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An Autophagic Flux Probe that Releases an Internal Control. Macroautophagy is an intracellular degradation system that utilizes the autophagosome to deliver cytoplasmic components to the lysosome. Measuring autophagic activity is critically important but remains complicated and challenging. Here, we have developed GFP-LC3-RFP-LC3ΔG, a fluorescent probe to evaluate autophagic flux. This probe is cleaved by endogenous ATG4 proteases into equimolar amounts of GFP-LC3 and RFP-LC3ΔG. GFP-LC3 is degraded by autophagy, while RFP-LC3ΔG remains in the cytosol, serving as an internal control. Thus, autophagic flux can be estimated by calculating the GFP/RFP signal ratio. Using this probe, we re-evaluated previously reported autophagy-modulating compounds, performed a high-throughput screen of an approved drug library, and identified autophagy modulators. Furthermore, we succeeded in measuring both induced and basal autophagic flux in embryos and tissues of zebrafish and mice. The GFP-LC3-RFP-LC3ΔG probe is a simple and quantitative method to evaluate autophagic flux in cultured cells and whole organisms. | High | [
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<template> <div class="q-pa-md"> <q-toggle v-model="loading" label="Loading state" class="q-mb-md" /> <q-table title="Treats" :data="data" :columns="columns" color="primary" row-key="name" :loading="loading" > <template v-slot:loading> <q-inner-loading showing color="primary" /> </template> </q-table> </div> </template> <script> export default { data () { return { loading: false, columns: [ { name: 'desc', required: true, label: 'Dessert (100g serving)', align: 'left', field: row => row.name, format: val => `${val}`, sortable: true }, { name: 'calories', align: 'center', label: 'Calories', field: 'calories', sortable: true }, { name: 'fat', label: 'Fat (g)', field: 'fat', sortable: true }, { name: 'carbs', label: 'Carbs (g)', field: 'carbs' }, { name: 'protein', label: 'Protein (g)', field: 'protein' }, { name: 'sodium', label: 'Sodium (mg)', field: 'sodium' }, { name: 'calcium', label: 'Calcium (%)', field: 'calcium', sortable: true, sort: (a, b) => parseInt(a, 10) - parseInt(b, 10) }, { name: 'iron', label: 'Iron (%)', field: 'iron', sortable: true, sort: (a, b) => parseInt(a, 10) - parseInt(b, 10) } ], data: [ { name: 'Frozen Yogurt', calories: 159, fat: 6.0, carbs: 24, protein: 4.0, sodium: 87, calcium: '14%', iron: '1%' }, { name: 'Ice cream sandwich', calories: 237, fat: 9.0, carbs: 37, protein: 4.3, sodium: 129, calcium: '8%', iron: '1%' }, { name: 'Eclair', calories: 262, fat: 16.0, carbs: 23, protein: 6.0, sodium: 337, calcium: '6%', iron: '7%' }, { name: 'Cupcake', calories: 305, fat: 3.7, carbs: 67, protein: 4.3, sodium: 413, calcium: '3%', iron: '8%' }, { name: 'Gingerbread', calories: 356, fat: 16.0, carbs: 49, protein: 3.9, sodium: 327, calcium: '7%', iron: '16%' }, { name: 'Jelly bean', calories: 375, fat: 0.0, carbs: 94, protein: 0.0, sodium: 50, calcium: '0%', iron: '0%' }, { name: 'Lollipop', calories: 392, fat: 0.2, carbs: 98, protein: 0, sodium: 38, calcium: '0%', iron: '2%' }, { name: 'Honeycomb', calories: 408, fat: 3.2, carbs: 87, protein: 6.5, sodium: 562, calcium: '0%', iron: '45%' }, { name: 'Donut', calories: 452, fat: 25.0, carbs: 51, protein: 4.9, sodium: 326, calcium: '2%', iron: '22%' }, { name: 'KitKat', calories: 518, fat: 26.0, carbs: 65, protein: 7, sodium: 54, calcium: '12%', iron: '6%' } ] } } } </script> | Low | [
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'Not just a hostel , but a home' a unique backpacker's hostel with an exotic Thai feel. Just 100 meters from lively Sukhumvit Road, with its many restaurants, lounges and bars, and a 2 minute walk to the BTS SkyTrain Thong Lo Station, HI-Sukhumvit is a convenient, welcoming place for you to ba | Low | [
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B'nai B'rith International honored Berta Davidovitz Rubinsztejn (right) with the Jewish Rescuers Citation in 2014. During the time of Nazi occupation in Budapest, Rubinsztejn, only in her early 20's at the time, became a hero and mother for Jewish children that would have otherwise perished in the Holocaust. On the left is Meir Brand, one of the children she rescued. Nearly 15 years ago, the World Center proposed a resolution to the 2003 B’nai B’rith International Board of Governors meeting that convened in Baltimore calling on the organization to honor Jewish Holocaust rescuers. The resolution that past read “BE IT RESOLVED THAT B’nai B’rith International authorizes the B’nai B’rith World Center to engage in identifying and honoring Jews who performed extraordinary actions to save other Jews during the Holocaust, and asks that they further define the scope of any involvement and activity by B’nai B’rith International.” Over the years since that resolution, the search for Jewish Holocaust-era rescuers has become a major area of activity for the World Center and a personal passion. In order to properly honor those heroes, the World Center and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust—of which the World Center is a founding member—launched their joint “Jewish Rescuers Citation,” through which some 170 Jewish heroes have been recognized for their courageous actions rescuing Jews across Europe during the Holocaust. One of the modus operandi of the citation is that it must be presented to the rescuer him or herself or, in the case that the rescuer is no longer alive, to a relative. Sometimes, this condition is difficult to meet, particularly in the case of some of the more obscure rescue efforts. One such effort is the case of Dr. Asaf Atchildi, a medical doctor born into the Jadir community of Samarkand—a religious community of Jewish origin, originally forced into accepting the Muslim faith for the sake of appearance. Atchildi found himself in Paris during the German occupation, attending to the Juguts—Jews of Bukharian origin in France. With the assistance of Georgian expatriate politicians living in France, an Iranian diplomat and other players, Dr. Atchildi succeeded in building a web of contacts and relationships among the German and French bureaucracy that ensured the survival of the Jugut community and other non-Jugut Jews who were surreptitiously added to the list of Juguts. Atchildi, who, at his wife’s urging never registered as being Jewish, was in constant danger of being found out and deported. Our committee had no doubt that the now deceased doctor deserved the Jewish Rescuers Citation but we were unable to find a relative to receive it. We knew from testimony he gave to Yad Vashem that while in Paris he had two daughters. We could not find either in Israel or in Paris. I then resorted to the radio program “Search Bureau for Missing Relatives,” anchored by Izzy Mann, a B’nai B’rith World Center Journalism Award winner, who immediately promised to broadcast Atchildi’s fascinating story to garner information from the public at large and also to set loose his bevy of volunteer researchers to find Atchildi or his close kin. Izzy was able to find some significant leads to distant relatives in Israel and within three weeks these led to a breakthrough: we found Dr. Atchildi’s one surviving daughter, Dora Aftergood (90), at the Jewish age home in Vancouver and her son David in Calgary. B’nai B’rith Canada has agreed to stage a major event to present the citation posthumously to Dr. Atchild—closing the circle opened 70 years earlier when he ensured the survival of over 300 Bukharian and other Jews in occupied France.The World Center remains committed to this important project that helps discredit the mistaken notion that Jews did nothing to rescue fellow Jews during the Holocaust and that the notion of Jewish solidarity was nowhere to be found during those terrible times. Alan Schneider is the director of B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem, which serves as the hub of B'nai B'rith International activities in Israel. The World Center is the key link between Israel and B'nai B'rith members and supporters around the world. To view some of his additional content, Click Here. | High | [
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The Debate Countdown The long anticipated debate is finally here. Tonight, a record amount of viewers are expected to tune in to see two of the most controversial candidates in history take the stage. In a charged campaign, we can expect tonight to be full of curve balls and one line thrillers, as the two opponents finally meet face to face, and are finally given the chance to prove why voters should give them their vote on November 8th. While the pressure was originally thought to be all on Donald Trump, the tables have turned, and now, political eyes are focused on Clinton. Liberal talk show pundit, Piers Morgan said, “All the pressure is on Hillary tonight and if she wobbles, wavers, or walks into a Trump right hook, you can start counting her out.” After a tumultuous August for Trump, he turned his campaign around at the same time Hillary’s health seemed to fail her. While there have been many conspiracy theories that Hillary Clinton is sick, her rapid departure from the 9/11 memorial service, with a video that looked like she lost consciousness, fueled the fire and greatly hurt her image. At the same time Trump’s poll numbers increased in coveted swing states like Ohio, and he focused on the economy and the corrupt nature of Hillary Clinton. Clinton has spent most of her campaign talking about how unfit Trump is to be president. She has focused on this as a point of her attacks more than his actual policies. Because of this, she will have to try and keep this argument while also presenting her own plan for America’s future- a balance that may be hard to do in a ninety minute debate setting. Secondly, she better hope she is actually better. Standing for ninety minutes without a commercial break will help her prove that she is not actually ill. But if she is, then this atmosphere might be hard on her health. If she shows any signs of physical weakness on the campaign stage, it will be extremely hard to justify. Trump hired Roger Ailes as a prep consultant for this debate. Ailes is the mastermind behind the Fox News empire, and one thing he definitely knows how to do is get viewers on board. Both candidates are going to feel the pressure tonight. They are neck and neck in the polls, and will use tonight to really get that edge they need to break away before the final month stretch. There is so much pressure, that Clinton’s campaign has asked the campaign moderator to fact check Trump in real time. They say it is not fair for her to have to do this and for her to then also present her policies. But what that really seems like is that they are nervous for tonight’s results. Trump built his fame on television, and knowing how to work the camera. Like the Nixon Kennedy debates, the one that works the camera better, wins. | Mid | [
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Until last month, when Pixar finally released a synopsis for the toon studio’s 15th feature, precious little was known about “Inside Out,” which takes place entirely inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl. But after director Pete Docter’s stunning presentation at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival in southern France yesterday, one thing is clear: “Inside Out” will forever change the way people think about the way people think. As Docter explained over the course of his one-hour, in-depth presentation to a packed house of animation professionals and fans, though this is by far the most high-concept project Pixar has ever undertaken, it started from a very personal and relatable place. “It’s based on a strong emotional experience I had watching my daughter grow up,” says the “Up” director, who noticed that when his daughter Elie turned 12, much of her childhood joy disappeared, and she became more moody and withdrawn. “There is something that is lost when you grow up” — and the film became a way to explore that change on an emotional level. The film centers on a young girl named Riley Anderson, “one of those kids who seems like she was born happy,” Docter says. “In truth, Riley is not our main character; she is our setting.” To demonstrate what he meant, Docter screened the first five minutes of the movie, a good segment of which was still in a pencil-drawn storyboard state. (The finished film will open June 19, 2015.) Sure enough, “Inside Out” takes place in Riley’s subconscious, where a crew of anthropomorphized emotions manage how the girl feels at any given moment from a control panel that looks something like the flight deck of the Starship Enterprise. In the team’s research, they found many different scientific theories on how the mind works, including one from expert Robert Plutchik that defined eight primary human emotions, which Docter narrowed down to five: Fear (Bill Hader), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black) — “like our version of Walt Disney’s Seven Dwarfs,” he jokes. These distinct color-coded characters help Riley to process new experiences and to make memories, which are constantly being recorded within brightly colored orbs that look something like those translucent bath-bubble balls (filed away nightly and then erased in long-term storage by “Forgetters” with a vaguely Minions-like vibe). The inventive opening scene extends from the moment of Riley’ birth and the creation of her first memory to the introduction of its five main characters, ending with an encounter between Joy and Sadness where the former can’t seem to figure out Sadness’ role in the operation. Once the clip ended, Docter explained that Riley and her parents relocate from a quiet rural home to San Francisco at a particularly impressionable age, resulting in a new-school trauma that forces Joy and Sadness out of the control panel and into the far, unfamiliar reaches of her mind. While Fear, Disgust and Anger awkwardly try to keep things under control — as illustrated in a second clip set around the family dinner table which Pixar unveiled at CinemaCon in March — Joy and Sadness put aside their differences and take audiences through a tour of Riley’s thinking process. This epic road trip entails crossing such areas as Imagination Land (“a giant amusement park full of everything Riley has ever daydreamed about”), a movie studio where nightmares are made, the Train of Thought (a free-ranging locomotive that can go zooming off in any direction) and Abstract Thought — the zone Docter had the most fun translating to the screen. “I was pretty certain someone must have done an idea like this before,” Docter told Variety after the presentation. And yet, “we’re approaching it from a poetic viewpoint. It’s not even trying to be scientific at all.” The system depicted in “Inside Out” is both intuitive and slightly retro, recalling such educational filmstrips as “Our Mister Sun,” whose “Gateways to the Mind” installment depicts a little man asleep at the controls. And yet, Docter and his team pushed to find a fresh metaphor that would be totally understandable to all audiences. “One of the big things in this film has been simplifying and making things ‘gettable,’” he says. At the risk of overstatement, the film could eventually prove to be as revolutionary as Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” which so vividly described the Italian poet’s vision of heaven and hell that it has shaped the public’s image of both ever since. In the absence of a truly satisfying model for how the mind works, “Inside Out” gives people a new way to visualize their own thought process. As if to prove that point, early reactions to internal test screenings reveal ways in which audiences are already analyzing their own behavior according to Docter’s new model. “One family came and watched the movie,” the director recalls. “The son had always had trouble going off the diving board, and that day, he dove off, and he said, ‘I just felt like Fear was driving, and I needed to make him step aside.’” Once the movie opens, it’s entirely possible others will embrace and adopt this visual way of understanding human behavior. The experience has certainly rewritten the way Docter analyzes his own emotions. “There’s this whole system that’s basically designed to operate in your subconscious,” he says. “All of the impulses that control your decisions, actions, stuff like that is out of your control, which is not the way I like to think of myself at all.” And though Docter is reluctant to say too much about the film’s particulars at this stage, he did concede another even more telling personal revelation he encountered along the way — one he expects will bond others to the story as well. “I thought I was making a film about my daughter, but the truth is, I’m more making a film about myself in relation to my daughter and understanding that. The film is told from a parent’s point of view, and being a parent, I just sort of slipped into that, I guess. It’s definitely made me think again about the way I grew up, my adolescence, and even on a day-to-day basis what I’m doing and why.” | High | [
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Goldfish vs Butterflies Goldfish are under attack by butterflies as they drive their four-eyed tiger into battle. This cool and unique tee has a huge tiger print with a truly unique story. A beautiful illustration of a futuristic tiger this narrative tee will have you friends and foes eyes popping. An all over printed tee that is perfect for all occasions. Men's • Size Chart SSold OutMSold OutLSold OutXLSold Out2XLSold Out Printed in the USA Our t-shirts are made from a 100% combed ringspun cotton and garment-dyed for premium softness and minimal shrinkage. Women's • Size Chart SMSold OutLXL2XL Custom Printed in the USA using eco-friendly inks, Just For You Our t-shirts are made from a 100% combed ringspun cotton and garment-dyed for premium softness and minimal shrinkage. | Low | [
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Live Wevertown NY credit card debt help is waiting...Contact a Counselor below! Use our Form below for a FREE Wevertown debt counseling session. Our debt consolidation Wevertown services are provided by fully qualified New York experts who will take all of the credit card debt that you have and put them all into one lower payment for you. These credit card consolidation services offer benefits such as lowered interest rates and an affordable monthly payment you can live with in Wevertown New York -- one that may help to maintain your good credit without putting you on a bread and water diet. It's all done via the Internet, securely and discreetly. If you like the new lower monthly consolidated Wevertown bills payment that you'll be shown by your personal Wevertown debt management professional you can then discuss enrolling in on of the Wevertown debt management or credit card relief programs. You are under absolutely no obligation to use these Wevertown debt management services by filling out this form. | Mid | [
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Following our recent discussion of ghosts in Call of Cthulhu, we thought it might be useful to get an expert opinion. Luckily, our good friend Christian Jensen Romer (CJ to his friends) is a qualified parapsychologist. He is also a member of the Society for Psychical Research and a familiar face to viewers of TV shows like Most Haunted. As if that weren’t enough, CJ has also written for Call of Cthulhu and other RPGs. In particular, listeners may know him as the author of The Parapsychologist’s Handbook. This was one of the first monographs that Chaosium published, back in 2008. Basically, he’s much better qualified to talk about this stuff than any of us. Scott spent some time talking to CJ about his experiences and how parapsychology treats the subject of ghosts. In fact, we spent so long talking that we are going to have to split the discussion in two. This first part largely covers CJ’s personal experiences with ghosts. Part 2, scheduled for release on the 24th of March 2020, focuses more on general parapsychology. Share this: Print Email Facebook Twitter Reddit Like this: Like Loading... | High | [
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Blackcurrant River Poem by Arthur Rimbaud Blackcurrant river rolls unknown in strange valleys; the voices of a hundred rooks go with it, the true benevolent voice of angles: with the wide movements of the fir woods when several winds sweep down. Everything flows with [the] horrible mysteries of ancient landscapes; of strongholds visited, of large estates: it is along these banks that you can hear the dead passions of errant knights: but how the wind is wholesome! Let the traveler look through these clerestories: he will journey on more bravely. Forest soldiers whom the Lord sends, dear delightful rooks! Drive away from here the crafty peasant, clinking glasses with his old stump of an arm. | Mid | [
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It is no secret that Hollywood has a diversity issue -- just take a look at the past two years of #OscarsSoWhite. But more than some may have expected, the industry’s exclusion problems extend past the conventional conversation about race/ethnicity and sex. According to the latest study from GLAAD, released Monday, LGBT representation in film needs improvement as well. "Hollywood's films lag far behind any other form of media when it comes to portrayals of LGBT characters," said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO, in a statement. "Too often, the few LGBT characters that make it to the big screen are the target of a punchline or token characters. The film industry must embrace new and inclusive stories if it wants to remain competitive and relevant." GLAAD is the leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy organization. Their fourth annual Studio Responsibility Index maps the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT people in films released by the seven largest motion picture studios: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. , Lionsgate Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios, Sony Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures . Below are eight highlights from the study: Only 22 of the 126 major releases in 2015 included characters identified as LGBT. Julianne Moore, left, and Ellen Page in a scene from "Freeheld." (Phil Caruso / Lionsgate/AP) That’s only 17.5%, and not a change from 2014’s 17.5% value. Some of these films include Lionsgate’s “American Ultra” and “Freeheld” and Warner Bros.’ “Magic Mike XXL” and “Get Hard.” In those 22 films, there were 47 LGBT characters, up from 28 last year. When movies do have LGBT characters, they are usually gay men. Taron Egerton, Charley Palmer Rothwell and Tom Hardy in "Legend." (Universal Pictures) Male characters outnumbered females by a ratio of more than three to one. More than three quarters of inclusive films (77%) featured gay male characters while less than a quarter (23%) included lesbian characters. As for the representation of the rest of the queer community, only 9% included bisexual characters while only one film was trans-inclusive, Warner Brothers’ “Hot Pursuit.” But they’re also usually white. In 2014, 32.1% of LGBT characters were people of color. That number dropped to 25.5% in 2015. Of the LGBT characters counted in 2015, 34 (72.3%) were white, five were Latino (10.6%), four were black (8.5%) and three (6.4%) were Asian or Pacific Islander. One character was non-human, Fabian in Lionsgate’s “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos.” When there are LGBT characters, you might miss them if you blink. Just looking at the number of LGBT characters on the big screen isn’t enough. With 73% of the few queer characters having less than 10 minutes of screen time, their impact is additionally limited. Of the seven studios, not even one is doing “good.” Trailer for Roadside Attractions' "Stonewall" Since the study's inception, GLAAD has given each studio a rating of good, adequate or failing. None of them received a rating of “good” for their 2015 releases. Fox, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all received ratings of "Adequate", while Paramount, Disney and Warner Bros. all received a "Failing" grade. The most inclusive major studio was Lionsgate, as eight of its 2015 releases were LGBT-inclusive. Warner Bros. followed with five then Universal with four. Sony only had three and Fox two. Neither Disney nor Paramount included any LGBT content in their 2015 slates of 11 and 12 films, respectively. That’s probably because LGBT depictions are getting worse. Last year saw a resurgence of outright offensive images of LGBT people; more films relied on gay panic and defamatory stereotypes for giggles. Though humor can be a powerful tool to challenge the norm, when crafted problematically, it has the opposite effect. The depictions are so bad that only eight of the 22 LGBT-inclusive films passed the “Vito Russo Test.” The "Vito Russo Test" is GLAAD’s set of criteria analyzing how LGBT characters are represented in fictional work named after GLAAD co-founder and film historian Vito Russo. Inspired by the “Bechdel Test," these criteria represent a standard GLAAD would like to see a greater number of mainstream Hollywood films reach in the future. In order to pass the Vito Russo Test, a film must include having an identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender character that is not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity and is tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Only eight of the 22 major studio films that featured an LGBT character passed the test in 2015, the lowest percentage in this study's history. Luckily, the major studios have more progressive imprints. Trailer for "The Danish Girl" Last year, GLAAD began examining the film releases of four smaller, affiliated studios to draw a comparison between content released by the mainstream studios and their perceived “art house” divisions. Those smaller studios are Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Roadside Attractions and Sony Pictures Classics. Of the 46 films released under those studio imprints, 10, or 22%, were LGBT-inclusive. That’s a notably higher percentage than the parent studio counterparts and an increase from 2014’s 10.6% (five of 47) of films from the same divisions. Some of the films from these smaller studios include “The Danish Girl,” “Grandma” and “Stonewall.” Check out the full study on GLAAD’s website. MORE: This documentarian is fighting back against gay culture's 'No Fats, No Femmes' mantra When Prince bended gender, he gave black men permission to be free Angry while female: Why it matters that Beyonce, Kelly Ripa and Samantha Bee won't hide their outrage Get your life! Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson. | Mid | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to remotely-operated cleaning tools. In particular, the present invention relates to apparatus for attaching a vacuum cleaning tool to a robotic manipulator. 2. Discussion of Background Processing facilities for hazardous materials, including radioactive materials, often require cleaning and decontamination of floors and walls. This is usually accomplished by well-known methods, using brushes, mops, sponges, and so forth. Vacuuming is used where feasible to remove dust, small objects, and other debris. Most such cleaning is done manually, since little appropriate, remotely-controlled apparatus is available. Persons doing this work must take appropriate precautions against excessive radiation exposure, including wearing protective clothing, using respirators, and observing time limits working in the area. A conventional vacuum cleaner deposites the vacuumed dust and debris into a bag. Some vacuum cleaner bags are reusable; more commonly, a conventional vacuum cleaner bag is discarded and replaced with a fresh bag. Most vacuum cleaners are not suitable for use in environments where hazardous materials may be present. Fabric or paper bags supplied for typical vacuum cleaners do not effectively confine radioactive or other hazardous materials because some of the dust escapes back to the ambient air during vacuuming and some accumulates on surfaces of the vacuum cleaner itself. Furthermore, the operator must open the unit to exchange filter bags. In the process of handling the dust bag during bag replacement, additional dust escapes. For these reasons, conventional vacuum cleaners are unsuitable for vacuuming radioactive particles and dust. Vacuum cleaners designed for use with radioactive materials are available. These typically draw the debris through a high efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA) filter and contain the filtered material in a filter unit for subsequent disposal. The filter unit prevents the escape of filtered radioactive particles--or any other hazardous materials in the debris--to the atmosphere during operation, as well as during removal of the filter unit. Vacuum steam cleaners inject superheated water onto the surface to be cleaned. The water flashes to steam upon contact with the surface and is vacuumed immediately by the cleaner. Container Products Corporation manufactures a particular vacuum steam cleaner sold under the trademark "THE KELLY DECON SYSTEM". Cleaning and decontaminating an area containing hazardous materials is preferably accomplished by remotely-controlled apparatus. A Kelly Decon System robotic floor cleaner is available. However, tools for decontaminating walls and other vertical or sloping surfaces must still be operated manually, increasing the likelihood of operator exposure to any hazardous materials in the area. Numerous remotely-controlled suction devices for cleaning swimming pools are available. These are not, however, suitable for use in an environment where hazardous materials may be present. Remotely-operated apparatus for collecting debris from nuclear pools is also known. See Kristan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,146, and Peloquin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,024. The Peloquin device is an underwater suction device with a gripper and a variable position latching mechanism attached to a pole. The operator positions the device manually by moving the pole to the desired location. The device is designed for removing small objects and debris. While it can be rotated to positions other than horizontal, it is not practical for systematic vacuuming of floors and walls. Kristan ('146) provides an underwater suction device with a pivoting pick-up head that resembles a vacuum cleaner attachment with a brush. The operator uses a probe pole to maneuver the pickup head along the pool floor. A wand-type suction head is used for corners and hard-to-reach places. Neither of these devices is adapted for use with a robotic gripper. | Mid | [
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Q: How to trigger click event / call a function repeatly when a button is clicked and hold So, I'm a begineer in JS and tryning figure out this problem. I have this HTML and JS function incrementValue()
{
var value = parseInt(document.getElementById('number').value, 10);
value = isNaN(value) ? 0 : value;
value++;
document.getElementById('number').value = value;
} <form>
<input type="text" id="number" value="0"/>
<input type="button" onclick="incrementValue()" value="Increment Value" />
</form> If you click it increments, simple. Now I want the button to be such that If I click on the button and hold, the number keeps increasing automaticaly until I let go the button. How do I do that? A: You should handle the mousedown and mouseup event of the button. on mousedown, start a timer (setInterval) to call incrementValue periodly. on mouseup, stop the timer. function incrementValue()
{
var value = parseInt(document.getElementById('number').value, 10);
value = isNaN(value) ? 0 : value;
value++;
document.getElementById('number').value = value;
}
var timer;
function start() {
timer = setInterval(incrementValue, 100);
}
function stop() {
clearInterval(timer);
} <form>
<input type="text" id="number" value="0"/>
<input type="button" onmousedown="start()" onmouseup="stop()" onmouseleave="stop()" value="Increment Value" />
</form> | High | [
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Public notices should be public Elected officials are elected to conduct the public's business. The public in turn looks to keep up with that business via reporting in media and by the posting of public notices. Apparently in the eyes of some North Carolina legislators, including representatives from the mountains, this just won't do. They'd like to move the time-honored practice of posting public notices in local newspapers and instead post them in a less public spot, on governmental websites. It's hard to imagine a less public spot. In fact, it's very hard to imagine a place where a public notice could more easily be hidden from the public. Guess the far side of the moon was taken. A number of bills, purportedly designed to save money, have been circulating in the General Assembly that will have the effect of pulling a veil over the public's eyes. Do we have a dog in this hunt? Yes we do, as do all local newspapers of record, particularly small community newspapers. The financial impact of losing public legal notices on remote rural papers would be considerable. But while having a moment of disclosure, we would add that we are not so na´ve that we don't see this as an attack on the press by some politicians who feel we should operate as their personal public relations departments. A few weeks back newspaper representatives were at a Senate committee hearing on the legal notice issue. Newspaper representatives thought they had enough votes in the 11-member committee to defeat the proposed legislation. A voice vote was taken, said to be too close to call; the hearing was adjourned before a call of hands or roll call vote could be taken. Hal Tanner III, a conservative newspaper publisher and N.C. Press Association president, protested about the lack of a vote count; Tanner and other witnesses say committee chair Tommy Tucker told Tanner, "I am the senator; you are the citizen. You have to be quiet." Be quiet. That's undoubtedly many a politician's dream. If newspapers simply went away, life would be much easier for them. That ain't gonna happen. The real fight here is for the public's right to know. Just last week, a front-page story appeared in the Citizen-Times regarding Buncombe County's efforts to secure expansion of a manufacturing plant identified in official records only as "Project X." The story involved a lot of money, including $2.7 million in incentives to the unnamed firm and $15.7 million spent on land and buildings. Those figures came from legal advertisements paid for by the county. Should those advertisements get buried in governmental websites, you the reader, you the citizen, may not have heard about Project X. The public notice may never have been made public. Yet, numerous pieces of legislation would call for just that. Some of the bills are highly targeted; one, House Bill 504, whose sponsors include Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, and co-sponsors include Buncombe Reps. Republican Reps. Tim Moffitt and Nathan Ramsey, applies to "the counties of Buncombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Mitchell, Henderson, Perquimans, Stanly, Surry, and Watauga and any municipality located wholly within those counties, and to the city of Raleigh and the town of Zebulon." Really. Why just these counties? Is there some politics being played here? Another, House Bill 755, would apply statewide, allowing the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to run notices only on its own website. Remember, the point of a public notice is to get the public to notice. A legal notice in print might not be seen by someone it would impact. But the odds of it being seen by someone who knows someone who might be impacted, thus rousing the public to awareness of an issue, are quite high. As highly as we might think of the investigative skills of our reporters, the truth in the news business is that many stories are simply stumbled upon, either by us or by our readers. The odds of stumbling across a story where few walk - when was the last time you perused the depths of a governmental website - seem to us rather small. There are other bills out there worth a look such as House Bill 723, which caps the amount newspapers can charge for public notices and includes a requirement to run them online as well as in print. Moving ads online to governmental websites is bad public policy. It leaves out those without Internet access or a computer. It carries with it an assumption people are somehow going to know where to go and what to look for regarding matters that could affect them. If you wake up one morning to find the lot next to your house has been rezoned to commercial and it's too late to do anything about the concrete plant going in next door, being told that you should've gone to www.whatever to be alerted isn't going to be a very satisfying explanation, is it? If governments want to carry these notices on their websites, well, they can knock themselves out. We're certainly not going to stop them. But public notices belong where the public will notice them. It's that simple. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Email this article Public notices should be public Elected officials are elected to conduct the public's business. The public in turn looks to keep up with that business via reporting in media and by the posting of public notices. | Mid | [
