum of PSRJ1952+3252 was based on the detection of 2 photons above 10 GeV. Finally, although not detected by EGRET, PSRB1509$-$58 was seen by the COMPTEL instrument, and is therefore one of the 7 gamma-ray pulsars detected by CGRO. More recently, its detection has also been reported by the [*AGILE*]{} collaboration [@AgilePulsars]. Using 1 year of data, the LAT was able to detect pulsations from PSR B1509$-$58 up to 1 GeV, and confirmed that, unlike the EGRET-detected pulsars, PSR B1509$-$58 has an energy spectrum that breaks at a few tens of MeV [@LATB1509]. The high precision phase-resolved spectral measurements made possible with the LAT will be critical for theoretical modeling efforts, which must confront these new data. With the simple question of polar cap vs. outer magnetosphere origin now largely resolved, the important questions become more subtle: Where exactly in the outer magnetosphere is the acceleration occurring? Which magnetosphere geometry is appropriate (e.g. vacuum dipole or force-free magnetosphere)? ![Folded light curve of the Crab pulsar [from @LATCRAB reproduced by permission of the AAS]. The statistics provided by the LAT allow us to observe structure in the light curve with incredible precision. For example, it is now clear that the main radio pulse (red) and the gamma-ray pulse (black) do not line up, and in fact are separated by approximately 0.3 ms.[]{data-label="fig:crab"}](Crab.png){width="70mm"} Young Pulsars Found Using Radio Ephemerides =========================================== In addition to the 7 young (or middle-aged) gamma-ray pulsars previously detected by CGRO, the LAT has also detected gamma-ray emission from an additional dozen or more “young" (non-millisecond) radio-selected pulsars. PSRJ2021+3651 holds the distinction of being the first new gamma-ray pulsar in the post-EGRET era. The pulsations were detected with the LAT during the commissioning phase of the instrument [@PSR2021LAT], although the original discovery of the gamma-ray pulsar was independently reported using [*AGILE*]{} data [@Halpern2008]. Other pulsars detected early in the mission include PSRJ1028$-$5819, shown to be at least partly responsible for the EGRET source 3EGJ1027$-$5817, the single-peaked PSRJ2229+6114 in the “Boomerang" pulsar wind nebula (PWN) [@LATVelaLike], and the very energetic PSRJ0205+6449, in SNR 3C 58 [@LATPSR0205]. Several of the newly-detected gamma-ray pulsars were already proposed as marginal EGRET detections, including PSRs J1048$-$5832 and J0659+1414. Figure \[fig:J1048\], for example, shows the folded light curves of PSR J1048$-$5832, including that generated with EGRET data. While the significance of the EGRET pulsation is clearly limited by the much lower statistics, the perfect alignment of the peaks with the LAT profile confirms that this was, indeed, a real detection, as originally reported by @EGRETB1046m58. Other young pulsars now seen by the LAT were originally discovered in radio searches of EGRET unidentified sources, and thus proposed as the energetic radio counterparts of the known gamma-ray sources (e.g. PSRs J2021+3651 and J2229+6114). Many, however, had no previous gamma-ray associations. While the brightest new gamma-ray pulsars (particularly those coincident with formerly-unidentified EGRET sources) could have been detected in blind searches of LAT data (or searching around the extrapolation of the original radio timing solution), the detection of pulsations from fainter gamma-ray pulsars (e.g. PSRJ0205+6449) requires contemporaneous phase-connected timing solutions spanning the entire LAT data set. In anticipation of such needs, a comprehensive pulsar monitoring campaign (known as the Pulsar Timing Consortium) was set up, prior to launch, between the LAT collaboration and the major radio telescopes, to ensure periodic monitoring of hundreds of pulsars with large spin-down energies, with the goal of providing the necessary ephemerides [@Smith08]. ![Folded light curves of the young energetic pulsar PSRJ1048$-$5832 [from @LATVelaLike reproduced by permission of the AAS]. The second panel from the bottom shows the EGRET light curve. The [ *Fermi*]{} LAT data allow us not only to confirm the marginal EGRET detection (note that the peaks line up), but also to study much finer time scales, as well as the energy evolution of the light curve.[]{data-label="fig:J1048"}](J1048.png){width="64mm"} Millisecond Pulsars =================== At first glance, millisecond pulsars (MSPs) might not seem like great candidates for gamma-ray emission. After all, they are several orders of magnitude older than the gamma-ray bright young pulsars and their surface magnetic fields are about four orders of magnitude weaker. On the other hand, their very rapid rotation rates give them open field line voltages that are competitive with the young pulsars and their magnetic fields at the light cylinder ($B_\mathrm{LC}$) are at about the median value for the young gamma-ray pulsars. This, plus the marginal detection of PSR J0218+4232 with EGRET [@Kuiper2000], gave some reason to be optimistic. One particularly prescient paper [@Story07] used a detailed population study based on the pair-starved polar cap model to predict that the LAT should be sensitive enough to detect tens of gamma-ray millisecond pulsars, most of which should be radio quiet and thus form a high-latitude population of unidentified gamma-ray pulsars. They also pointed out that, since the high latitude regions have been very poorly covered by millisecond pulsar surveys so far, radio searches of LAT point sources with pulsar-like spectra should be an efficient way to find new MSPs. Over the first 18 months of the *Fermi* mission, it has become abundantly clear that millisecond pulsars are a significant contributor to the population of high latitude gamma-ray sources being detected with the LAT. Figure \[fig:msps\] shows the distribution, in Galactic coordinates, of all the MSPs detected to date with [*Fermi*]{} LAT. We describe these discoveries in the following subsections. Radio MSPs ---------- The first LAT results on MSPs came from folding the gamma-ray data using radio ephemerides for the $\sim 72$ field MSPs (i.e. $P<30$ ms and outside of the globular cluster system). Within the first 8 months of data taking, significant gamma-ray pulsations were discovered from 8 MSPs, including confirmation of the EGRET detection of PSR J0218+4232 [@PSR0030; @MSP]. In addition to the 8 pulsed detections, it was noted that there were significant LAT point sources positionally coincident with 5 other MSPs [@MSP]. With continued exposure accumulating, 3 of those 5 now have reported pulsation detections above the 5 $\sigma$ significance level: PSR J0034$-$0534 [@PSRJ0034], PSR B1937+21 and PSR B1957+20 [@k10], bringing the total number of radio-timed millisecond gamma-ray pulsars to 11. The initial 8 MSP discoveries tended to resemble the normal pulsar population in most of their characteristics, including the peak separations, fraction that showed single vs. double peaks, and radio lags. This led to the conclusion that MSPs had essentially the same gamma-ray emission mechanism operating in the outer magnetosphere as the young pulsars, as suggested by the similar values of $B_\mathrm{LC}$. Interestingly, the three latest discoveries all have gamma-ray light curves that appear to have peaks that are *aligned* in phase with the radio pulses. This characteristic is very rare among the normal pulsars, with the primary counter-example being the Crab pulsar (where the radio peaks overlap the gamma-ray ones, even though they aren’t perfectly aligned, as described above). It has been suggested that these are cases where the gamma-ray and radio emission are coming from nearly co-located regions of the magnetosphere and that both result from caustic formation [@PSRJ0034]. Searches of LAT Unassociated Sources ------------------------------------ As mentioned earlier, a promising technique for discovering new MSPs is to perform radio searches in the direction of gamma-ray point sources that have pulsar-like characteristics (e.g. lack of variability and exponentially cutoff spectra). This technique was used, with modest success, on many of the EGRET unidentified sources [@crh+06; @cml05; @kjk+08 for example]. These searches were challenging because the EGRET error boxes were many times larger than a typical radio telescope beam, requiring many pointings to cover the source region. With the LAT, the unassociated source localizations are a much better match to radio telescope beam sizes and can generally be searched in a single pointing. The *Fermi* Pulsar Search Consortium (PSC) was conceived to organize search observations of LAT-discovered pulsars and unassociated sources using several large radio telescopes around the world. Thus far, over 100 LAT unassociated sources, mostly at high Galactic latitudes (See Figure \[fig:msps\]), have been searched at 350, 820, or 1400 MHz resulting in the discovery of 18 new millisecond pulsars [@ran10]. These searches are ongoing, and there is no apparent strong correlation between the gamma-ray and radio fluxes of these pulsars, so more discoveries can be expected as fainter LAT unassociated sources[^2] are searched. These discoveries represent a $\sim$25% increase in the number of known millisecond pulsars outside of the globular clusters, which is an impressive achievement considering the enormous effort that has gone into radio MSP searches over the last three decades. The new pulsars include several highly interesting sources. Five of them are so-called “Black Widow” pulsars, with minimum companion masses of 0.01–0.05 $M_\odot$ and one other has a more typical mass companion, but exhibits radio eclipses. These more than double the known population of such pulsars in the field of the Galaxy and will be important systems for understanding the formation and evolution of millisecond pulsars as well as excellent systems to look for unpulsed gamma-ray emission from intra-binary shocks. Several others are very bright with sharp radio profiles that have the potential to be important additions to pulsar timing array projects that seek to detect nanoHertz gravitational waves via their effect on pulse arrival times [@haa+10]. Since all of these pulsars are positionally coincident with LAT gamma-ray sources, it is expected that once sufficiently accurate timing models are available, they will all be found to be gamma-ray pulsars and, indeed, LAT pulsations have already been discovered for the first 3 of the new MSPs [@ran10]. ![Sky map, in Galactic coordinates, showing millisecond pulsars detected with the [*Fermi*]{} LAT. The background image is made from 16 months of LAT data (2008-08-04 through 2009-12-02) with $E>100$ MeV. The white crosses mark the 11 previously known radio pulsars found to be gamma-ray pulsars with the LAT. The yellow circles indicate the 18 new radio MSPs discovered in searches of pulsar-like LAT unassociated sources.[]{data-label="fig:msps"}](AllMSPbig.pdf){width="117mm"} Globular Cluster MSPs --------------------- Although there are some 140 pulsars known in globular clusters[^3], most of which are MSPs, there have been no reported gamma-ray pulsations from individual millisecond pulsars in globular clusters with the LAT. However, in at least 8 cases, there are point-like gamma-ray sources spatially coincident with globular clusters [@47Tuc; @khc10; @GCPop]. In general, these 8 LAT sources are consistent with being the combined emission of a population of millisecond pulsars in each cluster. Most have spectra that show an exponential cutoff in the few GeV range, as seen with MSPs, but for a couple the significance of the cutoff is too low for it to be considered evidence for an association of the gamma-ray source with the cluster. The fluxes are largely consistent, within the substantial uncertainties, with estimates of the total number of MSPs in each from from radio and X-ray observations. However, in three cases, there are no known MSPs in clusters with associated LAT sources, providing a strong motivation for deeper radio pulsar searches of those clusters. It is worth noting that the [*AGILE*]{} collaboration reported the detection of pulsations from PSRJ1824$-$2452, in the globular cluster M28 [@AgilePulsars], but the detection was marginal and appeared in only one subset of the [*AGILE*]{} data. Thus far, this result has not been confirmed by *Fermi*. In general, the detection of individual gamma-ray pulsars in globular clusters will likely be difficult because of the typically large distances to the clusters (4–12 kpc for the likely LAT-detected clusters) and because of the background provided by the rest of the pulsars in the cluster. However, in cases where there is one pulsar (like PSR J1824$-$2452) that has a very large $\dot{E}$, it may outshine the rest of the pulsars in the cluster and be detectable individually. Searches with the LAT are ongoing, using radio timing models for a large number of individual pulsars in globular clusters. Blind Periodicity Searches ========================== As described in previous sections, it was long thought that many of the EGRET unidentified sources could, in fact, be pulsars—in particular radio-quiet pulsars like Geminga. Previous attempts to carry out blind searches on EGRET data using coherent FFT techniques were unsuccessful [e.g. @Chandler2001]. The sparse data sets and sensitivity to timing irregularities make such searches incredibly challenging. A new technique was developed to try and ameliorate the problem, by calculating the FFT of the time differences (instead of times of arrival) of events. Time differences are calculated between all events in the time series with respect to events lying within a relatively short sliding window ($\sim$weeks). The lower frequency resolution of the resulting FFTs make these searches less sensitivite to frequency shifts (such as those caused by the spindown of the pulsar), while at the same time resulting in great savings in computational time [@Atwood2006]. This new time-differencing technique was shown to work with EGRET data [@Ziegler2008], and has since proven extremely successful with the LAT data, leading to the discovery, so far, of 24 pulsars found in blind searches [@BSP; @BSP2]. Figure \[fig:FFT\_Example\] shows an example of the output from a successful blind search of a formerly unassociated LAT source, now identified as PSRJ1957+5033 [@BSP2]. After determining that the highly significant peak at 2.668 Hz is promising, standard pulsar packages such as PRESTO[^4] [@RansomThesis], and tempo2 [@hobbs06], are used to refine the result and obtain a final timing solution for the pulsar. ![Results from a blind search on a formerly unassociated LAT source [now PSRJ1957+5033; @BSP2], indicating the presence of a highly significant pulsation at 2.668 Hz. The FFT has been computed using the differences between binned photon arrival times up to a maximum difference of 262,144 s, and the power at each frequency has been normalized to represent the inverse of the probability that it could be due to a random fluctuation, as described in @Ziegler2008. Note that the logarithmic scale results in the majority of the 33,554,432 FFT bins not showing up in the figure.[]{data-label="fig:FFT_Example"}](FFT_Example.png){width="117mm"} Most of the initial 16 pulsars found in blind searches of LAT data were associated with formerly unidentified EGRET sources. In fact, only 3 of the 16 had no EGRET counterpart [@BSP]. Many of these sources were long-suspected of hosting pulsars, including 3EGJ1835+5918, the brightest unidentified EGRET source off the Galactic plane, which was even dubbed the ‘Next Geminga’ [@Halpern2007]. Six out of the sixteen pulsars were discovered by assuming a counterpart position derived from observations at other wavelengths (mostly X-ray), instead of the less precise LAT position. A prime example is the discovery of PSRJ1836+5925 powering 3EGJ1835+5918 [@LATPSR1836]. More recently, the last 8 pulsars found in blind searches have mostly been found from newly-discovered LAT sources, with no corresponding EGRET counterpart, except in some cases where the EGRET source might have been confused and is now being resolved into multiple separate gamma-ray sources by the LAT [@BSP2]. Although radio beaming fractions for MSPs appear to be large [@kxl+08], there are still expected to be radio quiet millisecond pulsars detected as point sources with the LAT. A discovery of a radio-quiet MSP in a blind search would be an important result. Unfortunately, the parameter space that needs to be searched is vast. For the case of binary MSPs the problem may be essentially intractable. However, about 25% of MSPs are isolated, including at least two of the LAT-detected radio MSP. For these pulsars the search is daunting, but not impossible. On the plus side, MSPs have low period derivatives and are extremely stable rotators, so the pulse will remain phase coherent for a long integration time. Counteracting this is the fact that the fast spin rates require that the pulsar position be known very precisely ($\sim 0.1\ \mathrm{arcsec}$). For a typical LAT point source position uncertainty of 3 arcmin, this requires $3.2\times10^{6}$ trial positions to cover the region, and each trial position requires a search over frequency and frequency derivative. Current efforts on blind searches of LAT data are concentrating on both searching deeper for young and middle aged pulsars as well as expanding the search parameter space to include isolated MSPs. Pulsar Timing with the LAT ========================== Pulsar timing is a powerful technique that involves fitting a model to measured pulse arrival times that can account for every rotation of the neutron star over a time span of years [@Handbook chap. 8]. Of course, such timing yields extremely precise measurements of the spin period and spindown rate of the neutron star, quantities from which estimates of the magnetic field, age, and energy loss rate of the pulsar can be derived. In addition, because of the motion of the Earth around the solar system barycenter, the pulse arrival times are highly sensitive to the pulsar position on the sky. Once those major effects are accounted for, timing is sensitive to a host of other parameters of the system including binary orbital parameters, timing noise, glitches, and even proper motion and parallax in some cases. Traditionally, pulsars have been discovered and timed using radio telescopes. Working in the gamma-ray band, EGRET was not very effective for pulsar timing both because of its limited sensitivity and because of its pointed viewing plan that meant that most pulsars were only observed for a few 2-week observations scattered over the mission. The situation is completely different with *Fermi*, which now has both the sensitivity to detect a large number of pulsars and a sky survey viewing plan that allows observations of every pulsar in the sky continuously. For most of the 24 blind search pulsars, timing using the LAT data is the only option since they are undetectable or extremely faint at radio wavelengths. In addition there are some very faint radio pulsars, such as PSR J1124$-$5916 where the observation time required to do radio timing is prohibitive, but which can be readily timed with the LAT. There are several key differences between pulsar timing with the LAT and radio pulsar timing. First, the satellite is not affixed to the Earth, like a ground-based radio telescope. Second, the data are very sparse, with often fewer than 100 photons being used to make a pulse time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement. The first issue is dealt with by transforming the photon arrival times as observed at the satellite to a fictional observatory at the geocenter, thus removing the effects of the spacecraft motion on the measurement. The second difference drives one to adopt a TOA measurement technique different than the traditional radio method of cross correlating a folded pulse profile with a high signal to noise binned template. Instead, TOAs are determined by a maximum likelihood fit to the offset between the measured photon times and an analytic template profile [@BlindTiming]. What is impressive is that even with so few photons, timing models can be determined for most detectable LAT pulsars with RMS residuals of order a millisecond using TOAs spaced by a few weeks. This enables arcsecond position determinations as shown in Figures \[fig:pos\] and \[fig:J1023\] (right panel). In addition to these precise positions that enable multiwavelength counterpart identifications, pulsar timing with the LAT has provided spindown measurements for the gamma-ray selected pulsars, detection and measurement of glitches, and studies of the timing noise observed in these systems. The precise long-term timing models are also critical for other studies such as blanking a pulsar to remove confusion in the study of a nearby source, as was required for Cygnus X-3 [@CygX3] or searches for off-pulse emission, such as from an SNR or PWN [@gl10]. ![Comparison of position determinations of PSR J1836+5925. The large ellipse (0.45 arcmin semimajor axis) is the 95% confidence region from positional analysis of 18 months of LAT data (M. Kerr, private communication). The small ellipse (0.8 $\times$ 0.4 arcsec) is from the pulsar timing model fit over the same interval [@BlindTiming]. The background image is a Chandra X-ray image showing the point source at the location of the pulsar.