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Q: How to insert proper punctuation in string I have removed all the punctuation from a string sentence to manipulate the order of words. Then I am to insert the punctuation back to the original position. What do I do? Do I find the position index of the original punctuation and add it back in manipulated string? For example: Original: "Hello. My name is John Smith." Manipulated: "elloh my amen is ohnj ithms" Goal: "elloh. my amen is ohnj ithms." A: A solution to this would be to use the insert method. However, this method only works for lists, so you would have to convert the strings to lists. original = 'Hello. My name is John Smith.' manipulated = "elloh my amen is ohnj ithms" manipulated = list(manipulated) for i in range(len(original)): if original[i] in [".","!","?",":",";"]: # add more if needed manipulated.insert(i,original[i]) print("".join(manipulated)) This program will give your desired output of "elloh. my amen is ohnj ithms." | Mid | [
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Q: Is it possible to map an existing buffer to a new file? The idea is relatively simple, but I see some complications for implementations, so I'm wondering if it's even possible right now. An example of what I'd like to do is to generate some data in a buffer, then map the contents of this buffer to a file. Instead of having the memory space virtually populated with the contents of the file, I'd like the contents of the original buffer to be transferred to the system cache (which should be a zero-copy operation) and dirtied immediately (which would flush the data out to disk eventually). Of course the complication I mentioned is that the buffer should be deallocated and unmapped (since the data is now under the responsibility of the system cache), and I don't know how to do that either. The important aspects are that: The program can control when the file is created linked. The program isn't required to anticipate the size of the file nor does it have to remap it as the dataset grows. Instead it can realloc the initial buffer (using an efficient memory allocator for this) until it is satisfied (it knows for sure that the dataset won't grow anymore) before finally mapping it to the file. The data remains accessible through the same virtual memory address even after being mapped to the file, still without a single intra-memory copy. One assumption is that: We can use an arbitrary memory allocator (or memory management scheme in general) that can manage dynamic buffers more efficiently than mmap/mremap can for the memory space it manages, because the latter must deal with the filesystem to grow/shrink the file, which would always be slower. So, (1) are these requirements too constrained? (2) Is this assumption correct? PS: I had to arbitrarily pick the tags for this question, but I'm also interested in hearing how BSDs and Windows would do this. Of course if the POSIX API allows to do this already, that would be great. Update: I call a buffer a space of private memory (private to the process/task in any OS with normal VMM) allocated in primary memory. The high-level goal involves generating a dataset of an arbitrary size using another input (in my case the network), then once it's generated, make it accessible for long periods of time (to the network and to the process itself), saving it to disk in the process. If I keep the datasets in private memory and write them out normally, they'll just be swapped when the OS needs the space, which is a bit stupid since they're already on disk. If I map another region then I have to copy the contents of the buffer to that region (which resides in the system cache), which, again, is a tad stupid since I won't use that buffer after that. The alternative that I see is to write or use a full-blown userland cache reading and writing to the disk itself to ensure that (a) pages don't get uselessly swapped out and (b) the process doesn't hold too much memory for itself, which is never possible to do optimally anyway (better let the kernel do its job), and which is simply not a road I think is worth going down (too complex for less gains). Update: Requirements 2 and 3 are non-issues considering Nominal Animal's answer. Of course this implies that the assumption is incorrect, as he proved is almost the case (overhead is minimal). I also relaxed requirement 1, O_TMPFILE is indeed perfect for this. Update: A recent article on LWN mentions, somewhere in the middle: "That could possibly be done with a special write operation that would not actually cause I/O, or with a system call that would transfer a physical page into the page cache". That suggests that indeed, there is currently (April 2014) no way to do this at least with Linux (and likely other operating systems), much less with a standard API. The article is about PostgreSQL, but the issue in question is identical, except perhaps for the specific requirements to this question, which aren't defined in the article. A: This is not a satisfactory answer to the question; is is more of a continuation of the comment chain. Here is a test program one can use to measure the overhead of using a file-backed memory map, instead of an anonymous memory map. Note that the work() function listed just fills in the memory map with random data. To be more realistic, it should simulate at least the access patterns expected from real-world usage. #define _POSIX_C_SOURCE 200809L #define _GNU_SOURCE #include <unistd.h> #include <sys/types.h> #include <sys/stat.h> #include <sys/mman.h> #include <fcntl.h> #include <time.h> #include <stdint.h> #include <string.h> #include <errno.h> #include <stdio.h> /* Xorshift random number generator. */ static uint32_t xorshift_state[4] = { 123456789U, 362436069U, 521288629U, 88675123U }; static int xorshift_setseed(const void *const data, const size_t len) { uint32_t state[4] = { 0 }; if (len < 1) return ENOENT; else if (len < sizeof state) memcpy(state, data, len); else memcpy(state, data, sizeof state); if (state[0] || state[1] || state[2] || state[3]) { xorshift_state[0] = state[0]; xorshift_state[1] = state[1]; xorshift_state[2] = state[2]; xorshift_state[3] = state[3]; return 0; } return EINVAL; } static uint32_t xorshift_u32(void) { const uint32_t temp = xorshift_state[0] ^ (xorshift_state[0] << 11U); xorshift_state[0] = xorshift_state[1]; xorshift_state[1] = xorshift_state[2]; xorshift_state[2] = xorshift_state[3]; return xorshift_state[3] ^= (temp >> 8U) ^ temp ^ (xorshift_state[3] >> 19U); } /* Wallclock timing functions. */ static struct timespec wallclock_started; static void wallclock_start(void) { clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &wallclock_started); } static double wallclock_stop(void) { struct timespec wallclock_stopped; clock_gettime(CLOCK_REALTIME, &wallclock_stopped); return difftime(wallclock_stopped.tv_sec, wallclock_started.tv_sec) + (double)(wallclock_stopped.tv_nsec - wallclock_started.tv_nsec) / 1000000000.0; } /* Accessor function. This needs to read/modify/write the mapping, * simulating the actual work done onto the mapping. */ static void work(void *const area, size_t const length) { uint32_t *const data = (uint32_t *)area; size_t size = length / sizeof data[0]; size_t i; /* Add xorshift data. */ for (i = 0; i < size; i++) data[i] += xorshift_u32(); } int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { long page, size, delta, maxsize, steps; int fd, result; void *map, *old; char dummy; double seconds; page = sysconf(_SC_PAGESIZE); if (argc < 5 || argc > 6 || !strcmp(argv[1], "-h") || !strcmp(argv[1], "--help")) { fprintf(stderr, "\n"); fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s [ -h | --help ]\n", argv[0]); fprintf(stderr, " %s MAPFILE SIZE DELTA MAXSIZE [ SEEDSTRING ]\n", argv[0]); fprintf(stderr, "Where:\n"); fprintf(stderr, " MAPFILE backing file, '-' for none\n"); fprintf(stderr, " SIZE initial map size\n"); fprintf(stderr, " DELTA map size change\n"); fprintf(stderr, " MAXSIZE final size of the map\n"); fprintf(stderr, " SEEDSTRING seeds the Xorshift PRNG\n"); fprintf(stderr, "Note: sizes must be page aligned, each page being %ld bytes.\n", (long)page); fprintf(stderr, "\n"); return 1; } if (argc >= 6) { if (xorshift_setseed(argv[5], strlen(argv[5]))) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Invalid seed string for the Xorshift generator.\n", argv[5]); return 1; } else { fprintf(stderr, "Xorshift initialized with { %lu, %lu, %lu, %lu }.\n", (unsigned long)xorshift_state[0], (unsigned long)xorshift_state[1], (unsigned long)xorshift_state[2], (unsigned long)xorshift_state[3]); fflush(stderr); } } if (sscanf(argv[2], " %ld %c", &size, &dummy) != 1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Invalid map size.\n", argv[2]); return 1; } else if (size < page || size % page) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Map size must be a multiple of page size (%ld).\n", argv[2], page); return 1; } if (sscanf(argv[3], " %ld %c", &delta, &dummy) != 1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Invalid map size change.\n", argv[2]); return 1; } else if (delta % page) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Map size change must be a multiple of page size (%ld).\n", argv[3], page); return 1; } if (delta) { if (sscanf(argv[4], " %ld %c", &maxsize, &dummy) != 1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Invalid final map size.\n", argv[3]); return 1; } else if (maxsize < page || maxsize % page) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Final map size must be a multiple of page size (%ld).\n", argv[4], page); return 1; } steps = (maxsize - size) / delta; if (steps < 0L) steps = -steps; } else { maxsize = size; steps = 0L; } /* Time measurement includes the file open etc. overheads. */ wallclock_start(); if (strlen(argv[1]) < 1 || !strcmp(argv[1], "-")) fd = -1; else { do { fd = open(argv[1], O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL, 0600); } while (fd == -1 && errno == EINTR); if (fd == -1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s.\n", argv[1], strerror(errno)); return 1; } do { result = ftruncate(fd, (off_t)size); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); if (result == -1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: %s.\n", argv[1], strerror(errno)); unlink(argv[1]); do { result = close(fd); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); return 1; } result = posix_fadvise(fd, 0, size, POSIX_FADV_RANDOM); } /* Initial mapping. */ if (fd == -1) map = mmap(NULL, size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE | MAP_ANONYMOUS, fd, 0); else map = mmap(NULL, size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED | MAP_NORESERVE, fd, 0); if (map == MAP_FAILED) { fprintf(stderr, "Memory map failed: %s.\n", strerror(errno)); if (fd != -1) { unlink(argv[1]); do { result = close(fd); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); } return 1; } result = posix_madvise(map, size, POSIX_MADV_RANDOM); work(map, size); while (steps-->0L) { if (fd != -1) { do { result = ftruncate(fd, (off_t)(size + delta)); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); if (result == -1) { fprintf(stderr, "%s: Cannot grow file: %s.\n", argv[1], strerror(errno)); unlink(argv[1]); do { result = close(fd); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); return 1; } result = posix_fadvise(fd, 0, size, POSIX_FADV_RANDOM); } old = map; map = mremap(map, size, size + delta, MREMAP_MAYMOVE); if (map == MAP_FAILED) { fprintf(stderr, "Cannot remap memory map: %s.\n", strerror(errno)); munmap(old, size); if (fd != -1) { unlink(argv[1]); do { result = close(fd); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); } return 1; } size += delta; result = posix_madvise(map, size, POSIX_MADV_RANDOM); work(map, size); } /* Timing does not include file renaming. */ seconds = wallclock_stop(); munmap(map, size); if (fd != -1) { unlink(argv[1]); do { result = close(fd); } while (result == -1 && errno == EINTR); } printf("%.9f seconds elapsed.\n", seconds); return 0; } If you save the above as bench.c, you can compile it using gcc -W -Wall -O3 bench.c -lrt -o bench Run it without parameters to see the usage. On my machine, on ext4 filesystem, running tests ./bench - 4096 4096 4096000 ./bench testfile 4096 4096 4096000 yields 1.307 seconds wall clock time for the anonymous memory map, and 1.343 seconds for the file-backed memory map, meaning the file backed mapping is about 2.75% slower. This test starts with one page memory map, then enlarges it by one page a thousand times. For tests like 4096000 4096 8192000 the difference is even smaller. The time measured does include constructing the initial file (and using posix_fallocate() to allocate the blocks on disk for the file). Running the test on tmpfs, on ext4 over swRAID0, and on ext4 over swRAID1, on the same machine, does not seem to affect the results; all differences are lost in the noise. While I would prefer to test this on multiple machines and kernel versions before making any sweeping statements, I do know something about how the kernel manages these memory maps. Therefore, I shall make the following claim, based on above and my own experience: Using a file-backed memory map will not cause a significant slowdown compared to an anonymous memory map, or even compared to malloc()/realloc()/free(). I expect the difference to be under 5% in all real-world use cases, and at most 1% for typical real-world use cases; less, if the resizes are rare compared to how often the map is accessed. To user2266481 the above means it should be acceptable to just create a temporary file on the target filesystem, to hold the memory map. (Note that it is possible to create the temporary file without allowing anyone access to it, mode 0, as access mode is only checked when opening the file.) When the contents are in final form, ftruncate() and msync() the contents, then hard-link the final file to the temporary file using link(). Finally, unlink the temporary file and close the temporary file descriptor, and the task should be completed with near-optimal efficiency. | Mid | [
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I created a PDF in InDesign. It is meant to be printed double sided, but when I print it, it flips the second page and turns it upside down. If anyone could help me it would be much appreciated! Thanks! | Low | [
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Q: Dynamic generation of varlist in a let form Let's say I have a let form and I want to generate the varlist dynamically from another function. Something like this: (let ((x 1) (y 2) (the-dyn-gen)) body... ) I have some local vars already in the varlist namely x and y. But I want to call a function that I called the-dyn-gen which returns a list like this '((a 3) (b 4)) now I need to make these sub lists (a 3) & (b 3) part of the varlist. Is this possible? A: Looks like a macro could do that: (defmacro mylet (defs fun body) (list 'let (append defs (funcall fun)) body)) ;; example uses (defun the-dyn-gen () '((a 3) (b 3))) (mylet ((x 1) (y 2)) the-dyn-gen (+ a b x y)) (mylet ((x 1)) the-dyn-gen (+ a b x)) (mylet nil the-dyn-gen (+ a b)) Disclaimer: while this seems to work, macros can be tricky. Note that macroexpand is a nice function to test a macro. Here (macroexpand '(mylet ((x 1) (y 2)) the-dyn-gen (+ a b x y))) results in (let ((x 1) (y 2) (a 3) (b 3)) (+ a b x y)) Note: related question with progv. | Mid | [
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Introduction {#s1} ============ Alterations in metabolism and nutrient transport are hallmarks of neoplastic cells and represent important targets for molecular imaging. A prototypic example is the Warburg effect, the upregulation of the conversion of glucose to lactate via glycolysis, which occurs in many cancers and is the basis of clinical oncologic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the glucose analogue, 2-deoxy-2-\[^18^F\]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG). Amino acid transport is also increased in many cancers and has been effectively targeted with radiolabeled amino acid substrates for PET and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. The majority of amino acid-based tracer development has focused on system L amino acid transport, in particular, the solute carrier (SLC) protein L-type amino acid transporter-1 (LAT1, SLC7A5) which preferentially mediates the sodium-independent cellular transport of amino acids with large neutral amino acid side chains such as leucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tyrosine, and tryptophan \[[@B1]-[@B3]\]. The functional LAT1 transporter, shown in [Figure 1](#pone-0077476-g001){ref-type="fig"}, is a disulfide linked heterodimeric transmemberane protein comprised of two subunits: a heavy chain glycoprotein (4Fhc; SLC3A2), and the non-glycosylated LAT1 light chain protein with 12-transmembrane domains \[[@B4],[@B5]\]. In addition to providing amino acids for protein synthesis and other metabolic pathways, LAT1 is involved in promoting cellular growth and proliferation, angiogenesis, and mTOR pathway signaling \[[@B6]-[@B8]\]. Higher levels of LAT1 are positively correlated with increased biological aggressiveness and higher mortality in a range of human cancers including gliomas, breast, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancers and is thus a promising target for tumor imaging and therapy \[[@B2],[@B9]-[@B12]\]. {#pone-0077476-g001} Radiolabeled L substrates including 6-\[^18^F\]fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (\[^18^F\]FDOPA), L-methyl-^11^C-methionine (\[^11^C\]MET), *O*-(2-\[^18^F\]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (FET), 3-\[^123^F\]fluoro-α-methyl-L-tyrosine (FAMT), and 3-\[^123^I\]iodo-α-methyl-L-tyrosine (IMT) have been employed extensively for oncologic imaging in patients; and are particularly effective for brain tumor imaging as system L transport is up-regulated in glioma cells and is active at the intact blood-brain barrier \[[@B13]-[@B17]\]. However, these substrates have generally been inferior to FDG for imaging tumors outside of the brain, primarily due to lower sensitivity for tumor detection \[[@B18]\]. The limited sensitivity is a consequence of the bi-directional nature of LAT1 and other system L transporters, which mediate both influx and efflux of substrates from cells through an exchange mechanism of transport. Thus, LAT1 cannot directly concentrate substrates, leading to relatively low tumor to tissue ratios. Additionally, the selectivity for radiolabeled amino acids targeting LAT1 over other system L transporters (LAT2, LAT3 and LAT4) is not typically complete as demonstrated through *in vitro* studies using cells with experimentally reduced levels of LAT1 \[[@B19],[@B20]\]. This lack of selectivity is important because other system L transporters do not appear to be overexpressed to the same degree as LAT1 in human cancers \[[@B21]\]. Additionally, it is not clear if structural modifications of existing system L transport substrates can substantially improve selectivity for LAT1 over other system L transporters. Thus, the substrate-based approach for imaging system L transport has inherent limitations, and improved PET tracers targeting LAT1 outside of the brain will require a different strategy. Towards this end, we have developed an immunoPET strategy for imaging LAT1 that overcomes many of the limitations of substrate-based tracers. Monoclonal antibodies that bind to cell surface targets are versatile and useful scaffolds for molecular imaging and can achieve high specificity and binding affinity to tumor antigens of interest. This work takes advantage of a monoclonal antibody recently developed by Masuko and colleagues that directly and specifically target the extracellular domain of native human LAT-1 protein \[[@B1],[@B22],[@B23]\]. In this report, we describe the radiolabeling method and the *in vitro* and *in vivo* tumor imaging properties of a novel ^89^Zr-labeled anti-LAT1 antibody, \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, in the HCT116 human colorectal cancer model. Materials and Methods {#s2} ===================== Production and characterization Anti-human LAT1 mAb {#s2.1} --------------------------------------------------- Production and characterization of similar anti-human LAT1 and anti-human CD98 heavy chain (CD98hc) mAb were reported by Ohno et al \[[@B1]\]. Ab2 was produced against HeLa cells highly expressing well-defined LAT1 proteins disulfide-linked to CD98 heavy chain \[[@B1]\]. Female F344/N rats were administered subcutaneous and intraperitoneal injections (first and second immunizations) followed by a final intravenous injection of HeLa cells (3.0 x 10^7^) in each immunization at 3-week intervals. The immune spleen cells (1.0 x 10^8^) were fused with X63 mouse myeloma cells (2.5 x 10^7^) using 50% polyethylene glycol 1540 (Roche, Penzberg, Germany). After the cell fusion, hybridoma cells were selected in RPMI supplemented with hypoxanthine, aminopterin and thymidine (50 x HAT; Invitrogen). Isotypes of the selected anti-human LAT1 rat mAb (Ab2) used in this study are γ2a and κ. Ab2 strongly reacted with RH7777 rat hepatoma cells (kindly donated by Dr. Chiba, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Yokohama, Japan) expressing human LAT1-GFP and HCT-116 cancer cells \[[@B1],[@B22]\]. Cell Culture {#s2.2} ------------ Rat hepatoma cell line (RH7777) was obtained from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC; Manassas, VA) and cultured in Dulbecco\'s modified Eagle's medium (DMEM; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) supplemented with 7% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS; ICN Biomedicals, Aurora, OH). Human colorectal cancer cell line, HCT-116 (ATCC), was grown in Iscove's media supplemented with 10 % FBS and 10 µg/mL gentamicin (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA). Cells were maintained at 37 °C in 5 % CO~2~, and 90 % humidity. After 4 passages, vials of cells were frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen for future use. Fresh vials of cells were periodically thawed and used for *in vitro* experiments to ensure that changes to cells did not occur over time or with passages in culture. For xenograft models, a fresh vial of cells was thawed 10 - 14 days before tumor implantation. Flow cytometry {#s2.3} -------------- For cell-surface staining, cells (3.0 x 10^5^) in 50 µl of PBS containing 1% BSA were mixed with purified Ab2 (50 µL) diluted to 10 µg/ml in 1% BSA-PBS and incubated for 1 h at 4°C. Cells were washed three times with PBS, and were incubated with 50 µl of 1:200 diluted donkey anti-rat IgG (H+L) antibodies labeled with phycoerythrin (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, PA) at 4 °C for 30 min. After three washes with PBS, cells were suspended in PBS containing 0.2% BSA, and analyzed with an Accuri C6 flow cytometer (Tomy Digital Biology, Tokyo, Japan). Ab2 Antibody and Rat IgG Conjugation and Radiolabeling {#s2.4} ------------------------------------------------------ The anti-LAT 1 antibody, Ab2 (1 - 4.5 mg/mL), and control polyclonal rat IgG from rat serum (Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) were conjugated with the chelator desferoxamine (DFO) in 0.1 M sodium carbonate (NaHCO~3~) buffer (pH 9) following established methods \[[@B24]-[@B27]\]. A 5 mg/ml stock solution of *p*-isothiocynatobenzyl-desferroxamine (DFO-Bz-NCS) was made in DMSO. To each antibody, an 8 fold molar excess of the DFO chelator, and 0.1 M NaHCO~3~ buffer was added to bring the reaction volume to 150 µL and ensure the reaction pH was maintained at 9. The reaction solution was incubated at 37 °C for 1 h, and unreacted DFO was removed by size exclusion chromatography on a 40 kDa cutoff Zeba^TM^ spin desalting column (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rockford, IL). The protein concentration of the resultant DFO functionalized antibodies were determined by bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay (Thermo Scientific, Rockford, IL). ^89^Zr was produced via the ^89^Y(p,n)^89^Zr reaction on a CS-15 cyclotron (Cyclotron Corporation, Berkeley, CA) at the Washington University in St. Louis Cyclotron Facility and purified as previously reported \[[@B28]\]. For radiolabeling, 18 - 111 MBq (0.5 - 3 mCi) of ^89^Zr-oxalate solution (pH ≤ 1) was neutralized to pH 6.9 - 7.2 by first adding an equivalent volume of 0.2 M HEPES (pH 7), followed by slow addition of 2M Na~2~CO~3~. The DFO functionalized mAb was added to ^89^Zr-oxalate solution and incubated at 37 °C for 1 hour while shaking. A 5 µL aliquot was removed and challenged with 5 µL of 50 mM diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) to assay for unreacted and non-specifically bound ^89^Zr. Radiochemical purity was determined by ITLC using 50 mM DTPA as the mobile phase. Antibodies with radiochemical purity of ≥ 95 % were used without further purification. Synthesis of \[^18^F\]FET {#s2.5} ------------------------- The production of \[^18^F\]FET was performed using the Eckert and Ziegler Modular Lab based on a previously reported automated procedure with a solid-phase extraction purification \[[@B29]\]. \[^18^F\]fluoride was produced from \[^18^O\]H~2~O via the ^18^O(p,n)^18^F reaction on the RDS 111 cyclotron (Siemens, TN). \[^18^F\]FET was formulated in 10 % ethanol in saline for studies. The specific activity was calculated to be greater than 37 GBq (1 Ci) per µmol (n=4). Immunoreactivity Assay {#s2.6} ---------------------- The immunoreactive fraction of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 was determined using a modification of the radioactive cellular-binding assay described by Lindmo et al.\[[@B30]\]. Briefly, HCT116 cells were suspended in microcentrifuge tubes at concentrations of 3, 2.4, 1.8, 1.5, 1.2, 0.9, 0.6, and 0.3 x 10^6^ cells/mL in 500 µL PBS (pH 7.4). Aliquots of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 ( 50 µL of a stock solution of 0.11 MBq (3 µCi) in 30 mL of 1 % bovine serum albumin (BSA); 2,000 cpm (1.3 ng) of radiolabeled mAb were added to each tube (n = 3) for a final volume of 550 µL. Samples were incubated at room temperature for 1 h while shaking. After incubation, cells were pelleted by centrifugation, resuspended and washed twice with ice-cold PBS. The supernatant was removed and cell associated activity counted on a γ--counter. The background corrected count data was compared with the total activity added. The (total/bound) activity was plotted against the inverse cell concentration (1/\[normalized cell concentration\]). The immunoreactive fraction was determined by linear regression analysis of the plot, and calculated from the inverse of the *y*-intercept. In vitro Studies {#s2.7} ---------------- ### Saturation receptor-binding assay {#s2.7.1} The dissociation constant (K~d~) for \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 was measured using a radioligand saturation receptor-binding assay. Approximately 1 x 10^5^ of LAT-1 expressing HCT116 cells were seeded in a 48 well plate and allowed 48 hours to achieve \~50 % confluency. The adherent cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 (0 - 450 nmol/L) in media containing 10 % FBS to eliminate non-specific binding, at a total volume of 100 µL for 2 hours at 37 °C. Unbound radioactivity was removed and the cells washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 7.4. Cells were removed by trypsinization and cell associated radiation counted on a γ--counter. The K~d~ was calculated by fitting a plot of cell-bound \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 (nmol) vs. the concentration of unbound radioligand (nmol/L) to a one-site saturation binding model using Prism® Ver. 5.0 software (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). This model assumes that the amount of nonspecific binding is proportional to the concentration of radioligand. ### Rate of Internalization {#s2.7.2} HCT116 cells were seeded in 24 well plates at 2.4 x 10^5^ cells per well and were allowed 24 h to adhere. Fresh complete media was added and cells incubated with 6 µg/mL of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 (2 µL of mAb in 200 µL of complete media) for varying time points: 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 h at 37 °C. The media was removed and cells were washed twice with ice-cold PBS to remove unbound \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2. Thereafter, cells were trypsinized, and treated with 300 µL of 0.1 M sodium citrate (pH 2) at 37 °C for 5 min. After incubation, cells were pelleted by centrifugation, the amount of cell surface-bound activity, and intracellular radioactivity was determined by measuring the radioactivity of the supernatants and the cell pellets, respectively, in a γ-counter. The relative percent bound activity for surface bound and internalized activity was plotted over time. HCT116 Xenograft Model {#s2.8} ---------------------- All animal experiments were performed according to the guidelines of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the Washington University Animal Studies Committee specifically approved this study. Animals were provided food and water *ad libitum* prior to imaging studies. Athymic nude *nu/nu* 7 week old male mice were purchased from National Cancer Institute (Frederick, MD) and housed under pathogen-free conditions in an approved facility. Animals (24-28 g) were implanted subcutaneously (shoulder) with 2.0 x 10^6^ cells of HCT116 cells suspended in 100 µl of saline, and developed tumors averaging 150-200 mm^3^ approximately 14 days after implantation. Biodistribution Studies {#s2.9} ----------------------- Biodistribution studies were conducted to evaluate the uptake of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in HCT116 tumor bearing mice. Mice were randomized (n = 3 for each group) and warmed gently under a heat lamp for approximately 5 minutes prior to tail vein administration of radiotracer. Mice received \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 (3.1 - 3.3 MBq \[83 - 88 µCi\], 15 - 16 µg of mAb) or \[^89^Zr\]DFO-IgG (1.0 - 2.3 MBq \[28 - 57 µCi\], 21 - 48 µg of Ab) as a non-specific control, in 100 µL 0.9 % sterile saline. Animals were euthanized by cervical dislocation at 3 or 7 days post administration. A separate set of animals ( n = 4- 5) were injected with 1.8 - 5.6 MBq (50-150 µCi) of \[^18^F\]FET in 100 µL of 10% ethanol in normal saline via tail vein administration, and were sacrificed at 5, 30, and 60 minutes post administration. Organs of interest (including the tumor) were harvested and weighed, and radioactivity measured on a gamma-counter. Syringes of the formulation injected into the animals were used as standards. Data were background- and decay-corrected, and the percent injected dose per gram (%ID/g) for each tissue sample calculated by normalization to the total activity injected. Blocking studies were performed to investigate the specificity of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 for LAT1 *in vivo*. Non-radiolabeled Ab2 antibody (0.8 mg/mouse) was pre-administered intravenously (tail vein) 1 hour prior to \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 injection and biodistribution studies were conducted as described above. Small-Animal ImmunoPET Imaging {#s2.10} ------------------------------ Mice were anaesthetized with 1-2 % isoflurane, injected intravenously with 3.1 - 3.3 MBq (88 - 98 µCi, 22-25 µg) of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 ( n = 3) and imaged on an Inveon small animal PET/CT scanner (Siemens Medical Solutions) at 72 and 168 h post injection. Static images were collected for 30 minutes for the ^89^Zr PET imaging studies. A separate set of rodents (n= 4) received 150 µCi of \[^18^F\]FET intravenously followed by 60 minute dynamic PET scans. Images were reconstructed with the Maximum A Posteriory Probability (MAP) algorithm followed by co-registration with the Inveon Research Workstation image display software (Siemens Medical Solutions, Knoxville, TN). Regions of interest (ROI) were selected from PET images using CT anatomical guidelines and the associated activity measured with Inveon Research Workstation software. Maximum Standard uptake values (SUV) were determined as Bq/cc x animal weight (g)/ injected dose (Bq). Immunohistochemistry {#s2.11} -------------------- Excised tumor masses were fixed in 4 % PFA in PBS and 5-7 µm sections were used for immunostaining. Deparaffined sections were heated at 60 °C for 20 min and hydrated in xylene and graded alcohol. Tissue sections were then coated with normal blocking serum (1:50) for 30 min to reduce nonspecific binding. Tissue sections were incubated with a commercially available anti-human LAT1 mAb at 1:100 (TransGenic Inc., Chuo-ku, Kobe) overnight followed by washing with tris-buffered saline with tween (TBST). Slides were incubated with biotinylated rabbit anti-rat IgG (Vector Laboratories, Bulingame, CA) diluted to 1:200 in PBS for 30 min. After three washes with TBST, samples were treated with ABC reagent (Vector Laboratories) at 1:100 for 30 min. Tissues were stained with alkaline phosphatase substrate kit (Vector Laboratories) for 2 min, and then color development was stopped by placing slides in water. Counterstaining was conducted with nuclear fast red for 30 min, followed by dehydration in ethanol. The location of antibody-defined components were observed under a Zeiss Axiophot microscope (Zeiss, Thornwood, NY) and photographed. Statistical Analysis {#s2.12} -------------------- Data were analyzed with the student *t* test when comparing two groups or one way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-test analysis for multiple comparisons. Differences with 95 % confidence level (P \< 0.05) were considered to be statistically significant. Results {#s3} ======= Conjugation and Radiolabeling {#s3.1} ----------------------------- The anti-LAT1 antibody, Ab2, was modified with the acyclic bifunctional chelator, Df-Bz-NCS at an 8:1 molar excess of chelate to protein in sodium carbonate buffer (pH 9). Unreacted Df-Bz-NCS was removed by size exclusion chromatography, and the concentration of functionalized anti-LAT1 antibody quantified by BCA assay. Using this method, we achieved ≥ 90 % recovery of our antibodies; for DFO-Ab2 the post purification concentration was 4.2 mg/mL and 2.5 mg/mL for non-specific IgG. Post modification analysis on fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) revealed the antibody maintained its' integrity with less than 5 % aggregation products observed. The DFO functionalized antibodies were radiolabeled using ^89^Zr-oxalate. \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 was radiolabeled at a specific activity of 5 mCi/mg and the control IgG was radiolabeled at 1 mCi/mg. Under these conditions ≥ 95% of the added activity was associated with the antibody as determined by radioTLC. The challenge radiochemical purity as assessed by DTPA challenge was 97.6 ± 1.2 %, and the radiolabeled mAb was used without further purification. The resulting specific activities were 189.1 ± 10 MBq/mg (5.14 ± 0.33 mCi/mg) for \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, and 48.8 ± 8.1 MBq/mg (1.32 ± 0.22 mCi/mg) for \[^89^Zr\]DFO-IgG. In Vitro characterization {#s3.2} ------------------------- Flow cytometry studies using rat liver RH7777 cells transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused human and mouse CD98 light chains demonstrated the specificity of the anti-LAT antibody, Ab2, for human LAT1 (shown in [Figure S1](#pone.0077476.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Interspecies cross reactivity was not observed, additionally, the antibody did not react with the anchoring CD98 heavy chain. \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 demonstrated saturable binding to LAT1-expressing HCT116 cells. The concentration at which \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 occupies 50 % of cell surface receptors (K~d~) was determined to be 112.5 ± 27.2 nM, (shown in [Figure 2](#pone-0077476-g002){ref-type="fig"}). To ascertain the purity and biological integrity of the radioconjugate, an immunoreactivity assay was conducted and the immunoreactive fraction at infinite LAT1 antigen excess was calculated as 0.79 ± 0.11. We examined the binding kinetics of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 where surface bound \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 was internalized at 37 °C for various intervals up to 24 h as shown in [Figure 2](#pone-0077476-g002){ref-type="fig"} \[[@B31]\]. Over-time, the surface-bound activity decreased as the internalized fraction increased. The intracellular radioactivity reached a steady-state after 4 hours, with no change in associated activity between 6 and 21 hours with approximately 40% of the activity internalized and 60% bound to the cell surface. ![*In* *vitro* experiments in LAT-1 expressing HCT-116 cell line.\ (**A**) Receptor saturation using varying concentrations of the radiolabeled antibody, \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2. (**B**) Immunoreactivity assay plot of the (total/bound) activity *versus* (1/\[normalized cell concentration\]) of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, immunoreactive fraction determined by extrapolation to infinite antigen excess (1/y-intercept). (C) Surface bound and internalized cellular accumulation of the radioimmunoconjugate over time (up to 24 h).](pone.0077476.g002){#pone-0077476-g002} Biodistribution Studies and *In Vivo* Imaging {#s3.3} --------------------------------------------- We investigated the tumor and normal tissue distribution of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in a subcutaneous model of human colorectal cancer through PET and biodistribution studies conducted at 3 and 7 days after intravenous administration. Small animal PET/CT images revealed relatively high accumulation of activity in the tumor at 3 days post injection (p.i.), although blood pool, liver, and kidney activity was also relatively high at this time point. At 7 days p.i., the activity in the tumor persisted while the non-target tissue activity cleared substantially. Quantitative region-of-interest analysis of PET images revealed a 3-fold increase in tumor associated standard uptake values (SUVs), with values of 2.2 ± 0.07 observed at 3 d increasing to 3.0 ± 0.24 at 7 days ([Figure 3](#pone-0077476-g003){ref-type="fig"}). Immunohistochemistry staining was conducted on the excised tumor mass, and the presence of LAT1 protein was independently confirmed using a commercially available anti human LAT1 monoclonal antibody ([Figure 3C](#pone-0077476-g003){ref-type="fig"}). ![*In* *vivo* immuno-PET images of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in HCT-116 bearing xenografts.\ (**A**) Representative maximum intensity projections (MIP) of small animal PET/CT images at 3 and 7 days, where tumor is clearly visualized at 3 d. The tracer uptake was blocked with 800 µg of excess Ab2-LAT-1 (7 d block). (**B**) Maximum standard uptake values confirming increased tracer accumulation in tumor lesion over time; significant decrease in accumulation was observed in the presence of blocking dose. (**C**) Immunohistochemistry showing expression of LAT-1 in excised HCT-116 tumor used in this study.](pone.0077476.g003){#pone-0077476-g003} *Ex vivo* biodistribution studies corroborated the PET data with high levels of tumor uptake observed for the \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 immunoPET tracer. The probe was retained in the tumor with uptake of 9.3 ± 0.84 and 10.5 ± 1.8 %ID/g at 3 and 7 d p.i., respectively. Improved contrast was achieved at later time points, when the blood-pool activity decreased from 5.6 ± 0.36 at 3 d to 3.0 ± 0.07 %ID/g at 7 d p.i. The %ID/g values for most normal tissues were substantially lower than the tumor at both time points with clearance of activity from 3 to 7 d ([Table 1](#pone-0077476-t001){ref-type="table"}), a profile that is consistent with the blood clearance of radiolabeled antibodies \[[@B27],[@B32]\]. The highest concentration of activity in normal tissues occurred in the liver with 7.6 ± 1.2 and 7.6 ± 0.36 %ID/g at day 3 and day 7 p.i. respectively, a distribution typical of radiolabeled antibodies. Accumulation of activity in bone may be indicative of decomplexation of ^89^Zr from the intact functionalized mAb; however the increase from 3.0 ± 0.30 to 3.9 ± 0.25 %ID/g (p = 0.0176) at 3 and 7 d respectively may be a consequence of tracer metabolism and localization of ^89^Zr species into the bone \[[@B33],[@B34]\]. 10.1371/journal.pone.0077476.t001 ###### Biodistribution of intravenously administered ^89^Zr-Ab2-DFO in selected organs of male Athymic *nu/nu* mice bearing subcutaneous HCT-116 tumors. **\[^89^Zr**\]**DFO-Ab2** **Block** **Rat IgG** ------------------------------- --------------------------- ----------- ------------- ------- ----- ------ ------ ----- ------ ------ ----- ------ ------- --------- ------ lung 3.32 +/- 0.24 2.25 +/- 0.12 2.59 +/- 0.62 2.28 +/- 0.26 2.83 +/- 1.15 liver(all) 7.64 +/- 1.24 7.63 +/- 0.36 8.56 +/- 0.82 9.77 +/- 1.30 10.38 +/- 2.15 spleen 4.26 +/- 0.48 3.88 +/- 0.15 4.73 +/- 0.78 3.56 +/- 1.20 4.85 +/- 1.20 kidney 11.15 +/- 1.70 6.99 +/- 1.04 7.33 +/- 0.20 2.63 +/- 0.31 2.28 +/- 0.15 muscle 1.14 +/- 0.11 0.81 +/- 0.05 0.88 +/- 0.06 0.61 +/- 0.07 0.55 +/- 0.11 heart 2.59 +/- 0.10 1.68 +/- 0.15 1.79 +/- 0.09 1.57 +/- 0.26 1.23 **+/-** 0.07 brain 0.25 +/- 0.04 0.14 +/- 0.03 0.16 +/- 0.03 0.18 +/- 0.05 0.14 +/- 0.03 bone 2.99 +/- 0.30 3.86 +/- 0.25 4.39 +/- 0.38 1.99 +/- 0.49 3.01 +/- 0.97 testes 2.16 +/- 0.16 1.95 +/- 0.06 2.01 +/- 0.12 1.05 +/- 0.20 0.88 +/- 0.12 pancreas 1.17 +/- 0.12 1.10 +/- 0.08 0.95 +/- 0.03 0.78 +/- 0.24 0.78 +/- 0.14 tumor 9.29 +/- 0.84 10.49 +/- 1.78 4.70 +/- 0.08 2.24 +/- 0.47 1.49 +/- 0.42 stomach 0.40 +/- 0.09 0.26 +/- 0.06 0.32 +/- 0.09 0.43 +/- 0.10 0.27 +/- 0.05 sm int 0.78 +/- 0.05 0.55 +/- 0.10 0.63 +/- 0.05 0.60 +/- 0.04 0.52 +/- 0.09 u lg int 0.80 +/- 0.22 0.51 +/- 0.08 0.57 +/- 0.14 0.57 +/- 0.10 0.51 +/- 0.13 l lg int 0.67 +/- 0.12 0.53 +/- 0.06 0.57 +/- 0.09 0.58 +/- 0.14 0.39 +/- 0.09 Data expressed in %ID/g ± SD. Blocking studies with pre-injection of 0.8 mg of unlabeled Ab2 were conducted in another group of mice to assess for specific binding of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 *in vivo*. In this group, the tumor was poorly visualized with tumor associated activity decreasing to 4.7 ± 0.08 %ID/g at 7 d, a 55% decrease relative to the control group (p = 0.014). These experiments are in agreement with the *in vitro* data and support the specificity of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 for LAT1. As an additional control, biodistribution studies were performed using ^89^Zr-labeled non-targeted polyclonal rat IgG (\[^89^Zr\]DFO-IgG) to assess the contribution of non-specific uptake mechanisms such as blood volume and passive diffusion. We observed superior tumor accumulation with \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 compared to \[^89^Zr\]DFO-IgG with tumor uptake of 1.5 ± 0.42 %ID/g (p = 0.0006) at 7 days p.i. These results further support the specificity of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 for LAT1 *in vivo*. To further assess the performance of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, we compared the biodistribution and PET imaging properties of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 with the well-established system L substrate, \[^18^F\]FET, in the same HCT116 tumor model. The peak uptake of \[^18^F\]FET occurred at 30 min p.i. with 4.4 ± 0.51 %ID/g in the tumor as shown in [Table 2](#pone-0077476-t002){ref-type="table"}. The absolute amount of tumor uptake observed with \[^18^F\]FET as well as the tumor to normal tissue ratios were significantly lower than those observed with \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 as illustrated in [Figure 4](#pone-0077476-g004){ref-type="fig"}. These results with \[^18^F\]FET are in keeping with previous reports in preclinical and human tumor imaging studies for neoplasms outside of the brain \[[@B18]\]. 10.1371/journal.pone.0077476.t002 ###### Ex vivo biodistribution of \[^18^F\]FET after intravenous injection in athymic nu/nu male mice HCT116 xenografts. **Organs** **5 min (n=5**) **30 min (n=4**) **60 min (n=4**) ------------------------------ ----------------- ------------------ ------------------ ------- ----- ------ ------- ----- ------ lung 3.41 +/- 0.49 3.45 +/- 0.19 3.90 +/- 0.60 liver(all) 3.17 +/- 0.43 3.11 +/- 0.19 3.69 +/- 0.67 spleen 3.39 +/- 0.66 3.18 +/- 0.18 3.07 +/- 0.59 kidney 3.57 +/- 0.46 3.17 +/- 0.22 4.38 +/- 0.47 muscle 2.95 +/- 0.64 3.17 +/- 0.31 3.46 +/- 0.59 heart 3.25 +/- 0.66 3.60 +/- 0.14 3.72 +/- 0.63 brain 2.38 +/- 0.34 2.64 +/- 0.14 2.63 +/- 0.39 bone 1.52 +/- 0.24 2.14 +/- 0.30 1.55 +/- 0.25 testes 2.13 +/- 0.45 2.37 +/- 0.23 2.73 +/- 0.51 pancreas 9.83 +/- 2.86 11.52 +/- 2.26 11.29 +/- 2.50 tumor 2.75 +/- 0.69 4.38 +/- 0.51 3.17 +/- 0.72 stomach 2.69 +/- 0.93 2.37 +/- 0.35 2.88 +/- 1.48 sm int 3.26 +/- 0.54 3.48 +/- 0.19 3.81 +/- 0.76 u lg int 2.85 +/- 0.48 3.00 +/- 0.18 3.33 +/- 0.49 l lg int 2.23 +/- 0.29 4.59 +/- 0.39 2.75 +/- 0.45 Data expressed in %ID/g ± SD ![Tumor-to-organ ratios of the immunoPET tracer, \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 without (blue) and with blocking doses (green) of unlabeled Ab2 at 7 days post injection with comparison to the ^18^F-labeled amino acid, \[^18^F\]FET, at 30 minutes after intravenous administration.](pone.0077476.g004){#pone-0077476-g004} Discussion {#s4} ========== The system L transporter, LAT1, is an emerging biomarker for tumor aggressiveness and prognosis. Additionally, this amino acid transporter is being explored for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. To date approaches to non-invasively image LAT1 transporter levels in malignant tissue have focused on radiolabeled amino acids that are transport substrates for LAT1. However, these substrates have limited utility outside of the brain due to relatively low sensitivity for tumor. This limitation led us to develop an immunoPET agent targeting amino acid transporters. The novel ^89^Zr-labeled anti-LAT mAb, \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, demonstrates high affinity and specificity for human LAT1 *in vitro* and *in vivo*. Flow cytometry data using Ab2 shows no cross-reactivity with other heterodimeric amino acid transporters including the system L transporter LAT2 (see [Figure S1](#pone.0077476.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Incorporation of metal chelator, DFO, does not significantly affect the immunoreactivity and provides a means for high labeling efficiency with ^89^Zr which has physical half-life (3.3 days) compatible with the pharmacokinetics of intact mAbs. Biodistribution and small animal PET/CT studies with \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 show *in vivo* binding to LAT1 in the HCT116 colorectal cancer model, a cell line that is known to express LAT1 in high abundance \[[@B22]\]. Tumor uptake of the tracer was high and persistent with tumor associated activity of 9.3 ± 0.84 and 10.5 ± 1.8 %ID/g at 3 and 7 d p.i., respectively. Excellent tumor-to-non-target organ contrast was achieved at 7 days with tumor-to-blood and tumor-to-muscle ratios of 3.5:1 and 13:1 respectively compared to 1.1:1 and 1.4:1 for the system L transport substrate, \[^18^F\]FET, at 30 minutes. The results strongly suggest the superiority of immunoPET targeting LAT1 over system L transport substrates like \[^18^F\]FET for neoplasms located outside of the brain. A number of radiolabeled amino acids targeting system L transport including \[^123^I\]IMT , \[^18^F\]FDOPA, and \[^18^F\]FAMT have been evaluated in humans for oncologic imaging. The presence of an α-methyl group increases the selectivity of aromatic amino acids for LAT1 over other system L transporters, and tracers like IMT and FAMT may show somewhat higher tumor to background ratios compared to FET \[[@B17]\]. However, the exchange mechanism of LAT1 transport limits the tumor to background ratios that can be achieved with substrate-based imaging agents. While the \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 has superior contrast in all organs compared to \[^18^F\]FET, the low normal tissue uptake of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in mice may be due in part to lack of recognition of mouse LAT1 by this mAb ([Figure S1](#pone.0077476.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Ab2 is an anti-human LAT1 antibody with no cross species reactivity, and thus LAT1 binding in normal mouse tissues does not occur, as confirmed by the blocking study where all organ distribution with exception of the tumor were similar (see [Table 1](#pone-0077476-t001){ref-type="table"}). The lack of binding to LAT1 in normal tissues may artificially increase the tumor to tissue ratios observed in these studies. *In vivo* characterization of amino acid transporter substrates are also limited as the relative transport rates of \[^18^F\]FET by human LAT1 versus its mouse homologue have not yet been measured. The species differences may contribute to the differences in \[^18^F\]FET uptake by human tumor xenografts and normal mouse tissues, however, \[^18^F\]FET has been successfully used to image tumors derived from mouse and rat cell lines, indicating this tracer is recognized by rodent system L transporters \[[@B35]-[@B37]\]. LAT1 is regarded as an oncofetal protein and its' expression is limited in normal adult tissue, thus, the uptake of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in most human tissues and organs may be relatively low as in this mouse model. The high liver uptake of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 is possibly a result of the biological clearance of the tracer, and is a profile typical of radiolabeled antibodies. However, colorectal carcinoma frequently metastasizes to the liver, and the low tumor to liver contrast of 1.1:1 may limit the utility of the \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 for detecting lesions in the liver. Despite the potential limitations, our results collectively show immunoPET has potential advantages including higher specificity for LAT1 and improved tumor visualization compared to the traditional substrate-based approach. The reported immunoPET agent, \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2, is the first example of a macromolecule against LAT1. Other constructs such as affibodies or minibodies may also be advantageous techniques for directly probing expression of LAT1. Currently, these approaches have yet to be explored; however, the availability of effective non-substrate tracers for imaging LAT1 would enable detailed investigations into the relative importance of LAT1 protein levels versus substrate flux in tumor biology. A potential confound when evaluating large-molecule probes like antibodies is enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect due to the leaky vasculature characteristic of solid tumors. To confirm that the accumulation of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 in tumor tissue was due to specific binding rather than non-specific mechanisms, control experiments using non-specific polyclonal ^89^Zr-labeled IgG and a blocking study using excess unlabeled Ab2 were employed. We observed 5-fold higher tumor uptake with \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 compared to non-specific rat IgG and a 55 % decrease in tumor associated activity with preinjection of a 50-fold excess by weight of unmodified antibody. Together with the *in vitro* data, these experiments indicate that \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 binds specifically to LAT1 *in vivo*. Radiolabeled amino acids such as \[^18^F\]FET have been most successfully utilized clinically for brain tumors but have been less effective for extracranial malignancies. System L is active at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which allows transport substrates to reach the entire brain tumor volume including non-contrast enhancing regions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without disrupted BBB. Additional studies will be needed to assess the utility of \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 for imaging brain tumors that do not exhibit contrast enhancement due to intact BBB. It is possible that LAT1 upregulation in the endothelium of non-enhancing gliomas could serve as an imaging target for \[^89^Zr\]DFO-Ab2 and related compounds. Alternatively, receptor-mediated transcytosis approaches that exploit the transferrin and insulin-like growth factor receptors for targeted delivery of large antibodies and nanoparticles in mouse, rat, and Rhesus monkey models could be used \[[@B38]-[@B41]\]. Further work will be needed to elucidate the role of immunoPET targeting LAT1 in brain tumors that do not exhibit contrast enhancement due to intact BBB. In conclusion, we have developed an immunoPET agent targeting human LAT1 that demonstrates specific in vivo binding in a mouse model of colorectal cancer with excellent tumor visualization. To our knowledge, these results are the first reported example of a PET imaging agent that directly binds to a specific amino acid transporter. Given the importance of LAT1 in human cancer, the ability to directly visualize and quantify LAT1 transporter density has potential utility as a new tool for oncologic imaging. This imaging strategy also has the potential to substantially extend amino acid transporter-based oncologic imaging to a wide range of neoplasms not effectively imaged with currently available radiolabeled amino acids. Supporting Information ====================== ###### **Ab2 reactivity with LAT1 in RH7777 cells transfected with cDNA of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused human CD98hc or various human CD98lcs.** (TIF) ###### Click here for additional data file. The authors would like to thank Amanda Roth and the small animal imaging facilities at Washington University School of Medicine for conducting biodistribution and small animal imaging studies, Pulmonary Morphology Core for tissue sectioning and slide preparation, Dr. Tim Whitehead for assistance with statistical analysis and helpful discussion, Dr. Richard Pierce for training O.F. Ikotun and B.V. Marquez on immunohistochemistry techniques, Chris Bognar in the Washington University Cyclotron Facility for assistance in the production of \[18F\]FET, and the Isotope Production Team for biweekly production of zirconium-89. [^1]: **Competing Interests:**Dr. McConathy is a consultant and member of the speaker's bureau for Ely Lilly/Avid Radiopharmaceuticals and is a consultant for GE Healthcare. These affiliations do not alter the authors\' adherence to all PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. [^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: OI TM JM SEL. Performed the experiments: OI BM CH KM MD. Analyzed the data: OI. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SEL TM JM. Wrote the manuscript: OI. | Mid | [
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using Newtonsoft.Json; using Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization; using System; using System.Collections.Generic; namespace Slack.Webhooks { /// <summary> /// Slack Message /// </summary> public class SlackMessage { private bool _markdown = true; /// <summary> /// This is the text that will be posted to the channel /// </summary> public string Text { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Set response to visible to all 'in_channel' or visible to the requester 'ephermeral' /// </summary> public string ResponseType { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Used only when creating messages in response to a button action invocation. When set to true, the inciting message will be replaced by this message you're providing. When false, the message you're providing is considered a brand new message. /// </summary> public bool ReplaceOriginal { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Used only when creating messages in response to a button action invocation. When set to true, the inciting message will be deleted and if a message is provided, it will be posted as a brand new message. /// </summary> public bool DeleteOriginal { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional override of destination channel /// </summary> public string Channel { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional override of the username that is displayed /// </summary> public string Username { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional <see cref="Emoji"/> displayed with the message /// </summary> public string IconEmoji { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional <see cref="Uri"/> for icon displayed with the message /// </summary> public Uri IconUrl { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional override markdown mode. Default: true /// </summary> [JsonProperty(PropertyName = "mrkdwn")] public bool Markdown { get { return _markdown; } set { _markdown = value; } } /// <summary> /// Optional override markdown mode. Default: true /// </summary> [Obsolete("Mrkdwn has been deprecated, please use 'Markdown' instead.")] [JsonIgnore] public bool Mrkdwn { get { return _markdown; } set { _markdown = value; } } /// <summary> /// Enable linkification of channel and usernames /// </summary> public bool LinkNames { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Set the message <see cref="ParseMode"/> /// </summary> public ParseMode Parse { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Parent message threadId (thread_ts) /// </summary> [JsonProperty("thread_ts")] public string ThreadId { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional attachment collection /// </summary> public List<SlackAttachment> Attachments { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Optional collection of <see cref="Block"/> /// </summary> /// <seealso cref="Actions" /> /// <seealso cref="Context" /> /// <seealso cref="Divider" /> /// <seealso cref="File" /> /// <seealso cref="Image" /> /// <seealso cref="Input" /> /// <seealso cref="Section" /> public List<Block> Blocks { get; set; } /// <summary> /// Create a clone of this <see cref="SlackMessage"/> overriding the channel if provided /// </summary> public SlackMessage Clone(string newChannel = null) { return new SlackMessage() { Attachments = Attachments, Blocks = Blocks, Channel = newChannel ?? Channel, DeleteOriginal = DeleteOriginal, IconEmoji = IconEmoji, IconUrl = IconUrl, LinkNames = LinkNames, Markdown = Markdown, Parse = Parse, ReplaceOriginal = ReplaceOriginal, ResponseType = ResponseType, Text = Text, Username = Username }; } /// <summary> /// Conditional serialization of IconEmoji /// Overidden by the presence of IconUrl /// </summary> /// <returns>false when IconUrl is present otherwise true.</returns> public bool ShouldSerializeIconEmoji() { return IconUrl == null && IconEmoji != Emoji.None; } /// <summary> /// Serialize SlackMessage to a JSON string /// </summary> /// <returns>JSON formatted string</returns> public string AsJson() { return SlackClient.SerializeObject(this); } } } | Mid | [
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To give police executives an awareness of the myriad of considerations involving effective prevention, planning, training and response to civil unrest and major protest. Presentation Description Given the current law enforcement climate, major protests and civil unrest has been at the forefront of concerns for the police executive. This training presentation will provide police executives with an awareness of the myriad considerations involving effective prevention, planning, training and response to civil unrest and major protests. Topics discussed include: Causes of Civil Unrest, Crowd Dynamics, Protest Extremists- motives and tactics, Crowd Control Equipment & Considerations, Operational, Logistical and Tactical Considerations, Legal, Intelligence and Communication Considerations, Planning, Training and Media Considerations, Public and Stakeholder Considerations, After Action Reports. Speaker Bio Anthony J. Raganella is a decorated 24-year veteran with the New York City Police Department in the rank of Deputy Inspector. His resume of achievements and professional pursuits exemplifies excellence and demonstrates what true dedication can mean to the safety and security of a large city. Describing himself as a leader that “gets involved,” Anthony has taken everything he does to the next level with a keen eye toward attention to detail and forward progress. Most recently, Anthony was the Commanding Officer of the Disorder Control Unit, a citywide department unit primarily responsible for assessing and ensuring the Department’s training and readiness in crowd management and disorder control operations for civil unrest, as well as major events and emergencies. The Disorder Control Unit is additionally responsible for deployment to large-scale mobilizations, demonstrations/protests, major disorders and other major events, whether planned or unplanned, and provides tactical and logistical support, as well as coordinates the response of the Department’s Strategic Response Groups while assessing and assisting in major event planning and execution of strategic plans. As Commanding Officer of the Disorder Control Unit, Anthony regularly developed policy, as well as evaluated and implemented training, equipment and best practices related to crowd control, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and active shooter tactics, theory and technique. Most recently, he supervised the creation of the NYPD’s first bicycle squad dedicated to crowd management/control along with its policy & training. Anthony also conducted disorder control presentations to outside law enforcement agencies and visiting dignitaries, both national and international, and was instrumental in planning and coordinating the NYPD’s strategy, training and field operations during New York City’s Occupy Wall Street movement and the recent Black Lives Matter protests. Anthony was also the co-chair on the Civil Disturbance Subcommittee for the 2015 Papal visit to New York City and conducted international research for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in 2017, where he continues to work with NIJ serving on their Special Technical Committee (STC) to develop standards for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training within U.S. law enforcement Civil Disturbance Units (CDU). Anthony is considered a subject matter expert on matters related to protests and civil unrest. As such, he serves as a consultant to FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness and is an approved expert witness in Federal court on such matters. Prior to commanding the Disorder Control Unit, Anthony spent a majority of his career in various ranks within one of the Department’s patrol borough task forces – specialized units within the Department established for the primary purpose of deploying as a rapid mobile first-response unit to mobilizations, emergency incidents, demonstrations, disorders, and planned and unplanned events in a cohesive and disciplined team to provide crowd control and disorder policing. During his career, Anthony has been involved in the policing of over 2,000 demonstrations and major events, as well as the relevant training of tens of thousands of NYPD officers. He has been recognized by numerous officials and organizations, and has amassed in excess of fifty honors and awards for his various efforts and achievements In relentless pursuit of professional and personal advancement, Anthony has completed his Master Degree in Public Administration, summa cum laude, from Marist College; a Bachelor of Science Degree in Behavioral Science, summa cum laude, from New York Institute of Technology; an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, summa cum laude, from Nassau Community College, as well as being a graduate of the 24th Session of Columbia University’s Police Management Institute, and the 223rd Session of the FBI National Academy. Additionally, Anthony is the author of several published peer-reviewed journal articles and text book chapter supplements in the field of criminal justice, and has presented the findings of his work at numerous symposiums nationwide. Anthony is very active in professional associations and alumni groups, and believes in giving back through frequent speaking engagements and mentoring of newer officers. He is also a frequent guest-lecturer at local colleges and criminal justice events, and has been selected to serve on the FBI National Academy Associates Speaker’s Bureau. In addition to his ‘day job’ Anthony co-founded Rising Star Promotions, an educational tutorial service focused on supplementing and supporting studies of officers seeking elevation through promotional exams. He continually develops study material and course curricula while leading recurring courses since 2006. The result has been successfully facilitating thousands of officers’ advancement efforts within the NYPD. Additionally, Anthony is founder and president of NY Blue Line Consulting Group, a company which provides law enforcement training and consulting services nationwide. Although Anthony has dedicated his professional life to law enforcement, he hasn’t limited himself to just police work. Anthony is also active in organizing fundraising events to support various causes for his high school alma mater’s alumni association – La Salle Military Academy – where he sits on the Board of Governors. | High | [
0.676190476190476,
35.5,
17
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Nitric oxide inhibits renal cytochrome P450-dependent epoxygenases in the rat. 1. Nitric oxide (NO), or peroxynitrite, is known to inhibit haemoproteins, including cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenases. The present study explores the functional correlates of the inhibition by NO of renal epoxygenase on the vascular responses to arachidonic acid (AA) in the perfused kidney. 2. Control kidneys produce measurable amounts of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (epoxides), which were increased from 0.6 +/- 0.2 to 1.8 +/- 0.9 ng/min (P < 0.05) following the addition of AA 5 micro g. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 100 micro mol/L), an NO donor, blunted the basal and AA-stimulated efflux of epoxides. 3. Sodium nitroprusside at 10 and 100 micro mol/L inhibited renal microsomal conversion of [14C]-AA to epoxides and its hydration products dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (diols). Microsomes harvested from rats 3 h after treatment with Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) also inhibited renal epoxygenase activity (81 +/- 8%; P < 0.05). 4. In the phenylephrine-preconstricted and indomethacin (2.8 micro mol/L)-treated kidney, AA at 5, 10 and 25 micro g elicited vasodilation that was blunted by miconazole (2 micro mol/L), 80 mmol/L KCl, tetraethylammonium (10 mmol/L), a K+ channel blocker, or SNP (100 micro mol/L). 5. Vasodilation induced by AA, but not 5,6-epoxide, was reduced in rats treated with LPS, an effect that was abolished by Nomega-nitro-l-arginine (100 mg/kg in drinking water for 10 days). 6. These data suggest that NO inhibits renal epoxygenase activity and inhibits epoxide-mediated AA-induced vasodilation in the rat kidney. | Mid | [
0.6354679802955661,
32.25,
18.5
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The present invention relates to power distribution systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to synchronous frame regulation in a power distribution system. It is not unusual for a power distribution system to have a three-phase distribution feeder that supplies multiple loads. However, different loads connected to the feeder can cause the line voltage to become unbalanced. The voltage is considered unbalanced if the line-to-line voltages are not equal. For instance, consider a situation when a three-phase motor and a single-phase load are connected to a distribution feeder line. If the three-phase motor and the single-phase load are operated at the same time, a voltage unbalance on the feeder line will occur. When an unbalanced voltage is applied to an active rectifier, control algorithms used to regulate the active rectifier can cause third harmonic current to be generated in the power distribution system. These currents are extremely undesirable, partly because they affect the active rectifier's control and partly because they can cause overheating of the loads that receive power from the distribution system. | Mid | [
0.5663366336633661,
35.75,
27.375
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// f[i][j] = max(f[i - 1][j], f[i][j - 1], f[i - 1][j - 1] + 1 where A[i - 1] == B[j - 1]) class Solution { public: /** * @param A: A string * @param B: A string * @return: The length of longest common subsequence of A and B */ int longestCommonSubsequence(string &A, string &B) { // write your code here if (A.size() == 0 || B.size() == 0) { return 0; } int m = A.size(); int n = B.size(); vector<vector<int>> table(m + 1, vector<int>(n + 1, 0)); for (auto i = 0; i <= m; ++i) { for (auto j = 0; j <= n; ++j) { if (i == 0 || j == 0) { table[i][j] = 0; continue; } table[i][j] = max(table[i - 1][j], table[i][j - 1]); if (A[i - 1] == B[j - 1]) { table[i][j] = table[i - 1][j - 1] + 1; } } } return table[m][n]; } }; | Mid | [
0.575510204081632,
35.25,
26
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Summary Sponsored by the Navy and civilian science agencies, the SCICEX (Scientific Ice Exercise) missions conducted between 1993 and 1999 used nuclear attack submarines as platforms for gathering scientific data. The importance of these data were magnified by the fact that he Arctic Ocean has been the subject of less scientific study than any of Earth’s other oceans, even though it contains vital economic resources and is a critical factor in and potential harbinger of global climate change. The SCICEX cruises confirmed the unique capabilities of nuclear submarines as platforms for scientific research. Their ability to move quickly and easily beneath the ice caps in any weather and any season enables an extraordinary range of data-collection activities. Moreover, the U.S. Navy’s long, successful history of conducting Arctic research from nuclear submarines has shown the feasibility of these submarines as scientific research platforms. However, the last SCICEX mission ended in November 2000, and the SSN 637class submarines are now retiring from the Navy’s active fleet. To preserve the possibility of using this unique research platform, it has been proposed that one of these vessels be converted into a dedicated science submarine, conducting unclassified scientific research throughout the world’s oceans. To inform its deliberations on this proposal, the National Science Foundation (NSF) asked RAND to assess the costs and benefits of a dedicated science submarine. This study addresses two core questions: • What are the research benefits of using a converted SSN 637-class nuclear attack submarine solely for civilian scientific research? • What are the costs of operating, maintaining, and manning such a submarine? Research Approach To address these questions, the RAND study team assesses the benefits and costs of a science submarine. As a concrete example, we consider the conversion of SSN 686, the L. Mendel Rivers, the last, recently retired SSN 637 hull, into a scientific platform. We envision the Rivers operating for seven years, conducting a variety of scientific observations on three, 40-day cruises each - ix - year. Each cruise would follow a course determined by scientific requirements and carry 15 scientific researchers on board. We estimate the benefits of such a science submarine with qualitative assessments of its potential contributions to high-priority national research goals as identified by the scientific community. These goals fall in the topic areas of Geologic and Geophysical Exploration in the Arctic Basin, Arctic Climate Change, the Dynamics of Bering Sea Ecosystems, and general Oceanographic Studies in the Ice-Free Oceans. We focus on the unique contributions of a science submarine, that is, the benefits gained by adding a submarine to the existing portfolio of research platforms for the Arctic. These platforms include surface ships, icebreakers, satellites, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), ice camps, airplanes, remote buoys, and instrumentation for acoustic propagation measurements. We first identify the unique measurements that could be provided by a submarine. We then place these measurements in a framework that relates measurements to the high-priority research goals they address. We choose this approach as a means to address the notoriously hard problem of estimating the benefits from scientific research. This approach to benefits assessment is consistent with NSF’s common assessment of large research facilities, but addresses the exceptionally interdisciplinary quality of submarine data. We then estimate the costs to convert, maintain, and operate a dedicated science submarine by starting with extensive Navy data on the comparable costs of a military submarine. We then develop a variety of cost scenarios, making different assumptions about how these costs might be reduced for scientific operations. Scientific Benefits We find that the most important contribution of a dedicated science submarine would be its ability to collect survey data in ice-covered seas. With its ability to navigate freely during all seasons and in all weather, a submarine is unmatched in its capability to collect large amounts of bathymetric or hydrographic data over the Arctic Basin, especially in the winter. A submarine also has unique capabilities to collect controlled seismic refraction and reflection surveys. Such data directly support the geological and geophysical exploration of the Arctic Ocean Basin. A dedicated science submarine could also make unique contributions to understanding climate change in the Arctic and its relationship to global climate change. For climate change research, the most important feature of the -x- submarine is the capability to collect data over broad areas of the Arctic Basin at all times of year. Of particular importance are hydrographic measurements in the upper ocean (temperature/salinity profiles), detailed mapping of ice draft and structure, and high-resolution bathymetric surveys. The science submarine could also uniquely contribute to understanding Bering Sea ecosystems. The submarine has a unique capability to make hydrographic and ice draft measurements under the ice in those regions of the Bering Sea where the water is sufficiently deep for safe operations and can also make unique contributions by monitoring biological features, such as water sampling from specific oceanographic features and mapping fish and zooplankton populations using the submarine’s sonar systems, in ice-covered seas. In the ice-free oceans, the submarine has fewer unique capabilities relative to surface ships, satellites, and drifting buoys. Without the limitations of an ice cover, ships have greater navigational capabilities, satellites can image a range of ocean properties over vast areas, and buoys can drift great distances. Under these circumstances, the submarine’s primary strength centers on data gathering in remote regions, rough seas, and bad weather. Our analysis focuses on the benefits of a dedicated science submarine in relation to the proven, current capabilities of other research platforms. We note, however, that autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) technology is improving rapidly and could possibly equal or surpass many of the submarine’s unique measurement capabilities over the course of roughly a decade. Costs The total cost of operating and maintaining the L. Mendel Rivers as a dedicated science submarine could range from roughly $200 million to $300 million over an expected seven years of operation. Approximately $95 million to $125 million would be required for depot overhaul and science conversion, $20 million to $38 million for depot maintenance, $37 million to $55 million for operations including the cost of a Navy crew and consumables, and approximately $60 million for science support. The wide variation of potential costs is largely due to varying assumptions about whether the submarine could be overhauled and maintained at public or private shipyards, the allocation of overhead, and cost sharing between NSF and the Navy. These issues would likely be resolved and the cost made clearer if and when the government begins serious planning for a dedicated science submarine. The average annual cost of the submarine would range from $30 million to $40 million per year. By - xi - comparison, current NSF funding for Arctic research, logistics, and facilities support totaled approximately $70 million in fiscal year (FY) 2000. The cost of the submarine is unevenly distributed over time. The initial overhaul and science conversion of the existing vessel constitutes more than a third of the total lifetime costs of the science submarine. Thus in any scenario, the majority of spending would occur in the first years of the program, and hence there is little flexibility to reduce costs by focusing the dedicated science submarine on a few high-priority missions. Assessment A dedicated science submarine could make unique and important contributions to the priority research areas of Geologic and Geophysical Exploration of the Arctic Basin and Arctic Climate Change. It could make unique, important, though relatively lesser contributions to the priority research areas of the Bering Sea Ecosystem and General Oceanographic Studies in the Ice-Free Oceans. Maintaining and operating a science submarine could cost $200 million to $300 million over seven years of operations. Many uncertainties remain over the extent of these benefits and costs. For instance, the submarine could have nonscientific benefits not considered in this study; or technological advances could produce autonomous underwater vehicles that in a decade or more could obtain some of the measurements currently available only from a dedicated science submarine. Nonetheless, this report lays a foundation for decisionmaking on the deployment of such a research platform. Specifically we identify the priority research areas that would benefit most from the unique capabilities of a dedicated science submarine. Policymakers can assess the importance of these benefits in light of the costs we have identified. - xii - | High | [