[]{data-label="fig:pos"}](newpos1836.pdf){width="75mm"} Multiwavelength Connections =========================== The 24 blind-search pulsars were all discovered in gamma-ray searches and thus are gamma-ray selected pulsars, but targeted radio observations are required to determine if they are also radio quiet, or could have been discovered in radio surveys independently. Radio detections also yield distance estimates from dispersion measure, information on the emission region from radio to gamma-ray offset, and geometry from radio polarization studies. In addition, the population statistics of radio quiet vs. radio loud gamma-ray pulsars have important implications for gamma-ray emission models. Deep radio searches have now resulted in the detection of radio pulsations from three of the 24 blind search pulsars, with strong upper limits on the others [@BlindTiming; @BSP2]. The pulsations from J1741$-$2054 were found in archival Parkes Multibeam survey data and confirmed using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) [@Camilo2009]. For J2032+4127, the pulsations were discovered using the GBT [@Camilo2009]. The third radio pulsation discovered was from PSR J1907+0602 [@MGRO] using a very deep observation with the 305-m Arecibo telescope. The detections provide distance estimates from the dispersion measure, which allow conversion of the radio fluxes into pseudo-luminosities. As shown in Figure \[fig:lumfig\], two of these pulsars are exceptionally faint, with luminosities about an order of magnitude lower than the faintest radio-discovered young pulsars. This is forcing a reevaluation of what is meant by a ‘radio quiet’ pulsar. ![Pseudo-luminosities of the gamma-ray selected pulsars that have since been detected as radio pulsars (red stars), compared to the general population of radio pulsars (blue dots).[]{data-label="fig:lumfig"}](lumfig.pdf){width="75mm"} ![[**Left –**]{} [*Fermi*]{} LAT counts map of the region around PSRJ1023$-$5746. The green contours represent the HESS significance. [**Right –**]{} [*Chandra*]{} X-ray image of the Westerlund 2 cluster. The X-ray counterpart of PSRJ1023$-$5746 is approximately 8 arcminutes away from the core of the cluster. Inset: Zoomed-in image of a 1 square arcminute region around the location of the pulsar. Note that the 95% (statistical) error ellipse obtained from pulsar timing (shown in white) overlaps with the X-ray source. Figures from @BSP2, reproduced by permission of the AAS.[]{data-label="fig:J1023"}](J1023.png){width="117mm"} Observations of PWNe at TeV energies go back to the very first firm detection of emission from the Crab nebula [@Weekes89]. Since then, over 100 TeV sources have been detected[^5] and more than half of these have associated LAT sources [@1FGL], which is perhaps not altogether surprising given that the energy ranges of the LAT and ground-based Cerenkov detectors overlap. PWNe represent the largest class of Galactic TeV sources. In fact, the first unidentified TeV source, discovered by the HEGRA telescope in the Cygnus OB2 region, is associated with PSR J2032+4127, one of the pulsars found in blind searches of LAT data [@BSP; @Camilo2009]. HESS observations of the Galactic plane uncovered a large number of unidentified TeV sources, and many of these are thought to be associated with PWNe. In some cases, the discovery of new LAT pulsars coincident with known TeV sources can put into question previous interpretations of the TeV emission. Figure \[fig:J1023\], for example, shows the positional coincidence of the highly energetic pulsar PSRJ1023$-$5746 [@BSP2] with the bright TeV source, HESSJ1023-575. Located in the vicinity of the young stellar cluster Westerlund 2, the TeV emission from this source was previously thought to be due mainly to the wind interaction from massive stars [@HESSJ1023]. The presence of such a pulsar, however, must lead to a re-examination of such conclusions. Furthermore, the identification of the counterpart (right panel in Figure \[fig:J1023\]) shows that the association with the Westerlund 2 cluster is highly questionable. At higher energies still, the Milagro observatory detected significant ($> 5\sigma$) TeV emission at a median energy of 35 TeV from the location of 6 gamma-ray pulsars detected by the LAT, and evidence for emission ($3-5 \sigma$) from the location of an additional 8 sources from the Bright Source List [@Milagro2009]. Four of those sources are gamma-ray pulsars, and two more are associated with supernova remnants. This strong connection between young energetic GeV pulsars and their TeV PWNe can play an important role not only in understanding the nature of the emission from such sources, but also as a means to identify likely candidates for gamma-ray pulsars, ultimately leading to the identification of both TeV and GeV sources. X-ray observations of gamma-ray pulsars and pulsar candidates are particularly important. First, the precise positions of neutron star candidates allow for more sensitive blind searches to take place (as in the case of PSRJ0007+7303 or PSRJ1836+5925). Secondly, for those pulsar candidates found using the less precise LAT position, X-ray positions can serve to refine the candidate and determine whether it is a real detection. In 4 out of the original 16 pulsars discovered in blind searches, a short observation with the Swift satellite was enough to identify a plausible X-ray counterpart which resulted in a much higher significance of the pulsation [@BSP]. In several other cases (e.g. Gamma Cygni SNR, Cygnus OB2 association), archival observations could be analysed in search of the best possible counterpart. ![Period-Period Derivative diagram showing the LAT-detected pulsars. Included are 24 young or middle-aged radio-timed pulsars (green circles), 25 gamma-ray selected pulsars (blue squares), where all but Geminga were discovered in LAT blind searches, and 14 millisecond pulsars (red triangles), for a total of 63 gamma-ray pulsars. Note that this does not include 15 of the radio millisecond pulsars discovered in searches of LAT unassociated sources, essentially all of which can be expected to be detected as gamma-ray pulsars once their timing models are well determined.[]{data-label="fig:ppdot"}](ppdot_distrib.pdf){width="100mm"} The LAT Pulsar Population ========================= A Period-Period Derivative diagram showing all 63 gamma-ray pulsar detections made with the LAT to date is shown in Figure \[fig:ppdot\]. This is an update of Figure 2 from the [*Fermi*]{} LAT First Pulsar Catalog [@PulsarCatalog], which summarizes the characteristics of the 46 gamma-ray pulsars detected with the LAT in the first 6 months of the [*Fermi*]{} mission. The LAT-detected pulsars generally have high values for the detectability metric $\dot{E}^{1/2}/D^2$ and large $\dot{E}$ and $B_\mathrm{LC}$. Which one of these is really telling us about the gamma-ray emission physics at work in these sources remains to be seen. With a large number of detections spanning a range of $\dot{E}$ from $10^{33.5}$ to $>10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$, we can start to address the evolution of gamma-ray luminosity (i.e. efficiency) with $\dot{E}$. Unfortunately, the large distance uncertainties for most pulsars combined with the model-dependent uncertainty in the beaming factor (see below) prevent strong conclusions from being drawn at present [@PulsarCatalog]. The spectra of LAT pulsars are well characterized by exponentially cutoff power laws with photon indices near 1.5. The cutoff energies are in the 1–4 GeV range with a small number of outliers on the high and low side. The observed pulse profiles frequently evolve with energy, but generally fall into one of three categories: two peaks separated by $\sim 0.4-0.5$ in phase, two overlapping peaks separated by $\sim 0.2$ in phase, and single peaked profiles. Most of the LAT pulsars are consistent with being 100% pulsed in the gamma-ray band. However, a few (e.g. Geminga and PSR J1836+5925) seem to show magnetospheric emission across all rotational phases. In other cases, an analysis of the ‘off-pulse’ region of pulse phase reveals GeV emission from a pulsar wind nebula, typically with a much harder spectrum than that of the pulsar itself. A review of LAT observations of PWNe is presented elsewhere in this volume [@gl10]. The large number of radio and gamma-ray selected pulsars found with the LAT, combined with deep radio searches of the new gamma-ray selected population will enable population studies that will help shed light on the beaming fractions in the two bands and test predictions of the various models for the emission region geometries. One such early study [@rmh10] finds that the radio beaming fraction is near unity for the the highest $\dot{E}$ pulsars and decreases to $\sim 0.5$ for the lower $\dot{E}$ gamma-ray pulsars, implying that very high-$\dot{E}$ pulsars may produce their radio emission in the outer magnetosphere. If confirmed, this would have major implications. The current challenge is to use the abundance of well-measured light curves to constrain the geometry of the emitting region and the relevant magnetospheric physics. The favored approach is to choose an emission region location (e.g. polar cap (PC), outer gap (OG), or two-pole caustic (TPC)), combine it with an assumed magnetic field geometry and compute an ‘atlas’ of predicted gamma-ray light curves that can be compared with observations. This has been done for vacuum dipole field geometries [@Watters09], as well as for numerically-modeled ‘force-free’ geometries [@bs10b]. Other groups have specifically targeted millisecond pulsars [@vhg09]. The predicted light curve morphologies are sensitively dependent on both the misalignment between the spin and magnetic axes of the neutron star ($\alpha$) and the viewing angle ($\zeta$) between the spin axis and the line of sight. Without *a priori* knowledge of these angles, it can be hard to discriminate among models based on light curve fits. However, if the angles can be constrained by other methods, such as radio polarization measurements or X-ray PWN geometry, the degeneracies can be broken. An important output of these model fits is the ‘flux correction factor’ $f_\Omega$, defined such that the true gamma-ray luminosity, $L_\gamma$ of a pulsar is $$L_\gamma = 4 \pi f_\Omega F_\mathrm{obs} D^2,$$ where $F_\mathrm{obs}$ is the observed gamma-ray flux and $D$ is the distance. In the EGRET era it was commonly assumed that $f_\Omega \sim 1/4\pi$, but current models predict values much closer to 1. This parameter is crucial for understanding the energetics of these systems and the efficiency ($\eta$) with which they convert rotational energy into gamma-rays. Recent model comparisons with a few LAT pulsar light curves [@rw10] suggest that OG models with alternate field geometries are preferred in these cases. However, other objects may be consistent with lower altitude emission, and additional comparisons are needed to see if the data are consistent with emission beyond the light cylinder, as suggested by the force-free models. With many more high quality light curves being collected by the LAT, it should be possible to make powerful tests of these models, especially if when angle constraints from radio and X-ray observations are available. Future Expectations =================== The next few years promise a continued stream of exciting pulsar results from the LAT. With the very reasonable assumption that the 18 new millisecond pulsars found in radio searches of LAT unassociated sources will all turn out to be gamma-ray pulsars, there will soon be more than 75 solid gamma-ray pulsar detections. This number is not totally unexpected, according to several pre-launch predictions. What is more surprising is that the population is divided into three essentially equal groups: young or middle-aged radio-selected pulsars, young or middle-aged gamma-ray selected pulsars, and millisecond pulsars. Modeling the spectra, light curves, and population statistics of the LAT pulsars will be extremely important over the next few years to turn the powerful observations into improved understanding of the physical mechanism for pulsar gamma-ray emission. But, since this is a primarily observational review, we close with a few of the important observational questions that we expect to be addressed in the coming years. - [Are there radio quiet millisecond pulsars? This is both a great challenge for the observers and has very important implications for the emission mechanisms and geometry.]{} - [If the ‘gamma-ray binaries’ LS I +61 303 and LS 5039 (see review in this volume @hdt10) are powered by energetic pulsars, can we detect the gamma-ray pulsations with the LAT?]{} - [What are the non-detections of known pulsars telling us? While the new pulsar discoveries have grabbed most of the attention, it may be that one or more key non-detections will tell us something important about what drives gamma-ray pulsars. However, these studies are critically reliant on accurate distance determinations, so this is really a reminder that improved VLBA or timing parallax measurements for as many pulsars as possible will be of great value in increasing the science return from LAT pulsar studies.]{} The *Fermi* LAT Collaboration acknowledges generous ongoing support from a number of agencies and institutes that have supported both the development and the operation of the LAT as well as scientific data analysis. These include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy in the United States, the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique / Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules in France, the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Italy, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan, and the K. A. Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish National Space Board in Sweden. Additional support for science analysis during the operations phase is gratefully acknowledged from the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Italy and the Centre National d’Études Spatiales in France. Pablo Saz Parkinson acknowledges support from the American Astronomical Society and the National Science Foundation in the form of an International Travel Grant, which enabled him to attend this conference. Basic research in astronomy at the Naval Research Laboratory is supported by 6.1 base funding. [^1]: This is the individual photon angular resolution. Bright sources can be localized more precisely via centroiding. [^2]: The 1FGL catalog, compiled with 11 months of data, lists 630 unassociated sources and many more are expected as the LAT pushes down in sensitivity. Note, however, that AGN (which represent about half of the current associations) will likely comprise a significant fraction of these. [^3]: [http:// www.naic.edu/\~pfreire/GCpsr.html](http:// www.naic.edu/~pfreire/GCpsr.html) [^4]: [http://www.cv.nrao.edu/$\sim$sransom/presto/]{} [^5]: For an up-to-date catalog of TeV sources, see [http://tevcat.uchicago.edu/]{} | Mid | [
0.591928251121076,
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"Hey." "I know it's been a while." "I'm gonna be honest, i forgot about you." "After the farm, we were always moving." "But something happened." "Something good." "Finally." "We found a prison." "Daddy thinks that we can make it into a home." "He says we can grow crops in the field, find pigs and chickens, stop running, stop scavenging." "Lori's baby is just about due." "She'll need a safe place when it comes." "The rest of us, we just need a safe place to be." "I woke up in my own bed yesterday." "My own bed in my own room." "But I've been keeping my backpack." "Keeping my gun close." "I've been afraid to get my hopes up thinking we can actually stay here." "The thing is, I've been starting to get afraid that it's easier just to be afraid." "But this morning daddy said something." "If you don't have hope, what's the point of living?" "So I unpacked my bag and I found you." "So I'm gonna start writing in you again." "And I'm gonna write this down now because you should write down wishes to make them come true." "We can live here." "We can live here for the rest of our lives." "We should do something." "We should do something." "We aren't the only survivors." "We can't be." "Rick, michonne, they could be out here." "Maggie and Glenn could have made it out of a block." "They could've." "You're a tracker." "You can track." "Come on." "The sun will be up soon." "If we head out now, we can" "fine." "If you won't track, I will." "Could be Luke's." "Or Molly's." "Whoever they are, it means they're alive." "No." "This means they were alive four or five hours ago." "They're alive." "They picked up the pace right here." "Got out in a hurry." "Things went bad." "Wouldn't kill you to have a little faith." "Yeah, faith." "Faith ain't done shit for us." "Sure as hell didn't do nothing for your father." "They'll be hungry when we find them." "What?" "That ain't Walker blood." "The trail keeps going." "They fought them off." "No." "Got Walker tracks all up and down here." "At least a dozen of them." "Come on." "We're not gonna die." "None of us." "I believe now." "I believe for daddy." "If this doesn't work, i don't know how I could keep going." "Don't cry." "I want Carol." "Well, she's not here." "Here, put this on your belt." "It's gonna get dark soon." "Where are we going?" "Farther." "Come on." "Is everybody dead?" "They're gonna hear her." "We shouldn't be out here." "We'll find a safe place soon." "We will." "Here." "Walkers!" "Here, come on." "Let's go." "It's okay." "I'll find you something to eat." "All right, go." "Look, grapes." "It's okay." " Can we eat them?" " Yeah, they're good." "Here, Lizzie, have some." "Shh." "Come on, baby girl." "Shh." "Lizzie, hand me a diaper." "" " It's okay." "All right." "Bear with me, Judith." "Okay, that's it." "Okay." "They're gonna hear her." "You're all right." "Come on." "It's all right." "I know." "I know." "All right, what do you want?" "What do you want, hmm?" "Shh." "Shh." "Okay, come on." "Shh." " They're coming!" " Ah!" "I heard it, mica!" "Don't yell at her." "She doesn't understand walkers." "You're the one who doesn't understand them." "Come on." "Watch the baby." "Mica!" "Mica!" "Mica!" " Mica." " She's gone." "You yelled at her and now she's gone." "Mica." "Mica." "Are you okay?" "I got scared." "That's okay." "We all get scared." "You did the right thing running." " What?" " She did." "You hear or see a Walker, you run." "But when you're in a group, you got to try to stay close to them, okay?" "You're bleeding." "Did I hurt your arm bad?" "It was a lot worse at the prison." "No big." "I'm sorry." "I know I'm not like Lizzie." "Don't be sorry." "You each do things your own way." " But you both get it done." " Like you and Sasha?" "You're not like Sasha." "Why not?" "Because you're still here." "Sasha isn't." " Here." " What are you doing?" "Come on." "I'm making sure you can see in both directions." "You stay like this and keep watch." "You're leaving us?" "They may be from the prison." " I need to help them." " We need you." "Mica, tuck your shirt behind your knife so it's easier to grab." " We'll be okay." " Okay." "What do you do when you see a Walker?" " Run." " Run." "Together, towards me." "Only fire if you have to." "You stay right here until I get back, okay?" "Please, please don't go." "Mica, look at me." "You can handle this." "You're tough." " Chris, head for the woods." " I can't." "Come on, Judith." "Be quiet." "She's not stopping." "Please, Lizzie, do something." "They're gonna hear us." "Shh." "Lizzie." " Ah!" "Dad!" " Christopher!" " Dad!" " Christopher!" "Lizzie, we have to run." "Lizzie?" "Lizzie." "Watch out!" "Tyreese." "How-- how..." "How'd you find us?" "Where were you?" "How'd you-- stay here, girls." "Stay on the tracks." "That was my mistake." "But the woods have more cover." "No, you don't understand." "There's a place up the tracks." "It's safe." "You can take the children there." "Trust me." "Please." "Follow the tracks." "Tyreese." "I didn't run." "I didn't leave Lizzie." "See that?" "Tough little lady." "Hey, there's some water in there." " And some food." " Yeah." "Here you go." "Here you go." "Here you go." "I didn't see you get out." "I thought you" "I wasn't there." "I hadn't gotten back yet." "Rick and I found a car." "He took what we had back to the prison while I..." "Kept looking." "Did you see it?" "I saw the end." "And then..." "I saw you running into the woods." "You were far away." "I lost you, but..." "You found us." "I knew you would." "Hey, maybe we can circle back and find your car." "The walkers and the fire-- you can't go back to a graveyard." "Look." ""Sanctuary for all." "Community for all." "Those who arrive survive."" "Sorry." "You can smile." "You're alive." "I get it." "That's not it." "Okay." "Tyreese could have made it, Sasha." "We don't know if anybody got out." "No." "We do." "How's he doing?" "Bleeding stopped." "He'll be all right." "Got the water to our backs." "Decent vantage points from the bank." "I'm thinking we camp here for the night." "That's good." "You should both be safe here." "The bus got out." "Glenn got out." " I'm gonna find him." " Maggie." "With any luck, the bus is gone." "It was heading east down the main road." "If I follow in that direction," " I might be able to pick up its tracks." " Alone?" "With just that?" "I'm out of ammo, so, yeah." "I couldn't find Beth." "I know Glenn got out and I know which way he went." "I'm gonna go get him and I'm gonna come back for you." " We both are." " Maggie." " I'm going." " We cannot split up." "Not now." "I'm going." "You said it." "We can't split up." "You could have helped me stop her." "If you're trying to make me feel sorry for you, it's not working." "Damn, it means I let myself get shot up for nothing." "The odds of us finding him..." "We should be out looking for food, shelter." "Yeah, why is that?" "So we can live." " Then what?" " What?" "Maybe we didn't survive just to keep surviving." "Shit happens." "Not everything has to mean something." "No, it doesn't have to, but it can." "If you make it that way, and that's what it seems like we're doing." "And I'm down with that." "Maggie." "Maggie!" "You should go." " Maggie, stop." " Maggie." "Maggie." "I have to know if he's in there." "Fine, but we do it together." "Smart." "We'll let them out one at a time." "Two of us should be at the door..." "In case they stack up against it." "I have to be here." "I need to see their faces." "I can't hold it." "I'm sorry." "But they got away." "They were good people." "All of them." "You should let me." "Maggie?" "Maggie!" "It's full." "Did you even fire a shot?" "All right." "Let's go." "Let's go." "Are you just gonna stay here, huh?" " You're just gonna die?" " I was part of this." "I know." "So what are you doing?" "I need your help." "We're gonna run out of bullets." "Take this and take this." "Back up." "All right." "I need you to stay ahead of me, okay?" "All right." "I'll cover you, but I can't do it alone." "You ready?" "Let's go." "Go." "Go, go, go, go, go." "" " Shoot!" "Shoot!" "Come on!" "Did you see if any of my people got out?" "All I saw was my sister in that field." "She wasn't supposed to be there." "She had a gun, but they just swarmed her." "She wasn't supposed to be there." "I did it for him." "I trusted him." "And then he just killed that old man." "Hershel?" "Was his name hershel?" "I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "Brian, that man, told us you were bad people." "I know it's not true." "I can see it's not, so what we did, what I did..." "I mean, I'm a piece of shit." "Why would you want my help?" "I don't want it, I need it." "I have to find Maggie." "Who's Maggie?" "She's my wife." "You guys got separated?" "I was on the bus and then I got off to help and she didn't see me." "How do you know if she made it?" "I don't know." "But hershel," "Maggie's father, was a great man." "And he told me all I had to do was believe, and that's what I'm gonna do." "Neither one of us should be alive right now." "She got out, so you're gonna help me find her." "Things aren't over." "They're not over." "I want to believe that." "I want to." "You have to." "Glenn." "Glenn." "Hey, Glenn." "Hope you enjoyed the show, assholes." "You got a damn mouth on you, you know that?" "What else you got?" | Mid | [