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SUBROUTINE ccsdt_t3_8_1_4(d_a,k_a_offset,d_b,k_b_offset,d_c,k_c_of &fset) C $Id$ C This is a Fortran77 program generated by Tensor Contraction Engine v.1.0 C Copyright (c) Battelle & Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2002) C i2 ( h12 p4 h1 p10 )_vt + = -1 * Sum ( h9 p8 ) * t ( p4 p8 h1 h9 )_t * v ( h9 h12 p8 p10 )_v IMPLICIT NONE #include "global.fh" #include "mafdecls.fh" #include "sym.fh" #include "errquit.fh" #include "tce.fh" INTEGER d_a INTEGER k_a_offset INTEGER d_b INTEGER k_b_offset INTEGER d_c INTEGER k_c_offset INTEGER NXTASK INTEGER next INTEGER nprocs INTEGER count INTEGER p4b INTEGER h12b INTEGER h1b INTEGER p10b INTEGER dimc INTEGER l_c_sort INTEGER k_c_sort INTEGER p8b INTEGER h9b INTEGER p4b_1 INTEGER p8b_1 INTEGER h1b_1 INTEGER h9b_1 INTEGER h12b_2 INTEGER h9b_2 INTEGER p10b_2 INTEGER p8b_2 INTEGER dim_common INTEGER dima_sort INTEGER dima INTEGER dimb_sort INTEGER dimb INTEGER l_a_sort INTEGER k_a_sort INTEGER l_a INTEGER k_a INTEGER l_b_sort INTEGER k_b_sort INTEGER l_b INTEGER k_b INTEGER l_c INTEGER k_c EXTERNAL NXTASK nprocs = GA_NNODES() count = 0 next = NXTASK(nprocs,1) DO p4b = noab+1,noab+nvab DO h12b = 1,noab DO h1b = 1,noab DO p10b = noab+1,noab+nvab IF (next.eq.count) THEN IF ((.not.restricted).or.(int_mb(k_spin+p4b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+h12b- &1)+int_mb(k_spin+h1b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+p10b-1).ne.8)) THEN IF (int_mb(k_spin+p4b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+h12b-1) .eq. int_mb(k_spin+ &h1b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+p10b-1)) THEN IF (ieor(int_mb(k_sym+p4b-1),ieor(int_mb(k_sym+h12b-1),ieor(int_mb &(k_sym+h1b-1),int_mb(k_sym+p10b-1)))) .eq. ieor(irrep_v,irrep_t)) &THEN dimc = int_mb(k_range+p4b-1) * int_mb(k_range+h12b-1) * int_mb(k_r &ange+h1b-1) * int_mb(k_range+p10b-1) IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dimc,'noname',l_c_sort,k_c_sort)) CALL & ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',0,MA_ERR) CALL DFILL(dimc,0.0d0,dbl_mb(k_c_sort),1) DO p8b = noab+1,noab+nvab DO h9b = 1,noab IF (int_mb(k_spin+p4b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+p8b-1) .eq. int_mb(k_spin+h &1b-1)+int_mb(k_spin+h9b-1)) THEN IF (ieor(int_mb(k_sym+p4b-1),ieor(int_mb(k_sym+p8b-1),ieor(int_mb( &k_sym+h1b-1),int_mb(k_sym+h9b-1)))) .eq. irrep_t) THEN CALL TCE_RESTRICTED_4(p4b,p8b,h1b,h9b,p4b_1,p8b_1,h1b_1,h9b_1) CALL TCE_RESTRICTED_4(h12b,h9b,p10b,p8b,h12b_2,h9b_2,p10b_2,p8b_2) dim_common = int_mb(k_range+p8b-1) * int_mb(k_range+h9b-1) dima_sort = int_mb(k_range+p4b-1) * int_mb(k_range+h1b-1) dima = dim_common * dima_sort dimb_sort = int_mb(k_range+h12b-1) * int_mb(k_range+p10b-1) dimb = dim_common * dimb_sort IF ((dima .gt. 0) .and. (dimb .gt. 0)) THEN IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dima,'noname',l_a_sort,k_a_sort)) CALL & ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',1,MA_ERR) IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dima,'noname',l_a,k_a)) CALL ERRQUIT(' &ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',2,MA_ERR) IF ((p8b .lt. p4b) .and. (h9b .lt. h1b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_a,dbl_mb(k_a),dima,int_mb(k_a_offset),(h1b_1 & - 1 + noab * (h9b_1 - 1 + noab * (p4b_1 - noab - 1 + nvab * (p8b_ &1 - noab - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_a),dbl_mb(k_a_sort),int_mb(k_range+p8b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+p4b-1),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1),int_mb(k_range+h1b-1) &,4,2,3,1,1.0d0) END IF IF ((p8b .lt. p4b) .and. (h1b .le. h9b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_a,dbl_mb(k_a),dima,int_mb(k_a_offset),(h9b_1 & - 1 + noab * (h1b_1 - 1 + noab * (p4b_1 - noab - 1 + nvab * (p8b_ &1 - noab - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_a),dbl_mb(k_a_sort),int_mb(k_range+p8b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+p4b-1),int_mb(k_range+h1b-1),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1) &,3,2,4,1,-1.0d0) END IF IF ((p4b .le. p8b) .and. (h9b .lt. h1b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_a,dbl_mb(k_a),dima,int_mb(k_a_offset),(h1b_1 & - 1 + noab * (h9b_1 - 1 + noab * (p8b_1 - noab - 1 + nvab * (p4b_ &1 - noab - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_a),dbl_mb(k_a_sort),int_mb(k_range+p4b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+p8b-1),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1),int_mb(k_range+h1b-1) &,4,1,3,2,-1.0d0) END IF IF ((p4b .le. p8b) .and. (h1b .le. h9b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_a,dbl_mb(k_a),dima,int_mb(k_a_offset),(h9b_1 & - 1 + noab * (h1b_1 - 1 + noab * (p8b_1 - noab - 1 + nvab * (p4b_ &1 - noab - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_a),dbl_mb(k_a_sort),int_mb(k_range+p4b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+p8b-1),int_mb(k_range+h1b-1),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1) &,3,1,4,2,1.0d0) END IF IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_a)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',3,MA_ERR &) IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dimb,'noname',l_b_sort,k_b_sort)) CALL & ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',4,MA_ERR) IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dimb,'noname',l_b,k_b)) CALL ERRQUIT(' &ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',5,MA_ERR) IF ((h9b .le. h12b) .and. (p8b .le. p10b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_b,dbl_mb(k_b),dimb,int_mb(k_b_offset),(p10b_ &2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (p8b_2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (h12b_2 - 1 + (no &ab+nvab) * (h9b_2 - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_b),dbl_mb(k_b_sort),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+h12b-1),int_mb(k_range+p8b-1),int_mb(k_range+p10b- &1),4,2,1,3,1.0d0) END IF IF ((h9b .le. h12b) .and. (p10b .lt. p8b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_b,dbl_mb(k_b),dimb,int_mb(k_b_offset),(p8b_2 & - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (p10b_2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (h12b_2 - 1 + (no &ab+nvab) * (h9b_2 - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_b),dbl_mb(k_b_sort),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1) &,int_mb(k_range+h12b-1),int_mb(k_range+p10b-1),int_mb(k_range+p8b- &1),3,2,1,4,-1.0d0) END IF IF ((h12b .lt. h9b) .and. (p8b .le. p10b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_b,dbl_mb(k_b),dimb,int_mb(k_b_offset),(p10b_ &2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (p8b_2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (h9b_2 - 1 + (noa &b+nvab) * (h12b_2 - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_b),dbl_mb(k_b_sort),int_mb(k_range+h12b-1 &),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1),int_mb(k_range+p8b-1),int_mb(k_range+p10b- &1),4,1,2,3,-1.0d0) END IF IF ((h12b .lt. h9b) .and. (p10b .lt. p8b)) THEN CALL GET_HASH_BLOCK(d_b,dbl_mb(k_b),dimb,int_mb(k_b_offset),(p8b_2 & - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (p10b_2 - 1 + (noab+nvab) * (h9b_2 - 1 + (noa &b+nvab) * (h12b_2 - 1))))) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_b),dbl_mb(k_b_sort),int_mb(k_range+h12b-1 &),int_mb(k_range+h9b-1),int_mb(k_range+p10b-1),int_mb(k_range+p8b- &1),3,1,2,4,1.0d0) END IF IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_b)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',6,MA_ERR &) CALL DGEMM('T','N',dima_sort,dimb_sort,dim_common,1.0d0,dbl_mb(k_a &_sort),dim_common,dbl_mb(k_b_sort),dim_common,1.0d0,dbl_mb(k_c_sor &t),dima_sort) IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_b_sort)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',7,M &A_ERR) IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_a_sort)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',8,M &A_ERR) END IF END IF END IF END DO END DO IF (.not.MA_PUSH_GET(mt_dbl,dimc,'noname',l_c,k_c)) CALL ERRQUIT(' &ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',9,MA_ERR) CALL TCE_SORT_4(dbl_mb(k_c_sort),dbl_mb(k_c),int_mb(k_range+p10b-1 &),int_mb(k_range+h12b-1),int_mb(k_range+h1b-1),int_mb(k_range+p4b- &1),4,2,3,1,-1.0d0) CALL ADD_HASH_BLOCK(d_c,dbl_mb(k_c),dimc,int_mb(k_c_offset),(p10b &- noab - 1 + nvab * (h1b - 1 + noab * (h12b - 1 + noab * (p4b - no &ab - 1))))) IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_c)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',10,MA_ER &R) IF (.not.MA_POP_STACK(l_c_sort)) CALL ERRQUIT('ccsdt_t3_8_1_4',11, &MA_ERR) END IF END IF END IF next = NXTASK(nprocs,1) END IF count = count + 1 END DO END DO END DO END DO next = NXTASK(-nprocs,1) call GA_SYNC() RETURN END | Low | [
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Glen Barclay Glenville Te Punga o Te Arawa "Glen" Barclay (6 September 1888 – 19 February 1959) (surname Pakere in Māori) was a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played at representative level for New Zealand Māori, and at club level for North Sydney, as a forward (prior to the specialist positions of; ), during the era of contested scrums. International honours Barclay represented New Zealand Māori on the groundbreaking 1908 New Zealand Māori rugby league tour of Australia. Genealogical information Barclay was the brother of the rugby league footballer, Frank Barclay (whose Māori name was Hauāuru Pakere). References External links Papers Past > Taranaki Herald > 23 Haratua (May) 1908 > Page 3 > FOOTBALL Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 118, 18 May 1908, Page 7 > Native Team For Australia Category:1888 births Category:1959 deaths Category:New Zealand Māori rugby league players Category:New Zealand Māori rugby league team players Category:New Zealand rugby league players Category:North Sydney Bears players Category:Place of death missing Category:Sportspeople from Tauranga Category:Rugby league forwards | Mid | [
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<a href='https://github.com/angular/angular.js/edit/v1.4.x/src/ng/directive/ngClass.js?message=docs(ngClassOdd)%3A%20describe%20your%20change...#L298' class='improve-docs btn btn-primary'><i class="glyphicon glyphicon-edit"> </i>Improve this Doc</a> <a href='https://github.com/angular/angular.js/tree/v1.4.0-rc.2/src/ng/directive/ngClass.js#L298' class='view-source pull-right btn btn-primary'> <i class="glyphicon glyphicon-zoom-in"> </i>View Source </a> <header class="api-profile-header"> <h1 class="api-profile-header-heading">ngClassOdd</h1> <ol class="api-profile-header-structure naked-list step-list"> <li> - directive in module <a href="api/ng">ng</a> </li> </ol> </header> <div class="api-profile-description"> <p>The <code>ngClassOdd</code> and <code>ngClassEven</code> directives work exactly as <a href="api/ng/directive/ngClass">ngClass</a>, except they work in conjunction with <code>ngRepeat</code> and take effect only on odd (even) rows.</p> <p>This directive can be applied only within the scope of an <a href="api/ng/directive/ngRepeat">ngRepeat</a>.</p> </div> <div> <h2>Directive Info</h2> <ul> <li>This directive executes at priority level 0.</li> </ul> <h2 id="usage">Usage</h2> <div class="usage"> <ul> <li>as attribute: <pre><code><ANY ng-class-odd="expression"> ... </ANY></code></pre> </li> <li>as CSS class: <pre><code><ANY class="ng-class-odd: expression;"> ... </ANY></code></pre> </li> </div> <section class="api-section"> <h3>Arguments</h3> <table class="variables-matrix input-arguments"> <thead> <tr> <th>Param</th> <th>Type</th> <th>Details</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td> ngClassOdd </td> <td> <a href="" class="label type-hint type-hint-expression">expression</a> </td> <td> <p><a href="guide/expression">Expression</a> to eval. The result of the evaluation can be a string representing space delimited class names or an array.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <h2 id="example">Example</h2><p> <div> <a ng-click="openPlunkr('examples/example-example65', $event)" class="btn pull-right"> <i class="glyphicon glyphicon-edit"> </i> Edit in Plunker</a> <div class="runnable-example" path="examples/example-example65"> <div class="runnable-example-file" name="index.html" language="html" type="html"> <pre><code><ol ng-init="names=['John', 'Mary', 'Cate', 'Suz']"> <li ng-repeat="name in names"> <span ng-class-odd="'odd'" ng-class-even="'even'"> {{name}} </span> </li> </ol></code></pre> </div> <div class="runnable-example-file" name="style.css" language="css" type="css"> <pre><code>.odd { color: red; } .even { color: blue; }</code></pre> </div> <div class="runnable-example-file" name="protractor.js" type="protractor" language="js"> <pre><code>it('should check ng-class-odd and ng-class-even', function() { expect(element(by.repeater('name in names').row(0).column('name')).getAttribute('class')). toMatch(/odd/); expect(element(by.repeater('name in names').row(1).column('name')).getAttribute('class')). toMatch(/even/); });</code></pre> </div> <iframe class="runnable-example-frame" src="examples/example-example65/index.html" name="example-example65"></iframe> </div> </div> </p> </div> | Mid | [
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Recent News Articles The Sonic Boom series has finally made its way onto the site with charts available for Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal and Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. Now grab your scarf, put on some sports tape, and submit your stats! Sonic Forces Competition Now Live Oh, boy! The hype is real! August 13, 2017 - 1:04 PM So, it looks like with Mania, Sonic is closer than ever to actually truly going back to his roots. Ya, rly. It took him more than two decades, which is "not baaad", like an echidna would say after laying a shiny single egg. Yeah, they DO lay eggs. Isn't that cool? Anyway, I digress. With the release of the highly anticipated new Sonic game around the corner for console users (:V), I guess I should announce here that we will try to add charts for the game as soon as possible. During the first week of competition, players don't need to provide video proof for first places, because that would be really annoying. This is a policy that we will apply for any newly added games from now on. Of course, we still encourage you to share your runs with the world. Sharing is caring! In other news, I am finally back to Spain after a whole year backpacking through Asia and Oceania. It feels weird. The good news is that some people contacted me about my request for coders in my last front page post, and now I will finally have the time to coordinate them with Gerbil to try and get some work done on the site. New features might finally come. In the meantime, here is a video I recorded in Taiwan a couple weeks ago. See you on the charts, fuckers! New Heaven, New Earth. Introducing a new site rule January 1, 2017 - 10:05 PM Hello, TSCers. Long time no see! Speedrunning has come a long way since this lovely site some of us like to call home took its first baby steps more than 13 years ago. In the recent years, most important speedrunning websites have revolved around video proof, having players record and link to their whole performances for their records to count or be submittable at all. Several players have pointed this out on our forums, suggesting that we should catch up with the times. Even though it could have seemed like these requests fell on deaf ears, that was not the case. However, the staff wanted to do it the elegant way, overhauling the site to focus on encouraging players to prove their records instead of making proving your records mandatory. A hidden staff board on our forums is full of good ideas on how to achieve this the best possible way. The problem is that such approach requires a skilled coder with free time willing to do the hard work a site redesign takes. We have done our best to find one, but it's not an easy task and we ultimately gave up (at least, I did). That's why we are introducting the following new rule: As of 2017/01/01, all first-place records (including ties) must have a video of the whole run linked in the stat comment. Emulator runs must have an input file linked instead. Please, use the following site to upload input files: http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php We think it's a good compromise, because having players prove every submission would be overkill. In any case, depending on how it goes, we might make the rule stricter in the near future (top 3 records?). If you are a programmer reading this and are willing to code for TSC, please contact me! | Low | [
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Health bosses are investigating the results of a study which shows that women who avoid sunbathing during the summer are twice as likely to die than those who sunbathe every day. The study, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, followed nearly 30,000 women over 20 years. They found that the results “showed that mortality was about double in women who avoided sun exposure compared to the highest exposure group”. Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines Public Health England have said they would be considering the research carefully. Experts behind the study say that wearing sunscreen and staying out of the sun could lead to a deficiency in vitamin D, which has been linked to more aggressive forms of skin cancer Vitamin D is created by exposure to the sun and also protects the body against diabetes, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis and rickets. They also claimed that guidelines advising people to stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen could be harming the population. “Sun exposure advice which is very restrictive in countries with low solar intensity might in fact be harmful for women’s health,” said Dr Pelle Lindqvist. “The mortality rate was increased two-fold among avoiders of sun exposure as compared to those with the highest sun exposure habits.” Professor Dorothy Bennett from the University of London told Business Insider: “The findings support the consensus that the ideal amount of sun exposure for Northern Europeans is ‘a little’, rather than zero. “Those who normally avoid the sun and/or cover most of their skin are advised to take vitamin D supplements.” Yinka Ebo from Cancer Research UK suggested the study was “unexplained”, and added that “unhealthy lifestyle choices could have played a part”. And a spokesman from the Department of Health commented: “Most people in the UK can get enough vitamin D from sunlight, but those at risk of vitamin D deficiency should take daily supplements.” | Mid | [
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BrowserStack is out of beta: super-easy multi-browser testing - tbassetto http://www.browserstack.com ====== Domenic_S I was chugging along happily until I started observing someone _else's_ testing session! I typed "neato!" into their search bar; they promptly logged off. ------ jcampbell1 I used to be interested in this type of service, but then I got an SSD. With an SSD it takes about 5 seconds to boot windows through parallels, and now cross browser testing is no longer a chore. I am willing to admit that I pirate windows for the sole purpose of supporting IE with my webapps. It would be too expensive to do it legitimately, so my solution is not for everyone. ~~~ yuhong I think MS provides VM images of Windows for testing IE. ~~~ wpietri If they are the same ones we tried, they are a giant pain. Lots of screwing around to get everything downloaded and set up right for multiple version of IE. Then they expire every few months, requiring regular doses of rigmarole. And when you finally have them set up, you know what prize you win? You get to debug some crazy-making IE issue. As far as I'm concerned, free isn't enough: they should come with masseuses and bottles of good scotch in compensation. ------ jmathes Browserstack is great, but it's still catching up to Sauce Scout (disclaimer: I work at Sauce Labs). It needs better support for testing firewalled or localhost sites, and it needs security (it re-uses VMs) Awesome work, guys! I know first hand how hard it is to maintain a product like this :) ------ mrud Is this somehow related to browserling/stackvm? Afaik the idea is the same but browserstack looks much more polished and mature. Ok i just discovered that browserstack needs java so it seems they are using a different sw stack ~~~ ritesharora Browserstack needs Java only for creating local tunnel via web interface. For the rest it uses Flash! ~~~ mrud Ah ok i'm sorry i misread that. ------ kgtm A bit off-topic, but i find the Plans & Pricing page to be a very good example of how to design for an attention-lacking crowd, i.e. most web users. In particular, the team-size icons is a rare example of using eye-candy to succinctly help in clarifying for whom each package is tailored. Or maybe i am just easily excited today! If anything, i would invert the per-person price with the overall price in order to give emphasis to "more people is actually cheaper". There is something in descending prices that makes people feel good. ------ there the rotated text does not look good in firefox 7/mac: <http://i.imgur.com/XsiTi.png> i know of a service they can use for testing their website in different browsers... ------ gregdetre This looks interesting - we've been pretty happy with crossbrowsertesting.com until now, which is also worth a look. Here's what I'd love next - we'd write a bunch of QUnit javascript tests, put them behind a private url on our staging server, and then be able to run those tests from the command-line on multiple browsers (through BrowserStack, say), and spit back the output in a form that Jenkins understands. I'd certainly pay $20/month for that, and maybe more if it was great. ~~~ substack We at browserling will be releasing something perfect for that in a week or so! Sneak peak: <http://browserling.com:9088/> ------ DougWebb This looks cool, but I'm not sure about the long-term value. Looking at their browser list, I could test all Firefox, Opera, and Chrome versions, one version of IE, and the Windows versions of Safari on one Windows 7 box. I could add to that three VMs for older versions of IE, and a Mac (maybe with a VM) for Mac Safari versions. If the main Win7 machine is also a VM, I could do this all on the Mac. So, that's a total of 5-6 OS licenses, which would cost $750-$1000. At $19/month for a single user, BrowserStack becomes more expensive after 2-3 years. At the small team rate of $68/year it becomes more expensive after one year. (I could host VMs on a server and have my testers RDP into it; they can't use the VMs simultaneously but with 4 testers and 5-6 VMs that's not a problem.) To me, the pricing is right on the edge, which forces me to evaluate the effort of maintaining local VMs and browsers (an invisible cost is most organizations) vs the potential risks of running my in-development software and providing access to my development environments to a third-party over the internet. If the pricing was lower and clearly less expensive than maintaining my own VMs, it'd be a slam-dunk decision and the other factors wouldn't even be considered. (I'm thinking about this from a "how does a developer sell this to corporate management" perspective.) ~~~ gizmo Installing and configuring VMs up to the point where you can do good testing with them is a painful and tedious work. Why waste the time of expensive professionals on something if you can fix the problem for $70-$150 a month? $70 bucks a month is only real money if you're a broke startup. Otherwise it's peanuts. ~~~ Bootvis And don't forget the maintenance you have to do on those machines. You're testing is 5 minutes under way and _BAM_ Windows updates wants your attention for a reboot. ------ ghc Just tried this on my in-development web app. The good news is that it works like a charm. The bad news is that the browsers keep prompting to save the password of my test account. I wish they'd turned of password manager for all of the browsers. I also feel a little weird typing in my test account password into their site. ~~~ ritesharora Though all passwords/history/etc are cleaned. Your idea seems like a better one! ------ chefsurfing Bravo BrowserStack team! I am using this to test IE7 on our staging environment. Your signup process was great, I was able to jump-in and start testing immediately. I think you could add better communication and assurances about security and private information. Keep up the good work. ~~~ ritesharora All user information is kept private and everything is erased once user stops testing. Sure, the security document is coming soon! ------ revorad This is really well done. It's going to be very useful to us, thanks! Edit: The tunnel to my local server doesn't work. I keep getting "There's no server running at port 80". ------ jbm Just showed this to some people at a company I'm working at. I'm guessing they are going to spring for it - 4 seats at least :P Good job dude. ------ lobster_johnson Too slow to use over here in Europe. Feels like using VNC on a dialup. ~~~ ritesharora Currently our server in europe is at Ireland. Soon coming up with more in europe: london, amsterdam and more ------ kennystone Cool logo... what I really need is android/ios device testing. ~~~ ritesharora its coming soon! ------ kwamenum86 Clever logo but butt ugly. ------ ikbear Too slow to accept. ------ daev maintenance is spelled wrong ------ zackattack I would prefer to use <http://browserling.com/> all day. The home page design is way more awesome. ------ diamondhead An API would be great for us since it would let us to run our tests against all web browsers by making some http requests. Wouldn't it be revolutionary? ~~~ ritesharora Hi, why don't you drop an email at [email protected] with your idea as we have some similar ideas cooking up. ~~~ diamondhead Sure, I've just send it. | Low | [
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Q: Google's new CSS themes Does anyone know the name of the new CSS theme Google is using for their developer sites like this one? Specifically, I am referring to the header design and theming. A quick review of the source code shows this: https://developers.google.com/_static/d30774ad07/css/devsite-google-blue.css But I've never heard them announce their palette for the sites under this theme set. Overall, it looks like a Material Design product. However, the color palette seems unique. I like it and I would like to know what it is called so I can research it to learn more about it. A: Google recently released a new repo called "material design lite" on Github, that contains the material design elements used for the most recent google websites. Also there is a general documentation about the guidelines of google's material design idea and how to implement it into your own websites on the google design website. https://github.com/google/material-design-lite The material design is integrated into Polymer 1.0 paper-elements and also some of the core-elements i believe. Here is an example of how to use the "core-toolbar" custom element of polymer. https://youtu.be/qDhHdi8RtwI?list=PLOU2XLYxmsII5c3Mgw6fNYCzaWrsM3sMN | Mid | [
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This combination photo shows directors, from left, Lulu Wang at the premiere of her film "The Farewell" during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25, 2019, Minhal Baig at the premiere of her film "Hala" during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26, 2019 and Chinonye Chukwu at the premiere of her film "Clemency" at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 27, 2019. Among the 1,200 top films of the past 12 years, female directors of color are in the single digits, with only five black females, three Asian females and one Latina, according to a study by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative. But the 2019 Sundance Film Festival is proving to be a referendum on the dismal industry statistics. (AP Photo) This combination photo shows directors, from left, Lulu Wang at the premiere of her film "The Farewell" during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25, 2019, Minhal Baig at the premiere of her film "Hala" during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26, 2019 and Chinonye Chukwu at the premiere of her film "Clemency" at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Jan. 27, 2019. Among the 1,200 top films of the past 12 years, female directors of color are in the single digits, with only five black females, three Asian females and one Latina, according to a study by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative. But the 2019 Sundance Film Festival is proving to be a referendum on the dismal industry statistics. (AP Photo) PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — In the ecosystem of who directs Hollywood’s top-grossing films, women of color are the rarest kind. But the 2019 Sundance Film Festival is proving to be a referendum on the dismal industry statistics . And the positive reception to and pricey acquisitions of films like Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by the Light” (bought by New Line for $15 million) and Nisha Ganatra’s “Late Night” (Amazon purchased for $13 million) is, at the very least, promising. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In the U.S. dramatic competition alone, where more than half of the 16 features included were directed by women, three films by women of color have stood out: Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” Minhal Baig’s “Hala” and Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency.” Each was written by their director and offer boldly personal stories that have captivated critics, audiences and industry dealmakers. “The Farewell,” perhaps already one of the best known of the films that debuted at Sundance, is based on Wang’s real-life experience when she and her Chinese-American family staged a fake wedding as an excuse to visit her terminally-ill grandmother in China, who was totally unaware of her prognosis. Awkwafina stars in the film, which was bought by A24 for $6 million. Wang, who had previously directed the well-received “Posthumous,” took a somewhat roundabout approach to getting her “unconventional” film made. She wrote it as a short story and submitted it to “This American Life,” where it played and got the attention of a lot of producers. Big Beach Films, the shop behind “Little Miss Sunshine” decided to make it. “I’m very encouraging of filmmakers starting out for different opportunities to create (intellectual property) so that they can get the story locked down in some form,” Wang said. “Then they have ownership of it and it becomes easier to take that to pitch.” Baig, who also wrote a personal story based on her life as a Muslim teenager in America during a difficult time at home, had a similarly circuitous route to making “Hala.” First she had to overcome the idea that she’d be satisfied in a more stable, creative-adjacent job as a development executive. “The only way I could do that was to just go do it,” Baig said. “No one was going to give me permission. I just had to put my foot down and say ‘I don’t want to be a development executive, I just want to be an artist.’” Then she had to prove herself as a filmmaker. ADVERTISEMENT She tested the waters by making a crowd-funded short version of “Hala” and putting it online where the response was “incredible.” With a proof of audience and a script that made it onto the 2016 Black List, an influential collection of unproduced scripts, she was then on the radar of executives and financiers. With “Blockers” star Geraldine Viswanathan in the title role, “Hala” has been one of the breakouts of the festival. Apple purchased it for an undisclosed amount. “Clemency” writer and director Chukwu also spent years trying to make her film about the psychological and emotional toll taken on a death row prison warden, played by Alfre Woodard. Following the execution of Troy Davis in 2011, Chukwu started a four-year process of deep research, including interviewing death row lawyers and former wardens, and even working as a volunteer in clemency cases and teaching in a woman’s prison. She found a supporter in producer Bronwyn Cornelius and they searched for funding for three years, encountering some reluctance because of the subject matter and Chukwu being a first-time director. “Clemency” has been widely praised at the festival, where some have declared that it will earn Woodard an Oscar nomination. It is still looking for distribution. All are aware of the position they’re in as filmmakers who happen to also be women and minorities at this moment in Hollywood, where despite all the attention, where they remain vastly underrepresented. Among the 1,200 top films of the past 12 years, female directors of color are in the single digits, according to USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative. “Women of color have been working in Hollywood for a very long time and making their own movies,” Baig said. ”(But) it’s clear that the numbers have not changed very much. Hollywood has greater awareness but they haven’t followed through on what they’ve learned.” Wang is a filmmaker first, but said she feels “a sense of responsibility just because there are still so few of us. It’s hard not to personalize it when you see the numbers.” She hopes that aspiring filmmakers “embrace their uniqueness,” admitting that it took her a long time to do that. Perhaps uniqueness is the key word. All three filmmakers told personal stories that no one else could have. “I just hope that more of us get the access and platform to get to tell the stories we want to tell — stories that include protagonists who are women, or women of color who have narratives that aren’t solely defined by their race and gender,” Chukwu said. “Race and gender are not a genre. They are not a story. They are not an emotional arc. We are human beings with full interior worlds. Put them in an interesting situation. Make them a warden of a prison as they prepare to execute someone on death row. Now that’s a damn good perspective.” ___ Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr | Mid | [
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Bernanke fights for Fed independence Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday fought hard to protect the independence of the U.S. central bank and keep responsibility for consumer protection on financial products in its hands. In a second day of testimony on the Fed's semiannual monetary policy report, Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee that the U.S. central bank wants to shield monetary policy from political interference, but understands the need to be accountable to taxpayers. We do think that the Congress has the right to see how we are using taxpayer money. Where we are concerned is that the Congress would be intervening in our specific policy decisions relating to monetary policy and the economy, Bernanke said when asked about a proposal to expand audits of the Fed. So yes, we are quite willing to work with Congress to try to figure out exactly where the line should be, he said. The Fed has pushed back hard against a bill that has already won sponsorship by a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, and a companion Senate measure, that would expose monetary policy decisions to audits by the Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog. The central bank has argued such audits would alarm financial markets and drive U.S. borrowing costs higher as investors would come to fret politics, not economics, would drive monetary policy-making. Some investors are already nervous that the Fed might face pressure to create money to finance record U.S. budget deficits. The Fed says these concerns would intensify if there was any move to put its policy under political sway. Bernanke was also challenged on whether he would have the courage to raise interest rates to keep inflation at bay if the economy was still weak. He said emphatically that he would, provided Congress did not change the rules to stop him, and he invoked the Fed's epic anti-inflation campaign in the late 1970s under Paul Volcker to illustrate why independence was key to safeguard this freedom. It was in 1978 in the Humphrey Hawkins bill that Congress put in the exclusion for monetary policy from the GAO audit bill, he said, referring to the law that requires the Fed to report to Congress twice-yearly on the economy. That was right before Volcker came in and Volcker was able to take those decisions (to raise interest rates sharply) because Congress did not intervene, although there were plenty in Congress who said they should intervene, Bernanke said. FED BID TO RETAIN CONSUMER PROTECTION POWERS U.S. lawmakers have responded to public anger over last year's crisis and subsequent multibillion-dollar bailouts of investment bank Bear Stearns and insurer American International Group by demanding greater Fed accountability. This scrutiny intensified after President Barack Obama proposed making the Fed responsible for overseeing systemic financial risks as part of a broad revamp of the U.S. regulatory structure. The revamp would also strip the Fed of consumer protection powers and invest them with a new agency. Bernanke admitted that the Fed had not done as good a job as it should have protecting consumers in the past. But he made a concerted pitch to keep these responsibilities at the central bank, telling lawmakers that they could take additional steps to be assured the Fed would take these duties very seriously. A few suggestions I would make: One would be to put consumer protection in the Federal Reserve Act along with full employment and price stability as a major goal of the Fed, he said. A second step could be to require the (Fed) chairman to come before you or another committee at least once a year to present a report, the same way we do for monetary policy, on our consumer protection steps, Bernanke said. | High | [