0.5585585585585581,
38.75,
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table pdbSP "A cross-reference table between Swiss-Prot accession IDs and PDB IDs." ( string pdb; "PDB ID" string sp; "SWISS-PROT display ID" ) | Mid | [
0.6273584905660371,
33.25,
19.75
] |
SEATTLE -- Ramen noodles are supplanting the once popular cigarettes as a form of currency among state prisoners, but not in response to bans on tobacco products within prison systems, finds a new study. Instead, study author Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate in the University of Arizona School of Sociology, found that inmates are trying to figure out ways to better feed themselves as certain prison services are being defunded. The rise of ramen as currency in prison signals "punitive frugality," indicating that the burden and cost of care is shifting away from prison systems and onto prisoners and their support networks, said Gibson-Light, who will present his research at the 111th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA). "Punitive frugality is not a formal prison policy, but rather an observable trend in prison administration practice in institutions throughout the country," Gibson-Light said. "Throughout the nation, we can observe prison cost-cutting and cost-shifting as well as changes in the informal economic practices of inmates," he said. "Services are cut back and many costs are passed on to inmates in an effort to respond to calls to remain both tough on crime and cost effective." The research Gibson-Light will present is part of a larger project investigating the lives of inmate laborers in a male state prison in the U.S. Sunbelt. During his 12-month investigation from May 2015 to May 2016, Gibson-Light conducted interviews with nearly 60 inmates and prison staff members, and also observed prisoners involved in work. Ultimately, he began to study monetary practices among inmates, and how such men were responding to declining services. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons reported that states spent about $48.5 billion on corrections in 2010, marking a 5.6 percent decline compared with 2009, and that -- dating back to 1982 -- per capita state corrections expenditures have not kept pace with the number of inmates. "Prison staff members as well as members of the inmate population provided narratives of the history of changes in prison food -- the past few decades have seen steady decreases in the quality and quantity of inmate food," Gibson-Light said. "Prisoners are so unhappy with the quality and quantity of prison food that they receive that they have begun relying on ramen noodles -- a cheap, durable food product -- as a form of money in the underground economy," he said. "Because it is cheap, tasty, and rich in calories, ramen has become so valuable that it is used to exchange for other goods." Those other goods include other food items, clothing, hygiene products, and even services, such as laundry and bunk cleaning, Gibson-Light said. Others use ramen noodles as bargaining chips in gambling when playing card games or participating in football pools, he said. And ramen noodles are not merely replacing cigarettes. Gibson-Light said the same is happening with noodles replacing stamps and envelopes as forms of in-demand currency. Gibson-Light believes it is important to highlight the clear connection between prison practices and the daily lives of inmates and their support networks. Although Gibson-Light's findings are related to his study at one prison, he points to other investigations indicating that the trend toward using ramen noodles for exchanges is evident in prisons that have not banned tobacco use. "What we are seeing is a collective response -- across inmate populations and security levels, across prison cliques and racial groups, and even across states -- to changes and cutbacks in prison food services," he said. Gibson-Light called for a deeper study of prison food services, and what implications the decline in support could mean for the quality of care for prisoners. "The form of money is not something that changes often or easily, even in the prison underground economy; it takes a major issue or shock to initiate such a change," he said. "The use of cigarettes as money in U.S. prisons happened in American Civil War military prisons and likely far earlier. The fact that this practice has suddenly changed has potentially serious implications." ### About the American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions to and use of sociology by society. The paper, "Must Work for Food: The Politics of Nutrition and Informal Economy in an American Prison," will be presented on Monday, Aug. 22, at 8:30 a.m. PDT in Seattle at the American Sociological Association's 111th Annual Meeting. To obtain a copy of the paper; for assistance reaching the study's author(s); or for more information on other ASA presentations, members of the media can contact Daniel Fowler, ASA Media Relations Manager, at (202) 527-7885 or [email protected]. During the Annual Meeting (Aug. 20-23), ASA Public Information Office staff can be reached in the on-site press office, located in Room 601 of the Washington State Convention Center, at (206) 219-4513 or (914) 450-4557 (cell). La Monica Everett-Haynes, Senior Communications Manager, University of Arizona, wrote this press release. For more information about the study, members of the media can also contact Everett-Haynes at (520) 626-4405 or [email protected]. Papers presented at the ASA Annual Meeting are typically working papers that have not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals. | Mid | [
0.5776255707762551,
31.625,
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Airway hyperresponsiveness by methacholine challenge testing following negative exercise challenge. Exercise challenge testing (ECT) to diagnose exercise-induced bronchospasm has been demonstrated to be an insensitive screening test to demonstrate the presence or absence of airway hyperreactivity. Previous studies have not compared this procedure to methacholine challenge testing (MCT) in a clinical setting. To determine the frequency of positive MCT in subjects with exertional dyspnea, normal baseline spirometry, and negative ECT. Observational study of 215 military patients at an Army Community Hospital referred for evaluation of exertional dyspnea with normal baseline spirometry. Subjects were further evaluated with ECT on a graded treadmill with pre- and postexercise spirometry. Those without evidence of bronchial hyperreactivity as defined by a 15% decrease in FEV1 postexercise were evaluated with methacholine challenge testing (MCT). Two hundred ten military subjects were evaluated. Eighty-two patients underwent ECT as the only method of bronchoprovocation testing with 25 positive tests (57 were negative but not referred for further testing). The remaining 128 patients with a negative ECT underwent MCT. Seventy-six (59%) had a negative MCT and 52 (41%) had a positive MCT. Of the positive MCT studies, 74% were positive at a methacholine concentration of 2.5 mg/mL or less. Our study demonstrates that a significant number of patients being evaluated for exertional dyspnea will have a positive MCT after a negative ECT. Our findings lead us to question the utility of ECT as an initial diagnostic test for the exercise-induced bronchospasm. | Mid | [
0.648648648648648,
33,
17.875
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Show HN: PouchDB Bindings for PureScript - brakmic https://github.com/brakmic/purescript-pouchdb ====== fiatjaf Totally unrelated: is Purescript good? Does it prevents me from deploying totally bugged code? Does it have good Vim integration? Is it easy to install? Does it require Haskell? How do I start? Where can I get good answers to these questions? ~~~ brakmic [http://www.purescript.org/](http://www.purescript.org/) The Book (for free): [https://leanpub.com/purescript/read](https://leanpub.com/purescript/read) Cheers, ------ brakmic I'm currently adding plain API calls. Later I'll take care of proper mappings for various Options (ajax, remote, indexedb, websql etc.). For now, these APIs are available: create, destroy, put, post & info. Cheers, | Low | [
0.502538071065989,
24.75,
24.5
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Lithuania at the 1924 Summer Olympics Lithuania competed at the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. On Olympic application Lithuania listed seven sports (boxing, cycling, fencing, football, wrestling, gymnastics, and shooting), but sent athletes only for football and cycling. Cycling Isakas Anolikas (a Lithuanian Jew) and Juozas Vilpišauskas participated in the individual time trial over 188 km. Due to mechanical malfunctions both athletes did not finish the road race. Road cycling Football Due to lack of funds and general disorganization the team was assembled the last minute. It lacked official documents to travel to Paris, professional uniforms, training and practice. Hastily assembled men did not have time to play a single game before departing for the Olympics. The team doubted if they could arrive on time and asked to postpone the match. The train journey from Kaunas to Paris took about 40 hours and athletes arrived at 2 am, only 12 hours before the first game against Switzerland, the ultimate silver winner. The match was lost 0–9. Lithuania was eliminated from further competition with final 17th place. Team Round 1 References Category:Nations at the 1924 Summer Olympics 1924 Olympics | Mid | [
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34.5,
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SEARCH RESULTS You will find that while WorldMark Ballarat resort is easy to reach, its warmth and welcome make it very hard to leave. The Goldfields district is home to a vibrant community, tastes to tempt, and historic attractions. Only 90 minutes from the cosmopolitan hub of Melbourne, WorldMark Ballarat is a peaceful haven, and the perfect base to explore the heartland of country Victoria. Built in 1878, the striking combination of Victorian and Federation architecture that have attracted its heritage listing are just a part of the reason that the WorldMark Ballarat resort is regarded as one of the region's grandest mansions. With its manicured lawns, picturesque gardens and tree-lined lake surrounded by a beautiful country setting, WorldMark Ballarat is the perfect place to relax and get away from the outside world! The apartments feature fully equipped kitchens, television and video players, CD stereos and private balconies. While staying with them at WorldMark Ballarat, be sure to set aside time to enjoy the indoor heated swimming pool, sauna, tennis court, gym or take a boat out onto the five acre lake. With historic Ballarat on your doorstep, you will always have something to do. Experience a vivid recreation of the tumultuous mining era at Sovereign Hill, visit the birthplace of Australian democracy at the Eureka Stockade Centre or catch the gold bug at the Gold Museum. Activities in the area include gold mining district tours, museums, antique shops, walking tours, wineries, lakes and shopping. Galwiji farm has been family run for four generations. The word Galwiji comes from the names of the four brothers Gordon, Alan, William and Jim (the third generation of Pryors in the area). Galwiji Homestead will give you a delightful taste of Australian rural life with beds for 12 inside and plenty of room outdoors if your group is even bigger. It's great for peace and tranquillity. A gentle breeze, broken only by the occasional baaing of sheep and the twittering of birds. It is very comfortable for small groups or even for a couple on a romantic getaway. The Homestead consists of a master bedroom with ensuite. There are two queen bedrooms, another bedroom with three single beds and a bunk room with 2 beds. There are also 3 sofa beds (a single, a double and a queen), the double in the master bedroom, and the other two in the games room. There is a lounge, dining area, kitchen and laundry, three bathrooms and a very large games room. There are board games, table soccer and table tennis indoors. Outdoor treats include a sprawling garden, a treasure hunt, freshwater crayfish fishing, exploring the shearing shed and tree farm, not to mention endless open spaces. Galwiji Homestead's kitchen is fully self-contained with a dishwasher, toaster, kettle, large microwave oven, enormous fridge, urn, pressure cooker, rice cooker, large flat grill, sandwich maker, hand mixer and coffee machine. A Weber Kettle barbecue and another 4 burner BBQ provide an opportunity to grill outdoors. It is only 8 minutes to the local shops, 25 minutes to Sovereign Hill, one hour to Geelong and Avalon Airport and 75 minutes to Melbourne Airport. Your hosts are seasoned travellers and are fluent in German and French. For more information on Galwiji Homestead please visit the website. Welcome to Begonia City Motor Inn offering quality accommodation with an emphasis on value, cleanliness and hospitality in the historic Victorian city of Ballarat. Ideally located in the southern suburb of Sebastopol and situated on the Midland Highway ensuring great access for the short drive into Ballarat's city centre. And we are also between a five and ten minute drive to all of Ballarat's tourist attractions including the ever popular Sovereign Hill. And not only do we offer great access we do so with the added benefit of being located well away from the noise, hustle and bustle of the traffic, nightlife and congestion of the city centre. We offer the peace and tranquility of lovely garden settings, pool (summer) or BBQ areas, and all within a short walk to two bistros (Club and Pub), Coles Supermarket and a good range of services, specialty shop and take-away food providers. Another two supermarkets (Woolworths and Aldi), bakeries, bottle-shops, service stations and another dozen take-away food options are all within 1.5 kilometres. And despite being located on the main north-south route through Ballarat please be assured that all units are set well away from any road noise and that accessibility is excellent with all units located at ground level with parking right at the door. So come and find out the reason why Begonia City Motor Inn enjoys such a higher number of returning guests, and we remain confident that you too will find Begonia City the idyllic base to explore the living history of Ballarat and its surrounding villages. We look forward to welcoming you to Ballarat and ensuring that your stay here is both relaxing and memorable. A Place To Call Home is a beautiful four bedroom Victorian home built around the 1890s. Consisting of period features, such as original fire places, high ceilings, claw foot bath and more. Fully self contained property with renovated kitchen, all linen provided, full laundry facilities, undercover parking and central heating - everything you need to enjoy your stay in Ballarat. Ideal for couples, singles and families alike, close to public transport, supermarkets and sporting grounds. Gourmet breakfast supplied on your first morning, consisting of bacon, eggs, bread, tomatoes, coffee, tea, milk and juice. Situated in a quiet street close to Ballarat city and local attractions, this property is sure to delight.... Mount Buninyong Winery is a boutique winery and relaxed restaurant in a very relaxed atmosphere. No tours no master classes. Let the kids play a board game or read. Sit at the bar and let them guide you through the extensive range of fortified wines and liqueurs. It has been said by some that Mount Buninyong Winery make the best white port. Others say its the chocolatey shiraz liqueur, most recently it has been the chilli port that has the customers chattering. Any way you look at it they have a fabulous selection to sample. The restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday from 11:00am to 8:00pm serving share platters and delicious wood fired pizza that has been stated as equal to international standards by visitors from abroad. Mount Buninyong Winery is situated 20 minutes from Ballarat, Victoria and should be included in your day trip whether you are travelling from from Melbourne or the surrounding beautiful Geelong, Bendigo, Heathcote or Sunbury wine regions. They look forward to meeting you. ... Sass Abode has everything. It is close to most local attractions including Sovereign Hill, Ballarat's CBD, Wildlife Park, FedUni, Buninyong. A very large home with an amazing ambience. Two large indoor/outdoor entertainment areas (with barbecue). Central heating, air conditioning, open fire, enclosed yard, pet friendly, quiet court location, great views - just some of the features. Sass Abode caters for families, couples, business travellers, sporting groups, and girls/guys weekends away. The home is large with lots of space for everyone and everything. It has four bedrooms, an office/kids play room, dining room, meals area, two large living areas, two bathrooms (including bath), laundry, kitchen and off street parking. The morning and evening views are fantastic. The two outdoor areas are very large - one can be fully enclosed so can be used all year round. The yard is fully enclosed so it is child and pet friendly. The court location is very quiet.... FedUni Living has a number of accommodation options ideally suited to families or groups that are currently available for a memorable summer stay. Accommodation is close to public transport and provides a mix of one to five bedrooms, living, dining, fully equipped kitchens, laundry facilities, as well as alfresco entertaining areas with some spectacular views. With all the comforts of home and a great location, Federation University Australia has a number of accommodation options so that your family can explore the beautiful and historic Ballarat Goldfields region and beyond. Please call or visit the website for further details.... The Wattles on Eddy is a charming cottage nestled amongst natural flora and fauna only minutes from Ballarat. Set in an area of natural beauty, frequently visited by Koalas and abundant bird life, this charming fully self contained cottage is located in a quiet street, with its own secluded entrance. Located only three minutes drive from Buninyong and minutes from Ballarat city centre. Close to the University of Ballarat, Sovereign Hill and Bird World.... | Mid | [
0.629107981220657,
33.5,
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What is the hundreds digit of 365003? 0 What is the thousands digit of 10797453? 7 What is the hundred thousands digit of 465185? 4 What is the tens digit of 4691439? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 2334649? 3 What is the ten thousands digit of 16517002? 1 What is the units digit of 2512852? 2 What is the hundreds digit of 333316? 3 What is the ten millions digit of 10026244? 1 What is the thousands digit of 121147? 1 What is the hundreds digit of 39473? 4 What is the millions digit of 4822968? 4 What is the hundreds digit of 14277141? 1 What is the thousands digit of 447309? 7 What is the millions digit of 30120420? 0 What is the thousands digit of 13366279? 6 What is the millions digit of 2843091? 2 What is the ten thousands digit of 2454700? 5 What is the hundred thousands digit of 3935311? 9 What is the units digit of 201193? 3 What is the units digit of 7544918? 8 What is the ten thousands digit of 7774477? 7 What is the hundreds digit of 789243? 2 What is the tens digit of 2655180? 8 What is the thousands digit of 18154740? 4 What is the ten thousands digit of 360225? 6 What is the tens digit of 37270143? 4 What is the tens digit of 119483? 8 What is the units digit of 7791019? 9 What is the thousands digit of 1113527? 3 What is the tens digit of 548527? 2 What is the ten thousands digit of 66100? 6 What is the hundreds digit of 988805? 8 What is the units digit of 719098? 8 What is the ten thousands digit of 230319? 3 What is the units digit of 10097? 7 What is the thousands digit of 304535? 4 What is the tens digit of 19048718? 1 What is the millions digit of 9048502? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 7130575? 3 What is the ten millions digit of 10255127? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 3626604? 2 What is the ten thousands digit of 1931207? 3 What is the units digit of 1910997? 7 What is the tens digit of 259450? 5 What is the tens digit of 153784? 8 What is the millions digit of 1832331? 1 What is the tens digit of 1719936? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 453674? 4 What is the units digit of 3966198? 8 What is the hundred thousands digit of 600268? 6 What is the millions digit of 2432930? 2 What is the hundred thousands digit of 3321960? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 413997? 4 What is the hundreds digit of 657976? 9 What is the thousands digit of 286622? 6 What is the hundred thousands digit of 5240035? 2 What is the thousands digit of 10504642? 4 What is the hundreds digit of 76799? 7 What is the units digit of 1353588? 8 What is the ten millions digit of 35521996? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 472724? 4 What is the hundred thousands digit of 5524702? 5 What is the tens digit of 9195283? 8 What is the hundred thousands digit of 6109292? 1 What is the tens digit of 205495? 9 What is the thousands digit of 37987516? 7 What is the hundred thousands digit of 2685031? 6 What is the tens digit of 187164? 6 What is the hundred thousands digit of 401925? 4 What is the units digit of 329427? 7 What is the units digit of 2435695? 5 What is the thousands digit of 13643405? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 284674? 2 What is the units digit of 4884512? 2 What is the tens digit of 105562? 6 What is the thousands digit of 8271186? 1 What is the tens digit of 823799? 9 What is the units digit of 4188633? 3 What is the units digit of 24988? 8 What is the millions digit of 24053861? 4 What is the millions digit of 1443453? 1 What is the thousands digit of 147805? 7 What is the hundred thousands digit of 2478030? 4 What is the ten thousands digit of 364863? 6 What is the units digit of 809209? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 1176392? 7 What is the hundred thousands digit of 974656? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 183791? 8 What is the hundred thousands digit of 879842? 8 What is the tens digit of 668145? 4 What is the millions digit of 1950055? 1 What is the units digit of 4785926? 6 What is the tens digit of 568860? 6 What is the tens digit of 6414105? 0 What is the ten thousands digit of 1373376? 7 What is the thousands digit of 23777? 3 What is the ten thousands digit of 3708831? 0 What is the ten thousands digit of 507331? 0 What is the units digit of 41756? 6 What is the millions digit of 3594144? 3 What is the hundreds digit of 525565? 5 What is the tens digit of 6337921? 2 What is the hundred thousands digit of 443098? 4 What is the millions digit of 1291946? 1 What is the thousands digit of 170000? 0 What is the hundred thousands digit of 2442271? 4 What is the millions digit of 15667327? 5 What is the thousands digit of 2539204? 9 What is the thousands digit of 249298? 9 What is the thousands digit of 534429? 4 What is the units digit of 683553? 3 What is the units digit of 2908498? 8 What is the hundreds digit of 207554? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 3500979? 9 What is the hundred thousands digit of 3473187? 4 What is the hundreds digit of 573921? 9 What is the units digit of 24120127? 7 What is the millions digit of 9455529? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 6155074? 5 What is the tens digit of 1616963? 6 What is the ten thousands digit of 19927? 1 What is the tens digit of 2698693? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 720386? 2 What is the ten thousands digit of 1930997? 3 What is the hundreds digit of 5802301? 3 What is the hundreds digit of 336560? 5 What is the tens digit of 476793? 9 What is the millions digit of 1121818? 1 What is the millions digit of 1244130? 1 What is the hundred thousands digit of 922594? 9 What is the thousands digit of 10015052? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 5163071? 0 What is the thousands digit of 222685? 2 What is the ten thousands digit of 110285? 1 What is the units digit of 11822830? 0 What is the hundred thousands digit of 12768827? 7 What is the units digit of 82834? 4 What is the units digit of 153883? 3 What is the hundreds digit of 1502959? 9 What is the tens digit of 97124? 2 What is the hundreds digit of 8061674? 6 What is the hundreds digit of 4210992? 9 What is the units digit of 62819? 9 What is the hundred thousands digit of 5967189? 9 What is the tens digit of 194820? 2 What is the tens digit of 5439114? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 7799171? 9 What is the thousands digit of 5825362? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 6647148? 1 What is the tens digit of 3636838? 3 What is the ten thousands digit of 1652701? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 2138896? 8 What is the tens digit of 63713? 1 What is the units digit of 1466145? 5 What is the units digit of 1456383? 3 What is the hundred thousands digit of 281438? 2 What is the tens digit of 7762019? 1 What is the tens digit of 386395? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 925759? 2 What is the units digit of 234901? 1 What is the hundred thousands digit of 1395333? 3 What is the millions digit of 1271738? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 20250500? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 13426913? 9 What is the ten thousands digit of 166787? 6 What is the thousands digit of 771842? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 184297? 8 What is the units digit of 1828541? 1 What is the hundred thousands digit of 119124? 1 What is the hundreds digit of 1304529? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 15866609? 6 What is the hundred thousands digit of 1438988? 4 What is the hundreds digit of 911039? 0 What is the thousands digit of 3836708? 6 What is the units digit of 117882? 2 What is the hundreds digit of 735633? 6 What is the hundred thousands digit of 140924? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 1444866? 4 What is the tens digit of 473415? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 2999541? 9 What is the units digit of 527546? 6 What is the millions digit of 1220819? 1 What is the units digit of 405152? 2 What is the millions digit of 5539838? 5 What is the ten thousands digit of 135380? 3 What is the tens digit of 725450? 5 What is the hundred thousands digit of 100756? 1 What is the ten thousands digit of 366412? 6 What is the hundred thousands digit of 10455700? 4 What is the ten thousands digit of 8853063? 5 What is the hundreds digit of 8407781? 7 What is the hundred thousands digit of 45027507? 0 What is the ten thousands digit of 222127? 2 What is the thousands digit of 332791? 2 What is th | Mid | [
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Q: Resolving a Promise within a Promise Consider the example: let promiseA = new Promise((res, rej) => res(10));
let promiseB = new Promise((res, rej) => res(promiseA))
promiseB.then((resolvedVal) => console.log(resolvedVal)); //Outputs 10; I expect resolvedVal to be promiseA, and not the resolved value of promiseA. Why is this not the case? I understand this has something to do with the automatic "unwrapping" of promises, but I would like some insight on what exactly is happening under the hood. A: new Promise((res, rej) => res(promiseA)) is known as promise construction antipattern and there is never a good reason to do that. This code let promiseB = new Promise((res, rej) => res(promiseA)) is equivalent to let promiseB = promiseA; I expect resolvedVal to be promiseA, and not the resolved value of promiseA. Why is this not the case? This is how promises work and a reason why this pattern is useful to avoid callback hell. A promise of a value becomes a value when a promise is chained with then. As Promise/A+ specification states: The promise resolution procedure is an abstract operation taking as input a promise and a value, which we denote as [[Resolve]](promise, x). If x is a thenable, it attempts to make promise adopt the state of x, under the assumption that x behaves at least somewhat like a promise. Otherwise, it fulfills promise with the value x. | Mid | [
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Abstract Novel benzoxazine (BOZ)/bismaleimide (BMI)/2,2′-diallylbisphenol A (BA), with a multiphase structure, was successfully prepared under the catalysis of methyl p-toluenesulfonate (PTSM) through reaction-induced phase separation. The curing reaction of BOZ with BMI and ring-opening polymerization of BOZ under the catalysis of PTSM were studied by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry analyses, respectively. Mechanical measurements, thermogravimetric analysis, and microanalyses were conducted to assess the toughness and morphology of the composite. The reaction between BOZ and 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenyl methane (BDM) occurs at a relatively high temperature. The ring-opening reaction of BOZ starts at a low temperature of 100°C because of the catalysis of PTSM. The BOZ/BDM/BA system with an appropriate amount of BOZ significantly improves the impact strength and flexural strength compared with those of the BA/BDM resin. The BOZ/BDM/BA system with PTSM also features high impact strength and flexural strength. Scanning electron microscopy images and energy-dispersive spectroscopy results show that BOZ-rich phase is dispersed in BDM-rich phase in the BOZ/BDM/BA system with PTSM. Thermogravimetric data show that the BOZ/BDM/BA blend with a multiphase structure exhibits superior thermal resistance to those of the BOZ/BDM/BA and BA/BDM resins. The formation mechanism of the ternary system under the catalysis of PTSM is elucidated with Gibbs free energy theory. | High | [
0.6792452830188671,
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Q: Is there a data structure to do the following: When I input a certain data item (character here), I can access the elements it relates to like: When I input 'A', it gives me access to the values (2, 3, 4, 5), e.g.: A - 2,3,4,5 B - 6,7,9 C - 10, 11, 12, 13 D - 1,8 and so on... Also that A, B, C, D could be any data item, int or even a string. What I am thinking is, I can hold on a linear array and then each item in the array be the header for a linked list. Is this a correct and optimal solution to the above data structure required? Do we already have some data structure to do this? A: The best solution is to use a Hash Table with an array (or list) in the table value. Here an example in Java using HashMap Map<String,Integer[]> theMap; theMap = new HashMap<String,Integer[]>(); theMap.put("A",{2,3,4,5}); theMap.put("B",{6,7,9}); theMap.put("C",{10,11,12,13}); theMap.put("D",{1,8}); /* Access Values */ int two = theMap.get("A")[0]; You could also use ArrayList instead of arrays for your integers. The code would become as follows: ArrayList<Integer> listA = new ArrayList<Integer>(); listA.add(2); listA.add(3); listA.add(4); listA.add(4); ArrayList<Integer> listB = new ArrayList<String>(); listB.add(6); listB.add(7); listB.add(9); ArrayList<Integer> listC = new ArrayList<Integer>(); listC.add(10); listC.add(11); listC.add(12); listC.add(13); ArrayList<Integer> listD = new ArrayList<Integer>(); listD.add(1); listD.add(18); Map<String,List<Integer>> theMap; theMap = new HashMap<String,List<Integer>>(); theMap.put("A",listA); theMap.put("B",listB); theMap.put("C",listC); theMap.put("D",listD); /* Access Values */ int two = theMap.get("A").get(0); | High | [
0.6799007444168731,
34.25,
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http://www.filesonic.com/file/2560368651http://www.filesonic.com/file/2560270421http://www.filesonic.com/file/2557977171http://www.filesonic.com/file/2557890311http://www.filesonic.com/file/2557777401I lost last point of this match, sorry | Low | [
0.340145985401459,
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Getting a better look: Outcomes of laparoscopic versus transdiaphragmatic pericardial window for penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma at a Level I trauma center. In penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma, it is necessary to evaluate both the pericardial fluid and the diaphragm directly. Transdiaphragmatic pericardial windows (TDWs) provide direct access to the pericardium and diaphragm but expose the patient to the risks of laparotomy. We hypothesize that transabdominal laparoscopic pericardial windows (LPWs) are a safe and effective alternative to TDWs in stable patients. This is a retrospective observational study of stable patients with thoracoabdominal penetrating trauma at a level I trauma center between January 2007 and June 2015, comparing outcomes after TDW versus LPW. A total of 99 patients with penetrating trauma had a diagnostic pericardial window, 33 of which were laparoscopic. Stab wounds were most common (80, 80.8%) compared with gunshot wounds (19, 19.2%). Of 11 patients who had a positive pericardial window, 10 (90.9%) were associated with a cardiac injury. There was no difference in the ratio of positive pericardial windows for patients who had TDW versus LPW (8/66, 12.1% vs. 3/33, 9.1%; p = 0.651). One patient had a complication related to a negative pericardial window in the laparoscopic group. There was no difference in complication rates between TDW and LPW (p = 0.155). Mean length of stay was longer in TDW compared with LPW (12 vs. 5 days, p = 0.046). One patient died during index admission in the TDW group, but there was no difference in mortality rates between TDW and LPW during the index admission (p = 0.477). Median length of follow-up was 29 days (range, 0-2,709). On long-term follow-up, there was also no difference in mortality rates between TDW and LPW (2/66, 3.0% vs. 2/33, 6.1%; p = 0.470). In hemodynamically stable patients with thoracoabdominal injuries, LPW is a safe and effective technique in evaluating both pericardial fluid and the diaphragm. LPW is a viable alternative to exploratory laparotomy and TDWs. Therapeutic study, level IV. | Mid | [
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Normal Nasopharyngeal Measurement by Computed Tomography in Adult. This study aims to investigate the detailed computed tomography (CT) measurement of the nasopharynx (NP) in normal adult detecting mean of its dimension and relation of that measurement to that of the sphenoid sinus. A normal paranasal CT scan and a straight nasal septum of 128 individuals (256 sphenoid sinuses) were included in the study. Axial images were acquired with multiplanar reformates to obtain delicate details in coronal and sagittal planes for all subjects. Measurement of the width, length, and anteroposterior dimensions of the NP and sphenoid sinuses were taken separately. In 128 studied CT of adult subjects, the mean height of the NP was 19.4619 ± 4.52661 and mean depth was 21.80714 ± 4.62324 while the mean width was 25.31951 ± 3.80521. No significant relations between diameters of NP and sphenoid sinuses were found. The detailed CT measurement of the NP in normal adult is an easy and reliable measurement. This study put the base of CT measurement of NP for further work to describe changes in such measures in patients with nasal and paranasal sinus anomalies. | Mid | [
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Magnet, Nebraska Magnet is a village in Cedar County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 57 at the 2010 census. Geography Magnet is located at (42.455401, -97.470798). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all of it land. Demographics 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 57 people, 29 households, and 18 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 38 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.7% White and 5.3% Native American. There were 29 households of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.50. The median age in the village was 50.8 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.4% were from 25 to 44; 35.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.9% male and 49.1% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 79 people, 37 households, and 20 families residing in the village. The population density was 547.7 people per square mile (217.9/km²). There were 39 housing units at an average density of 270.4 per square mile (107.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.94% White, 3.80% Native American, and 1.27% from two or more races. There were 37 households out of which 13.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 35.1% households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80. In the village, the population was spread out with 16.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.6 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,357. There were no families and 1.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 10.0% of those over 64. History Magnet was platted in 1893 when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was extended to that point. Magnet was so named by its founder B. E. Smith, who hoped to attract settlers to the region "as the magnet attracts iron". Town motto and disasters Magnet's motto: "Magnet: The town too tough to die!" came from a variety of disasters that have struck the town over the course of its history. In February 1925 a fire burned one block of Main Street. The first tornado of two to strike Magnet happened on June 18, 1937. It tore through the town, destroying many businesses and homes. Thousands of people came to survey the damage on the Sunday following the storm. Over the summer of 1937 the town was cleaned up and through the help of neighboring towns, buildings and farms were restored. The second tornado struck Magnet on May 6, 1975 at 2:45 pm. The devastating tornado ripped through the town, destroying 2 homes and heavily damaging many more. A Carhart Lumber truck from Randolph came into town, bringing a load of plywood sheets. They were used for temporary repairs to protect damaged homes from the elements. The town was without lights and water, so the fire department from the neighboring town of Wausa brought in emergency generator units. Workers from the power company labored throughout the night to restore electrical service to the main part of town. It took over a week to replace broken poles and wires. Drinking water was brought in milk creamer cans. Help from neighboring towns came during the summer to assist with the clean-up. Railroad The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railroad went from Randolph to Magnet, then on to Bloomfield. Travelers who came to Magnet in 1894 had only a platform and an old box car to unload on when they arrived. During 1905–06, everything came by mail, groceries, farm goods, etc. In 1948–49 there was a very bad winter, at that time there was no train for 6 weeks. In the 1950s the train only came through 3 times a week. The tracks were eventually torn up in 1965. Jail House The jailhouse was built around 1902. Bars on the windows were set to keep the prisoners in. Before it was moved it was an old voting booth. In the 1960s the building was moved and added on to serve as the county shed. It was one of the buildings that was destroyed by the tornado in 1975. References Category:Villages in Cedar County, Nebraska Category:Villages in Nebraska | Low | [
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27.5,
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An oil refinery is seen in the city of Beiji, home to Iraq's largest oil refinery, in 2003. / AP by Kim Hjelmgaard and John Bacon, USA TODAY by Kim Hjelmgaard and John Bacon, USA TODAY Iraq's army claimed Wednesday it had repelled an attack on the nation's largest oil refinery and killed 40 militants while the nation's prime minister provided an upbeat assessment on government gains in a nationally televised address to the war-weary nation. Chief military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi announced that government forces had retaken control of the Beiji refinery shortly after Reuters, citing unnamed security sources and refinery employees, reported that the refinery may largely be controlled by insurgents. "The militants have managed to break in to the refinery. Now they are in control of the production units, administration building and four watch towers. This is 75% of the refinery," an official speaking from inside the refinery had told Reuters. It was not clear why the official spoke on the condition of anonymity. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, however, assured the nation that his government has regained the initiative after the "shock" defeat of army and security forces in the country's north. "We were able to contain the strike and arrest deterioration. â?¦ We have now started our counteroffensive, regaining the initiative and striking back," al-Maliki said. Al-Maliki, a Shiite, has requested U.S. airstrikes to blunt the momentum of the Sunni uprising in the Shiite-majority country. President Obama has demurred, instead pressing the prime minister to work with the Sunni population to drain the energy from the militant push. The Obama administration also has made overtures to Shiite-majority Iran, which would see no political gain from the fall of the Iraqi government. Control of the nation's oil facilities are key to maintaining control of the country. On Tuesday, the Beiji refinery was shut down and foreign workers were evacuated as Iraq security forces prepared for a raid of the compound by insurgents. The sprawling facility is situated about 50 miles north of Tikrit. The Beiji refinery accounts for a little more than a quarter of the country's domestic refining capacity. Any lengthy outage at Beiji risks long lines at the gas pump and electricity shortages. Crude oil prices edged higher on the news of the attack, which is taking place with mortars and machine guns. The July crude oil futures contract added 29 cents to the barrel early Wednesday, pushing the price to $106.65. Other clashes between Sunni Muslim militants from the al-Qaeda breakaway group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - referred to as ISIL or ISIS - and security forces continued Wednesday in areas to the north of Iraq's capital Baghdad. But if the Beiji refinery were to fall it could prove to be a dramatic new twist in the story and may have a big impact on supplies in Iraq and potentially across the world. Iraq is a major supplier of the world's oil. "An increasing risk of supply outages in Iraq comes against a backdrop of an already tight global demand/supply balance that has markets already on edge," IHS energy experts wrote in a recent note. Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said its diplomats were investigating claims that militants abducted 60 foreign construction workers, including some 15 Turks, near the oil city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Separately, speaking live on television on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country stood ready to defend Shiite Muslim holy sites in neighboring Iraq against "killers and terrorists," according to Reuters. "We declare to all superpowers, their mercenaries, murderers and terrorists that the great Iranian nation will not miss any effort in protecting these sacred sites," Rouhani said. Washington has yet to decide how it will deepen its involvement in the conflict although it has deployed a few hundred troops to protect the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and other American interests. | Mid | [