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How I live day to day Snow came as predicted Well it seems the weather people are getting it right this time. They predicted the snow would start at 7 and I just started noticing flakes about 10 after the hour. It is supposed to snow all morning until about 1 and then be a wintery mix of rain and snow aka sleet. I don’t know why they wouldn’t call it that. There was some question about going to the lunch in Fairfield because of the weather.. This was the alternate plan since the party was cancelled. Liz called late yesterday afternoon after her nap. Apparently Niece’s family backed out completely from any of the activities because they would have to come down from New Britain. They have the Winter Storm Warning for that area. After a round of text messages of uncertainty it was decided that we would try it. It was snowing pretty hard and getting deeper. I met up with them at their house and we left a little after 11 and got there sometime after 11:30. We watched a movie and then eventually ate. It was fun despite some conversations I had with Sis that I wasn’t happy with. I told her I signed up with Meetup site and I am attending the first meetup. She was asking all these really (admittedly) good questions but also warning me that it could be dangerous. When I interrupted she asked me to let her finish. You aren’t my MOTHER! I told her that Mama R and Sister M have done meet ups. She seemed pissed at me for the rest of the day. She even criticized me for being hyper. Then don’t invite me to come to your family functions if you are going to tell me how to eat or speak. BIL tried to give her signals. I thanked him later. We did have a hard time getting out of their street but eventually came back to Milford and by then it was just raining and sleeting. I was hoping that we didn’t have to go to the Ansonia Nursing Home this afternoon when it was worse. Before I started getting ready I called Dr. T and spoke with her about it and she gathered I wasn’t going to come after I told her that we were heading to the party. She just said watch for the emails. But she said she would go herself if no one else did. As it is I didn’t get home until maybe three. I read a blog entry from Maine. This particular blogger talked about the last storm that they had (probably the one on Thursday) and I loved reading about it. I also enjoyed the hiker’s guide to Bangor Maine. They will be on my bucket list especially the restaurants. I got a 4th District Meeting reminder for Friday. I am glad it’s on Friday because I am going to that Meet-up in Devon on Thursday. We probably will talk more about the activism goals we have as well as getting candidates to come forward for the upcoming local elections. Since I have been home watched TV played with the kitties who are waiting for me now, and had dinner and did some more laundry. I also did some web browsing. What did I see you ask? Well I wanted to see the reviews of Meetup and the first site I came across was Site Jabber and I really hope I won’t be sorry. You can see for yourselves and tell me if I should not even attend these things I have signed up for. Post navigation 2 thoughts on “Snow came as predicted” I scanned a few of the comments in the reviews section of the sight- as far as I can tell, most of the negative reviews had to do with a perceived leftist criticism. Being a leftist, that would be more of an enticement than a warning, to me. I would try it, but then that’s me. As for your sister, every family has someone like your sister. I let my sister say her piece, but make my own decisions. | Low | [
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Wheeling's Bravest The Unofficial website about the Wheeling FD. We're here to promote the work of the Wheeling Firefighters and give them a service they can be proud of. Follow Us on Social Media: Our Disclaimer This site is not an "official" City of Wheeling website. Any official department business should be directed to the Wheeling Fire Department office at 304-234-3776. The content provided is believed to be an accurate representation of the Wheeling Fire Department. This site is a tribute to the firefighters who serve the City of Wheeling and other area departments. No city funds were or are used for this website. Wheeling Firefighters were dispatched to the 1100 Block of National Road, just across the street from Whisk Bakery and next door to Edgwood Lutheran Church in Woodsdale on Friday August 4, 2017 for the structure fire. Apparently, lightening had struck the house igniting it. Engine 5, Engine 2, Ladder 1, Rescue 1, Squad 2, Duty Chief C-3, Investigator Unit 90, PIO and Wheeling PD were on the scene of the fire. Crews made an aggressive interior attack stretching several hand lines into operation in addition to extending the bucket of Ladder 1 to the second story/roof area of the 2 story wood frame house. Companies were successful at quickly knocking down the fire and stopping any extension into the home. Stay tuned to @wheelingfd on Twitter for more from PIO Philip Stahl. Wheeling Firefighters were alerted to a report of a structure fire on Friday evening, June 2, 2017. The fire was reported to be on East First Street in North Wheeling. Rescue 1 arrived on scene first with heavy fire showing from the the roof and C-3 ordered the incident to be made 10-96 or “All Hands Working”. Engine 2 arrived on scene as the first due engine company and took a hydrant and stretched multiple hand lines into operation. The house was reported to be occupied and Rescue 1 performed a quick search with negative results. C-3 ordered the exterior attack. There was heavy fire in the attic area and top floor. Crews worked for several hours and were succussfully able to bring the fire under control. They hit hot spots and checked for further extension. Companies on the scene were Engine 2, Engine 5, Engine 4, Ladder 1, Rescue 1, Squads 1, 2 & 7, Unit 90 Investigator, PIO, Duty Chief C-3, Fire Chief C-1 and Wheeling PD. “B” Platoon was on Duty with several “A” Platoon call outs. A full response of Wheeling Fire Department was sent to the 230 block of Incline Ave in Mozart late Tuesday evening 5/30/17 for the report of smoke coming from a structure. Engine 4 arrived on scene with C-3 and companies found heavy smoke in the attic of the vacant house. Crews made entry and found fire in the attic. Engine 4 took a hydrant and stretched lines into operation and attacked the fire. Crews also vented the structure. Companies made quick work of the fire and it was knocked down in minutes of the initial attack. They checked for extension and hit hot spots. Just shortly after midnight, all companies were clear. Wheeling Firefighters were called to a house on Locust Ave., in Woodsdale for the report of an oven on fire. Engine 10 arrived on the scene in about 1 minute, being located a few blocks away. Engine 2, Engine 5, Ladder 1, Squad 2, Duty Chief C-4 also responded. Companies found an oven on a self-cleaning mode that was filling the house up with smoke. Crews ventilated the structure using positive pressure ventilation methods with fans and by opening windows to remove the smoke. Companies worked on scene for about 30 minutes and cleared after the smoke was removed. Wheeling Firefighters were called to a house on Leadwood Ave., in Woodsdale (off Knox Lane near Linsly School) for the report of a kitchen on fire. Dispatchers advised Duty Chief C-2 that was “heavy smoke” visible on the camera, so C-2 called for the 10-96 “All Hands Working”. Engine 10, Engine 2, Engine 5, Ladder 1, Rescue 1 (with a 4 person crew) and Duty Chief C-2 responded to the call. Engine 10 arrived on scene to find fire in the kitchen of the house and hooked up to the hydrant and stretched lines. The fire was quickly contained with no addition extension to other areas of the house. Overhaul was performed and the companies cleared about 2 hours after time of tone. Wheeling Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a fully involved house on a fire, at 91 National Rd., at 0357 Thursday 4/20/17. Rescue 1 arrived on scene first and found a fully involved single-story wood frame house on the lower side of Wheeling Hill with one exposure. Engine 2 took the hydrant and stretched multiple lines into operation. Crews did an exterior attack, due to the amount of fire showing and because it was a vacant house. The condition of the house shifted and the chimney was a concern for possible collapse. Duty Chief C-2 called the 10-96 making the incident “All Hands Working.” Engines 2, 5 and 4, Ladder 1, Rescue 1, Squad 2, Duty Chief C-2, Fire Chief C-1, Unit 90 Investigations, PIO, Wheeling PD and Ohio County Sheriff’s Office responded. The house was on Wheeling Hill, near the top, just down from the Indian Statue and Pike Street. Later, Engine 4 took a second hydrant and stretched other hose lines. Crews spent several hours at the fire and after the fire was contained, performed overhaul. The exposure house was successfully protected. Wheeling Firefighters were alerted to a report of a structure fire with flames and smoke showing from a house at approximately 00:45 Friday morning, December 23, 2016 in Warwood, on North 10th Street. Engine 9 was first on the scene, with their firehouse a few blocks away. They found fire showing on the Bravo side upon arrival and the OIC said he was making entry and started an aggressive interior attack into the basement. Engine 2 was second due and laid into Engine 9, taking the first hydrant. Duty Chief Campbell, C-3 quickly called for a working fire 10-96 assignment and Engine 5 was assigned to the box as the third due engine company, along with Ladder 1 and Rescue 1. C-1 was also alerted. Companies continued their aggressive interior attack in the basement of the 1 story ranch, wood-frame house, but fire extended into the roof. Ladder 1 positioned ground ladders and made their way to the roof to cut a vent hole. Companies worked about an hour and were able to contain the fire. There is no word on injuries. Wheeling Firefighters were alerted to a vehicle fire early Wednesday morning of July 27, 2016. After Engine 5 was dispatched the call was upgraded to a structure fire. A full response was sent to Virginia Street and South Huron Street on Wheeling Island. Engine 5 arrived on scene to find the fire in the rear of the residence. C-3 indicated that the fire was a vehicle fire in a carport with extension into the garage next door. Engine 2 laid in from the hydrant and supplied Engine 5. Crews stretched two attack lines and knocked down the fire very quickly. They pulled walls and ceilings in the garage and made sure the hot spots were out. Engine 5, Engine 2, Ladder 1, Rescue 1, Squad 3, C-3 Duty Chief, and C-8 Chief Investigator responded. About 5 Wheeling PD cruisers were also on scene and members of the police department assisted with scene control and traffic control. The incident occurred early Wednesday morning. About Our Photographers Our photographers are not paid employees of the City of Wheeling, nor are they firefighters with the Wheeling Fire Department. The WFD allows them to be on fire/rescue scenes, as long as they conduct their business in a safe and professional manner. The photos & videos are used for training purposes, to aid investigators, and to create a historical record of what happened for the firefighters themselves. Our photos/videos are also given to local news agencies. We do not sell them to the local news agencies. All Wheeling's Bravest Photographers wear vests/shirts that say Fire Photographer on them and our primary Fire Photographer wears an ID card to be identified. | Low | [
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Ask HN: Keeping javascript simple, what are our options? - benboughton1 Self taught dev here. I have had two experiences working in front end development. The first is basically script tags in HTML. HTML is built by bottlepy template engine. *.js files sat in the /static folder on the server. Javascript makes json calls to server with a database etc. Pull in Bootstrap and projects can be put together super quick works well.<p>The second is a recent unplanned deep dive in to Angular CLI which to me seems at the opposite end of the spectrum, single page, Typescript, NPM, compiled js etc. Fun, but Full On. But for as much that this brings, a lot of things that just worked before are complicated.<p>I recently started a new personal project. I have started with my comfortable bottlepy sever with templates. But as the javascript becomes involved, more libraries seem to give examples in the ES6 style (imports etc), I think I need to think this through more.<p>My question is, in late 2019, if you want to keep your javascript simple, what are your options? There must be something that sits between plain javascript and Angular CLI. No Angular, React, Vue etc. Think more like leaflet.js with a few plugins. ====== yuwu9145 Hi, I personally completely agree with you that we should use simplest javascript to achieve a project requirement. I guess the decision is really depend on: Do you have to build single page application? If yes, then its easier to build via a framework like Angular, react or vue. If no, then you will have freedom to choose whatever library you want to use in order to satisfy requirement. In addition, recently I started to look into web components. It is now part w3c standard and supported by most modern browsers. It allows us to construct components via raw javascript. ------ diminoten I'd urge you to think about _why_ JS keeps getting more "complex" (your phrase). There is a reason, but no one can tell it to you; you have to discover it for yourself, or it'll always feel like you're blindly following others. It's very hard to approach a thing you don't know and accurately point out the flaws. What I suggest doing is first get to know some of these "complex" JS frameworks/libraries, and _then_ figure out what it is you don't like. Otherwise you're going to end up not really understanding what you're talking about, and you'll miss out on some cool tech just because the popular kids online didn't like it. | Mid | [
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Mitsubishi (MSBHY.PK) pays $5.39B for a 24.5% stake in Anglo American's (AAUKY.PK) Chilean copper unit. The deal is Japan's largest ever mining acquisition and will almost double Mitsubishi's copper output at time when global demand is expected to increase over 40% by 2020. (PR) | High | [
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Q: Disable href with jquery/js I am having difficulties in disabling href links through jquery. I am using this method I modified. Can some please advise or help me in figuring this out? Thank you. jquery/js <script> $('.next-tab').click(function() { $('.st_tab_active').attr('disabled','disabled'); var tab= $('.st_tab_active').parent().next().children('a'); tab.removeAttr('disabled'); tab.trigger('click'); return false; }); </script> html <ul class="st_tabs"> <li><a href="#st_content_1" class="st_tab" disabled="disabled">Horizontal Tab #1</a></li> <li><a href="#st_content_2" class="st_tab" disabled="disabled">Horizontal Tab #2</a></li> <li><a href="#st_content_3" class="st_tab" disabled="disabled">Horizontal Tab #3</a></li> <li><a href="#st_content_4" class="st_tab" disabled="disabled">Horizontal Tab #4</a></li> <li><a href="#st_content_5" class="st_tab" disabled="disabled">Horizontal Tab #5</a></li> </ul> A: You can use preventDefault(); to disable the default behaviour of links (which is, to navigate to the given href). $("a").click(function(e){ e.preventDefault(); }); A: All the answers looks like probable solutions Here is a discusiion on use of disabled property on anchor tags Should the HTML Anchor Tag Honor the Disabled Attribute? Better, dont use disabled attribute, its kind of illegal ;) Now you have event.preventDefault(); or return false; Here is a discussion on the use of both, event.preventDefault() vs. return false for your case it looks like return false is good as you dont want bubbling as well. A solution to your exact problem cannot be said as you havent explained the sitation well, Looks like you are trying to switch tabs with certain enable/disable tabs when some "next tab" is clicked. If you can explain that also, we will be happy to help | Low | [
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- Navigation Page 1 Browsing Media Box Sky Flight Singles! [Site] Posted:2019-08-30 01:00:00 The Zoids Wild Media Box has been updated to include all three of the Sky Flight singles! With this update comes a new media player, which also allows our visitors to play the music directly from the web page. I'll be going back over time and applying this retroactively to our other music. So far it has also been updated for the Genesis OST. On that note, Genesis has been booted to its own page like the other series. Zoids CC Media Box Update! [Site] Posted:2016-02-07 07:00:00 Its been a while! And an exciting day, for sure. We've updated the Chaotic Century Media Box section with the first two openings and endings. We used to have some of these but the links were broken, and they weren't very bandwidth friendly. We'll be adding the rest at a later date, so pardon the empty boxes for now! Zoids Perfect Visual Clips! [Site] Posted:2015-09-08 07:00:00 A series of commercials have been added to the Zoids Media Box. These are all from the Zoids: Perfect Visual Clips DVD but are posted separately for easier tracking. It also includes the much longer 'Zoids World' video. Three Tigers Legend Video! [Site] Posted:2015-05-04 08:00:00 We've updated the Zoids Media Box with another set of videos. This time we have added the Rayse Tiger 'Three Ligers Legend' disc, including the small extra clip from the data file. Since the file was otherwise the same as the Brastle Tiger one we decided not to repost it. We've also added a fan-made splice that puts both the dvd videos together with footage from the Zoids Vs. III opening. The music isn't exactly choice but it should provide a full sequence of events from the legend video. Media Box Update! [Site] Posted:2015-04-30 06:00:00 We've updated the Zoids Media Box for the first time in a long while! Listed at the bottom is a section for included media materials such as the promotional DVDs and VHS which came with model kits. For now that includes the Three Tigers Legend DVD which came as an extra for the Brastle Tiger model kit. It not only has the main video but a few clips from the last disc and a very long Zoid stats file. Zoids Game Openings! [Site] Posted:2015-04-30 05:00:00 Also in the Media Box is a new section for game openings. We only have a couple videos there, which were previously viewable on our youtube channel. We'll try to organize getting some more of these up. It's worth noting at this time that the Vs. III opening contains scenes relevant to the Three Tigers Legend disc, that were not included on the discs themselves. | Low | [
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using System; using System.ComponentModel; namespace System.Net.Sockets { //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public class HttpPolicyDownloaderProtocol { //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public HttpPolicyDownloaderProtocol(Uri appUri, IPAddress address) { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public void Abort() { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public void BeginDownload(SecurityCriticalAction callback) { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public void DownloadCallback(IAsyncResult ar) { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public void ReadCallback(IAsyncResult ar) { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public static void RegisterUnsafeWebRequestCreator(IUnsafeWebRequestCreate creator) { } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public SocketPolicy Result { get { throw new PlatformNotSupportedException(); } } } //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public delegate void SecurityCriticalAction(); //introduced for supporting design-time loading of System.Windows.dll [Obsolete("This API supports the .NET Framework infrastructure and is not intended to be used directly from your code.", true)] [EditorBrowsable(EditorBrowsableState.Never)] public class SocketPolicy { } } | Low | [
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1 kiloliter (kl) = 8.38641436 barrel liquid (bbl liquid). Kiloliter (kl) is a unit of Volume used in Metric system. Barrel Liquid (bbl liquid) is a unit of Volume used in Standard system. US liquid barrel can be abbreviated as US bbl liquid. | High | [
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Sunday, March 1, 2009 As you know, we all need some clean water to lead a decent life. You know - to clean our clothes, to clean our smelly bodies, to do our dishes, to disinfect, to cook, to defecate, and of course, to drink. Ironically, because of it's very necessity we in the rich world have developed amazing ways of just forgetting about it. Our water systems are so good (usually) that we forget how vital it really is. Lately, we've heard about our lack of rain in California, so it's been a bit more on our minds than usual. But not by much; be honest - how much shorter are your showers these days? But there are literally billions of people (perhaps 1/3 of humanity) who do not have access to clean water. When they go to the bathroom, their excrement goes into the very water that others will drink. There's not enough water to clean their hands, or wash themselves. And so the most vulnerable, as usual, are the first to die. Cholera takes the lives of the old, the infirm and children. Diarrhea will do the same. If nothing else, I can hardly fathom the indignity I would feel about using a forest or river as a bathroom. All this could be prevented by something as simple as clean water. But the simplest of problems often have maddeningly complex issues lying just beneath the surface. And I think those issues (poverty, abuse of power, hate) ultimately come down to how we treat one another. People don't just one day wake up with no clean water. Water is a valuable and limited resource, and so the powerful will take it from the weak. Jesus' ministry has sometimes been called "the upside down kingdom" - the last shall be first. When we treat the least of us as the first, we will see the injustice of their poverty. Support Water, Power, and Health Projects at HEAL Africa About Clean water is a mundane but vital part of everyday life. And yet 2.7 billion people don't have access to something so simple as fresh water. Why is this so? What can be done about it? Time to learn and find out. | High | [
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These super slick, high polished, high precision rounds from G&G Armament have become hugely popular over the years and are now finally offered by Shorty USA! These BBs offer outstanding performance and amazing value for their price so you can hammer away without punching a hole in your wallet. The .25g BB offers a higher level of accuracy than the lighter weight .2g and is most commonly used in high powered AEGs. First these bbs never failed me. After going through 2 bags none jammed and never had any problems. Second i think it's safe to say that these are better than echo 1 .25 gram bbs. I say this because they are cheaper, have less jamming (for me anyway) and hit harder. If you disagree write your own review. Do you want to rate this review as helpful or not? You have to be logged in as a ShortyUSA Registered User! The quality of these BBs is amazing. I've gone through over half a bag of these and they've never jammed! Because they're white, you can easily see where they go and calculate your shots accordingly. Other color BBs can be incredibly hard to see, especially when shooting toward trees or other dark objects. Also, these BBs are the perfect weight for most AEGs, and come in a large enough quantity to last for a pretty long time. Overall, I think these BBs are the best you can get for the price!! Do you want to rate this review as helpful or not? You have to be logged in as a ShortyUSA Registered User! | Mid | [
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--- abstract: 'We study the electroweak vacuum stability in Type I seesaw models for 3 generations of neutrinos in scenarios where the right-handed neutrinos have explicit bare mass terms in the Lagrangian and where these are dynamically generated through the mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking. To best highlight the difference of the two cases we concentrate on the absolute stability of the scalar potential. We observe that for the first scenario, the scale at which the scalar potential becomes unstable is lower from that within the Standard Model. In addition the Yukawa couplings $\mathbf{Y}_\nu$ are constrained such that ${\mathrm{Tr}}{[\mathbf{Y}^{\dagger}_\nu \mathbf{Y}_{\nu}}] \lesssim10^{-3}$. In the second scenario the electroweak stability can be improved in a large region of parameter space. However, we found that the scalar used to break the lepton number symmetry cannot be too light and have a large coupling to right-handed neutrinos in order for the seesaw mechanism to be a valid mechanism for neutrino mass generation. In this case we have ${\mathrm{Tr}}[\mathbf{Y}^\dagger_{\nu} \mathbf{Y}_\nu]\lesssim 0.01$.' author: - 'J. N. Ng' - Alejandro de la Puente title: Electroweak Vacuum Stability and the Seesaw Mechanism Revisited --- Introduction ============ The discovery of the Higgs boson at the LHC completes the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. The measured value of the Higgs boson mass, $m_{h} = 125.09 \pm 0.21_{stat.}\pm 0.11_{sys.}$ as given by the combined results of both ATLAS and CMS experiments [@ATLASCMS; @ATLAS; @CMS] implies that the quartic coupling, $\lambda_H$, of the SM scalar potential, $V(H)$, is relatively small. Specifically, the scalar potential is defined by $V(H)=\frac{\lambda_H}{2}\left(H^\dagger H -v^2/2\right)^2$ where $H$ is the SM doublet Higgs field and $v=246$ GeV. When it is used for the boundary value of the renormalization group (RG) running of $\lambda_H$, it results in a negative value of $\lambda_{H}$ below the Planck scale due to the large top quark Yukawa coupling [@Bezrukov:2012sa; @StrumiaNNLO; @Alekhin:2012py; @Buttazzo:2013uya]. In fact, the latest NNLO study on vacuum stability requires that $m_{h}>129.4\pm1.8$ GeV [@StrumiaNNLO] for absolute stability up to the Planck scale. As a result, the electroweak vacuum is unstable at high energies. However, the most up-to-date measurements of the top quark mass and the strong coupling constant result in a scalar potential that is metastable with a sufficiently long-lived electroweak vacuum [@Isidori:2001bm; @Ellis:2009tp]. The exact value of the scale, which we denote by $\Lambda^{\text{SM}}_{I}$ where $\lambda_H$ becomes negative strongly depends on the value of the top quark mass and the strong coupling constant and it is well known that at the 2-loop level in the renormalization group equation evolution of SM couplings the value of $\lambda_{H}$ can turn negative at scales in the range $\sim 10^{10}-10^{13}$ GeV. These remarks hold if we assume that no new physics enters in extrapolating the SM to such high energies. Below we study the electroweak vacuum stability in Type I seesaw models for 3 generations of neutrinos in scenarios where the right-handed neutrinos have explicit bare mass terms in the Lagrangian and where these are dynamically generated through the mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We compare the two scenarios for the case of absolute stability of the scalar potential. Stability in the Type I Seesaw ============================== Despite its spectacular success the SM cannot be the complete theory of nature. We now have convincing evidence that neutrinos have small but finite masses. Within the SM this can arise by incorporating a dimension five effective operator $\kappa LLHH$, where $L$ denotes a SM lepton doublet. After electroweak symmetry breaking neutrinos obtain a mass given by $\frac{\kappa v^2}{2}$. By dimensional arguments, $\kappa$ scales as $1/M$ where $M$ is the new physics scale where the above operator is generated. The seesaw mechanism is the simplest manifestation of the above idea. One adds two or more right-handed neutrinos, $N_i$, where $i>2$ to the SM. In most scenarios, $i$ is taken to be 3 for symmetry reasons and for concreteness this is what we assume. In this simplest version the Lagrangian that gives rise to neutrino masses is given by \[eq:Lnu\] \_= -\_D\_L -\_M N\_R\^[c]{} + h.c. where ${\mathcal{M}}_D=\frac{1}{\sqrt 2}v {\mathbf {Y}}_\nu$ and ${\mathbf{Y}_\nu}$ is the $3\times3$ neutrino Yukawa coupling matrix. ${\mathcal{M}}_M$ is the Majorana mass matrix for the right-handed $N_i$ fields. Without lost of generality we shall take ${\mathcal{M}}_{M}$ to be diagonal and we will work in the charged lepton mass basis. It is well known that for $M>>v$ the masses of the light SM neutrinos are given by $m_\nu \simeq \frac{(y_{\nu}v)^2}{2M}$ as the result of integrating out the heavy right-handed neutrinos [@seesaw]. For energies below $M$, $\kappa$ is a running parameter [@Babu:1993qv; @Antusch:2001ck] and its one-loop RGE is approximately given by $$\label{eq:kRG} \beta_{\kappa}=\frac{1}{16\pi^{2}}\left(-3g^{2}+2\lambda_{H}+6y^{2}_{t}\right)\kappa.$$ In the equation above, $g$ denotes the SU(2)$_{W}$ gauge coupling and $y_{t}$ the top Yukawa coupling. This is the only new parameter added to the SM and its value is very small since it has to yield the active neutrino masses. Its contribution to the running of $\lambda_H$ is of order $v^{2}\kappa^2$ and thus negligible. The coupling $\kappa$ increases with energy due to $y_t$ being large albeit slowly. Moreover, the rest of the SM couplings run undisturbed. However, above the scale $M$ the neutrino Yukawa couplings start to run and affect the running of $\lambda_H$ much like the top quark Yukawa coupling. Hence, the stability of the electroweak vacuum will set a limit on how large $Y_\nu$ can be if we demand that the presence of neutrinos does not make the electroweak vacuum unstable too soon. This was first studied in [@CCIQ] and later in [@Rodejohann:2012px] with an emphasis on the Dirac Yukawa matrix dependence. Furthermore, the work in [@Elias-Miro] covers in depth the case where the scalar potential is metastable with a lifetime longer than the age of the universe and in the presence of three degenerate right-handed neutrinos. In this work, we will extend their studies using the full 2-loop RG running of the SM couplings and ${\mathbf{Y}}_\nu$ and absolute stability in order to contrast with the next scenario. We also implement realistic neutrino mass matrices that encode the data from neutrino oscillations experiments [@Bertuzzo:2013ew]. For simplicity we take ${\mathcal{M}}_M$ to be proportional to the unit matrix with scale given by $M_{N}$. To be consistent we require that $M_{N}<\Lambda_{I}$ where the electroweak vacuum becomes unstable. An important quantity in our analysis is ${\mathrm{Tr}}[\kappa(m_h)]=\frac{2}{v^2}\sum_{i}^3 m_i$ where $m_i$ denotes the active neutrino masses. An upper limit on the above sum constrained by cosmology and astrophysics is given in [@cosmo]. We are mindful that the above is not without theoretical assumptions, i.e. the validity of the $\Lambda_{CDM}$ cosmology model. For degenerate neutrino masses we have $m_{\mathrm{cosmo}}=\sum_i m_i= 3m + \frac{\delta m^2}{2m} +\frac{\Delta m^2}{2m}$ where $m$ is the common mass and $\delta m^2$ and $\Delta m^2$ are the solar and atmospheric neutrino oscillation frequencies respectively. The most recent values for these parameters can be found in [@ospar]. For a normal hierarchy $m_{\mathrm{cosmo}}\simeq m_0\left( 1 +2\sqrt{1-\frac{\Delta m^2}{m_0^{2}}}\right)$ where $m_0$ is the heaviest of the three neutrinos. For the inverted hierarchy $m_{\mathrm{cosmo}}\simeq m_0\left( 2+\sqrt{1-\frac{\Delta m^2}{m_0^{2}}} \right)$. In both cases the smaller $\delta m^2$ term is dropped. Furthermore, we use the neutrino mass matrix elements found in [@Bertuzzo:2013ew] and define at the Majorana mass scale $y^{2}_{\ell \ell}=2\frac{M_{N}}{v^{2}}m_{\ell \ell}$ where $\ell=e,\mu,\tau$. In addition, our study is carried out using the RGEs outlined in [@Pirogov:1998tj] and where to one-loop order, the running of $\lambda_{H}$, ${\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]$ and the diagonal elements of the neutrino Yukawa coupling matrix are approximately given by $$\begin{aligned} \frac{d \lambda_{H}}{dt}&\approx&\frac{1}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[\frac{9}{4}\left(\frac{3}{25}g^{4}_{1}+\frac{2}{5}g^{2}_{1}g^{2}_{2}+g^{4}_{2}\right)-\left(\frac{9}{5}g^{2}_{1}+9g^{2}_{2}\right)\lambda_{H}+12y^{2}_{t}\lambda_{H}-12y^{4}_{t}+12\lambda_{H}^{2}\right. \nonumber \\ &+& \left. \lambda_{H}{\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]\cdot\theta_{M_{N}}-4\left(y^{4}_{ee}+y^{4}_{\mu\mu}+y^{4}_{\tau\tau}\right)\cdot\theta_{M_{N}}\right] \nonumber \\ \frac{dy_{ii}}{dt}&\approx&\theta_{M_{N}}\cdot\frac{y_{ii}}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[\frac{3}{2}y^{2}_{ii}+\left(3y^{2}_{t}+ {\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]\right)-\left(\frac{9}{20}g^{2}_{1}+\frac{9}{4}g^{2}_{2}\right)\right]\nonumber \\ \frac{d {\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]}{dt}&\approx&\theta_{M_{N}}\cdot\frac{2}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[\left(3y^{2}_{t}+{\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]\right){\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]+\left(\frac{9}{20}g^{2}_{1}+\frac{9}{4}g^{2}_{2}\right){\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]\right. \nonumber \\ &+&\left.\frac{3}{2}\left(y^{4}_{ee}+y^{4}_{\mu\mu}+y^{4}_{\tau\tau}\right)\right],\label{eq:Eq3}\end{aligned}$$ where $i=e,\mu,\tau$ and $\theta_{M_{N}}\equiv\theta(\mu-M_{N})$ is a step function accounting for the threshold, $M_{N}$, at which the new neutrino Yukawa couplings begin to run. We have ignored the contributions from the bottom quark and $\tau$ lepton Yukawa couplings. ![On the left (a) we plot the scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ as a function of the bare mass$M_{N}$ using values for the sum of the active neutrino masses of $0.23$ eV (green), $2$ eV (red), and $10$ eV (brown). On the right (b) we show the value of ${\mathrm{Tr}}{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu$ as a function of $M_{N}$. []{data-label="fig:Fig1"}](alpha31_stability_Seesaw.pdf "fig:"){width="50.00000%"} ![On the left (a) we plot the scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ as a function of the bare mass$M_{N}$ using values for the sum of the active neutrino masses of $0.23$ eV (green), $2$ eV (red), and $10$ eV (brown). On the right (b) we show the value of ${\mathrm{Tr}}{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu$ as a function of $M_{N}$. []{data-label="fig:Fig1"}](alpha31_Yukawa_Seesaw.pdf "fig:"){width="50.00000%"} In Figure \[fig:Fig1\](a) we show the value of $\Lambda_{I}$ as a function of $M_{N}$ using a value of the strong coupling constant $\alpha_{s}=0.1186\pm0.0006$ [@deBlas:2014mba] and a top quark mass of $173.21$ GeV [@Agashe:2014kda]. The green circles correspond to a light neutrino mass consistent with the cosmological upper bound of $\sum_{i} m_{i}<0.23$ eV [@Ade:2015xua], while the red squares and brown diamonds correspond to the values of $m_0(m)=2,10$ eV respectively. The latter value is ruled out by current experimental bounds from tritium decays [@tritium] and we intend it to be for illustration purposes only. For a $0.05-2$ eV neutrino, the Majorana mass scale is bounded by $10^{10}$ GeV. Beyond this scale, the value of $\lambda_{H}$ at the Majorana mass scale is negative. This places an upper bound on the value of ${\mathrm{Tr}}{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu$ at the Majorana mass scale of $\sim10^{-4}$ for $M_{N}\sim10^{10}$ GeV and $m_0 (m)=0.07$ eV. We show this in Figure \[fig:Fig1\](b). Our results is in general agreement with that of [@Elias-Miro]. However, we used realistic neutrino mass matrices and did not assume degenerate active neutrinos. Beyond a Majorana mass scale of $\sim 10^{10}$ GeV the value of $\lambda_{H}\left(M_{N}\right)$ is negative and high scale seesaw models break down if the scalar potential were to remain stable as we require. We also see that the absolute value of $\mathbf{Y}_\nu$ is of order 0.01. This is three orders of magnitude lower than the perturbative bound. This is valuable information since we know of no direct measurement of ${\mathbf{Y}}_\nu$ that can be made due to the very massive nature of the $N_R$’s. This is a well known problem of the high scale seesaw model. Yet, neutrino Yukawa couplings are vital for Type I seesaw models. In attempts to circumvent this, more elaborate schemes such as low scale seesaw models [@Ibarra:2010xw; @Chakrabortty:2010rq; @Wei:2010ww; @deAlmeida:2010qb; @Zhang:2009ac; @Dev:2009aw; @Xing:2009hx], inverse seesaw models [@Mohapatra:1986aw; @Mohapatra:1986bd] and also the left-right symmetric models [@LRM] have been introduced. The latter gives rise to signatures with same sign leptons plus jets that can be searched for at LHC. A detailed study using a simplified model approach was recently given in [@NPP] where many references can be found. As for the high scale case, which has the virtue of being simple, one can only rely on theoretical studies. Indeed we conclude that for the current preferred value of $\alpha_s$, electroweak stability would lead to seesaw scales approximately six orders of magnitude lower than the Grand Unified theory scale with neutrino Yukawa couplings of order ${\cal O}\left(10^{-2}\right)$. Recently, the authors in [@Rose:2015fua] have analyzed the stability of the electroweak vacuum in the presence of a low-scale seesaw model. They find that low scale seesaw models are viable and do not disrupt the stability of the Higgs potential for ${\mathrm{Tr}}{[\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu] < 0.4$. Their results are complementary to our findings. Stability in the Type I Seesaw with a Complex Electroweak Singlet Scalar ======================================================================== In Eq. (\[eq:Lnu\]) the heavy right-handed neutrino masses are introduced by hand and represents the case of explicit lepton number breaking. However, these masses can also be generated by spontaneous symmetry breaking of lepton number. The simplest model that achieves this involves adding a complex SM gauge singlet scalar field, $S$. It has a Yukawa coupling to right-handed neutrinos given by $Y_N\ovl{N_R}N_R^c S$ and as such preserves a global $U(1)_{L}$ symmetry responsible for lepton number if $S$ has a global lepton number charge of two units. Upon breaking this symmetry a Goldstone boson, the majoron, will emerge [@CMP] which can serve as a candidate for dark radiation [@CNW; @CN]. This scalar couples to the Higgs field via the term $\lambda_{HS} S^\dagger S H^\dagger H$. One thus expects the running of the SM couplings and the stability of the scalar potential to be different. In the following we will address these issues and present as a detailed RG analysis of this model. The embedding of the majoron model into a more complete model is not the purpose of this work. Indeed the $U(1)_L$ can be replaced by any $U(1)_X$. A well known example is a gauged $X=B-L$ symmetry where the singlet scalar can serve as the inflaton. Here we focus on the effects of a complex scalar gauge singlet on the electroweak vacuum stability captured by the simple majoron model and compare the results with the explicit mass case studied above. The majoron plays no role in this investigation. The addition of a complex scalar $S$, singlet under the SM gauge symmetries and charged under a global $U(1)_{L}$ lepton number symmetry, can be parametrized by a scalar potential given by $$V_{H,S}=\frac{\lambda_{H}}{2}\left(H^{\dagger}H-v^{2}/2\right)^{2}+\frac{\lambda_{S}}{2}\left(S^{\dagger}S-w^{2}/2\right)^{2}+\lambda_{HS}\left(H^{\dagger}H-v^{2}/2\right)\left(S^{\dagger}S-w^{2}/2\right).\label{eq:Eq4}$$ Within this framework, for $\lambda_{H},\lambda_{S}>0$ and $\lambda_{HS}<\lambda_{H}\lambda_{S}$, the minimum of the potential is at $\left<H\right>=v/\sqrt{2}$ and $\left<S\right>=w/\sqrt{2}$. The mixing between the two neutral CP even scalars, is given by $$\tan\theta=\frac{\lambda_{HS}vw}{\lambda_{S}w^{2}-\lambda_{H}v^{2}}.\label{eq:Eq5}$$ In this work, we are interested in the limit where the lightest scalar is the SM-like Higgs boson. This limit is characterized by a large singlet vacuum expectation value, $w>>v$, and masses for the two CP even scalars given by $$m^{2}_{h^{0}}\simeq\lambda_{H}v^{2},~~~~~~m^{2}_{S}\simeq\lambda_{S}w^{2}.$$ This also implies small mixing of the SM-like Higgs with the heavy scalar and hence only small corrections to the Higgs couplings to other SM particles. However, the presence of a heavy scalar, coupling at tree-level to the SM-like Higgs boson, may lead to a large positive contribution to the RGE for $\lambda_{H}$ [@Gonderinger:2009jp; @Lebedev:2011aq; @Kadastik:2011aa; @Gonderinger:2012rd; @Chen:2012faa; @Costa:2014qga; @Costa:2015sva; @Falkowski:2015iwa] as well as a tree-level threshold effect [@EliasMiro:2012ay] that arises from the matching effect of the singlet at the energy $Q\sim m_S$ . Both are known to affect the stability of the Higgs potential. The authors in [@EliasMiro:2012ay] have studied the effects from a threshold corrections to the Higgs quartic coupling, $\delta\lambda=\lambda^{2}_{HS}/\lambda_{S}$ against those that arise from positive contributions in the running of $\lambda_{H}$. They studied two interesting cases: One where $\lambda_{HS}>0$, where large threshold corrections increase the scale at which the Higgs potential develops an instability and the second where $\lambda_{HS}<0$. In the latter, the tree-level threshold effect is not sufficient to increase the instability scale and RG effects become important since the new stability condition, $\lambda_{H}>\delta\lambda$ must be satisfied at all scales. We wish to study the effects on the instability scale of the SM scalar potential in the presence of a new heavy scalar, as the one discussed above, and also incorporate three Majorana right-handed neutrinos. Within this framework, a Majorana mass is dynamically generated once the new scalar develops a $vev$ with the coupling $Y_{N}\ovl{N_R}N_R^c S$. For simplicity we will take $Y_N$ to be real. The RG evolution of $\lambda_{H}$ will be modified at the scales $M_{N}$ and $m_{S}$ due to the presence of new fermion and scalar degrees of freedom, the former which will tend to destabilize the scalar potential. We analyze both the case where $\lambda_{HS}>0$ and $\lambda_{HS}<0$ and compare our results to a model with only a scalar gauge singlet. The scale of instability can be calculated using the RG equations for the scalar and new Yukawa couplings which at one-loop order are given by $$\begin{aligned} \frac{d \lambda_{H}}{dt}&\approx&\frac{1}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[\frac{9}{4}\left(\frac{3}{25}g^{4}_{1}+\frac{2}{5}g^{2}_{1}g^{2}_{2}+g^{4}_{2}\right)-\left(\frac{9}{5}g^{2}_{1}+9g^{2}_{2}\right)\lambda_{H}+12y^{2}_{t}\lambda_{H}-12y^{4}_{t}+12\lambda_{H}^{2}\right. \nonumber \\ &+&\left.\left( 2\lambda^{2}_{HS}+ \lambda_{H}{\mathrm{Tr}}\left[{\mathbf{Y}}_\nu^\dagger {\mathbf{Y}}_\nu\right]-4(y^{4}_{ee}+y^{4}_{\mu\mu}+y^{4}_{\tau\tau})\right)\cdot\theta_{M_{high}}\right] \nonumber \\ \frac{d\lambda_{HS}}{dt}&\approx&\theta_{M_{high}}\cdot\frac{1}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[\frac{1}{2}\left(12y^{2}_{t}-\frac{9}{5}g^{2}_{1}-9g^{2}_{2}\right)\lambda_{HS}+4\lambda_{HS}\left(\frac{3}{2}\lambda_{H}+\lambda_{S}\right)+4\lambda^{2}_{HS}+4(Y^{2}_{1}+Y^{2}_{2}+Y^{2}_{3})\lambda_{HS}\right] \nonumber \\ \frac{d\lambda_{S}}{dt}&\approx&\theta_{M_{high}}\cdot\frac{1}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[4\lambda^{2}_{HS}+10\lambda^{2}_{S}-2(Y^{4}_{1}+Y^{4}_{2}+Y^{4}_{3})+4(Y^{2}_{1}+Y^{2}_{2}+Y^{2}_{3})\lambda^{2}_{S}\right] \nonumber \\ \frac{dY_{i}}{dt}&\approx&\theta_{M_{high}}\cdot\frac{Y_{i}}{(4\pi)^{2}}\left[4Y^{2}_{i}+2(Y^{2}_{1}+Y^{2}_{2}+Y^{2}_{3})\right],\label{eq:Eq7}\end{aligned}$$ ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}>0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively. []{data-label="fig:Fig2"}](stability_HSg_LMC.pdf){width="50.00000%"} ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}>0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively. []{data-label="fig:Fig2"}](stability_HSg_IMC.pdf "fig:"){width="48.00000%"} ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}>0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively. []{data-label="fig:Fig2"}](stability_HSg_HMC.pdf "fig:"){width="48.00000%"} where $\theta_{M_{high}}$, is a step function accounting for the threshold, $M_{high}=Min\{M_{N},m_{s}\}$, at which the new Yukawa coupling the singlet to the right-handed Majorana neutrinos and scalar potential parameters begin to run. We assume that $S$ couples diagonally to all three right-handed neutrinos with universal strength $Y_{i}=Y_{N}$ for all $i$, and the $vev$ of $S$ sets the Majorana mass scale given by $M_{N_{i}}=2Y_{N}\left<S\right>=(2/\sqrt{2})Y_{N}w$. The running of the Yukawa couplings between left- and right-handed neutrinos to the SM-like Higgs, $Y_{\nu}$, are given as Eq. (\[eq:Eq3\]) with $M_{N}\to M_{high}$. The instability scale for $\lambda_{HS}>0$ is defined as the energy scale where either $\lambda_{H}$ or $\lambda_{S}$ first vanish, rendering the scalar potential unstable and invalidating the seesaw mechanism in models were one demands absolute stability of the scalar potential. For $\lambda_{HS}<0$, the condition $\lambda_{H}>\delta\lambda$ must also be met for all scales together with $\lambda_{S}>0$. By inspection of Eq. (\[eq:Eq7\]) we expect that for large values of $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)$, $\lambda_{S}$ will be driven towards negative values very rapidly given that it runs with the fourth power of $Y_{N}$. In fact, for $\lambda_{HS}>0$, three effects define the scale where the scalar potential becomes unstable: - A potentially large tree-level threshold effect to the SM Higgs quartic coupling. This tends to increase the instability scale of the SM Higgs. - A large value of $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$ which provides a large positive contribution to the running of $\lambda_{H}$ which also improves the stability of the SM Higgs. - A large negative contribution to the running of $\lambda_{S}$ from large values of $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)$. This tends to drive $\lambda_{S}$ towards zero at scales near large $M_{high}$. There is a second effect that disfavors large values of $Y_N$. The last equation in Eq.(\[eq:Eq7\]) show that these couplings hit a Landau pole very quickly. If this happens within the stability region of the scalar potential, the theory would become strongly coupling. Although a very interesting scenario, it is beyond the scope of this work. For small values of $Y_N$, $\lambda_S$ can also arrive at the Landau pole too soon. These conspire to limit the range of interesting values of $Y_N$ and $\lambda_S$. A qualitatively picture of these effects for $\lambda_{HS}>0$ is depicted in Figures \[fig:Fig2\](a)-(c) where we plot the scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$, as a function of $\delta\lambda\left(M_{high}\right)$ for values of $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.01,0.1,0.5$ respectively. In the figures, the dashed lines correspond to $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.4$, while the solid lines correspond to $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.0001$. The solid dots correspond to the complex scalar extension of the SM parametrized by Eq. (\[eq:Eq4\]); i.e. without the Majorana neutrino effects. The finite nature of the various curves denote the following: If $\delta\lambda$ increased either we obtain stability up to the Planck scale with couplings either perturbative or non-perturbative at the Planck scale, or one of the quartics goes to zero and then hits a Landau Pole driving the other couplings towards a Landau Pole. Basically, a larger $\delta\lambda$ leads to a larger $\lambda_{HS}$ which also affects the running. From the figures it is clear that a large $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$ aids a lot at stabilizing the Higgs potential for small values of $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)$. This is due to the positive contribution to the running of $\lambda_{H}$ which together with the tree-level threshold effect help increase the stability of the scalar potential compared to $\Lambda^{\text{SM}}_{I}\approx10^{10}$ GeV. However, as $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)$ increases, the effect from the tree-level threshold effect shift remains fairly constant since $\lambda_{S}$ goes to zero near $M_{high}$ for small $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$. For larger $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$, the contributions from $\lambda_{S}$ to the running of $\lambda_{S}$ for a large range of energies and it is eventually overtaken by the contribution from $Y_{N}$. This aids at stabilizing the scalar potential at high energies. We can observe this effect in Figure \[fig:Fig3\] for $m_{S}=10^{4}$ GeV. In the figure, we denote with the solid blue line the running of $Y_{N}$ with $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.5$ and in solid and dashed red the running of $\lambda_{S}$ for $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)=10^{-4},0.4$ respectively. The stabilization of the scalar potential is helped by the large value of $\lambda_{S}$ at $M_{high}$ and this effect becomes more relevant for higher $M_{high}$ since the new couplings run for a smaller range up to the Planck scale. ![Running of $Y_{N}$ with $Y\left(M_{high}\right)=0.5$ denoted by the blue solid line while in red we show the running of $\lambda_{S}$ with $\lambda_{S}(M_{high})=10^{-4}$ (solid) $\lambda_{S}(M_{high})=0.4$ (dashed). []{data-label="fig:Fig3"}](running_HSg.pdf){width="50.00000%"} For $\lambda_{HS}<0$, the new stability condition, $\lambda_{H}>\lambda^{2}_{HS}/\lambda_{S}$ together with $\lambda_{S}>0$ must be satisfied. The new condition on $\lambda_{H}$ has the effect of destabilizing the scalar potential at lower energies for small values of $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$ since a positive contribution to $\lambda_{H}$ from $\lambda_{S}$ does not help to drive $\lambda_{H}$ above $\delta\lambda$ at scales above $M_{high}$. For large values of $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$ an additional positive contribution to the running of $\lambda_{H}$ raises the scale of instability for smaller values of $\delta\lambda\left(M_{high}\right)$. In Figures \[fig:Fig4\](a)-(c) we plot the scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$, as a function of $\delta\lambda\left(M_{high}\right)$ for values of $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.01,0.1,0.5$ respectively. In the figures, the dashed lines correspond to $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.4$ while the solid lines correspond to $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)=0.02$. The solid dots correspond to the complex scalar extension of the SM parametrized by Eq. (\[eq:Eq4\]). ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}<0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively.[]{data-label="fig:Fig4"}](stability_HSl_LMC.pdf){width="50.00000%"} ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}<0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively.[]{data-label="fig:Fig4"}](stability_HSl_IMC.pdf "fig:"){width="48.00000%"} ![The scale of instability, $\Lambda_{I}$ within Type I seesaw models extended by a complex scalar gauge singlet as function of the threshold contribution to $\lambda_{H}$, $\delta\lambda$ defined at $M_{high}$ for different values of $m_{S}$. The figure on the top panel, (a), corresponds to $\lambda_{HS}<0$ and $Y_{N}=0.01$ while the bottom panel, (b-c) correspond to $Y_{N}=0.1,0.5$ respectively.[]{data-label="fig:Fig4"}](stability_HSl_HMC.pdf "fig:"){width="48.00000%"} We note that our results suggest that $\lambda_{S}$ cannot be too small unless $Y_{N}$ is simultaneously small since otherwise $\lambda_{S}$ will be driven negative very quickly. To see this we scan over $\lambda_{S}\left(M_{high}\right)$ and $Y_{N}\left(M_{high}\right)$ and calculate the scale of instability. Our results are shown in Figure \[fig:Fig5\] for $\delta\lambda=0.015$ and $\lambda_{HS}>0$. The gray region corresponds to regions of parameter space where $\Lambda_{I}\gtrsim10^{10}$ GeV for $m_{S}=10^{4}$ GeV. The regions in light red, green and blue are stacked behind the gray region and correspond to $m_{S}=10^{6},10^{8},10^{10}$ GeV respectively with the light blue region extending over the entire grid. ![Regions of parameter space where $\Lambda_{I}\gtrsim10^{10}$ GeV for $m_{S}=10^{4}$ GeV shown in gray. The regions in light red, green and blue are stacked being the gray region and correspond to $m_{S}=10^{6},10^{8},10^{10}$ GeV respectively with the light blue region extending over the entire grid[]{data-label="fig:Fig5"}](scan_lamSvsYn.pdf){width="40.00000%"} Next we turn our attention to $\mathbf {Y}_\nu$. In the above we have seen that spontaneously generating heavy Majorana neutrino masses can raise the instability scale of the electroweak vacuum with the help of the added scalars; especially for $\lambda_{HS}>0$. One can then increase the upper bound on ${\mathrm{Tr}}[{\mathbf{Y}_\nu^\dagger}{\mathbf{Y}_{\nu}}]$ compared to the case of explicit mass terms. This can be seen in Figure \[fig:Fig6\] with $Y_{N}=0.1$. Indeed the bound is ${\mathrm{Tr}}[{\mathbf{Y}_\nu^\dagger}{\mathbf{Y}_{\nu}}]\lesssim0.01$, higher than before but is only for a relatively large $M_{high}$. In this figure, only points which lead to an instability scale below or at the Planck scale with perturbative couplings up to the Planck scale are shown. Regions of parameter space for which couplings are not perturbative below the Planck scale are not shown. These points tend to be for low $M_{high}$. For very large $M_{high}$, the couplings run as in the SM and the instability scale is below $M_{high}$. This region of parameter space corresponds to points where $M_{high}\gtrsim10^{10}$ GeV, and are not accepted either. The window of allowed values of $M_{high}$ gets smaller for larger values of $\lambda_{S}$. This can be seen in Figures \[fig:Fig7\](a) and (b) with $\lambda_{S}=0.6$ and $0.8$ respectively. Values of $\lambda_{S}$ beyond $\sim0.9$ do not lead to a viable seesaw. Furthermore, increasing $Y_{N}$ only decreases the upper bound on $\lambda_{S}$. Discussion ========== We conclude that in the two heavy Majorana mass generation mechanisms we have studied, the neutrino Yukawa couplings will remain perturbative. We find that for high-scale Type I seesaw models in which lepton number is explicitly broken by Majorana bare mass terms the stability is lowered due to the Dirac Yukawa couplings, $\mathbf {Y}_\nu$. We also find that ${\mathrm{Tr}}[\mathbf{Y}^\dagger_{\nu} \mathbf{Y}_\nu]\lesssim10^{-3}$ in order for the SM electroweak vacuum stability not be worsened. In the scenario where right-handed neutrinos masses are generated spontaneously through a singlet scalar $vev$, the electroweak vacuum can be stable up to the Planck scale through threshold effects from decoupling a heavy scalar and positive contributions to the running of $\lambda_{H}$ which ultimately depends on the scalar mixing parameter $\lambda_{HS}$. We find that the scale at which the scalar potential becomes unstable is not improved over $\Lambda^{\text{SM}}_{I}$ if the quartic coupling of the singlet is small while $Y_{N}$ is large. This result is worsened for light singlet scalar masses; since $\lambda_{S}$ will be driven negative at very low energy scales. We also set the limit ${\mathrm{Tr}}[\mathbf{Y}^\dagger_{\nu}\mathbf{Y}_\nu]\lesssim0.01$. This is because both $Y_N$ and $\lambda_S$ must not be too large as not to hit the Landau pole within stability region. 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0.5934065934065931,
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"Curtain's going up!" "Curtain's going up!" "A big Broadway opening." "Everybody who's anybody in New York is here tonight." "Everybody but one man." "This man." "Me." "Where are you going?" "Didn't you direct this?" "I just have to..." "One or two things." "Get out of this theatre!" " Is anything wrong with your seat?" " It's facing the stage!" "It's going to be a disaster." "I can't just sit there and watch." "Five seconds and we still haven't got a laugh." "I'm not running away." "I just don't like watching a car crash." "Particularly when it's mine." "It's going to be a catastrophe." "They'll forget their lines." "We won't get out of New York alive." "There's pictures of us in the lobby." "I'll get on a plane." "I should have done when we opened in Des Moines, before we opened, at the dress rehearsal, as soon as the curtain went up." "As soon as the damned phone rang and Dotty came on with the sardines." "Hold on!" "Hold your horses!" "Oh, Lord love a duck!" "Shut up!" "I'm on my way." "It's no good you going on." "I can't open sardines and answer the phone." "I've only got one pair of feet." "Hello?" "Yes, but there's no one here, love..." "No, Mr Brent's not here." "He lives here, yes, but not now because he lives in Spain." "Yes, Philip Brent, who writes plays, only now he writes them in Spain." "She's in Spain, too." "They all are." "Am I in Spain?" "No, I'm not in Spain." "I look after the house for them." "Only I go home at one on Wednesdays, so that's where I am." "No, because I've got a nice plate of sardines to put my feet up with." "And they've got colour here, and it's the Royal...you know, the horse race." "Where's the paper?" "If it's about letting the house, you'll have to ring the house agents." "Squire, Squire, Hackham and..." "Who's the other one?" "No, they're next to the phone in the study." "Squire, Squire, Hackham and..." "Hold on!" "I'll go and look." "As soon as you take the weight off your feet, down it all comes on your head." "And I take the sardines..." "No, I leave the sardines..." "No, I take the sardines." "You leave the sardines and you hang up the phone." "Yes, right." "I hang up the phone." " And you leave the sardines." " I leave the sardines?" "You leave the sardines." "I hang up the phone and I leave the sardines?" "Right!" " We've changed that, have we, dear?" " No, dear." " That's what I've always been doing?" " I wouldn't say that, Dotty." "How about the words?" "Am I getting some of them right?" "Some of them have a very familiar ring." " It's like a slot machine up here." " I know that." "I never know what's going to come out:" "three oranges or two lemons and a banana." "Anyway, it's not midnight yet, and we don't open till tomorrow." " You're holding the receiver." " Right." ""Squire, Squire, Hackham and...hold on!" and noises off." "Squire, Squire, Hackham..." "Hold on!" "Hanging up the phone." "Put your feet up for two minutes and they come running after you." " Hold it!" " This is her afternoon off." " Hold it, Garry." "Dotty!" " We've got the place to ourselves." " Wow!" " Hold it, Brooke." " Dotty!" " Come back?" "Yes, and go out with the newspaper." "The newspaper." "Oh, the newspaper." "Hang up the phone, leave the sardines and go out, with the newspaper." " Here." " Sorry." " Don't worry." "It's just the tech." " It's the dress, Garry." " When was the tech?" " When's the dress?" "We open tomorrow." "We're thinking of it as the tech." " It's the words." " Don't worry about the words." "And that accent." "It's like oranges and lemons." "Your words are fine." "Better than the..." "you know?" "Isn't that right?" " Sorry?" " I mean, OK, he's the..." "But, Dotty, you've been playing this kind of part for, well, I mean..." "Jesus, Dotty, you know?" "Garry and Brooke are off, Dotty is holding the receiver." "We open tomorrow, we've only had two weeks rehearsal, we don't know where we are, but here we are." " Right, Lloyd?" " Beautifully put." "We're playing Des Moines, then Pittsburgh, then God knows where and we're all feeling, you know?" " Aren't you?" " Sorry?" "Garry, you're off." " Sorry, Lloyd, but...you know?" " I know." " Thanks, Lloyd." " So you're off..." "Lloyd, let me just say one thing." "I've known many directors, some geniuses, some bastards, but I've never met one who was so totally..." "I don't know." "Thank you, Garry, I'm very touched." "Now get off the fucking stage." " And Brooke?" " Yes?" " Are you in?" " In?" " Are you there?" " What?" "You're out." "OK, I'll call again." "And on we go." "So, there you are, holding the receiver." "I hold the receiver." "I hang it up." "I leave the sardines." " Always the same story..." " And you take the newspaper." "I take the newspaper." "I leave the sardines." "A weight off your mind, a load off your stomach." " And off I go at last." " Leaving the receiver." "My housekeeper, yes, but..." "And noises off." "Stage!" "This is her afternoon off, so we've got the place to ourselves." " Wow!" " I'll just check." "Hello?" "Anyone at home?" "There's no one here." " What do you think?" " Great!" "It's all yours?" "Just a shack in the woods." "Converted mill, 1 6th century." " Must have cost a bomb." " Ideal for business." "Someone's coming at 4.00." "Arab." "Oil." "I've got to get those files to Basingstoke by 4.00." "We'll just manage to fit it in..." "Do it..." " Right." " We won't chill the champagne." " All these doors!" "Just a handful." "Study, kitchen and housekeeper's flat." "Which one's the...you know?" " Oh, through here." " Fantastic!" "Now I've lost the sardines." " I thought no one was here." " I'm not." "Only it's the Royal..." "The race where they wear those hats." "Who are you?" "From Squire, Squire, Hackham and Dudley." " Which one are you, then?" " I'm Tramplemain." "I thought you were a burglar." "I just dropped in to go into a few things..." "Check some measurements..." "Do one or two odd jobs." "Oh, and I've got a prospective tenant." " What's wrong with this door?" " Her interest is aroused." "That's not the bedroom." "No, that's the downstairs bathroom and WC." " The housekeeper, Mrs Crockett." " Clackett, dear." " She's not here." "It's the Royal." " It's black and white at home." "Don't worry about us." "We'll just inspect the house." " Now I've lost the newspaper." " Sardines!" " Sorry about this." " That's all right." "We don't want the TV." "Sardines!" "I forgot the sardines." "Lloyd!" "These damned sardines!" " We can't go on like this." " Can't go on like what, Garry?" "It's OK for you, but we work with them, don't we?" " Sorry?" " The sardines?" "We're working our asses off and there are four plates of sardines in act one." "Poppy!" "You want something instead of sardines?" " You want mashed banana?" " We don't want mashed banana." " We're changing the sardines." " We're not angry at you, Poppy." "I'm happy with the sardines if you are, hon." " I'm happy if you are." " Garry, what are you saying?" "Here we are, busting our guts up here and, Christ!" " I see." "You got that, Poppy?" " Well..." "Right." "On we go from Dotty's exit." "And Poppy?" "Don't let this happen again." " No." " Sorry.Just getting that straight." " As long as Dotty's happy." " Absolutely." " Do something for me, Dotty." " Anything." "Take the sardines off with you." " I'm sorry about this." " That's all right." "We don't want the TV." "She's been in the family for generations." "Come on." "I've got to be in Basingstoke by 4.00." " Perhaps just some champagne?" " Upstairs." "And bring my files." " Only..." " What?" "Her?" "She has been here for generations." "Sardines, sardines..." "It's not for me to say, but I will say this:" "take the plunge, you'll enjoy it here." "Won't she?" " Yes, well..." " We'll enjoy having you, won't we?" "Terrific!" "Sardines..." "Can't put your feet up on an empty stomach." "She thinks it's great." "She's making us sardines." "She's terrific." " Terrific." " So, which way?" "All right." "Before she comes back with the sardines." " Up here?" "In here?" " Yes, yes, yes." "Another bathroom." "You always try to get me in the bathrooms!" " I mean in here." " Ooh!" "Black sheets!" "That's the linen closet." "This one, this one!" "You're in a real state." "Can't even get the door open." " It's Mrs Clackett's afternoon off." " Hold it!" "Look at it!" "Hold it!" "And God said, "Hold it!"" "And they held it." "And God saw that it was terrible." " The door won't open." " This door won't close." " And God said, "Poppy!"" " You know I'm stupid about doors." " You're doing perfectly." " As long as I didn't break it." "And there was Poppy." "And God said," ""Be fruitful and multiply and fetch Tim to fix the doors."" "I love tech rehearsals!" "She loves tech rehearsals!" "Isn't she, just..." "Where's Dotty?" " Everyone's always so nice." " Belinda's being all, you know?" "Freddy, don't you like an all-night tech?" "Only because you can sit on the furniture." " It's good to see you making jokes." " Oh, was that a joke?" "This is such a nice company to work with." "Broadway in six months!" " Cleveland in three!" " All right, Lloyd?" "I know what God felt like when he sat in the dark, creating the world." " What did he feel like?" " Pleased he'd taken his Valium." "He had six days." "We've only got six hours." "And God said, "Where the hell is Tim?"" "And there was Tim." "And God said, "Let there be doors that open and close."" "Do something?" "I was getting the bananas." "Doors!" "I bet God had a stage manager who understood English, too." " That door won't close." " And the bedroom won't, you know?" " He hasn't been to bed for 48 hours." " Don't worry!" "Only another 24 hours." "Look, he's come down to earth amongst us." "Listen, since we've stopped..." "It took two days to do the set, so we shan't have time for a dress rehearsal." "Don't worry." "Think of the first night as the dress." "If we can just get through tonight for doors and sardines." "It's all about doors and sardines, getting on and off, getting the sardines on and off." "That's farce." "That's the theatre." "That's life." "Oh, God, Lloyd." "You're so deep." "So just keep going." "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang, you're on!" "Bang, you've said it!" "Bang, you're off!" " Where's Selsdon?" " Oh, God!" " Selsdon!" " Poppy!" " I thought he was out front." " Is Mr Mowbray in his dressing room?" " Would he, during a tech?" " Would who?" " Selsdon." " He wouldn't during a tech." " Half a chance, he would." " What?" " Be fair." " Let's not jump to conclusions." " Get the understudy." "Tim!" " Yes?" "Hurry up with the doors." "You're going on for Selsdon." "He should never have been let out of our sight." "I said that." "He's been good in rehearsals." "In the rehearsal hall, it was all...you know?" "You could see everyone." "Here, there's a front and a back and we've lost him." " He's not in his dressing room." " Bathroom?" "Prop room?" "Paint shop?" "Call the police!" "Doors finished?" "Get the gear on!" " I'm sorry, Dotty, my precious." " No, it's my fault." " I cast him." " I said, "Give him one last chance."" "We did summer stock together when I was a kid." "It's my fault, sweetheart." " This tour is her life savings." " We know that, Garry." "I'm not out to make my fortune." "I just wanted to put something away." "We know." "A little house." "It's not much to ask." " Don't blame yourself." " Sorry?" " Don't cry." " I've got something behind my lens." "It's not Brooke's fault." "He was right there before we started." " Who?" " It's all right." "We know you can't see." "You mean Selsdon?" "I'm not blind." "I can see Selsdon." " Selsdon!" " He's here!" "Standing there like Hamlet's father." " We thought you were...not there." " Where have you been?" " Are you all right?" " Speak to us." " Is it a party?" " Is it a party?" "Is it?" "How killing!" "I thought there was going to be a rehearsal." "I was having a post-prandial snooze so as to be ready for the rehearsal." " Isn't he lovely?" " Now we can see him." " What are we celebrating?" " What are we celebrating?" "Tim, you look strained and anxious." "I can't find the gear." "I've looked in his wardrobe..." "Oh." " Beer?" "In the wardrobe?" " No, Selsdon." "You need a break." "Why don't you sit down and do the payroll?" " I'll do the bananas first." " He's been up for 48 hours." "And don't fall down, Tim." "We may not be insured." " What's next?" " I thought we might try a rehearsal." " I won't, thank you." " You won't?" "No, I'll watch." "Is this the beer in the wardrobe?" " No, he wants to rehearse." " But shouldn't we rehearse?" "I knew you'd think of something." "From Belinda and Freddy's entrance." " What's happened now?" " The police." "They've found an old man in a doorway." " Thank you." " They say he's dirty and smelly." "I thought, "Oh, my God!" because when you get close to Selsdon..." " Poppy!" " No, if you stand anywhere near him, you can't help noticing this very distinctive..." "I tell you, Poppy, once you get it in your nostrils, you never forget it." "Sixty years now, and the smell of the theatre still haunts me." "Bless him!" "Poppy, how did you get a job like this that requires tact?" " You're not somebody's girlfriend?" " Don't worry." "He did not hear." " Not here?" " Yes, there." " Go to sleep." " You're not on for 20 pages." "I might go back to sleep." "I'm not on for 20 pages." "On we go." "Dotty in the kitchen with sardines." "Garry and Brooke on the stairs, Freddy and Belinda waiting outside, time sliding into the past." " Aren't they sweet?" "Garry and Dotty." " You mean, they're...?" " It's supposed to be a secret." " But she's old enough to be...!" " Didn't you know?" " I'm just God." "I don't know anything." " What's happening?" " You tell me." " What are we waiting for?" " Her 1 8th birthday?" "Or maybe just the cue." "Brooke!" ""You can't even get the door open."" " You can't even get the door open." " Door closed, Garry, love!" "You can't even get the door open." "We've got the place entirely to ourselves." "Look at it!" "I can't believe it!" " A perfect place for an assignation!" " Home." "Our secret hideaway." " The last place anyone will look." " It's funny creeping in." "If the Inland Revenue find out, bang goes our claim to be resident abroad, bang goes most of this year's income." "I wonder if Mrs Clackett's aired the beds." " Darling!" " Why not?" "No children, no friends." "We're on our own." "True." "There is something to be said for being a tax exile." "Leave those!" "Shh!" "The Inland Revenue may hear us." "What I did with that first lot of sardines I shall never know." "Mrs Clackett!" " My heart jumped out of my boots!" " So did mine." " I thought you were in Spain." " We are." "We're not here." " The income tax are after you?" " They would be if they knew." "All right, love." "You're not here." "I haven't seen you." " Off to bed, are you?" " Well..." "Nowhere like bed when it all gets on top of you." " You'll want your things." " Yes." " That bed isn't aired." " I'll get a hot-water bottle." " All your letters are in the study." " You forward them, don't you?" " Not the ones from the income tax." " Oh, my God!" "Where are they?" " In the little pigeon-house, dear." " In the pigeon-house?" " I could hear voices." " What sort of voices?" "Hold it!" "What's the trouble?" "You know how stupid I am about moves." "Sorry." "Why do I take the things into the study?" "Shouldn't I leave them?" " No." " I thought it might be more logical." "No." "I know it's late in the day, but..." " No, several minutes before we open." " As long as we're not too rushed." "Why does he carry the bag and groceries into the study?" " They have to be out of the way." " I see that." "And Selsdon needs them in the study." " Where is Selsdon?" "Is he there?" " Selsdon!" "Selsdon!" " Am I on?" " No, no." "I thought I heard my voice." "No." "Go back to sleep." "You're not on for 10 pages." " I see all that." " Oh, no." " But why?" " Why does anyone do anything?" "Why does that other idiot go out with sardines?" " I'm not getting at you." " Of course not." "Jesus, why do I?" " Who knows?" "Who knows?" "The wellsprings of human action are deep and cloudy." "Maybe something happened when you were a small child that made you frightened to let go of groceries." " It could be genetic." " Or...you know." " It could be." " I understand all that..." "I'm telling you I don't know." "I don't think the author knows." "I don't know why the author came into this industry." "Or any of us." "If you could just give me a reason." "All right." "I'll give you a reason." "You carry them into the study because it's slightly after midnight and we're not going to be finished before we open tomorrow." "Correction." "Before we open tonight!" "And on we go, from after Freddy's exit, with groceries." "Lloyd, sweetheart, his wife left him this morning." "Oh." "Freddy?" "I think the point is, you had a great fright when she mentions income tax and you felt insecure and exposed and you wanted something familiar to hold on to." "Thank you, Lloyd." " Bless you!" " And on we merrily go." ""Yes, but I could hear voices."" " Yes, but I could hear voices." " What voices?" " People's!" " No one's here." " I saw the door handle move." " Must you put your tie on to look?" "Mrs Clockett." "She's been here for generations." " Look, she's opened our sardines." " You can't go down like that." " Why not?" " Mrs Crackett." "She's irreplaceable." "Sardines here, sardines there!" "It's like a Sunday school outing." " You still poking around?" " Yes, still poking." "Still around." " In the linen closet?" " No, no!" "Yes, just checking the sheets, going through the inventory." " Mrs Blackett..." " Clackett." "Is there anyone else in the house?" " No one." " I thought I heard voices." " No voices here." " I must have imagined it." " Oh, my God!" " I beg your pardon!" " Oh, my God!" " Why?" "What is it?" "Oh, my God!" "The study door's open." "Oh, my God!" "There's another car outside." "That's not Mr Hackham's, is it?" "Nothing but flapping doors in this house." "Final notice, steps will be taken, foreclosure, proceedings in court..." " A gentleman come about