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258 Pa. Superior Ct. 440 (1978) 392 A.2d 875 COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania v. Larry HOWARD, Appellant. Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Argued March 24, 1977. Decided October 20, 1978. *443 Marilyn J. Gelb, Philadelphia, for appellant. Steven H. Goldblatt and Deborah E. Glass, Assistant District Attorneys, and F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Philadelphia, submitted a brief for Com., appellee. Before WATKINS, President Judge, and JACOBS, HOFFMAN, CERCONE, PRICE, VAN der VOORT and SPAETH, JJ. VAN der VOORT, Judge: The appellant Larry Howard, was indicted in Philadelphia County on the following charges: No. 804 June Sessions 1972 assault and battery, aggravated assault and battery and assault with intent to kill; No. 805 June Sessions 1972 assault and battery upon a police officer; No. 806 June Sessions 1972 receiving stolen goods; and No. 807 June Sessions 1972 carrying a firearm upon a public street without a license. The charges arose out of an incident involving the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer on the evening of May 30, 1972. Prior to his trial on the charges, defendant, represented by privately retained counsel, filed a motion to suppress identification and physical evidence, as well as statements made to police during interrogations. After hearings on the motion, only certain line-up identification evidence was suppressed. Appellant was tried on the charges and a jury found him *444 guilty of assault with intent to kill, aggravated assault and battery on a police officer, and the weapons charge. Subsequently, pro forma post-trial motions were filed, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence and propriety of the sentence. At trial and on post-trial motions, appellant was represented by the same privately retained attorney who had represented him on pre-trial motions. Following the denial of post-trial motions, appellant was sentenced. No direct appeal was ever filed. Subsequently, appellant filed a pro se appeal under the Post Conviction Hearing Act (PCHA),[1] alleging several claims of ineffective representation by counsel, including counsel's failure to appeal from the judgment of sentence. New counsel was appointed to assist appellant and a hearing was held on the petition. The PCHA court found that appellant had been denied his right of direct appeal and granted him the right to file such an appeal nunc pro tunc. Other issues, in such circumstances were not resolved by the PCHA court. See Commonwealth v. Drummond, 238 Pa.Super. 311, 357 A.2d 600 (1976). On appeal, several claims of trial court error are raised. Each is coupled with an argument that trial counsel was not effective as a result of his failure to include such arguments in post-trial motions. While the failure to include an issue in post-trial motions would ordinarily operate as a waiver of such issue for purposes of appellate review,[2] the claim that counsel was not effective in not raising such issue in the lower court may vitiate the waiver. In situations like the instant one, our scope of review has been clearly established. In Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. 259, 372 A.2d 687 (1977), our Supreme Court stated: The initial factor which must be considered . . . is whether the claim which post-trial counsel is charged with not pursuing had some reasonable basis. [We have noted that] "a finding of ineffectiveness could never be made *445 unless we concluded that the alternatives not chosen offered a potential for success substantially greater than the tactics actually utilized." Because counsel does not forego an alternative which offers a substantially greater potential for success when he fails to assert a baseless claim, counsel cannot be found to have been ineffective for failing to make such an assertion. It is only when the claim which was foregone was of arguable merit that we must make an inquiry into the basis for the post-trial counsel's decision not to pursue the matter. Thus the starting point of our inquiry is whether there were reasonable grounds upon which to advance the two claims which were not advanced in the motion for a new trial. We emphasize that our analysis of the abandoned claim is undertaken solely for the purpose of resolving questions of ineffective representation. Not having been raised in post-trial motions, the claim itself has not been properly preserved for appellate review. Rather, once we conclude that the omitted contention is of arguable merit, our inquiry into the substance of the claim ceases and shifts to an analysis of post-trial counsel's basis for decision. If it cannot be determined from the record whether a satisfactory basis for the omission exists then a remand for an evidentiary hearing on that question is proper. If, on the other hand, we can determine from the record that counsel was ineffective then the appropriate remedy would be to grant appellant the right to file post-trial motions nunc pro tunc. We do not decide the issue which counsel was ineffective in failing to preserve. 472 Pa. at 277-279, 372 A.2d at 695-696 (Citations omitted) Thus, as an initial step in the instant case, we must now proceed to determine whether the substantive issues raised by appellant are of arguable merit. I. Suppression of Statements Given to Police. Appellant raises several arguments relative to the use at trial of pretrial statements which he furnished to police during a period of interrogation which began shortly *446 after his arrest. Trial counsel unsuccessfully moved to suppress these statements prior to trial, but did not renew defense efforts against these statements in post-trial motions. An analysis of appellant's argument, in this regard, requires a review of the record facts available to the lower court concerning the inculpatory statements obtained by authorities from appellant following his arrest.[3] The record discloses the following facts: Following the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer on the evening of May 30, 1972, police cordoned off portions of the surrounding area and began a massive hunt for the individuals purportedly involved in the attack. At 7:20 A.M. on May 31, 1972, appellant was taken into custody as he waited at a bus stop in the area. He had been reported to police by a person at a nearby industrial facility who had seen him try to enter the rear of the facility. The appellant fit the description of one of the assailants, was covered with mud and had a cut on his hand. He was placed under arrest and transported to the Police Administration Building, where he arrived at about 8:00 A.M. Appellant was taken to a small interrogation room in the building which contained a chair, bolted to the floor. The chair was equipped with handcuffs. The room also contained a table and seating for officers. At 8:30 A.M., appellant was advised of his rights (Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966)) and waived his right to counsel. He was interrogated by two officers and later by a third officer until 9:55 A.M., except for an 8 minute interval during which appellant was taken out of the room for fingerprinting, and another interval of 14 minutes when he was photographed and given a drink. During this initial period of interrogation, appellant gave an exculpatory statement. From 9:55 A.M. until 11:00 A.M., appellant was left alone in the room and was provided with food. Interrogation was *447 resumed by two officers from 11:00 A.M. until 11:40 A.M., and at the latter time appellant's clothing was taken for chemical analysis and he was issued another shirt, pants, and shoes. Appellant was left alone from 11:53 A.M. until 12:15 P.M., when interrogation began again, by two officers. As interrogation continued, at approximately 1:15 P.M. appellant began to narrate another statement in which he admitted being in the area on the prior evening when the officer was shot, and further related his efforts to avoid apprehension by police. This statement was written by officers, but not read to or by appellant, nor signed by him. The interrogation continued until 2:50 P.M. After being left alone for twenty (20) minutes, interrogation was begun again at 3:10 P.M. by two officers. Such questioning continued until about 4:45 P.M., with substitutions among officers at different times. No additional admissions were made by appellant. At 4:45 P.M., pursuant to a warrant, officers obtained hair and nail scraping samples from the appellant, and he was given ten minutes to eat some food which was brought to him. At 5:00 P.M., interrogation resumed and continued for 5¾ hours until 10:45 P.M. During this time, questioning was interrupted for only two brief periods for food and appellant's use of bathroom facilities. Such matters consumed a total of twenty (20) minutes. During this period of interrogation, at approximately 9:00 P.M., appellant began to change his story. None of the three officers present had been in the room the previous morning, so they again advised appellant of his Miranda rights, and they were again waived by appellant. At this time (about 9:10 P.M.) he admitting hiding weapons near the scene of the shooting, traveling in the area with another person (whom police told him had given statements implicating him and another in the shooting), hearing the shots which struck the officer, and hiding in foliage to avoid police. Appellant read a statement of these admissions, prepared by one of the interviewing officers, and signed his name to it. No interrogation took place between 10:45 P.M. and 11:10 P.M., but at the latter time questioning was resumed until *448 12:05 A.M. on June 1, 1972. The appellant was then left alone for forty (40) minutes, when he was again questioned from 12:45 A.M. until 1:00 A.M. Further questioning occurred from 1:35 A.M. to 2:00 A.M., and was halted to permit further photographing of appellant. Subsequent periods of questioning took place from 2:40 A.M. to 3:00 A.M., from 4:00 A.M. to 4:40 A.M., from 6:15 A.M. to 7:00 A.M., and finally from 8:30 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. During this time from 5:40 A.M. to 6:15 A.M. food was furnished to appellant and he was permitted to use the bathroom. Also, throughout these periods, appellant signed a written copy of one of the interviews and signed a handwriting exemplar for the officers. No further questioning took place before appellant was "slated", at 10:10 A.M. and was given a preliminary arraignment shortly after that time. On appeal, it is claimed that the statements by appellant were coerced, and further that they were improperly admitted in violation of former Rule of Criminal Procedure 118[4] (presently Rule 130) and the exclusionary rule enunciated in Commonwealth v. Futch, 447 Pa. 389, 290 A.2d 417 (1972). We are constrained to find arguable merit in such contentions, in view of the length and circumstances of the interrogations involved as well as the delay between arrest and arraignment. While we do not hold that the appellant's statements were coerced in the instant case, we cannot ignore the decisions in past cases, such as Commonwealth v. Riggins, 451 Pa. 519, 304 A.2d 473 (1973), Commonwealth v. Eiland, 450 Pa. 566, 301 A.2d 651 (1973), where somewhat analogous periods of interrogation were held to have created coercive circumstances vitiating the admission of confessions at trial. The analogy of such cases to the instant case creates the initial conclusion that appellant's arguments on coerced confession were of arguable merit. We reach the same conclusion with *449 respect to contentions of excessive delay between arrest and arraignment. In Commonwealth v. Futch, supra, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided for the first time in our Commonwealth that all evidence obtained during an unnecessary delay between arrest and arraignment, except that evidence unrelated to the delay, would be inadmissable in a subsequent criminal trial. The Futch rule, based upon then Criminal Rule 118, has been held applicable to cases tried before the date of its decision. Commonwealth v. Mitchell, 464 Pa. 117, 346 A.2d 48 (1975)[5]. Both the Futch case and it progeny[6] give us cause to find arguable merit in appellant's excessive delay claims. The reasons for counsel's decision not to pursue these issues are not clear in the record before us so we must remand for an evidentiary hearing on the question of whether counsel was ineffective in failing to raise such claims in post-trial motions. The lower court's field of inquiry, in this regard, as well as the standards for review,[7] are clearly set forth in Commonwealth v. Hubbard, supra, and repetition of them here for guidance is not necessary. II. Failure to Object to Testimony on Defendant's Statement. During the course of the trial, a police officer testified to the statements made by appellant during the course of interrogation. Inter alia, he related the following questions and answers: *450 Q. (Officer): "Why was (sic) you running from the car that the police stopped?" A. (Appellant): "I don't want to tell you that". Q.: "Who was with you in the car when police stopped you?" A.: "I don't want to incriminate anyone else." Defense counsel made no objection to this testimony and did not include it as an issue in post-trial motions. Appellant now contends that counsel was ineffective in not preserving what appellant claims constituted a clear violation of his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, supra.[8] We cannot agree. The Miranda decision, and subsequent decisions have clearly established that the exercise of one's right to remain silent during police interrogation may not be used against him in a subsequent criminal proceeding. Commonwealth v. Haideman, 449 Pa. 367, 296 A.2d 765 (1972). The harm which we seek to prevent is that some adverse inference may arise in the minds of triers of fact if they know that an accused remained mute in the face of accusatory questioning. Most lay persons would view silence, in such a setting, as an admission of guilt. Commonwealth v. Haideman, 449 Pa. at 371, 296 A.2d at 767. Quite simply, in the instant circumstances, we see no possibility of such prejudice to the appellant from the two questions and responses related above. The appellant answered many police questions and his inculpatory responses were made known to the jury. These statements and all of the other evidence against the appellant established a strong case for the prosecution. There was no question at all about appellant being at the scene of the shooting with other persons involved in the incident, and fleeing the scene at the time of the shots. His refusal to say either why he ran from the scene and who he was with, in response to the questions stated above, did not materially assist the prosecution against him, or create any *451 possible inference in the minds of the jurors beyond the scope of what had already been abundantly shown by other evidence. Appellant points out that the right not to have one's silence used against him does not depend upon whether the right is asserted at the beginning of interrogation or later on. See Commonwealth v. Dulaney, 449 Pa. 45, 295 A.2d 328 (1972); Commonwealth v. Greco, 227 Pa.Super. 19, 323 A.2d 132 (1974). While this is correct, and while we recognize that a waiver of the right to remain silent may be withdrawn, and the right asserted (See Miranda, supra, Commonwealth v. Dulaney, supra), in the limited circumstances of the instant case, where appellant, at most, engaged in a highly "selective" exercise of his right to not answer two questions on which other evidence was presented, we can discern no violation of such principles, nor prejudice to appellant. In view of our conclusion that this contention of appellant is lacking in merit, it is evident that counsel was not ineffective in failing to preserve the issue in post-trial motions. Of course, a claim of ineffectiveness may not be supported on the ground that counsel failed to pursue a fruitless effort. See Commonwealth v. Hubbard, supra; Commonwealth v. Mack, 451 Pa. 319, 304 A.2d 93 (1973). Thus, there is no basis to find that trial and post-trial counsel was ineffective in failing to raise the Miranda argument. III. Illegal Sentences The appellant also contends that the imposition of consecutive sentences of seven (7) years on Bill No. 804 and five (5) years on Bill No. 805 constituted double punishment for the same offense in violation of the constitutional provision against double jeopardy. He also argues that post-trial counsel was ineffective in not raising this claim in the lower court. At the outset, we note that the sentencing in this case, as was proper, took place after the consideration of post-trial motions. Also, at the date of sentencing in the instant case, in 1973, no requirement existed that an illegal *452 sentence claim be initially raised before the lower court. See Commonwealth v. Brunner, 243 Pa.Super. 55, 364 A.2d 446 (1976). Thus, we find no basis for concluding that counsel was ineffective in the instant case for failing to raise such a challenge after sentencing in 1973. Under present procedure, however, the appropriate initial challenge to the legality of a sentence is by petition to the sentencing court, asking that sentence be vacated and a legal sentence be imposed. Commonwealth v. Brunner, supra. As this case is to be remanded to the lower court for other reasons (see discussion under Section I above), it is both preferable and expedient to allow that court to also, in the same proceeding, initially review the appellant's sentence claims. Such a disposition will comport with the established policy of having our lower courts consider such matters prior to appellate review. Commonwealth v. Brunner, supra. Thus, in the circumstances of the instant case, we will remand the appellant's sentence claims for initial consideration before the lower court. Judgment of sentence vacated and case remanded for proceedings consistent with this Opinion. WATKINS, former President Judge, and HOFFMAN, J., did not participate in the consideration or decision of this case. NOTES [1] Act of January 25, 1966, P.L. (1965) 1580, § 1 et seq., 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. [2] See Commonwealth v. Clair, 458 Pa. 418, 326 A.2d 272 (1974). [3] In the present contexts, we consider the prosecution evidence and uncontradicted defense evidence. Commonwealth ex rel. Butler v. Rundle, 429 Pa. 141, 239 A.2d 426 (1968). [4] That Rule provided, inter alia: When a defendant has been arrested without a warrant, he shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the proper issuing authority where a complaint shall be filed against him. (a) If the complaint charges a court case, the defendant shall be given an immediate preliminary arraignment. [5] The Court in the Mitchell case, when faced with circumstances similar to the instant case, found that the unnecessary delay issue had been waived in that it was not included in post-trial motions. However, the appellant in Mitchell, unlike the appellant in the instant case, raised no ineffective counsel claim. [6] See cases cited in Commonwealth v. Mitchell, supra, at footnote 2 of that Opinion. [7] The well recognized standard for determining whether post-trial counsel was ineffective, was stated in Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 604, 235 A.2d 349, 352 (1967): "Counsel's assistance is deemed constitutionally effective once we are able to conclude that the particular course chosen by counsel had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his client's interests." [8] Our analysis of this issue may well be a fruitless exercise if appellant's claims concerning the admissability of the statements, as discussed under Section I of this Opinion, and associated ineffective counsel argument are found to be meritorious by the lower court upon remand. | Low | [