the house." " I'm not here." " He's got a lady quite aroused." " Leave it to the agents." "Shall I let them go all over?" "Anything, but don't tell anyone we're here." "I'll just sit down and..." "Sardines!" "I've forgotten the sardines." "If it wasn't fixed to my shoulders, I'd forget what day it was." "I didn't get this." "I'm in Spain." "If I didn't get it, I didn't open it." "Did I have a dress like this?" "I shouldn't buy anything this tarty." " Did you give me it?" " Never should have touched it!" "Stick it down!" "Never saw it!" "I'll put it in the attic with your other precious gifts." "All right." "Now the study door's open again." "What's going on?" "Knocking!" "Upstairs." "Oh, my God!" "There's something in the linen closet." " Oh, it's you!" " Of course it's me." "You put me in there with the black sheets." " Why did you lock the door?" " Why did you?" " I didn't!" " Someone did." "We can't stand here..." "in your underwear." " OK, I'll take it off." " In here!" "This glue isn't the sort you can never get unstuck, is it?" " Hold it!" " Mrs Clackett's made us sardines." " We have a problem." " Which one this time?" " Left." " It's the left one." " Left one!" " Left one!" " Could be anywhere." " Could have bounced." " Where did you last see it?" " It was in her eye." "She opens her eyes very...don't you?" "I feel I should rush forward." " Careful where you put your feet." " Everyone look under their feet." "No one move their feet!" "Put your feet back where they were!" "Pick up your feet one at a time." "Brooke, is this going to happen during a performance?" " She'll keep going." " Can she see?" " Can she hear without them?" " Sorry?" "Oh, sorry!" " You stepped on his hand!" " Oh, look at Freddy, the poor thing!" " What's the matter?" " Nose bleed." " No one touched him." " Violence makes his nose bleed." "Sorry." "I thought you spoke to me." "Hit the manager with this to finish off theatre in Des Moines." " Anyway, I've found it." " Where?" " In my eye." " Nice going." " Your left eye?" " Yes." "Round the side." " I knew it hadn't gone far." "OK?" " I think so." "Clear the stage." "Walking wounded carry stretcher cases." " All right, Freddy?" " I just have a thing about..." " We understand." " On we bloodily stagger." "Freddy, I'll rephrase that." "On we blindly stumble." "Brooke, I withdraw that." "Anyway..." " Where's Selsdon?" " Selsdon!" "Selsdon!" "She might have dropped it out here." "Good." "Keep looking." "Only another five pages, Selsdon." ""Anyway, we can't stand here...in your underwear." "OK, I'll take it off."" "Darling, this isn't the sort of glue that never comes unstuck, is it?" "Oh, Mrs Clackett's made us sardines." " Now what?" " A hot-water bottle." " I didn't put it there." " I didn't." "Someone in the bathroom filling it." " Is something creepy going on?" " Darling, are you coming to bed?" " What did you say?" " Nothing." "The door handle, the hot-water bottle..." " I've got goose pimples." " Get something on." " Under the covers." " What did I do with the sardines?" "You hear funny things about old houses." "But this one has been modernised." "Nothing creepy could survive..." "What?" "What is it?" "What's happening?" " The sardines!" "They've gone!" " There is something funny going on." "I'm going to put my head under the..." " I put them there." " Bag!" "Mrs Sprockett must have taken them away." " Bag!" " What?" " What is it?" " Bag!" " Bag!" " What do you mean?" " Bag!" "Bag!" " What bag?" "No bag!" "Your bag suddenly here, now gone!" " It's in the bedroom." " Don't go in there!" " The box!" "They've both gone." " My files!" " What's happening?" "Wait here!" " No!" " Get dressed!" " I'm not going in there." "I'll fetch your dress." "Your dress has gone." "Don't panic!" "Don't panic!" "There's some rational explanation." "Mrs Splodgett will tell us." "You wait here." "No, you can't stand here like that." "Wait in the study." "Study, study!" "Roger, there's something in there." "Where are you?" "I know this is going to sound silly, but..." " I'm going to clear out the attic." " I'm glued to a tax demand." " Why don't you put the sardines down?" " I'm stuck to the sardines." "Get that bottle marked "poison"." "It eats through anything." "I've heard of people being stuck with a problem, but this is ridiculous!" "Selsdon!" "You're on, Selsdon!" " We're there." "The moment's arrived." " It's all right." "He's coming." "The arm should have come through." "Ah!" "Here it comes." "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be..." "Hold it, Selsdon." "Let's take it again." "Hold it, Selsdon!" "Hold it!" " Lloyd wants you to hold it." " Stop, Selsdon!" "My God!" "Like the band playing on as the Titanic sank." "Stop?" " Thank you." "Selsdon..." " My dad was nearly on the Titanic." "He can hear better than I can." "From your entrance." " It was before the War, so..." " Thank you." "Poppy!" " No." "Stops me sleeping." " Put the glass back." " Come on again?" " Right, only sooner." "Like yesterday." "Freddy!" "Start when Freddy opens the door." "What's the line?" "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem." "Start moving on, "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem."" "I want your arm through the window, right?" " May I make one suggestion?" " What?" "Would it perhaps be better if I came on earlier?" "Only there's a hiatus between Freddy's exit and my entrance." " No, Selsdon, listen." " Yeah?" " I've got it." " What?" " Come on a little earlier." " We're thinking along the same lines." "Am I putting him on or vice versa?" "Freddy, from your exit." "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem, but this is ridiculous." "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be prosecuted for incitement." "It makes me weep when I think I used to do banks, bullion vaults." "What am I doing now?" "Breaking into paper bags." "I know they're in Spain because the old turkey in the kitchen said so." "And I saw her go out in her swimming costume." "Get the van loaded." "No rush." "Only got all flaming afternoon." "What have they got to offer?" "One microwave oven." "#50." "Hardly worth lifting it." "Cor!" "Come here!" "Junk, junk, junk!" "Well, yes, if you insist." "Now, where's his desk?" "They all say the same thing:" "it's hard to adjust to retirement." "The prospective tenant wishes to know of any history of the paranormal." "Yes, everything's nice and paranormal here." "Has anything ever dematerialised or flown about?" "No, things move on their own two feet, just like in any house." "I'll tell the prospective tenant." "She's inspecting the study." " There's a man!" " There's no one!" "He's searching for something." " I can't see no one." " This is extraordinary!" "Where's my prospective tenant?" "She's gone!" "Disappeared!" " Oh, my God!" " Now what?" "The sardines!" "Can you see them?" "Yes." "I can see the way they're going." "I'm not letting them out of my hand." "But where is she?" "I can see I'm going to be opening sardines all night." "He said, "It's time to hand over the ammonia bottle to a younger man."" "Where's she gone?" ""I may be 70," I said," ""but I've still got all my wits about me."" " He didn't have an answer to that." " Vicki!" "Vicki!" " Or, if he did, I didn't hear it." " Darling, where are you?" "That stuff doesn't eat through glue, just trousers." "You don't think it eats through...?" "I'd better get these trousers off." "This is an emergency!" "If it eats through anything..." "I can feel it!" "It's eating through everything!" " An evil house!" " The Inland Revenue!" " He's back!" " I'm not here!" " Oh, my God!" " I'm abroad." "I must go." " Stay!" "Speak!" " Only in the presence of my lawyer." "Hold on!" "You're just an intruder!" "An ordinary intruder." "Nice to meet you." "Have a sardine." "No, you're a sex criminal." "You've done something to Vicki." "I'll sort you out." "You've got sardines." "If there's nothing I can offer, I'll be running along." "Come back!" "Hello?" "Police?" "Someone has broken into my house into someone's house, and a young woman is missing." " It's in the garden now, a man!" " She's reappeared." "Are you OK?" " No!" "He almost saw me!" " He almost saw her!" " He's taken our things." " The things are here!" "They're back!" "We're just missing sardines." " Here they are!" " We've found them." "This is the police?" "You want the police here?" "In my underwear?" "Let's say no more." "I thought something terrible had happened." " It has." "I know him." " You know him?" "He's dealt with by our office." "He mustn't see me like this." " The Inland Revenue has standards." " Put something on." " I haven't got anything." " Try the bathroom." "And bring the sardines." "I said, "When have I had to run off in the middle of a job for a piddle?"" "Oh, my God!" "Where is it?" " Stay there till you're dressed." " I can't talk about tax in this!" "I knew I shouldn't have brought the subject up." "Help!" "Where are you?" "Put it on!" "It's a start." "I'll find a bottom." "I'll find a top." "Something." "Someone in there!" "It's him, it's him!" "I'm finding such lovely things." "Remember the biscuit tin you gave me on our first anniversary?" " Who are you?" " Oh, my God!" "I've taken your dress off you." "Where have you been?" "I've been going mad!" "Look at the state I'm in!" "I was trying to explain about the Inland Revenue and my fingers got stuck." "Don't wave it in my face." "I'm trying to find something." " Pair of gold taps." "Oh, God!" " Who are you?" " Doing the taps." " Income tax?" "That's right." "In come the new taps, out go the old." "Tax inspectors everywhere!" "Oh, my God!" "Boxes flying about!" "There is something funny going on." "Are you dressed yet?" "I've got the dress stuck to my head now." " A man!" " Doing the taps." " Attacks?" "On women?" " I'll do the taps on the bath first." "Sex criminals everywhere." "Where is Vicki?" "Vicki!" "I'm off." "Tax on women?" "They'll tax anything these days." "You're in trouble, you see?" " WC?" "I'll fix it." " Vicki!" "Sheikh!" "I thought you were coming at 4.00!" "And this is your charming wife?" "You want to see over the house now?" "Since you're upstairs..." " Him and his floozy!" " Let's start downstairs." "Who are you?" "I don't know who she is." "No connection with the house." " This good lady with the sardines..." " This time, I'm eating them." "...is fully occupied." "The toilet facilities..." " Mrs Clackett, who are these people?" "Just Arab sheikhs." "I'm sorry." "This is the downstairs bathroom." " Upstairs, we have..." " Your ballcocks have gone." " We have him." " Irish linen sheets off my own bed!" " In the study, however..." " Give me that sheet!" "There she stands in her smalls for all the world to see." " It's my little girl." " Dad!" " My little Vicki that ran away." " Would you believe it?" " What are you doing here?" " What about you?" "I'm taking our files on tax evasion to Basingstoke." "Where's my other sheet?" "Ah, a house of heavenly peace!" "I rent it!" " You!" " Is it?" "I still have my trousers round my ankles." "I have no dresser." "Get Tim to help you." "Tim!" "Where's Tim?" "Come on, Tim!" " What?" " Oh, you're acting." " I must have dozed off." " Never mind." " Do something?" " No, we'll struggle through." "Tim sleeps while we run around with our trousers round our ankles." "OK, Freddy, from your entrance with trousers round ankles." ""So, where's my other sheet?" Some other problem, Freddy?" " Since we're stopped..." " Why did I ask?" "I'm stupid about plot." "Could I ask another dumb question?" "All of my studies in world drama lie at your disposal." "Why is the sheikh Philip's double?" "He comes in and we think he's, you know..." " That's the joke." " I see that." " The plot depends on it." " But it is a coincidence, isn't it?" "It is kind of a coincidence, Freddy, yes." "Until you reflect that there was an earlier draft of the play." "In this, it's clear that Philip's father, as a young man, travelled in the Middle East." " I see." " You see?" " Interesting." " Yes." " Will the audience get it?" " You show them." " That's what acting's about." " Thank you, Lloyd." "So, from your entrance, Freddy." "What's going to be left of this show when I'm back in New York and you're up there on your own?" "So, where's my other sheet?" "Ah!" "A house of heavenly peace!" "I rent it!" " You!" " Is it?" " Who else?" " You ask to view this house when you're a trouserless tramp!" " You took the clean sheets!" " You snatched my nightdress." "You tossed me aside like a broken china doll." "I won't ask what you were up to with my girl, but I'll tell you one thing." " Brooke!" " Sorry." "Your line!" "We're two lines from the end of the act." " I don't understand." " Tell her." " "What's that, Dad?"" " But I don't understand." "I say, "I'll tell you something." You say, "What's that, Dad?"" "I don't understand why the sheikh looks like Philip." "Poppy!" "Bring the book!" "Is it "I don't understand why the sheikh looks like Philip"?" "Can we consult the author's text?" ""What's that, Dad?"" "Right." "That's the line." "We know you've worked in places where you make it up as you go along, but we don't want that here, not when there's a polished line already." "Not at 1 a.m., not two lines from the end of act one." "Not when we're about to get a coffee break." "We merely want to hear the line "What's that, Dad?" That's all." "Nothing else!" "I'm not being unreasonable, am I?" "Exit?" "Does it say "exit"?" "Oh, my God." "She's going to wash away her lenses." " Oh, dear." " A little heavy." "I thought it was going to be Poppy." " This is all my fault." " Why Brooke?" " It was sweet." " Sweet?" " A lovers' quarrel." " You mean Lloyd and Brooke?" "Where do you think they've been all weekend?" "That's why he didn't realise the set was wrong." " Shh!" "Here they come." " All forgotten." "I was irresistible." " I'm going to throw up." " What?" " Oh, no!" " Oh, God!" " Poppy?" " You pig!" " You mean...?" " I didn't know that." " I'm going to faint." " Head between your knees." " Nothing she didn't know!" " Two weeks' rehearsal." "That's all!" " What's next?" " Most exciting." " Is she all right?" " She will be." "Something she ate." " This one's a bit, you know?" " I'm feeling a bit, you know, myself." " I need that coffee break." " You're certainly overdoing it." "Can we just have the last line of the act?" "Me?" "Last line?" "Right." "Well, I'll tell you one thing, Vicki." "What's that, Dad?" "When all around is uncertainty, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned plate of sardines." " And curtain!" " Oh." "All right." "Let's reset for night, act two." "In fact, they loved it in Des Moines." "At the end of act two, they laughed." "What's this?" "There's only one thing missing:" "a plate of sardines." "Yeah." "They clapped and clapped." "In Des Moines." "Well, they clapped." "Even Selsdon heard them." "But then there was Decatur, Illinois, then there was Cairo, Missouri, and Paducah, Kentucky." "I wasn't there for the difficulties in Decatur or the problems in Paducah, but I couldn't always hold their hands." "How could I be in Decatur and Paducah when I was doing Hamlet in New York?" "I caught up with the show in Miami Beach." "I was right in there with them when they did that famous matinée." " Sir, your ticket?" " I'm the director." "Don't tell anyone." "Act one places." "Your calls, Miss Otley, Miss Ashton," "Mr Lejeune, Mr Dallas, Miss Blair." "Act one places, please." "Do you think we'll get act one places?" "She'll pull herself together now we've called places." "Won't she?" " Will she?" " You know Dotty." "We're only at Miami Beach." "What will it be like by Cleveland?" " If only she'd speak." " Or unlock the door." " If she won't go on..." " Won't." "If she won't..." "Of course she will, but if she doesn't..." " She must!" " She will." "But if she didn't..." " I'd have five minutes to change." "Four." " If only she'd say something." "I'll try again." "Helps take your mind off your own problems." " Has she gone?" " Lloyd!" "I didn't know you were coming to Miami Beach." " I wasn't." " Good you're here!" "Dotty and Garry..." "No one must know I'm in." "Hide this somewhere." "Right..." "They've had a fight." "There's a flower stall round the back." "Buy some expensive-looking flowers." " Right." "Dotty's locked herself in." " Don't let Poppy see." "She won't speak to anyone." "The matinée finishes by five." "I want two hours alone with Brooke in her dressing room, then I'm back to New York." " There may not be a show." " She's walked out already?" " She's locked in and won't speak." " You've called places?" " Yes." " I can't do it in five minutes." " She's broken up with Garry before." " Brooke?" "Not Brooke, Dotty." "There was the one the week before last in Pittsburgh." "She went out with a reporter, but Garry threatened to kill him." "Don't worry." "Dotty's got money in the show." "But last night, Garry wakes me at 2 a.m. asking where Dotty is." "Let me tell you about my life." "Hamlet's ghost complains every evening that Polonius is sucking sourballs through his speeches." "Claudius is off doing a soap and Gertrude is off doing a commercial." "Hamlet himself has come down with a psychological problem." "Then Brooke rings to say she's got a doctor's certificate for exhaustion." "I can't find a new Vicki." "I have just one afternoon while Hamlet sees his shrink to cure Brooke of her exhaustion with some whisky, a few flowers - you've got the money - and a certain fading bedside manner." "I haven't come to hear others' problems, but to be taken out of myself and not put back." " But..." " Done the front-of-house calls?" " Front-of-house calls." " Don't let Poppy see those flowers!" "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats." "The curtain will rise in three minutes." " We're going to be so late." " No luck?" "I haven't even started the front-of-house calls." " Money." "Is that for me?" " No, no!" "Whisky." "Where did you find that?" "Not up here?" "He's hiding it up here!" "I'll put it downstairs where he can't find it." " No?" " You know Dotty." "Freddy's trying." " God!" " He's hiding them here." "No?" " No." " You didn't try for long." " He's hiding them here now." " Garry came rushing out." "I couldn't understand him." "I am stupid." "But I think he wanted to kill me." " You poor thing!" " I left him alone." "Is he all right?" " Anything but!" " He's going on?" "Going on?" "Garry?" "Of course Garry's going on!" "If you have to go on for Garry, Poppy can't go on for Dotty." " Oh, God!" " Money!" "For us?" "No..." "Oh, my God!" "Dotty's so up and down." "She was perfectly all right last night." " Last night?" " She took me to a pub she knows." "She was with you?" "You were with her?" " She was very sympathetic." " She's not sinking her teeth in!" "No." "She came up for coffee and told me her troubles." "We talked till 3 a.m. I don't know what room service thought." "And another thing." "Where's Selsdon?" " It turns out Freddy..." "Selsdon?" " Not in his dressing room." " Front-of-house calls!" " Do them." "I'll get Selsdon." " What should I do?" " Nothing." "You've done enough already." "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats." "The curtain will rise in three minutes." " He wants to kill someone?" " Selsdon?" " Garry." " We've lost Selsdon." " Oh, my God!" " Flowers!" "They're just, you know." "Tim, that's sweet of you." "Isn't that sweet?" " Charming." " I'll look in the bar." "Hold these." "I'll take those." "Front-of-house calls!" "Hold these." " Poppy's done them." " Did she give them two minutes?" "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats." "The curtain will rise in one minute." " I think she said three minutes." " Did she?" " I think so." " Hold these." "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats." "The curtain will rise in two minutes." " Any luck?" " No, but I found this." "Hidden behind the fire extinguisher." " I'll take it." " Put it somewhere out of sight." " He's...not in the bar." " Have you checked the green room?" " Yes." " I'll check again." "Take your seats." "The curtain will rise in two minutes." " Tim's said that." " He has?" "Take your seats." "The curtain will rise in one minute." " What the fuck is going on?" " Lloyd!" " I didn't know you were here." " I'm in New York." "But I can't sit out there and listen to that." " We're having big dramas back here." " And out there." "This is a matinée." "Senior citizens!" "Curtain up in three minutes, we all start for the gents." " One minute, we run out again." " I've got to talk to you." "Just tell me one thing." "Is Brooke going on?" " Brooke?" "You're going on, aren't you?" " Sorry?" " All right?" " All right?" " She sounds like her usual self." " Lloyd!" " What's this?" " I was lying on the floor and..." " On the floor?" " For relaxation." " I saw it behind the radiator." " Oh, my God!" " I'll hide it." " In Brooke's dressing room." " What's this?" " Oh, yes." "Sorry." " Tim bought them for me." " You?" " We've got to talk." " I've heard all I want." " What about Dotty?" " No!" " Selsdon?" " This show is beyond my help." "Just do it." "I'll sit out there with a bag of sweets and enjoy it." "One minute was the last call, if you remember." " Is she all right?" " It's her way of relaxing." "I couldn't concentrate back there with the shouting." " It's her breathing." " You don't have to go on." "It's only a matinée." "I'm sure Poppy would love to do it." " I'll see what's up with Dotty." " Freddy, my darling!" " What?" " Where's Tim?" "Where have you been?" "We looked for you everywhere." " Everywhere." "There's no sign of him." " He's been looking for you." "Great shindig going on back there." "I thought Tim should know." " He's heard." " Everything!" "He really went for her!" ""I've seen the way you're looking at Freddy," he says." " Oh, God!" " Me?" " Yes, darling." " Are you sure?" "Maybe Teddy." "Teddy or Freddy." "Anyway..." " They're coming!" " I knew they wouldn't." " And you're here?" " Yes." "Every word." "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats." "The performance is about to begin." " They're coming!" " We found Selsdon." " How did you get here?" " How?" "She took it amiss." "Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats..." " I've done it!" "I've done it!" " Oh." " Lloyd will choke on his sweets!" " Garry, darling!" "Trying to give a fellow a leg up, or a leg over..." " Oh, there he is." " Are you all right?" " What did he say?" " Nothing." "Very sensible." ""You've got your claws into Freddy," he said." " Dotty!" " Is she all right?" " She's fine." " All right, everyone?" " Teddy or Freddy." " Hush, dear!" "Places, please." "Garry, Dotty, I won't make a big speech, but we've got to go and perform." " And, well..." " We can't do it in silence." "We have to speak to each other." " What's the house like?" " That's the spirit!" " Well done!" " Good for a matinée." "There's a crowd at the back of the orchestra." "Come on." "Some of those seniors haven't got long." "Quiet, then, please." "Pre-set, please." "Quiet on stage, stand by, curtain up, act one." " Now what?" " We're going up." "We've been sitting out there an hour." " I was just saying a few words." " You need a brain transplant." "Wrong moment." "I see that." " Any other thoughts to communicate?" " Not right now." "Later." " You bought these flowers for Poppy?" " No, well, yes." " And none for..." "B?" " Well, no." " Have you heard of jealous rage?" " Yes." "Then take $ 1 0 of your money and buy some flowers for me!" "You two can have Freddy's old brain." "You can have half each!" " Oh, dear!" " Don't cry, hon." "Get the old bus on the road." "Act one: music, summer noises, house lights, go!" "Coming!" "Oh, Lord love a duck!" "I'm coming!" "Shut up!" "I'm coming!" "Hold on!" "I can't open sardines and answer the phone." "I've only got one pair of hands." "Hello?" "Yes, but there's no one here." "No, Mr Brent's not here..." "This is my housekeeper's afternoon off," " so we've got the place to ourselves." " Wow!" "I'll just check." "Hello!" "Anyone at home?" "There's no one." "What do you think?" " All these doors!" " Just a handful.:" "study, kitchen and housekeeper's flat." "Terrific!" "Which one's the, you know...?" " Oh, through here." " Fantastic!" "Now I've lost the sar..." "I've lost the sardines!" "Sorry." "I thought there was no one here..." "Sardines!" "Sardines!" "It's not for me to say, of course..." " Up here?" "In here?" " Yes, yes, yes!" " It's another bathroom." " No, no, no!" " Ooh!" "Black sheets!" " It's the linen closet." " This one, this one." " You're in a state." "You can't even get the door open." "It's Mrs Clackett's afternoon off." "We've got the place to ourselves." " Look at it!" " Do you like it?" " I can't believe it!" " A perfect place for an assignation..." "Sardines here, sardines there!" "It's like a Sunday school outing." "Oh, my God!" " I beg your pardon?" " Oh, my God!" " Why, what is it?" " My God, the study door's open..." "Nothing...but...flapping doors...in...this...house..." "Give it to me!" "Darling, I never had a..." "I never had a dress..." " Or, rather, flowers like these?" " Oh, didn't you?" "I shouldn't buy anything as tarty..." "Oh, God!" "All right!" "Now the study door's open again." "What's going on?" "Knocking!" "Knocking?" "Knocking." "Upstairs!" "There's something in the linen closet!" "Oh, it's you." "Is it you?" "I mean, hidden under all the sheets and towels in here?" "I can't, you know, just stand here indefinitely." "Of course it's me." "You put me here with all the black sheets." "Darling, why did you lock the door?" "I didn't." "Why did you lock the door?" "I didn't." "Anyway, we can't stand here like this." " Like what?" " In your underwear." " OK, I'll take it off." " You!" "On!" "Darling, this isn't the glue you can never get unstuck, is it?" "Oh, look!" "Mrs Clackett's made us some sardines." "A hot-water bottle?" "I didn't put it there." "I didn't..." "I mean, I'm standing here with this hot-water bottle in my hand!" "Of course it's me!" "You put me in here with all the black sheets." "Someone in the bathroom?" "What?" "Don't panic!" "Don't panic!" " Why did you lock the door?" " Don't panic!" "Don't panic!" "There's a rational explanation..." " You wait in the study." "Study, study!" " Oh!" "There's something in there..." "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem, but this is ridiculous." "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem but this is ridiculous!" "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be prosecuted for incitement." "Lloyd." "Ooh, yes..." "A line?" "A prompt?" " Get the van loaded." " What?" "Get the van loaded!" "Right..." "Get the van loaded." " There's a man in there!" " No one's there." " Look!" "He's searching for something." " No one..." "Oh, no!" "Oh, dear!" "There's something even in this..." "You're a sex criminal!" "I'm going to come and sort you..." "You've got sardines?" "If there's nothing I can offer you..." "Are you all right?" "You killed him!" " Police!" " I think I'll be running along." "Come back!" "Hello?" "Police?" "Someone has broken into my house..." "And a young woman is missing." "And a young woman is missing." "And a young woman is missing!" "It's in the garden now, and it's a..." "Tim!" "No sheikh yet?" "I thought he was coming at four." "I mean, it's nearly four now, well, it's after three." "I've been standing here for ever." "Lloyd, listen!" "I've got to talk to you now." " Now is..." " Not a good time." "I know." "It never is." " You're right!" "Freddy's quick change!" " Christ, his change!" "Those thieving devils!" "Give me that sheet!" "There she stands, in her sheet that won't come off so no one can see her." "My little girl!" "As far as I could see." " Dad!" " Surely that was my little Vicki..." "So, where's my...?" "So, where's my other sheet?" "Ah!" "A house of heavenly peace!" "I rent it!" "I've tried calling you." "I know you're in rehearsals, but you're never there." "No!" "I'm not going to be put off!" "I know you'll be seeing her." "She's being difficult, isn't she?" "Then you'll be on the next train to New York." "I bet there's somebody else in Hamlet, but you can't just walk away." "I'm sorry, but you've got to hear because I'm pregnant." "And curtain!" "If you thought Miami Beach was as bad as it could get, you were mistaken." "Things got a lot worse backstage by the time we got to Spartanburg." "After Spartanburg was Lynchburg." "After Lynchburg, Parkersburg and Petersburg." "After Parkersburg and Petersburg, there was Peter-Piper-picked-a-peck- of-pickled-peppers-burg." "But nothing could have prepared us for the final horror." "Cleveland." "I'm something you'll never be, and that's a star!" "Your cockney accent sounds like Dolly Parton." "Stay away from Freddy!" "He never did anything to you!" " Garry was using you!" " Quiet!" "Hold on!" "I'm coming!" "Hold your horses." "I'll be right there." "Hold on!" "I can't get sardines off the floor and answer the phone." "I've only got one leg." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Yes, but there's no one here, love." "Mr Brent's not here now." "He lives in Spain." "Yes, he writes plays, though why he wants to get mixed up in plays, God knows." "He'd be safer in a snake pit." "No, she's in Spain, too." "They're all in Spain." "Am I in Spain?" "No, I'm not in Spain!" "I'm in agony, that's where I am!" "We haven't been on the road three months and she's trying to kill me!" "I'm standing with a plate of sardines and she kicks me in the..." "Where the hell are they?" "If it's to do with renting..." " Selsdon!" " Selsdon?" " I can't find him." " I'll find him." "No, they're next to the study in the phone." "Squire, Squire, Hackham and..." "Hold on!" "I'm going to do something wrong here." "Oh, yes!" "Always the same." "As soon as you've got too much on your plate, you go putting your foot in it." "Oh, speak of the Devil." "They'll all go putting their foot in it now, won't they?" "Well..." "I'll just put that down." "That'll keep them out of harm's way." "What I'm holding now I don't know." "And off I go at last." "My housekeeper, yes, but this is her afternoon off." "So we've got the place entirely to ourselves." " Wow!" " I'll just check." "Hello?" "Anyone at home?" "No, there's no one here." " So, what do you think?" " Great!" "Is it all yours?" "Just a little shack in the woods." "Converted mill, sixteenth century." "Well, one has to have somewhere to entertain business associates." "Someone on the phone now, by the look of it." "Probably this Arab, saying he's coming at four." "I'll have a word with him." "I've got to get those files to Basingstoke by four." "We'll just manage to pick it in, to fit it up, I mean..." " Right, then." " We won't pull the champagne." "All these doors!" "Only a handful: study, kitchen and the flat for the...receiver." " Terrific!" "Which one's the..." " What?" " You know." " Oh, yes, through here." " It's, umm...through here." " Fantastic." " I've come for my sardines." " I thought no one was here." " I'm not." " I'm from the agents." "Lost the phone now." "Never lost the phone before." " I'm Tramplemain." " I'll put it here in case it's wanted." "Thanks." "I dropped in to check some measurements, do some odd jobs." " The plate's gone." " I've got a prospective tenant." " What's wrong with this door?" " Her interest is aroused." " That's not the bedroom." " No, no." "That's the bathroom." "This is the housekeeper, Mrs Crockett." " Sardines!" "Sardines!" " She's not really here." " You're standing on them." " It's the Royal." " You shouldn't have!" " Don't worry about us." " I need them!" " We'll inspect the house." " I'll have to wash the floor." " Sorry about this." " That's all right." "We don't want a TV." " A TV?" "Right." "She didn't explain about wanting to watch the Royal because of this thing with the..." "In case somebody's looking at this and thinking, "My God!"" " I've got to be gone by four." "Just getting that straight." " We'll take it up." "Bring my files." " Where are we?" " What?" "Her?" " Her?" "OK, her!" "She's been in the family for generations." "I'll wash the floor with this and they'll be out of your way." " Look what I've got." " Great!" " Like a battlefield back there." " Terrific!" "I'll put this here." "Then, if he wants it, he won't know where to find it." "You'll have to do the sardines because I've got to do more sardines." "See?" "She's even making us sardines." " What do you think?" " She's terrific." " Do you want...?" " Which way?" "I don't know." "Just wrap them in the, you know..." " Up here?" " I'll do the..." "In here?" "It's another bathroom." " Box!" "Bag!" " Trying to get me in the bathroom!" " Bag!" "Box!" " Oh!" "Black sheets!" " Box, box, bag, bag!" " You're in a real state." "If we haven't got the, you know, upstairs, I mean..." "You can't even open the door." "This is Mrs Clackett's afternoon off." " We've got the place to ourselves." " Look at it!" "I can't believe it." " Perfect for an assignation." " Home!" "The phone was in the garden." " I'll put it back." " Someone's bound to want it." " Put it on the table." " The wire's caught." "Look!" "It's caught round the downstairs bathroom." " I've disentangled it." " I climbed in the window and..." "Oh." " Anyway, our secret hideaway." " The last place anyone will..." "Look for us?" "Yes." "It's funny creeping in like this." " What?" " You're thinking it's damned serious." " Sorry, yes." "Damned serious." " About the Inland Revenue." "Absolutely." "To cut a long story short, I think I'll wash up and go to bed." "But we must talk about the Inland Revenue." "If they find out we're in the country, bang goes our claim to be resident abroad." "Leave those!" " Downstairs!" "Not upstairs!" " The Inland Revenue may hear!" "One moment they're kicking you, the next they expect more sardines." " Mrs Newspaper!" " My heart jumped right out of itself!" " We thought you'd gone." " I thought you were in Sardinia." " We are!" " You haven't seen us." "They brought me a present." "The taxman is after us." " I know who thought of this." " We're off to bed." " Leaves them on the sofa!" " Is it aired?" " I've got a surprise for you!" " No?" "I'll get a hot-water bottle." " No!" "No!" " Let me at her!" " Oh, dear!" " She's left you on your own?" "Must you talk to yourself?" "Has she told you about your letters?" " What?" " The tax letters are in the study." " I say that!" " In the pigeon-house." " The pigeon-house?" " The pigeon-hole!" "Anybody would think you were married." " But I could hear voices." " Voices?" "What sort of voices?" " Box voices..." "People's boxes." " There's no one here." "I saw the door handle move, and these bags, I mean..." "I'm not sure they were, you know, when we went in." "Do you have to put your tie on?" "If someone left them outside," "I mean, they obviously wish them to be downstairs in the..." " Mrs Clockett?" " Could be." "Carrying various things." "Who knows?" "You can't go like that." "Mrs Crackett." "She's irreplaceable." "Well, at least I thanked her properly for the sardines." " Still poking around, are you?" " Yes, still poking." "Still pulling." "Lucky I can't see far with this leg." "Just trying all the doors, checking all the door handles." " Mrs Blackett." " Clackett." " Is there anyone else in the house?" " No one." "I heard boxes..." "I found these voices." " No." " I must have imagined it." "Oh, my God!" "I beg your pardon?" "Oh, my God!" " What is it?" " Oh, my God!" "The study door's open." "They'll need these inside the..." "So I'll just put them outside the..." "Then they can, you know?" "Nothing but flapping doors in this...handle." "Final notice, steps will be taken, foreclosure, proceedings in court..." " Oh, my God!" "Who are you?" " I'm Philip." "You're Philip?" "What happened to you?" "There were sardines on the floor and I slipped." "She's killed him!" "She's killed you!" "No, he's just a bit shaken." "I'll be all right in a minute." "You weren't going to tell me a gentleman had come about the house?" "What?" " A gentleman about the house?" " A gentleman come about the house." " Don't tell me." "I'm not here." " You haven't hurt himself?" "Leave everything to Squire, Squire, Hackham and Poppy." "All right, I'll just sit down and turn on the sardines." "I've forgotten the sardines." "No, I haven't." "I remembered the sardines." "Well, what a surprise!" "I'll just go and fix some more sardines to celebrate." "I didn't get this." "I'm not here." "I'm in Spain." "But if I didn't get it, I didn't open it." "Darling..." " I never had a handle like this." " Didn't you?" "I shouldn't buy anything this brassy." "Or did you give it to me?" " I should never have touched it." " It's lovely." "Stick it down, put it back." "Never saw it." "I'll put it in the attic in case anyone else wants to have a try." "All right." "Now the study door's..." "closed again." "What's going on?" "Knocking!" "Upstairs!" "There's something in the linen..." "Oh, my God!" "Listen, I can't." "I can't because the handle seems to have..." "You'll just have to..." "Come on!" "Whatever's in there..." "Can you hear me, darling?" "There's no need to keep banging." "It won't, you know?" "There's no place to..." "Listen, climb round into the..." "Squeeze through the, you know?" "Shin down the..." "There must be some way." "For God's sake!" "Final notice, steps will be taken, foreclosure, proceedings in court..." " It's you!" " Of course!" "You put me in there with the black sheets." "I put you in there, but you squeezed through." " Why did you lock the door?" " I couldn't." "It's come off." " Someone locked the door." " Sorry." "You can't stand here like that." "I mean, with people going in and out." " OK, I'll take it off." " In here!" "Final notice, steps will be taken, foreclosure, proceedings in court..." " Now what?" " A hot-water box!" "I didn't put it there." "Sorry." "Is someone in the bathroom filling first-aid bottles?" "Darling!" "Darling, are you coming to bed or aren't you?" " What did you say?" " Nothing." "The door handle, the first-water box." " I've got goose pimples." " Get something on." " Under the covers!" " What about the sardines?" "Wait!" "You hear funny things about old houses." "But this one has been modernised." "Nothing creepy could survive..." "What?" "What is it?" "What's happening?" "The sardines!" "They've gone!" "No, they haven't!" "They're here!" "Oh!" "Well!" "My God!" "You put a plate of sardines down for two minutes and the last thing you expect to find, these days..." "You do not expect to find a plate of..." "That's weird." "I'm going to get into bed and put my head under the..." "Because there they are, exactly where I..." " Bag!" " I suppose Mrs Sprockett must have..." " I mean,Jesus!" "What is going on?" " Bag!" " Bag?" " Bag!" "Bag!" " What do you mean?" "Sardines!" " Bag!" "Bag!" "Bag!" " Sardines!" "Sardines!" " Bag!" "Bag!" "Bag!" " Bag!" "Bag!" "Bag!" " Bag?" "What bag?" " No bag!" " No bag?" " Your bag suddenly here, now gone!" " It's in the bedroom." "I put it there." "I'll put it in the bedroom." "Don't go in there!" "The box!" "They've both not gone!" "Where's Mrs Sprockett?" "Wait in the bedroom!" " No!" " Get dressed, then!" " I'm not going in there." " I'll fetch your dress out here." "Your dress has gone." "Don't panic!" "Don't panic!" "There's a rational explanation for this." " This is going to sound silly, but..." " I'm going to clear out the attic." " Are you all right?" " Oh, my God!" " She's killed him." " He's stunned." " Oh, dear." " She put sardines on the stairs." " Don't panic!" " He's all right!" " She'll get you next time." " There's a rational explanation." " I'll fetch Mrs Splodgett." " You have." "I'm here." " She'll tell us what's happening." " No, she won't." "She doesn't know." " I'll tell you." " A man's there." "No, he's not there." "He's here, and so am I." "No, no." "There's no one in the house." "No, I know this is a surprise." "It's quite a shock finding a man lying at the bottom of the stairs." "But now we've all met, we'll just have to introduce ourselves." "This is my husband." "He hates surprises." "So, why don't you get that stuff in the loo that eats through anything?" "Eats through anything." "Right." "Thank you." "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem, but this is ridiculous." "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be prosecuted for incitement." " Come in and join the party, honey." " A burglar!" "This is most exciting." "It's my fault." "I say, "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem,"" "and open this door..." "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be prosecuted for incitement." "Oh, dear." "I've done it again." " It makes me want to weep." " I know." "It's getting like a funeral." " When I think I used to do banks." "Just keep going!" "When I remember I used to do bullion vaults." "What am I doing now?" "Breaking into paper bags." " Keep going." " I thought the coast was clear." " I saw him go through." " We'll think of something." "I was listening." "What's it he says?" "I've heard of getting stuck with a problem, but this is ridiculous." "No bars, no burglar alarms." "They should be prosecuted for incitement." " Oh, no!" " They always come in threes." "When I think I used to do banks." "When I remember I used to do bullion vaults." "Hold on!" "We know this man!" "He's not a burglar, he's our social worker!" "He's that nice man who comes and tells us what to do." " I've been working on Hamlet." " You think he needs it more?" " He's playing the burglar now?" " No." " Let me think..." "Fetch the sardines." " I've fetched the sardines." " You have?" " She's fetched the sardines." " Get the tax demand." " He has." "All right." "I suggest, I suggest..." " What's he saying?" " He's saying, "Ring the police!"" "Ring the police!" "It's for you." " No phone!" " Get the phone." " Here's the phone." " We've found the phone!" " Pick it up!" " Pick it up!" "It's the police." "I'll just tell them a young woman is missing." "It's in the garden now, and it's a man!" "Oh, it's her!" "We forgot all about her." " No, he almost saw me." " What do you think of that?" "I've got to get the 8.40 to New York." "Ah!" "House of heavenly peace." "I rent it." " Oh, it's the other one!" " In her wedding dress." "Yes, yes!" "It's their wedding day." "What a happy ending." "To the first act." "Of their new life together." "They just want to be alone, if only someone would pull the shades." " Come in?" " It's the bride's mother." " Go out?" " Pull the shades!" "Last line!" " I'll tell you one thing, Vicki." " What's that, Dad?" "When all around is uncertainty, there's nothing like a good, old-fashioned plate of...curtain!" "What's this?" "Only one thing we're missing now:" "a plate of..." "Sardines!" "Bravo!" "Yes!" "I did it!" "We did it!" "My wonderful cast!" "I knew we'd make it." "Never doubted it for a moment." "Let me tell you, you are a wonderful stage-door keeper." "Look at these two." "Don't they make a wonderful couple?" "Tim's wonderful, she's wonderful, whoever she is." "Poppy's wonderful, the baby's going to be wonderful." "We're all wonderful." "I'm wonderful." "That's all it takes for success.:" "wonderful actors, teamwork, dedication, six months on the road, professionalism." "Plus something else - I think some kind of miracle." "Don't forget the miracle." "And by the way, another funny thing happened on the road." "I didn't tell you about this one." "You don't believe this?" "Neither do I." "Never seen anything like it." "But what did Shakespeare say?" "There's no business like show business" "Like no business I know" | Mid | [