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Over the past ten years, we have heard much about the security of web applications, and the threats that can come from using them. For better or worse, modern businesses have become increasingly dependent on the use of web applications developed agile; from complex infrastructure systems to IoT devices. Attacks on web applications provide intruders with ample opportunities such as: -Access to a company’s internal resources and sensitive information; -The opportunity to disrupt the functioning of an application or bypass business logic; -Financial gains for the attacker, and losses, both financial and reputational, for the owner of web applications. Users of web applications are at risk, because if an attack is successful, the intruder can steal credentials, perform actions on websites on behalf of users, and infect a system with malware. In this article, we’ll talk about the types of attacks, the ways threat actors can damage your system, and how you can protect your company’s essential data. Web App Security: who can attack us Types of Attacks There are different types of attacks. They differ depending on the sophistication of the way malefactors have chosen to steal sensitive data. The most popular attacks are: 1.Implementing SQL statements 2.Running OS commands 3.Path Traversal 4.Сross-site scripting 5.Denial of service 6.Сonnecting local files 7.Implementing XML external entities 8.Downloading random files 9.Cross-site request forgery One of the most simple ways to wangle desired data from a web app is to use brute force attacks. This approach is reliant on a user’s laziness and carelessness, which are unfortunately traits that many of us share. Secure DevOps Highly secure applications anytime. Even with big teams As we all know, to access an app, we need to create a username and password. However, it is very seldom that one thinks hard about this task. In most cases, people enter a password connected to their email, name, surname, date of birth, etc. It becomes even worse when the employee writes the password on a post-it note and leaves it on their computer screen. As the goal of the attack is to find a valid username and password, it’s not as difficult as we would assume for intruders to spend a couple of hours scrolling Instagram profiles of a particular organization in search of a careless photo that reveals login details. Ways to Implement a Brute Force Attack Ways to implement a brute force attack 3 Don’ts If You Want to Avoid an Attack DON’T BLOCK THE IP After finding that there has been an attack, most likely you will want to reactively block the intruder’s IP address. However, we would advise you to refrain from such impulsive actions because: -the intruder can easily overcome this by dynamically changing the IP address -blocking a public IP may cut off other users of the same address DON’T BLOCK THE USER Another bad idea is to block those users that have failed to log in multiple times. This is a dangerous approach. A potential intruder may try many valid usernames, and you’ll end up blocking each and every one of these people. Most likely this will annoy users and deter them from using your app. A lighter version of this solution is to lock an account temporarily, with a response such as “You entered your password incorrectly a few times in a row. Try again in 30 seconds.” DON’T USE CAPTCHA Of course it is great to receive confirmation from CAPTCHA that you’re not a robot, but unfortunately this method is inconvenient. It lacks usability in many cases, and is (unexpectedly) vulnerable to attacks. In applications that prioritize user friendliness, CAPTCHA should be considered a last resort. How to Protect Yourself from a Brute Force Attack Step #1. DEFINE WHAT YOU PROTECT Analyze what kind of resources/values should be defended above all else. Money? Sensitive data? Reputation? A hacked homepage can result in the loss of all three of these and should be obviously avoided at all costs. Web App Security: define what you protect Step #2. DETECT THE ATTACK To eradicate a brute force attack, you need first to detect it. For this, you need to use tools for monitoring the network traffic of your web app. Pay attention to metrics and logs. The HTTP metrics should be detailed enough to determine the URL and method of each incoming request, status, and the number of produced responses. Logs will provide more detailed information about each request that cannot always be collected and presented as metrics. Step #3. ASK AN ADDITIONAL SECRET QUESTION Secret questions can be beneficial if you want to detect attackers without bothering the regular users of your web app. As you know, the secret question and corresponding answer are configured in a user’s profile. If a user has failed to login a few times, give them the option of answering their secret question. Make sure to also ask these questions for invalid logins, so the attacker won’t know if an account really exists or not. Step #4. INTRODUCE LATENCY/ DELAY During a brute force attack an intruder will make attempts with many passwords. Implementing a delay between failed login attempts can dramatically decelerate the whole process, making it too time-consuming for an attacker. The additional latency won’t bother real users. Step #5. TRICK BRUTE FORCE TOOLS In a brute force attack, some penetration testing tools may be used, like THC-Hydra. These programs send requests with a User-Agent header set to a default value. This is a tell-tale sign of an attack tool. By randomly returning the 200 status responses for requests with such header, an application can fool the attacker, who will no longer be able to distinguish between correct and failed attempts. It’ll work on amateur hackers who don’t know how to modify Hydra’s request headers. Note this isn’t a fully secure solution as request headers can’t always be relied on. Conclusion | Mid | [
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Q: Как узнать просмотрено ли сообщение или нет (C#, MailKit, MimeKit)? Как узнать просмотрено ли сообщение или нет с помощью библиотеки MailKit. mimeMessages.ForEach(iMessage => { dgvMessages.Rows.Add(new object[] { iMessage.From, iMessage.Subject, /* Сюда нужно добавить из iMessage инфу о том просмотрено ли сообщение или нет */ }); Console.WriteLine(iMessage.Subject); }); A: Результат. folder.Search(SearchQuery.All).ToList().ForEach(uid => { MimeMessage mimeMessage = folder.GetMessage(uid); dgvMessages.Rows.Add(new object[] { mimeMessage.From, mimeMessage.Subject, folder.Search(SearchQuery.NotSeen).Contains(uid) ? "Новое" : "Прочитано" }); }); Можно ли реализовать по другому? | High | [
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Feargal Ward is a filmmaker and cinematographer based in Berlin. His directorial debut (Yximalloo, 75 mins, 2014, IFB, co-directed with Tadhg O’Sullivan) premiered at FID Marseille 2014 where it won the Prix Premier before subsequently screening at festivals worldwide. His work has been screened and broadcast internationally, including Channel 4 (UK), Al Jazeera, MoMA NY, and CPH:DOX. Thomas Reid lives a solitary life on the fringes of mainstream society, farming the lands passed down to him by his father and his grandfather before. Beyond the walls of his 17th century farm looms a vast American factory – vital to the national economy but enemy for Thomas but from the first steps hostile to Thomas. Outraged by the encroachment on property, the hero leads a quiet but stubborn battle with agents who have come to forcibly purchase his home. | High | [
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Leguminous plants fix nitrogen from the air and convert it to organic nitrogenous compounds used by the plant for protein synthesis. Nitrogen fixation in leguminous plants is possible because of the symbiotic relationship with bacteria of the genus Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium, which forms nodules on the roots of legumes. Different species of rhizobia cause nodulation in specific legume genera. Maximum symbiotic nitrogen fixation occurs when plant and bacteria are properly matched, and when nodule formation is maximized. Bradyrhizobium japonicum is associated with (nodulates) soybeans, Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii with clovers, R. meliloti with alfalfa and sweetclovers, R. leguminosarum biovar viceae with peas and vetches, and R. leguminosarum biovar phaseoli with garden variety beans. It is common practice to inoculate leguminous plants with rhizobia to aid nodule formation. Inoculation can be accomplished by pre-inoculating seeds, or either inoculating seeds, or placing inoculant in-furrow at planting time. Previous methods of producing an inoculant have included mixing an active, living rhizobial culture with a carrier such as humus or peat. The moist carrier maintains the bacteria in a living state. An early method of preparing inoculants was by converting the bacteria to a dormant state. U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,796 to Scott, et al describes a method of preparing an inoculant including a step of freeze-drying. This process must be done rapidly to prevent cell rupture. The dried, ground bacteria are mixed with a powdered carrier such as kaolin or montmorillonite. Freeze-drying gives a high initial recovery of bacteria, but the inoculant does not remain stable for long storage periods. Another method of preparing a dry, dormant inoculant is cited in PCT Published Application No. 92/08355, published May 29, 1992. The described process produces a dry, dormant bacterial composition wherein the water content is less than 5% by weight and at least 10.sup.9 viable bacteria per gram of the composition. The carrier is a clay mixture of montmorillonite and kaolinite which has an essentially neutral pH. Such a dry, dormant bacterial composition is available commercially under the trademark Nitragin Gold. Biocidal compositions containing bacteria or fungi which combat insects, fungi or the like may also be prepared using the slow drying process described in the foregoing European patent publication. Interest in dry, dormant bacterial products has increased due to recent interest in biological pesticides as an ecological alternative to conventional pesticides. Seed coating is a popular method for applying bacterial inoculants and other beneficial bacteria such as biopesticides to the target plants, particularly for alfalfa seeds. Several methods may be used to make coated alfalfa seeds, including dusting, pelleting, and film coating. Dusting of alfalfa seeds with a dry, dormant inoculant containing R. meliloti gives rise to a product which has an excellent shelf life, but the dust is not completely adhered to the seed, resulting in release of loose dust to the surrounding atmosphere whenever the coated seeds are handled in the open. Film coated seeds have the advantage of not releasing dust. However, known film coating processes incorporate water in the process. Bacteria from a moist product, or which are rehydrated during the coating process, have poor viability upon subsequent drying. A need persists for a method of preparing a coated seed wherein the bacteria in the coating have been pre-conditioned for survival after temporary rehydration. The adverse effects of temporary rehydration on previously dried, dormant bacteria are well known. | High | [
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#! /usr/bin/env python # -*- coding: utf-8 -*- ############################################################################## ## DendroPy Phylogenetic Computing Library. ## ## Copyright 2010-2015 Jeet Sukumaran and Mark T. Holder. ## All rights reserved. ## ## See "LICENSE.rst" for terms and conditions of usage. ## ## If you use this work or any portion thereof in published work, ## please cite it as: ## ## Sukumaran, J. and M. T. Holder. 2010. DendroPy: a Python library ## for phylogenetic computing. Bioinformatics 26: 1569-1571. ## ############################################################################## """ Models, modeling and model-fitting of parsimony. """ from functools import reduce import operator import dendropy from dendropy.utility.error import TaxonNamespaceIdentityError class _NodeStateSetMap(dict): def __init__(self, taxon_state_sets_map=None): self.taxon_state_sets_map = taxon_state_sets_map def __getitem__(self, key): try: return dict.__getitem__(self, key) except KeyError: v = self.taxon_state_sets_map[key.taxon] self[key] = v return v def _store_sets_as_attr(n, state_sets_attr_name, v): setattr(n, state_sets_attr_name, v) def _retrieve_state_sets_from_attr(n, state_sets_attr_name, taxon_state_sets_map): try: return getattr(n, state_sets_attr_name) except AttributeError: v = taxon_state_sets_map[n.taxon] setattr(n, state_sets_attr_name, v) return v def fitch_down_pass( postorder_nodes, state_sets_attr_name="state_sets", taxon_state_sets_map=None, weights=None, score_by_character_list=None, ): """ Returns the parsimony score given a list of nodes in postorder and associated states, using Fitch's (1971) unordered parsimony algorithm. Parameters ---------- postorder_nodes : iterable of/over |Node| objects An iterable of |Node| objects in in order of post-order traversal of the tree. state_sets_attr_name : str Name of attribute on |Node| objects in which state set lists will stored/accessed. If |None|, then state sets will not be stored on the tree. taxon_state_sets_map : dict[taxon] = state sets A dictionary that takes a taxon object as a key and returns a state set list as a value. This will be used to populate the state set of a node that has not yet had its state sets scored and recorded (typically, leaves of a tree that has not yet been processed). weights : iterable A list of weights for each pattern. score_by_character_list : None or list If not |None|, should be a reference to a list object. This list will be populated by the scores on a character-by-character basis. Returns ------- s : int Parismony score of tree. Notes ----- Currently this requires a bifurcating tree (even at the root). Examples -------- Assume that we have a tree, ``tree``, and an associated data set, ``data``:: import dendropy from dendropy.model.parsimony import fitch_down_pass taxa = dendropy.TaxonNamespace() data = dendropy.StandardCharacterMatrix.get_from_path( "apternodus.chars.nexus", "nexus", taxon_namespace=taxa) tree = dendropy.Tree.get_from_path( "apternodus.tre", "nexus", taxon_namespace=taxa) taxon_state_sets_map = data.taxon_state_sets_map(gaps_as_missing=True) The following will return the parsimony score of the ``tree`` with respect to the data in ``data``:: score = fitch_down_pass( nodes=tree.postorder_node_iter(), taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_set_map) print(score) In the above, every |Node| object of ``tree`` will have an attribute added, "state_sets", that stores the list of state sets from the analysis:: for nd in tree: print(nd.state_sets) If you want to store the list of state sets in a different attribute, e.g., "analysis1_states":: score = fitch_down_pass( nodes=tree.postorder_node_iter(), state_sets_attr_name="analysis1_states", taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_set_map) print(score) for nd in tree: print(nd.analysis1_states) Or not to store these at all:: score = fitch_down_pass( nodes=tree.postorder_node_iter(), state_sets_attr_name=None, taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_set_map) print(score) Scoring custom data can be done by something like the following:: taxa = dendropy.TaxonNamespace() taxon_state_sets_map = {} t1 = taxa.require_taxon("A") t2 = taxa.require_taxon("B") t3 = taxa.require_taxon("C") t4 = taxa.require_taxon("D") t5 = taxa.require_taxon("E") taxon_state_sets_map[t1] = [ set([0,1]), set([0,1]), set([0]), set([0]) ] taxon_state_sets_map[t2] = [ set([1]), set([1]), set([1]), set([0]) ] taxon_state_sets_map[t3] = [ set([0]), set([1]), set([1]), set([0]) ] taxon_state_sets_map[t4] = [ set([0]), set([1]), set([0,1]), set([1]) ] taxon_state_sets_map[t5] = [ set([1]), set([0]), set([1]), set([1]) ] tree = dendropy.Tree.get_from_string( "(A,(B,(C,(D,E))));", "newick", taxon_namespace=taxa) score = fitch_down_pass(tree.postorder_node_iter(), taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_state_sets_map) print(score) """ if score_by_character_list is not None: assert len(score_by_character_list) == 0 for idx in range(len(list(taxon_state_sets_map.values())[0])): # this is unacceptable! score_by_character_list.append(0) score = 0 if state_sets_attr_name is None: node_state_set_map = _NodeStateSetMap(taxon_state_sets_map) get_node_state_sets = lambda node : node_state_set_map[node] set_node_state_sets = lambda node, v : node_state_set_map.__setitem__(node, v) else: get_node_state_sets = lambda node : _retrieve_state_sets_from_attr(node, state_sets_attr_name, taxon_state_sets_map) set_node_state_sets = lambda node, v : _store_sets_as_attr(node, state_sets_attr_name, v) for nd in postorder_nodes: c = nd.child_nodes() if not c: ss = get_node_state_sets(nd) continue left_c, right_c = c[:2] remaining = c[2:] left_ssl = get_node_state_sets(left_c) while True: right_ssl = get_node_state_sets(right_c) result = [] for n, ssp in enumerate(zip(left_ssl, right_ssl)): left_ss, right_ss = ssp inter = left_ss.intersection(right_ss) if inter: result.append(inter) else: if weights is None: wt = 1 else: wt = weights[n] score += wt result.append(left_ss.union(left_ss, right_ss)) if score_by_character_list is not None: # try: # score_by_character_list[n] += wt # except IndexError: # score_by_character_list.append(wt) score_by_character_list[n] += wt if remaining: right_c = remaining.pop(0) left_ssl = result else: break # setattr(nd, state_sets_attr_name, result) set_node_state_sets(nd, result) return score def fitch_up_pass( preorder_node_list, state_sets_attr_name="state_sets", taxon_state_sets_map=None): """ Finalizes the state set lists associated with each node using the "final phase" of Fitch's (1971) unordered parsimony algorithm. Parameters ---------- postorder_nodes : iterable of/over |Node| objects An iterable of |Node| objects in in order of post-order traversal of the tree. state_sets_attr_name : str Name of attribute on |Node| objects in which state set lists will stored/accessed. If |None|, then state sets will not be stored on the tree. taxon_state_sets_map : dict[taxon] = state sets A dictionary that takes a taxon object as a key and returns a state set list as a value. This will be used to populate the state set of a node that has not yet had its state sets scored and recorded (typically, leaves of a tree that has not yet been processed). Notes ----- Currently this requires a bifurcating tree (even at the root). Examples -------- :: taxa = dendropy.TaxonNamespace() data = dendropy.StandardCharacterMatrix.get_from_path( "apternodus.chars.nexus", "nexus", taxon_namespace=taxa) tree = dendropy.Tree.get_from_path( "apternodus.tre", "nexus", taxon_namespace=taxa) taxon_state_sets_map = data.taxon_state_sets_map(gaps_as_missing=True) score = fitch_down_pass(tree.postorder_node_iter(), taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_state_sets_map) print(score) fitch_up_pass(tree.preorder_node_iter()) for nd in tree: print(nd.state_sets) """ node_state_sets_map = {} for nd in preorder_node_list: c = nd.child_nodes() p = nd.parent_node if (not c) or (not p): continue assert(len(c) == 2) left_c, right_c = c try: left_ssl = getattr(left_c, state_sets_attr_name) except AttributeError: if not taxon_state_sets_map: raise left_ssl = taxon_state_sets_map[left_c.taxon] try: right_ssl = getattr(right_c, state_sets_attr_name) except AttributeError: if not taxon_state_sets_map: raise right_ssl = taxon_state_sets_map[right_c.taxon] par_ssl = getattr(p, state_sets_attr_name) curr_ssl = getattr(nd, state_sets_attr_name) result = [] for n, ssp in enumerate(zip(par_ssl, curr_ssl, left_ssl, right_ssl)): par_ss, curr_ss, left_ss, right_ss = ssp down_parup_inter = par_ss.intersection(curr_ss) if down_parup_inter == par_ss: final_ss = down_parup_inter else: rl_inter = left_ss.intersection(right_ss) if not rl_inter: final_ss = par_ss.union(curr_ss) else: in_par_and_left = par_ss.intersection(left_ss) in_par_and_right = par_ss.intersection(right_ss) final_ss = in_par_and_left.union(in_par_and_right, curr_ss) #_LOG.debug("downpass = %s, par = %s, left = %s, right = %s, final_ss= %s" % # (str(curr_ss), str(par_ss), str(left_ss), str(right_ss), str(final_ss))) result.append(final_ss) setattr(nd, state_sets_attr_name, result) def parsimony_score( tree, chars, gaps_as_missing=True, weights=None, score_by_character_list=None, ): """ Calculates the score of a tree, ``tree``, given some character data, ``chars``, under the parsimony model using the Fitch algorithm. Parameters ---------- tree : a |Tree| instance A |Tree| to be scored. Must reference the same |TaxonNamespace| as ``chars``. chars : a |CharacterMatrix| instance A |CharacterMatrix|-derived object with data to be scored. Must have the same |TaxonNamespace| as ``tree``. gap_as_missing : bool If |True| [default], then gaps will be treated as missing data. If |False|, then gaps will be treated as a new/additional state. weights : iterable A list of weights for each pattern/column in the matrix. score_by_character_list : None or list If not |None|, should be a reference to a list object. This list will be populated by the scores on a character-by-character basis. Returns ------- pscore : int The parsimony score of the tree given the data. Examples -------- :: import dendropy from dendropy.calculate import treescore # establish common taxon namespace taxon_namespace = dendropy.TaxonNamespace() # Read data; if data is, e.g., "standard", use StandardCharacterMatrix. # If unsure of data type, can do: # dataset = dendropy.DataSet.get( # path="path/to/file.nex", # schema="nexus", # taxon_namespace=tns,) # chars = dataset.char_matrices[0] chars = dendropy.DnaCharacterMatrix.get( path="pythonidae.chars.nexus", schema="nexus", taxon_namespace=taxon_namespace) tree = dendropy.Tree.get( path="pythonidae.mle.newick", schema="newick", taxon_namespace=taxon_namespace) # We store the site-specific scores here # This is optional; if we do not want to # use the per-site scores, just pass in |None| # for the ``score_by_character_list`` argument # or do not specify this argument at all. score_by_character_list = [] score = treescore.parsimony_score( tree, chars, gaps_as_missing=False, score_by_character_list=score_by_character_list) # Print the results: the score print("Score: {}".format(score)) # Print the results: the per-site scores for idx, x in enumerate(score_by_character_list): print("{}: {}".format(idx+1, x)) Notes ----- If the same data is going to be used to score multiple trees or multiple times, it is probably better to generate the 'taxon_state_sets_map' once and call "fitch_down_pass" directly yourself, as this function generates a new map each time. """ if tree.taxon_namespace is not chars.taxon_namespace: raise TaxonNamespaceIdentityError(tree, data) taxon_state_sets_map = chars.taxon_state_sets_map(gaps_as_missing=gaps_as_missing) nodes = tree.postorder_node_iter() pscore = fitch_down_pass(nodes, taxon_state_sets_map=taxon_state_sets_map, weights=weights, score_by_character_list=score_by_character_list) return pscore | Low | [
0.50207468879668,
30.25,
30
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<div> <div> <div> <div> text </div> <div> text </div> </div> </div> </div> | Low | [
0.35384615384615303,
15.8125,
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We all want to see one Nintendo franchise or another come to Wii U. Some of us eagerly anticipate the next Zelda, or want to see a true 3D Mario along the lines of Mario Galaxy. Yet if there's one person whose opinion matters more than all others, it's Shigeru Miyamoto's. As the co-manager of Nintendo's internal development teams and one of the most senior executives at the company, the legendary designer surely has a bit more influence than just about anyone else in the world. When I recently chatted with Miyamoto, I asked him what he would want to see on Wii U.With the caveat that he's not necessarily talking about games in active development, and that the process of evaluating which characters and games are appropriate for a system or mechanic is always ongoing, Miyamoto indicated two franchises have his attention. The first? Metroid."With Metroid it's very easy to imagine some interesting implementation for Wii U," Miyamoto mentioned. "I think that having another screen with the gyro built in really gives you a lot of interesting opportunities for development, and we can bring a lot of our games to life in a completely unique way with that.""I feel like the possibilities of the GamePad for Metroid could be really fantastic," Miyamoto told me at a different point in our conversation. "There's certainly a lot that you could do there for that game."Yet the one that Miyamoto really wants to see? The Nintendo executive didn't give any details, but noted that "personally" the franchise he wants most on Wii U is Star Fox. Here's hoping one day Miyamoto's wish - alongside millions of Nintendo fans - is realized on the HD system. Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com, and the leader of the network's Nintendo team. He also covers all things Assassin's Creed, Resident Evil, WWE and much, much more. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN , if you dare. | High | [
0.668235294117647,
35.5,
17.625
] |
1. Technical Field The present invention relates to surveillance systems in general, and in particular to surveillance systems for identifying locations from which hostile missiles were launched. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a surveillance system for identifying locations from which hostile land-to-air missiles were launched at aircrafts. 2. Description of Related Art Surface-to-air missiles, including man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), can pose a threat to aircrafts that are within the effective range of such missiles. For example, certain MANPADSs such as Stingers and SA series missiles, have altitude and horizontal (or slant) ranges of up to 15,000 feet and four miles, respectively, and can consequently threaten aircrafts come within those ranges. Because aircrafts typically fly below 15,000 feet for as far as 50 miles before landing and after taking off in so-called landing corridors, surface-to-air missiles within the landing corridors can be threats to aircrafts. With the recent substantial increase in terrorism activities directed towards commercial airliners, one of the current Homeland Security initiatives is to try to identify a location from which a hostile land-to-air missile was launched very soon after the launch of the missile had been established. Such information can be utilized by the local authority to locate and apprehend the attackers. The present disclosure describes a surveillance system for identifying locations from which hostile land-to-air missiles were launched at aircrafts. | Mid | [
0.5797752808988761,
32.25,
23.375
] |
Gene regulation profile reveals consistent anticancer properties of progesterone in hormone-independent breast cancer cells transfected with progesterone receptor. Absence of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) is the hallmark of most hormone-independent breast cancers. Previous studies demonstrated that reactivation of PR expression in hormone-independent MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells enabled progesterone to suppress cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. We determined the whole genomic effect of progesterone in PR-transfected MDA-MB-231 cells. We identified 151 progesterone-regulated genes with expression changes > 3-fold after 24 hr treatment. Most are novel progesterone target genes. Real-time RT-PCR analysis of 55 genes showed a 100% confirmation rate. Twenty-six genes were regulated at both 3 and 24 hr. Studies using translation inhibitor suggest that most of the 26 genes are primary progesterone target genes. Progesterone consistently suppressed the expression of genes required for cell proliferation and metastasis and increased the expression of many tumor-suppressor genes. Progesterone also consistently decreased the expression of DNA repair and chromosome maintenance genes, which may be part of the mechanism leading to cell cycle arrest. These data suggest potential usefulness of progestin in combating ER-negative but PR-positive breast cancer and indicate that progesterone can exert a strong anticancer effect in hormone-independent breast cancer following PR reactivation. The identification of many novel progesterone target genes open up new avenues for in-depth elucidation of progesterone-mediated molecular networks. | High | [
0.6866485013623971,
31.5,
14.375
] |
Q: Calculate the flux through a closed surface While studying for a test I have encountered such a task: Calculate the flux through a closed surface, where $S$ is a boundary of area $V$ with an outward orientation. The data: $$\vec{F}(x,y,z)=(\arctan(y), \frac{z^2}{1+x^2}, 2xy)$$ $$V: x^2+y^4+z^6 \le 1$$ $$\iint\limits_S \vec{F} \vec{ds} =\text{ ?} $$ I know, that such examples are supposed to be done using the divergence (Gauss-Ostrogradsky) theorem. So I begin with calculating $P_x, Q_y, R_z$. As can be easily seen, each of them is equal $0$. Besides, $V$ is very unusual here, with $z$, for example, raised to the sixth power. Is there anything wrong with my reasoning? Is there any other way to calculate this flux? What for do I need the info that the surface is oriented outwards? A: After calculating $P_x,Q_y,R_z$, deduce that $\nabla \cdot F$ (the sum of these) is zero, which means (by the divergence theorem) that the total flux (which is an integral of $\nabla \cdot F$) is zero. There's nothing wrong with your reasoning. You could calculate the flux without the theorem with a parametrized surface integral, but this approach would be much more difficult. Switching the orientation of the boundary switches the sign of your answer, but that makes no difference in this case. | Mid | [
0.583333333333333,
28.875,
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Oxygen therapy of the newborn from molecular understanding to clinical practice. Oxygen is one of the most critical components of life. Nature has taken billions of years to develop optimal atmospheric oxygen concentrations for human life, evolving from very low, peaking at 30% before reaching 20.95%. There is now increased understanding of the potential toxicity of both too much and too little oxygen, especially for preterm and asphyxiated infants and of the potential and lifelong impact of oxygen exposure, even for a few minutes after birth. In this review, we discuss the contribution of knowledge gleaned from basic science studies and their implication in the care and outcomes of the human infant within the first few minutes of life and afterwards. We emphasize current knowledge gaps and research that is needed to answer a problem that has taken Nature a considerably longer time to resolve. | Mid | [
0.652173913043478,
33.75,
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[Anomalies of immunoglobulin synthesis in vitro in surgical patients]. It is known that blood mononuclear cells from surgical patients produce large amounts of IgG in vitro, and that this synthesis is not increased by pokeweed mitogen stimulation. The objective of the present study was to determine if this abnormal pattern of IgG synthesis extended to other immunoglobulin classes. Patients were stratified according to delayed type hypersensitivity as reactive (induration > 5 mm to > one skin test antigen), or anergic (no response). Healthy laboratory personnel were studied as controls. Mononuclear cells were cultured for 10 days, without or with pokeweed mitogen. IgG, IgM, and IgA in supernatant was measured using a competitive solid phase radioimmunoassay. Unstimulated IgG and IgA synthesis was increased in surgical patients, especially in those with reduced delayed type hypersensitivity responses. IgM synthesis was normal or low. With mitogen stimulation, normal increases in IgG synthesis were seen in control and reactive subjects. In anergic patients, IgG was not increased by pokeweed mitogen. For IgM, mitogen stimulation increased synthesis but to a lesser degree in patients than in controls. For IgA, synthesis was increased by mitogen stimulation in all groups. In conclusion, surgical patients show abnormalities in the pattern of spontaneous and mitogen stimulated immunoglobulin synthesis. The pattern varies for each isotype. B cell activation is present in surgical patients, especially those with reduced delayed type hypersensitivity. This suggests either recent antigenic stimulation, or non-antigen specific dysregulation of the B cell system in surgical patients. | Mid | [
0.652582159624413,
34.75,
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Pages The Great Fusion Android The society has been completely changed during the last few years. People have become addicted to the technological devices and their lives are too dependent upon the technology. However, the old times were too good when we used to live like tension-free individuals. “The Great Fusion lets you enjoy and discover the hilarious and unusual graphic adventure.” If you want to remind old times, then this can be very interesting offer. Recalling the childhood is really fun and loving and there thousands of users who love to play this classical adventure game. It is distinct from others from different point of views. In this present modern world, it is truly hard to find someone who can recall the history. However, the great fusion can be a wonderful source to hypnotize your intelligence by delivering you more than the expectations. Caution: The might contain some harsh words in a few dialogues. It is a third person adventure in far future. The app also talks about those rich people who would become richer and the poor would become poorer. This is the strategy of life and we might not be able to change it with current circumstances and resources. The great fusion has beautifully described this social discrimination. Poor people strive to earn their livelihood, but cannot live even a satisfactory life due to lack of resources. In contrast, rich never bestow anything to their obedient or subordinates. This cause the class difference and it is necessary to eliminate. Good thing about the great fusion is its science fiction and old reality combination which lets you enjoy the endless entertainment. Actually, it is more than just a game and you will accept this after playing it on your own. | Low | [
0.529787234042553,
31.125,
27.625
] |
COP9 signalosome complex subunit 3 COP9 signalosome complex subunit 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the COPS3 gene. It encodes a subunit of the COP9 signalosome. The protein encoded by this gene possesses kinase activity that phosphorylates regulators involved in signal transduction. It phosphorylates I-kappa-B-alpha, p105, and c-Jun. It acts as a docking site for complex-mediated phosphorylation. The gene is located within the Smith-Magenis syndrome region on chromosome 17. See also Signalosome References External links Further reading | High | [
0.684210526315789,
35.75,
16.5
] |
Q: How to attach Base64 image to Active Storage object? I can attach a png image from disc by and everything works just fine: obj.attachment.attach( io: File.open('dog.png'), filename: "image_name", content_type: "image/png" ) But it doesn't work giving result like too tiny empty square when I save a Base64 png image which encoded into String something like that "data:image/png;base64,iVB**..REST OF DATA..**kSuQmCC" by: obj.attachment.attach( io: StringIO.new(encoded_base_sixty_four_img), filename: "image_name", content_type: "image/png" ) Also I tried to decoded it but gives the same error: decoded_base_sixty_four_img = Base64.decode64(encoded_base_sixty_four_img) obj.attachment.attach( io: StringIO.new(decoded_base_sixty_four_img), filename: "image_name", content_type: "image/png" ) Also tried writing this decoded value into a File but nothing worked too giving blank image result: file = file.write(decoded_base_sixty_four_img) obj.attachment.attach( io: file, filename: "image_name", content_type: "image/png" ) So any other thoughts? A: Thanks to @tadman, data:image/png;base64, part can't be handled by Base64.decode64 when I stripped it off everything worked fine. | Mid | [
0.5676959619952491,
29.875,
22.75
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I enjoy working with others. I am a very caring, patient, loving person. I believe that the elderly and those whom can't do for themselves deserve the best of care. I am dependable, reliable and trustworthy. I enjoy working with others. I am a very caring, patient, loving person. I believe that the elderly and those whom can't do for themselves deserve the best of care. I am dependable, reliable and trustworthy. Caregiving Services Jobs I'm seeking Live-out Caregivers that work non-full-time jobs or irregular shifts can negotiate extra compensation in addition to their standard hourly wage. CareLinx does not employ or recommend any care provider or care seeker nor is it responsible for the conduct of any care provider or care seeker. The CareLinx website is a venue that provides tools to help care seekers and care providers connect online. Each individual is solely responsible for selecting a care provider or care seeker for themselves or their families and for complying with all laws in connection with any employment relationship they establish. | Mid | [
0.5447470817120621,
35,
29.25
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Color cosmetics, which are used to beautifully adorn the skin of a user by making the appearance beautiful, are classified into a base makeup used for making a skin color uniform and covering a defect and a point makeup used for partially enhancing a three-dimensional effect of a lip, eyes, or nails. The base makeup includes a makeup base, a foundation and a powder, and the point makeup includes a lipstick, an eye liner, and mascara. The foundation is classified into solid-type foundation, liquid-type foundation and gel-type foundation according to a type of cosmetic contents. In case of the solid-type foundation, although the solid-type foundation has a good cover effect, the makeup is united when the makeup is refreshed. In case of the liquid-type foundation, although the liquid-type foundation gives a good close contact feel, the persistency is weak. Thus, in recent years, the number of customers favoring the gel-type foundation having a considerable persistency and a good close contact feel has been increased. Therefore, there is need to develop a container for gel-type foundation. Generally, the gel-type foundation, which is filled into a glass container or a tub-type container, is used in such a manner that a user takes some foundation on his hands for use or squeezes foundation from the container and then, coats the foundation on his skin by using a puff or his hands. However, according to the related art, since a user gets cosmetics on his hands every time that it is used, it is inconvenient to wash hands every time after use. In addition, as the hands coated with cosmetics are washed, the cosmetics are wasted. To solve the above problems, as shown in FIG. 1, a compact container having an impregnation member 1 which is impregnated with cosmetics and embedded in an inner container is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1257628 issued to the applicant of the present application. According to the related art, a user uses the cosmetics impregnated to the mixing member by getting a puff the cosmetics to coat the cosmetics on his skin, so that the user can wear makeup without coating user's hands with the cosmetics. However, since cosmetics impregnated to the impregnation member 1 contain a large quantity of volatile materials, when the sealing of the inner container containing the cosmetics is deteriorated, the volatile materials are volatilized into the atmosphere, so that the cosmetics are hardened, thereby losing the inherent function. Thus, there is a need to a method of preventing the volatile materials of cosmetics from being volatilized. To solve the above-described problems, as shown in FIG. 2, an airtight cosmetic container is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1297824, where a sealing rib 3 is formed on a lower portion of a packing case lid such that the sealing rib 3 is inserted into a packing groove formed in a packing case 2, so that the packing case 2 is effectively sealed, thereby preventing the volatile materials of cosmetics from being volatilized. However, according to the related art, to refill the cosmetics, after the packing case 2 is separated from an outer container, the packing case lid is opened to separate a fixing member 4. Then, after an inner container 5 is changed for a new inner container 5, the inner container 5 must be assembled in a reverse sequence again. Thus, since several components must be separated and assembled again to exchange the inner container 5, the refill process is inconvenient. In addition, according to the related art, since the fixing member 4 for fixing the impregnation member is separately formed while covering an upper part of the inner container 5, the number of assembling components is increased so that the manpower for assembly is increased, thereby deteriorating the productivity and increasing the component prices. In addition, according to the related art, when the inner container 5 is made of synthetic resin, the inner container 5 made of synthetic resin is required to have a constant thickness or above, so that the cosmetic containing space is reduced, so it is limited to maximize the amount of cosmetics filled in the inner container 5. | Mid | [
0.5922746781115881,
34.5,
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//*****************************************************************************
//
// fontcmtt16.c - Font definition for the 16pt Cmtt font.
//
// Copyright (c) 2011-2014 Texas Instruments Incorporated. All rights reserved.
// Software License Agreement
//
// Texas Instruments (TI) is supplying this software for use solely and
// exclusively on TI's microcontroller products. The software is owned by
// TI and/or its suppliers, and is protected under applicable copyright
// laws. You may not combine this software with "viral" open-source
// software in order to form a larger program.
//
// THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITH ALL FAULTS.
// NO WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT
// NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
// A PARTICULAR PURPOSE APPLY TO THIS SOFTWARE. TI SHALL NOT, UNDER ANY
// CIRCUMSTANCES, BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
// DAMAGES, FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER.
//
// This is part of revision 2.1.0.12573 of the Tiva Graphics Library.
//
//*****************************************************************************
//*****************************************************************************
//
// This file is generated by ftrasterize; DO NOT EDIT BY HAND!
//
//*****************************************************************************
#include <stdint.h>
#include <stdbool.h>
#include "grlib/grlib.h"
//*****************************************************************************
//
// Details of this font:
// Characters: 32 to 126 inclusive
// Style: cmtt
// Size: 16 point
// Bold: no
// Italic: no
// Memory usage: 2004 bytes
//
//*****************************************************************************
//*****************************************************************************
//
// The compressed data for the 16 point Cmtt font.
// Contains characters 32 to 126 inclusive.
//
//*****************************************************************************
static const uint8_t g_pui8Cmtt16Data[1802] =
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//*****************************************************************************
//
// The font definition for the 16 point Cmtt font.
//
//*****************************************************************************
const tFont g_sFontCmtt16 =
{
//
// The format of the font.
//
FONT_FMT_PIXEL_RLE,
//
// The maximum width of the font.
//
7,
//
// The height of the font.
//
16,
//
// The baseline of the font.
//
12,
//
// The offset to each character in the font.
//
{
0, 4, 20, 36, 60, 88, 116, 143,
154, 171, 189, 205, 220, 230, 238, 247,
265, 289, 305, 324, 343, 363, 382, 404,
421, 444, 466, 479, 493, 508, 517, 532,
550, 578, 602, 625, 645, 669, 690, 710,
732, 757, 773, 790, 815, 833, 860, 889,
913, 933, 960, 984, 1005, 1025, 1050, 1074,
1101, 1123, 1144, 1164, 1180, 1197, 1213, 1222,
1229, 1239, 1257, 1278, 1294, 1315, 1332, 1349,
1371, 1393, 1408, 1426, 1448, 1464, 1489, 1509,
1528, 1549, 1569, 1585, 1602, 1620, 1640, 1660,
1682, 1702, 1725, 1741, 1757, 1775, 1792,
},
//
// A pointer to the actual font data
//
g_pui8Cmtt16Data
};
| Low | [
0.5011655011655011,
26.875,
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“Always Encourage and Celebrate” ALWAYS ENCOURAGE AND CELEBRATE. Show gratitude and appreciation by regularly acknowledging the good works you see everywhere.a Look for signs of spiritual growth and maturity among our members and staff. When you see it, point it out and rejoice.b Pass on good reports that you hear about others. aWe always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1: 3, 4) bWhen the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. (Acts 11: 22, 23) A Lutheran pastor named Walter Wangerin once had two very ordinary encounters with two different gas station attendants. These encounters happened years ago, years before one could swipe a credit card at the pump. Back then, you handed money or a credit card to an attendant. One rainy day Pastor Wangerin pulled his car into a station. A young employee walked towards him and greeting him with “Hello”. The exchange was simple. The attendant pumped the gas, the pastor paid with exact change. When the pastor slid back into the driver’s seat, his son asked his Dad why he was smiling. It was probably the attendant’s handshake and his “thank you” given while looking directly into the eyes of Walter. The second encounter occurred inside a gas station. This time, the attendant, a woman sat behind Plexiglas counter reading a book. Where she was wasn’t a problem for Pastor Wangerin. The problem was the woman’s attitude. With curt sentences spoken with clear annoyance, this woman made the pastor feel like a burden and a waste of her time. Two forgettable meetings but the first left Walter built up and the second deflated him. He wrote later, “Every time you meet another human being you have the opportunity. It’s a chance at holiness. For you will do one of two things, then. Either you will build him up, or you will tear him down. Either you will acknowledge that he is, or you will make him sorry that he is—sorry, at least, that he is there, in front of you. You will create, or you will destroy. And the things you dignify or deny are God’s own property . . . And I say to you, ‘There are no useless, minor meetings. There are no dead-end jobs. There are no pointless lives. Swallow your sorrows, forget your grievances and all the hurt your poor life has sustained. Turn your face truly to the human before you and let them, for one pure moment, shine. Think her important, and then she will suspect that she is fashioned of God.” Go and be builders of one another. Speak your love, articulate your appreciation, let those you cherish—at home, school, work and here—know that they are fashioned of God. | High | [
0.7333333333333331,
33,
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The Russian lawyer with whom the eldest son of President Donald Trump arranged a meeting because he was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton is pushing back on Donald Trump Jr.’s account of the story, saying perhaps he wanted the information “so badly” that he imagined it was offered. “I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,” Natalia Veselnitskaya said in an interview with NBC News on Tuesday, her first remarks since The New York Times uncovered the meeting over the weekend. The Times reported Monday that Donald Trump Jr. knew the information to damage Trump’s presidential election rival was coming from a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign before taking the meeting. “It is quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information. They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted,” Veselnitskaya said, speaking through a translator. The younger Trump’s story on the meeting, the first confirmed sit-down between Trump’s inner circle and Russians during Trump’s campaign, has continued to evolve. He initially claimed Veselnitskaya simply wanted to discuss sanctions related to an adoption policy and said he did not even know with whom he was meeting. But he later admitted he was promised the information about Clinton before agreeing to the meeting, which was also attended by Trump’s then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. Veselnitskaya suggested Trump Jr. played a more central role in the meeting than he initially indicated, recalling that during the meeting, he asked her “whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC were coming from inappropriate sources,” referring to the Democratic National Committee. “I never knew who else would be attending the meeting. All I knew that Mr. Donald Trump Jr. was willing to meet with me. So when all those reports came out, I tried to bring back my recollections of the meeting, and I compared them to the pictures that I saw in the newspaper articles,” Veselnitskaya said, noting that she recognized Kushner and Manafort. Of Kushner, she said that he was only present “for probably the first seven to 10 minutes, and then he stood up and left the room.” She recalled that Manafort “never took any active part in the conversation” and “was always looking at his phone.” Veselnitskaya, who has represented Russian state-owned businesses and the son of a senior Russian government official, also denied having ties to the Kremlin. “Nyet,” she said, when asked if she had ever worked for or had connections to the Russian government. On Monday, Trump Jr. hired a lawyer, Alan Futerfas, who said the story was “much ado about nothing.” In a statement, Futerfas did not deny the substance of the Times’ reporting but insisted there was nothing improper about the meeting. Trump Jr. tweeted about the topic Tuesday morning, calling it a “nonsense meeting.” The president himself has been silent on the news, only commenting through a spokesman for the outside legal team representing him in the multiple investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Russia. “The president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting,” Mark Corallo said, in response to the Times’ story on Sunday. This article has been updated with more quotes from Veselnitskaya. | Mid | [
0.5731958762886591,
34.75,
25.875
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Q: Create a copy/test Nation Builder site? New to nation builder and looking to edit a live nation builder site. I'd like to make a copy / sandbox of the site I could use for testing. Any insight on how to copy a nationbuilder site or testing/dev workflow for nationbuilder would be useful. I am aware of: http://nationbuilder.com/theme_sync and the ability to download a theme, but still looking for a way to copy content. A: You can clone an individual site and share it with yourself and others. This should help - http://nationbuilder.com/site_sharing | High | [
0.6853932584269661,
30.5,
14
] |
As Republicans struggle, Obamacare's architects outline how it could be fixed Susan Page | USA TODAY Show Caption Hide Caption Obamacare architect on how to fix it Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel doesn't think the AHCA will pass through Congress and shares his ideas about how Obamacare could be improved, rather than repealed. He speaks with Susan Page, USA TODAY Washington bureau chief, on Capital Download. ASPEN, Colo. — As Senate Republicans struggle to find the votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the architects of Obamacare have an idea to try if they fail. Just fix it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday delayed the vote planned for this week on the Republican health care plan as complaints from competing wings of his party made it uncertain whether he commanded the support even to begin debate, much less pass the bill. But those who oppose repealing the Affordable Care Act caution that the GOP's failure to act would create complications of its own, both for those who gained insurance coverage through the Obama initiative and just about everybody else. "There's nothing insurance companies hate more than uncertainty, and one of the things they do to respond to uncertainty is to increase their premiums," Ezekiel Emanuel, a bioethicist and University of Pennsylvania professor, said in a Capital Download interview Tuesday at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Premiums for those who buy insurance through the Obamacare exchanges, already rising, would increase more, pricing some Americans out of the market. Those who get insurance through their employers also would feel the effect as hospitals spread the costs of treating the uninsured. "The notion that anyone in America is going to be better off if the Affordable Care Act crashes and burns is ludicrous," he told USA TODAY's video newsmaker series. "All of us will pay for it in the end. There is no free lunch here." Emanuel played a key role in the Obama White House in devising the Affordable Care Act. But he also met with Donald Trump three times since the November election to discuss health care policy, most recently at the White House in March. (It's all in the family: Emanuel's brother Rahm, now Chicago mayor, was Obama's chief of staff. His brother Ari is a Hollywood agent who has ties to Trump and encouraged the president-elect to talk with him.) Zeke Emanuel's latest book, Prescription for the Future: The Twelve Transformational Practices of Highly Effective Medical Organizations, was published this month. His sessions with Trump left him perplexed, Emanuel says. "He wants to get everyone covered; he wants costs to be under control so people aren't being denied care because of the deductibles or the co-pays; he wants drug costs to come down," he says. "This (Senate) bill does none of that, so it seems like a total discord between what his guts tell him to do and what the bill does." Republicans argue that Obamacare is in a "death spiral" because of its own flaws; Democrats counter that actions taken by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have sabotaged it. Read more: In any case, Emanuel and Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services as the law was being devised, debated and implemented, say there could be bipartisan agreement on steps that would stabilize the current system, help control costs and protect care. Among their suggestions: Reassure skittish insurance companies. "Very, very quickly, the Republicans need to say to insurance companies, as we work on a new theory of replacement, we will keep this law in place," Sebelius says, including a commitment to continue the subsidies that help lower-income Americans afford premiums. Announcing that the law's mandate to have health insurance is going to be enforced would help as well, Emanuel says. "Very, very quickly, the Republicans need to say to insurance companies, as we work on a new theory of replacement, we will keep this law in place," Sebelius says, including a commitment to continue the subsidies that help lower-income Americans afford premiums. Announcing that the law's mandate to have health insurance is going to be enforced would help as well, Emanuel says. Change the way doctors and hospitals are paid. If they receive federal payments through Medicare, Medicaid or the military's Tricare system, Emanuel proposes a mandate that they spend a rising percentage of those funds on models that focus on wellness and prevention rather than a fee for each procedure performed. If they receive federal payments through Medicare, Medicaid or the military's Tricare system, Emanuel proposes a mandate that they spend a rising percentage of those funds on models that focus on wellness and prevention rather than a fee for each procedure performed. Negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare and Medicaid . "There wasn't enough Democratic support to do something about drug costs" when the Affordable Care Act was being drafted, Sebelius says. "That sentiment has changed dramatically over the last seven years." . "There wasn't enough Democratic support to do something about drug costs" when the Affordable Care Act was being drafted, Sebelius says. "That sentiment has changed dramatically over the last seven years." Provide incentives for insurance companies to participate in the exchanges. A few states now give preferences for their Medicaid programs to insurance companies that also participate in the Obamacare exchanges. "Say 'we're going to work on it until we find a better bill,' " Sebelius says. "But what's going on right now, if they fail to not only have legislation passed but an infrastructure in place at the end of this year, they will have a total mess on their hands. They will have the worst of all worlds." That said, there's limited optimism about the prospect for any bipartisan cooperation in the foreseeable future. "We agree on 70% of policy," Emanuel says. But Republicans decided not to reach out to Democrats during the debate, arguing their opposition was set. And Democrats now see no percentage in rescuing Republicans from their political straits, at least not before next year's midterm elections. "When you piss off the other side and basically spit in their eye — we're not going to talk to you; we're not going to involve you; we're going to keep all the marbles; we're not holding public hearings; we're not debating this — what's their motivation for working with you?" he asks. "It's zero." And who gets the political blame if the nation's health care system becomes a fiasco? Sebelius, who saw the political damage that Obamacare's stumbles created for Democrats in 2010, predicts it would be the GOP this time: "I believe that whoever is in charge when the collapse happens owns the collapse." | Mid | [
0.641148325358851,
33.5,
18.75
] |
France believes hostage killed during rescue bid in Somalia PARIS/MOGADISHU (Reuters) - France sent commandos into Somalia to rescue a secret agent who had been held by insurgents since 2009, but said on Saturday it believed he had been killed by his captors along with a French soldier during the raid. The intelligence agency's team flew into southern Somalia by helicopter under the cover of darkness to try to free Denis Allex from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, on the same day France launched air strikes against Islamist militants in Mali. Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the operations were not connected, but France has been concerned that other hostages held in Africa would be at risk if they intervened against the al Qaeda-allied fighters on the other side of the continent. The Somalia raid, and sending troops to Mali where a pilot was killed in action on Friday, represents President Francois Hollande's biggest foreign policy tests since being elected in May. France has eight nationals in Islamist hands in the Sahara after a string of kidnappings. "Commandos broke into where Allex was being detained last night and immediately faced strong resistance," Le Drian told a news conference. "Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution - everything leads us to believe that Denis Allex was unfortunately killed by his captors." Al Shabaab, who had been holding Allex since July 2009, said in a statement he was still alive and being held at a location far from the base where French military helicopters attacked overnight. "The injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahideen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle," it said. "Several French soldiers were killed in the battle and many more were injured before they fled from the scene of battle, leaving behind some military paraphernalia and even one of their comrades on the ground." Le Drian said one French soldier died in the operation and a second was missing. PLEADING FOR LIFE The Defence Ministry earlier said 17 Somali fighters were killed in the fighting that had been prompted by "the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three and half years". Allex was one of two French intelligence officers from the DGSE intelligence agency who were kidnapped by al Shabaab in Mogadishu in July 2009 but his colleague, Marc Aubriere, escaped a month later. Allex had been held ever since, in what France called "inhumane conditions". The ministry said he was kidnapped when he was carrying out an official aid mission with the Somali government. France has previously said the two men were in the Somali capital to train local forces. A video of Allex pleading with Hollande to negotiate his release and save his life appeared on a website in October used by Islamist militant groups around the world. Reuters could not verify its authenticity. Hollande said at the time the government was seeking to start talks with any party able to facilitate Allex's release. After his abduction, al Shabaab issued a series of demands, which included an end to French support for the Somali government and the withdrawal of African Union peacekeepers, whose 17,600-strong troops are helping battle the rebels. Under pressure from the peacekeeping troops and Somali government forces, al Shabaab has lost many of its major urban strongholds in south-central Somalia since it launched a rebellion against the Western-backed government in 2007. The rebels, who want to impose their strict interpretation of sharia Islamic law across the Horn of Africa state, withdrew from the capital Mogadishu in August last year and lost their last major bastion of Kismayu six weeks ago. A Somali government official in Bula Mareer, a town about 120 km (75 miles) south of Mogadishu, said the helicopters attacked overnight. | Mid | [
0.5375854214123,
29.5,
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Bioengineering and functional characterization of arenicin shortened analogs with enhanced antibacterial activity and cell selectivity. New bioengineering approaches are required for development of more active and less toxic antimicrobial peptides. In this study we used β-hairpin antimicrobial peptide arenicin-1 as a template for design of more potent antimicrobials. In particular, six shortened 17-residue analogs were obtained by recombinant expression in Escherichia coli. Besides, we have introduced the second disulfide bridge by analogy with the structure of tachyplesins. As a result, a number of analogs with enhanced activity and cell selectivity were developed. In comparison with arenicin-1, which acts on cell membranes with low selectivity, the most potent and promising its analog termed ALP1 possessed two-fold higher antibacterial activity and did not affect viability of mammalian cells at concentration up to 50 μM. The therapeutic index of ALP1 against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was significantly increased compared with that of arenicin-1 while the mechanism of action remained the same. Like arenicin-1, the analog rapidly disrupt membranes of both stationary and exponential phase bacterial cells and effectively kills multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, ALP1 was shown to bind DNA in vitro at a ratio of 1:1 (w/w). The circular dichroism spectra demonstrated that secondary structures of the shortened analogs were similar to that of arenicin-1 in water solution, but significantly differed in membrane-mimicking environments. This work shows that a strand length is one of the key parameters affecting cell selectivity of β-hairpin antimicrobial peptides. | High | [
0.705563093622795,
32.5,
13.5625
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init() init is the very first function called when your State starts up. It's called before preload, create or anything else. If you need to route the game away to another State you could do so here, or if you need to prepare a set of variables or objects before the preloading starts. loadRender() loadRender is called during the Loader process. This only happens if you've set one or more assets to load in the preload method. The difference between loadRender and render is that any objects you render in this method you must be sure their assets exist. pauseUpdate() preload() preload is called first. Normally you'd use this to load your game assets (or those needed for the current State) You shouldn't create any objects in this method that require assets that you're also loading in this method, as they won't yet be available. preRender() render() Nearly all display objects in Phaser render automatically, you don't need to tell them to render. However the render method is called AFTER the game renderer and plugins have rendered, so you're able to do any final post-processing style effects here. Note that this happens before plugins postRender takes place. shutdown() update() The update method is left empty for your own use. It is called during the core game loop AFTER debug, physics, plugins and the Stage have had their preUpdate methods called. If is called BEFORE Stage, Tweens, Sounds, Input, Physics, Particles and Plugins have had their postUpdate methods called. | Mid | [
0.647342995169082,
33.5,
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Samsung suspends Galaxy Note 7 shipments after explosion reports Samsung Electronics has suspended shipments of its latest smartphone Galaxy Note 7 to local telecom carriers after a series of reports on the phone’s explosion, a local news outlet reported on Aug. 31. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean tech giant has suspended the phone’s shipments since early this week even though the exact cause of the decision has not yet been confirmed. Samsung Electronics mobile c... | Mid | [
0.6270022883295191,
34.25,
20.375
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Generation of Counterpropagating Path-Entangled Photon Pairs in a Single Periodic Waveguide. We propose the use of nonlinear periodic waveguides for direct and fully integrated generation of counterpropagating photon pairs by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Using the unique properties of Bloch modes in such periodic structures, we furthermore show that two counterpropagating phase-matching conditions can be fulfilled simultaneously, allowing for the generation of path-entangled Bell states in a single periodic waveguide. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal, we design a photonic crystal slab waveguide made of lithium niobate and numerically demonstrate Bell-state generation. | High | [
0.7039764359351981,
29.875,
12.5625
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Shiver (2003 film) Shiver is a 2003 Hong Kong horror film directed by Billy Chung and starring Francis Ng, Athena Chu, Nick Cheung and Tiffany Lee. Plot Regional Crime Unit officer Chan Kwok-ming (Francis Ng) and his wife, Sammi Mok (Athena Chu) were on the way to finalize their proceedings for separation where an armed robbery breaks out in the streets. Kwok-ming steps in to assist in hunting the criminals, but Sammi was hit by a stray bullet and was seriously injured, leading her into a coma. Several months later, Sammi awakes from her coma. Sammi's doctor, Ko Chuen (Nick Cheung) warns her to be especially careful with her body as her blood type is very rare. Since Kwok-ming is often busy and handling cases at the police station, Sammi is left home along to recover and have been hallucinating often lately. One time, Sammi sees a female celebrity, Kitty Chow (Tiffany Lee), killed in her hallucination. While being skeptical, Sammi walks into the back alley of a bar and discovers the corpse of Kitty. Since then, Sammi's mental became more severe. When Kwok-ming wanted to take a leave at the police station, his supervisor demands him to cancel all his leaves and investigate the case of Kitty Chow's murder. One night, Kwok-ming returns home and sees the walls being covered in words written with blood. The same night, Sammi also goes mad and heads into the road, causing serious traffic congestion. Afterwards, Sammi was taken to hospital to be examined by a psychiatrist. Meanwhile, Kwok-ming was investigating another case where a lawyer was murdered and discovers that the case is linked to the murder of Kitty Chow. While the crime scene, Kwok-ming shockingly witnesses the lawyer coming back to life and takes him to the hospital. In the hospital, Kwok-ming is informed that the lawyer requires an emergency blood transfusion from a rare blood type, which incidentally, happen to be the same blood type as Sammi. However, in this critical moment, Sammi mysteriously goes missing. Cast Francis Ng as Chan Kwok-ming (陳國明) Athena Chu as Sammi Mok (莫心怡) Nick Cheung as Dr. Ko Chuen (高川醫生) Tiffany Lee as Kitty Chow (周潔瑜) Benz Hui as Kwok-ming's supervisor Patrick Tang as Kwok-ming's subordinate Ben Cheung as Kwok-ming's subordinate Gloria Wong as Bobo Chan Viann Leung as Tracy Felix Lok as Coroner Bee (B哥) Siu Hung as Security guard Wong Man-shing as Robber Vincent Chik as Robber Wong Yui-sang as Robber Lam Kwok-kit as Policeman Lui Siu-ming as Policeman Sin Yan-kau Benny Lai Critical reception Beyond Hollywood gave the film a mixed review, praising lead actor Francis Ng's performance and concluded the review stating "although it’s not a film of spectacular quality, there’s enough about Shiver to recommend." LoveHKFilm praised the direction of Billy Chung and the performances of Ng, Athena Chu and Nick Cheung, but criticizes how problems were easily and conveniently resolved. So Good Reviews praises its "effective establishments of character relationships" and Chung's direction of quick cut horror imagery, but criticizes the cinematography as "flat." References External links Shiver at Hong Kong Cinemagic Category:Hong Kong films Category:2003 films Category:2003 horror films Category:2000s mystery films Category:Hong Kong horror films Category:2000s psychological horror films Category:Hong Kong ghost films Category:Police detective films Category:Hong Kong serial killer films Category:Cantonese-language films Category:Films set in Hong Kong Category:Films shot in Hong Kong Category:Hong Kong psychological horror films | Mid | [
0.5567010309278351,
27,
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