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MOGADISHU, Somalia - Qatar, one of the world's richest countries evacuated of some of the victims wounded in Mogadishu truck bombing to Sudan on Tuesday for treatment, Garowe Online reports. The government of Qatar has dispatched a plane with medical supplies to Mogadishu, two days after more than 300 people were killed and about 400 injured in the deadliest attack in Somalia’s history. High-ranking Officials from Qatar and several Somali Federal Ministers posed for a photo-group during the evacuation of the wounded at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport. The Gulf nation airlifted 23 people, with severe wounds to Sudan, who were admitted to hospitals with no better healthcare services, food, air conditioners, and medicine, according to sources spoke to GO. Questions have been asked on why Qatar, a close ally to Somali Federal Government has neglected the wounds and transported them to poor hospitals in Sudan, instead of the modern hospitals in Doha. After reaching out to Emergency Response group "Gurmad252" in Mogadishu, numerous officials from Qatar, Sudan and Somali Embassy in Khartoum have visited the patients and assured to solve their issue. "The situation of the wounded in Sudan is alarming as they were admitted to low-quality hospitals, with no air conditioners, some of them have no even toilets," said a student, who asked not to be named. The ignored victims are expected to be relocated to private hospitals on Thursday. Yusuf Garaad Omar, the Federal Minister of foreign affairs said in a Facebook post that he was informed about the matter and will act quickly to deal with it. Omar thanked Somali ambassador to Sudan and Qatari diplomats for fixing the victims' concerns. Meanwhile, Sudanese health minister, Mamoun Humaida has confirmed the death of one of the victims who had succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival in Sudan. The minister said 82 people seriously injured by Saturday’s truck-bombing in Mogadishu are now set to receive treatment at different hospitals in Khartoum. Somali students studying in Sudan told GO that they will help their wounded brothers and sisters brought to Sudan by Qatar get full medical care if their current situation remains unsolved until today. Pundits believe that Qatar's role in the evacuation of the victims of Saturday's truck bomb blast at Km-5 junction in Mogadishu is "politically motivated" after Somalia stayed neutral on Gulf diplomatic crises. Senior officials at Villa Somalia, the country's Presidential palace who have a good relationship with Qatar are being accused of fuelling the political tension in the horn of Africa divided over GCC rift. GAROWE ONLINE | Low | [
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Phytorelax Multi Vitamin A+C+E Vitamin Body Milk is made from vegetable oils, enriched with multivitamins A+C+E from freshly pressed juices. It helps skin recover its natural luminosity and softness. The soft emulsion is light and pleasant to massage. Perfectly blends with the skin ensuring an instant feeling of comfort. Especially suitable for dry and dehydrated skin. | Mid | [
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012 "I can not thank Mike enough for what he has done for the Tenley Foundation! Mike never wavered from the moment he contacted us. He showed extreme determination and put forth an effort like no other man I have seen. Mike is a man of great integrity, and did nothing other than what he set out to do. He ran every bit of that 435 miles across the Idaho terrain. He is a survivor and it shows in his incredible spirit. No comments: Post a Comment Click on the Link to Donate: The Tenley Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aides children who are fighting cancer. We provide relief for families, promote social welfare by raising childhood cancer awareness and assist families with medical costs when possible. For more information about Tenley and her friends visit http://idahofighters.blogspot.com/ | Mid | [
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Q: Convert Ruby String to Integer with default value Is there a Ruby method that takes a string and a default value and converts it to integer if the string represents integer or returns the default value otherwise? update I think the following answer is preferable: class String def try_to_i(default = nil) /^\d+$/ === self ? to_i : default end end Here is evidence why you should avoid exceptions: > def time; t = Time.now; yield; Time.now - t end > time { 1000000.times { |i| ('_' << i.to_s) =~ /\d+/ } } => 1.3491532 > time { 1000000.times { |i| Integer.new('_' << i.to_s) rescue nil } } => 27.190596426 A: There's #to_i and Integer() to convert. The first has a default of 0, the second one raises an ArgumentError. class String def to_integer(default) Integer(self) rescue ArgumentError default end end A: You will have to code that yourself, possibly using a regular expression to check the string: def try_to_i(str, default = nil) str =~ /^-?\d+$/ ? str.to_i : default end | Low | [
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Q: Add class properties in list and View in loop I have class 'Product' with three properties. It simple console application where user gives three records and it goes in list. I create list from class product but some reason its going to infinite entry! I don't know what I am doing wrong using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace ConsoleApplication5 { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { Product obj1 = new Product(); } } class Product { public int ID { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } public string Price { get; set; } public Product() { Console.WriteLine("Enter Product Name: "); string name = Console.ReadLine(); Console.WriteLine("Enter Product Price: "); string price = Console.ReadLine(); List<Product> MyList = new List<Product>(); MyList.Add(new Product() { ID = 1, Name = name, Price = price }); foreach(var item in MyList) { Console.WriteLine("ID "+item.ID + " Name "+item.Name); } } //end product class } A: using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; using System.Threading.Tasks; namespace ConsoleApplication5 { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { List<Product> MyList = new List<Product>(); Console.WriteLine("Enter Product Name: "); string name = Console.ReadLine(); Console.WriteLine("Enter Product Price: "); string price = Console.ReadLine(); MyList.Add(new Product{ ID = 1, Name = name, Price = price }); foreach(var item in MyList) { Console.WriteLine("ID "+item.ID + " Name "+item.Name); } Console.WriteLine("End of Program; Press Enter to Exit"); Console.ReadLine(); } } public class Product { public int ID { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } public string Price { get; set; } public Product() { } } //end product class } You generally don't have UI interaction within a data class. Might I suggest you work through Rob Miles Yellow Book, it is a good book for learning how to program C# for the first time. | Low | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mobile terminal and operation method for the same that collects and stores information related to usage of various functions. 2. Description of the Related Art A mobile terminal supports various user functions beyond voice communication based on mobility. Recently, mobile terminals have entered into widespread use because of convenience combined with the plurality of functions provided in a single piece of portable equipment. A mobile terminal is equipped with specific functional modules to support various user functions. For example, the mobile terminal may include a file search module for playing back stored image files, an MP3 player module for playing back music files, and a camera module for capturing images. These modules support corresponding user functions that are activated according to explicit control of the user. A mobile terminal can also have access to various functions and may be a native electronic device without explicit control of the user. Hence, there is a need in the art to develop an operation that enables the user to use a desired one of various services provided by the mobile terminal in a convenient and intelligent manner. | Low | [
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Family visitation in greek intensive care units: nurses' perspective. Policies of flexible and open visiting in intensive care units benefit both patients and patients' families. In Greek intensive care units, gaps exist between evidence and practice for family visitation, resulting in restricted visiting policies. To explore the beliefs of nurses in Greek intensive care units about the effects of visiting on patients, patients' families, and unit staff and nurses' attitudes toward visiting policies. A descriptive correlational survey was conducted in 6 public hospitals in Athens, Greece, with a sample of 143 critical care nurses. Data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 3 validated scales to assess the nurses' beliefs about and attitudes toward visitation. Generally, nurses were resistant to family visiting and open visiting, and most (94.4%) did not want an open policy in their unit. Nurses think that open visiting policies are supportive for patients and patients families, but the overall effects of visiting depend on both the nurse and the patient (91.6%). Nurses reported that open visiting created increased physical and psychological burdens for them (87.5%) and hampered nursing care (75.5%). Years of work experience, staffing level, and number of night shifts worked by nurses per 15 days were factors predictive of nurses' attitudes toward and beliefs about family visitation. Nurses' beliefs about and attitudes toward visitation are important factors in the implementation of more flexible visiting policies in Greek intensive care units. Well-staffed units with experienced nurses and fewer shifts per week may affect nurses' negative attitude toward open visitation. | Mid | [
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Introduction {#Sec1} ============ Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) {#Sec2} ------------------------------------ CBCT is a radiographic investigation that creates a three-dimensional image of the exposure site. Developed in the early 1990s, it is increasingly being used in dentistry for various indications. The European Commission has formed the SEDENTEXCT guidelines for radiation protection in CBCT for dental radiology (2012) and a number of other dental specialties have developed specific guidelines ([@CR12]; Isaacson et al. [@CR8]). There are several justifications and clinical indications for the use of CBCT in paediatric dentistry, indicated by *SEDENTEXCT*, which include assessment of the localised developing dentition, assessment of the generalised developing dentition, dental trauma, surgical assessment and endodontic application. Hidalgo-Rivas et al. ([@CR7]) found that the most common indication for CBCT examinations in children and young people in United Kingdom (UK) dental hospitals was the localisation of impacted teeth and the detection of root resorption; similarly Van Acker et al. ([@CR15]\]) found that 36% of the CBCT examinations in their study were prescribed to assess the localized developing dentition. The majority of these examinations were undertaken for orthodontic purpose. Furthermore, Marcu et al. ([@CR10]) found the most common justification for CBCT imaging in paediatric patients was for the evaluation of dental anomalies which included monitoring for tooth eruption, treatment planning and orthodontics. Although CBCT has advantages compared to two-dimensional imaging, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) states that the use of CBCT in paediatric patients is of particular concern due to their higher radio sensitivity and smaller size. It generates a higher effective dose in paediatric tissues compared to plain films and has increased stochastic biological effects compared to adults (Aps [@CR2]). It is therefore imperative that as paediatric dentists, a CBCT investigation is clearly justified with careful consideration of how it could impact the patients' treatment, following the principles of IRMER (The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IRMER) No 1322, [@CR14]). Clinical indications in paediatric dentistry {#Sec3} -------------------------------------------- Whilst there are European guidelines (SEDENTEXCT) and cumulative literature focused on CBCT use in paediatric patients, there is limited literature as to when and why paediatric dentists require CBCT images. Giray et al. ([@CR6]) conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire concluding that about a third of the paediatric dentists who responded had no knowledge of CBCT. Those who did use CBCT imaging, cited their most common reason for use was for pathology of the jaw; whereas Mizban et al. ([@CR11]) found the most common reason for a paediatric dentistry consultant to request a CBCT was for unerupted teeth. There are no other studies to our knowledge that investigate the trends of paediatric dentists using CBCT. The aim of this cross-regional service evaluation was to assess the current practice of CBCT imaging within paediatric dental departments in Northern England. Objectives include:Identify the trends of CBCT investigations over four years.Compare clinical indications for CBCT requested by paediatric consultants.Compare the diagnostic findings from the CBCT examinations.Audit compliance of CBCT justifications to the standards set by SEDENTEXCT.Assess whether the use of CBCT affected the treatment plan for each individual patient. Methods {#Sec4} ======= The project was registered with the relevant clinical effectiveness units and approval was granted. Patient records were anonymised during data collection and patient confidentiality ensured. A pilot study was conducted which evaluated 3 years of CBCT referral data at hospital site one (H1), and the results demonstrated that CBCTs were increasingly being requested (Gallichan and Albadri [@CR5]). A service evaluation was then conducted by a cross-regional network of paediatric dental departments in Northern England. In the retrospective analysis of CBCT examinations taken over a four-year period between January 2015 and January 2019, children aged 16 or under were included and the CBCT examinations must have been requested by paediatric dental specialists and not by any other specialty. The age of patient at the time of exposure, clinical indication, region of interest (ROI) and diagnostic findings were identified using digital radiographic programme, Carestream PACS software. Clinical notes were also used to identify whether the CBCT had an effect on the patient treatment plan and any documented description of how it affected the treatment plan was noted and analysed. The clinical indication for each exam was recorded and grouped using the standards set by SEDENTEXCT ([@CR13]): localised developing dentition, generalised developing dentition, dental trauma, endodontics and surgical assessment. ROI was classified in sextants if more than one ROI was requested. Age of the patient was also grouped into one of the three categories, ≤ 6 years, 7--12 years, and 13--16 years. Diagnostic findings were defined as being related to abnormal tooth development, pathology, trauma related, and others including ectopic and failure to erupt. Statistical analysis using IBM SPSS 25 was performed to compare mean age. Results {#Sec5} ======= Demographic data {#Sec6} ---------------- A total of 335 CBCT examinations were requested by paediatric dentists over a four-year period. This represented 3.7% of all CBCTs taken in the dental hospitals and 27% of the total number of CBCTs requested for children aged 16 or under across the three units. The average age of children was 11 years (SD 2.7 years) with a distribution age range between 4 and 16 years (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}). There was no significant difference between the mean age in the three hospitals, which were 11.1 ± 2.8 years (H1), 11.1 ± 2.9 years (H2), and 10.8 ± 2.5 (H3). Paediatric dentists in H2 requested the highest number of CBCTs (164), followed by H1 (129) and H3 (*n* = 42). Tables [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} and [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"} illustrate the distribution of age groups. Age groups were categorised by the average for dentition type; primary dentition (3--6 years), mixed dentition (7--12 years) and permanent dentition (13--16 years). The majority of patients (204, 61%) were in the mixed dentition age group.Fig. 1Distribution of age at the time of CBCT exposure, comparison of three dental hospitalsTable 1Indications for CBCT defined by age categoryIndicationAge groupTotal(%)3--6 years7--12 years13--16 yearsLocalised developing dentition61074215546Generalised developing dentition1102134Dental trauma323194513Surgical assessment442196519Endodontics022355717Total1420411733599Table 2The regions of interest of the 335 CBCT and age group correlation Region of interest was grouped into sextant, defined as: (1) upper anterior, (2) upper right posterior, (3) upper left posterior, (4) lower anterior, (5) lower right posterior, (6) lower left posterior, (7) more than one sextantRegion of interestAge groupTotal3--6 years7--12 years13--16 years17149732292235103188174199195052761671472241339Total14204117335 The number of CBCT examinations increased each year from 45 in 2015 to 117 in 2018 with a generalised increase each year (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). The most significant increase was between 2015 and 2016 when there was an 80% increase from 45 to 81 CBCTs taken across the three dental hospitals.Fig. 2Trends over 4 years for CBCT clinical indications in paediatric patients Clinical indications {#Sec7} -------------------- The clinical indications for CBCT investigations were grouped according to the original request into one of the justifications set by SEDENTEXCT ([@CR13]). The most common clinical indication for CBCT was consistent, to assess localised developing dentition (155, 46%), Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}. Seventy percent of these CBCTs were taken in the mixed dentition age group (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). The least common clinical indication was to assess the generalised developing dentition; however, it was a prevalent indication across each of the four years and each hospital. Region of interest {#Sec8} ------------------ The majority of the investigations were in the maxilla (256, 76%) with a total of 68% (229) taken in the upper labial sextant. This was the most commonly requested sextant in children aged 7--12 years (73% of ROI) and 13--16 years (62% ROI); in children aged 4--6 years, this sextant represented 50% ROI, as shown in Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}. More than one sextant was examined in 39 (11%) of the investigations. Within the mandible, 19 CBCTs examined the anterior sextant, 7 posterior right and 14 posterior left, respectively. Diagnostic findings {#Sec9} ------------------- Diagnostic findings within each CBCT report were categorised into four groups. The most prevalent was an ectopic tooth or supernumery teeth (99, 30%), followed by teeth with abnormal formation or development (86, 26%), and teeth with pathology-associated (84, 25%) and trauma-associated diagnosis (66, 20%). Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. The ratio of each diagnosis at each dental hospital was very similar (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}).Fig. 3Diagnostic findings from CBCT investigations across three dental hospitals Compliance with standards and effect on treatment planning {#Sec10} ---------------------------------------------------------- All CBCT examination requests were deemed to be justifiable according to SEDENTEXCT and therefore complied with the standards. Investigation had a clear documented effect on the treatment planning in 327 cases (97%). There were eight CBCTs where the record-keeping failed to note the CBCT report prior to treatment being implemented, however, from review it was clear that the images had a positive impact on the assisting patient management and treatment. Descriptions of how CBCT affected the treatment was analysed; the overriding reason was the use of CBCT to aid surgical planning, which was evident across all diagnosis. It was particularly relevant when assessing supplemental teeth, cysts and ectopic teeth. Paediatric dentists found that the CBCT confirmed their diagnosis and analysis of proximity to adjacent local structures, and therefore aided their surgical approach. Analysis also identified how treatment plans were changed because of the use of CBCT. This was most applicable in trauma related cases where the CBCT identified additional findings which had not been clear in 2D images such as resorption, additional fractures, and in some cases, the CBCT rejected those findings which were questioned in 2D images. Finally, CBCTs aided the planning of multidisciplinary cases. Discussion {#Sec11} ========== Trends over 4 years {#Sec12} ------------------- There are limited publications studying how paediatric dentists use CBCT. This study included CBCTs which were requested by a named consultant in paediatric dentistry only. It is noted that all three dental hospitals involved in this study are based in the North of England and therefore results may not be generalizable. However, these three dental hospitals have a mixed demographic of patients and a mix of academic and hospital staff, and therefore, they are likely to provide a reasonable sample of the UK dental hospitals. A recent service evaluation at a London-based dental hospital also only included CBCTs requested by paediatric dental specialists and found that the mean age of subjects was 11.5 years and the most common clinical indication for the CBCT examinations was the assessment of unerupted teeth (Mizban et al. [@CR11]). This supports the findings of the present study and echoes the authors' comment when comparing another UK-based service evaluation (Hidalgo-Rivas et al. [@CR7]) which assessed CBCT in paediatric patients. They found the mean age to be 13.1 years; however, the study was not specific to paediatric dentistry and therefore, the mean age could be higher due to an older cohort of patients requiring CBCT associated with orthodontics. Furthermore, both previous studies included patients aged 17 compared to this study which excluded 17-year-old patients because referrals to the paediatric department are only accepted up to 16 years. This could have affected the mean age in the present study. One dental hospital in the study had significantly less CBCT investigations requested by paediatric dentists, a total of 42 CBCT examinations. This was due to a staffing shortage of radiologists. Radiology departments are facing increased pressure which can cause long waiting times for patients to have a CBCT examination. Although there is a clear increasing trend of CBCT use in paediatric dentistry, the ratio of CBCT investigations requested by paediatric dentists is limited compared to other specialties. Only 27% of all CBCTs taken in patients aged 16 and under were requested by paediatric dentists, indicating that the majority of paediatric patients' CBCTs are taken for orthodontic purposes. In all three units, CBCT requests are vetted by a Dental and Maxillofacial Radiologist to ensure they are justifiable. There are increased radiation risks associated with CBCT in children compared to adults, and the comparison to other specialties and adults highlights how paediatric dentists have remained conservative and vigilant when ordering CBCTs. Clinical indications and ROI {#Sec13} ---------------------------- The most common indication for requesting a CBCT was to investigate the local developing dentition and when examined within age group categories, this remained consistent in all age groups 4--6, 7--12 and 13--16 years (50%, 73%, 62%) and was succinct with the findings from other studies (Barba et al. [@CR3]; Mizban et al. [@CR11]). The divison of clinical indications was further divided into different groups for these studies whereby in the present study assessment of the localised developing dentiton group included teeth with root resoption unrelated to dental trauma, bony pathology, supernumeries and unerupted teeth. SEDENTEXCT ([@CR13]) list three main justifications for CBCT: developing dentition, restoring the dentition and surgical applications. This study divided developing dention into two subgroups: generalised and localised as well as dividing restoring the dentiton into two subgroups: dental trauma and endodontic uses. The authors recognise that more data could be sought by dividing clinical indications into further localised justifiable subcategories. A study by Barba et al. ([@CR3]) found that within a population sample in San Jose, Costa Rica 100% (*n* = 16) patients \< 12 years had a CBCT of the anterior maxilla; however, the most scanned region of interest in adolescents (*n* = 20) was equal in the anterior maxilla, posterior maxilla and posterior mandibular. However, this was a much smaller cohort of paediatric patients compared to both the present study and the study by Hidalgo-Rivas et al. ([@CR7]) which found that the most common ROI in paediatric patients is the maxillary canine and incisor region. This study includes the largest cohort of paediatric patients (\< 16 years) referred for CBCT examinations to the best of the authors knowledge. It is also novel in investigating the trends of CBCT investigations taken over a 4-year period, across three UK dental hospitals; providing insight into the use of CBCT in paediatric dentistry. Diagnostic findings {#Sec14} ------------------- This study supports the findings from a (single unit) similar service evaluation by Mizban et al. ([@CR11]) who found that CBCT can significantly change the diagnoses and opinions in teeth with dental trauma and pathology associated with developmental anomalies. The impact that CBCT has on treatment planning also supports a statement by IATD ([@CR4]) on CBCT: it provides improved visualisation of traumatic dental injuries, particularly root fractures and lateral luxation injuries, monitoring of healing, and complications. In relation to management of cases including root resorption, it was found that CBCT has a positive impact on effecting management, supported by the European Society of Endodontology (Patel et al. [@CR12]). Compliance to standards and effect on treatment planning {#Sec15} -------------------------------------------------------- There is a pattern of similarity in the use of CBCT examinations in paediatric dental patients. All dental hospitals displayed a variety of indications for CBCT and the quantity taken is increasing to assist treatment planning but more often to enable improved surgical planning. All CBCTs taken in 2018 across all dental hospitals had a documented effect on treatment planning, and this could be a result of the disseminated results of previous audit that led to quality improvement. Furthermore, all CBCT requests in the dental hospitals involved are monitored and the prescriptions are assessed by a radiologist. This ensures the units adhere to IRMER (The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IRMER) No 1322, [@CR14]), keeping exposures as low as reasonably possible (ALARP). Clinical records were analysed retrospectively, however, it was difficult to assess what the original treatment plan or opinion was prior to the CBCT. The records usually raised a question or highlighted two options and the CBCT helped in the decision making. Alqerban et al. ([@CR1]) found that the orthodontist had a higher confidence level in the treatment planning of impacted canines when the CBCT was available compared to 2D images. Thematic analysis of the CBCT records identified themes, the most significant theme was to aid surgical planning and to confirm diagnosis. This could suggest that CBCT also increases confidence levels in paediatric dentists in decision making. This study is based in a dental hospital where access to CBCT can be readily available. However, paediatric dental specialists' also practice in community dental services and private practices. Further research is necessary to understand the use of CBCT by paediatric dentists in all settings and its effect on their treatment planning. A questionnaire conducted by the members of EAPD and TSPD (Turkish Society of Paediatric Dentistry) reported that 36% of the paediatric dentists had no knowledge of CBCT, and the majority of dentists cited the reason for using CBCT to be for the pathology of the jaws (Giray et al. [@CR6]). Conclusion {#Sec16} ========== This study is unique in identifying key trends across several UK dental hospitals. CBCT are increasingly utilised in UK paediatric dental departments, most commonly to assess localised developing dentition. Despite the increase, requests for CBCTs in paediatric dental departments only represent a small percentage of CBCTs in paediatric patients (27%) and in all patients (3.7%). Following the EAPD symposium, May 2019, new guidelines are being created and the results of this project can support these guidelines. **Publisher\'s Note** Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Thanks to Mr P Nixon, consultant DMFR and Mr L Feinberg, StR DMFR at Liverpool University Dental Hospital. Radiology Departments of University Dental Hospital of Manchester and Newcastle Dental Hospital. Ethical approval was not required, as each dental hospital involved registered it as a service evaluation with the appropriate hospital NHS trust and gained approval. | Mid | [
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HIT AND MISS: Kirk Nieuwenhuis leaps into Scott Hairston’s arms in celebration after hitting an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mets a 3-2 victory and a series sweep over the Marlins. But the news was not all good, as Mike Pelfrey learned he likely will have season-ending elbow surgery. Photo: Getty Images In typically maddening fashion, the Mets continue to follow the terrific with the terrible, to temper good news that makes them celebrate with terrible news that leaves them somber. Yesterday, that meant following a come-from-behind, sweep-clinching 3-2 win over Jose Reyes and the Marlins with the likely loss of Mike Pelfrey for the season. Starting nine homegrown players for only the third time in their history (and the first time since Sept. 19, 1971, according to the Elias Sports Bureau), the Mets saw Justin Turner work Heath Bell for an impressive 13-pitch, bases-loaded walk to drive in the game-tying run in ninth, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis stroke a two-out walk-off RBI single to win it. “Any time you have that many players from one farm system, playing with those guys down in the minor leagues and seeing them up here is really cool,’’ said Nieuwenhuis. “Beating those guys and heading into Colorado, it gives us momentum.’’ As his hit sliced away from right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, Nieuwenhuis rounded first base with his right fist thrust aloft, and jumped into the arms of Scott Hairston as the Mets celebrated their sixth come-from-behind win of the year. “In the ninth inning, that situation, that’s what every kid dreams about, but they probably dream about hitting it out of the park, not drawing a walk,’’ said Turner. “Everyone believes in each other. Everyone knows we’re in this locker room for a reason: We can all play. They made a big deal of having nine homegrown players on the field to start the game. It’s nine pretty good players that a lot of clubs would be happy to have on their team.’’ The homegrown Mets managed a statement sweep against the big-spending Marlins, who watched their $58 million pitcher Mark Buehrle lose Wednesday, their $27 million closer Bell implode yesterday and Jose Reyes, their $106 million prized shortstop, who was booed lustily by bitter Mets fans, go hitless yesterday and just 1-for-12 in the sweep. “[Owner] Jeff Wilpon was in there and I told him he should be very proud, to see nine homegrown players out there,” manager Terry Collins said. “And when that game started, there were 10: Jose Reyes was in the batter’s box. That is a tribute to the scouts and the player development here. “We played very good and it starts on the hill. We got great pitching this series, tremendous pitching. … Jon [Niese] pitched really well. He deserved a [win], but he did what a starter is supposed to do and that’s keep you in the game with a chance to win.’’ Niese held Miami to just four hits and two runs in a season-high seven innings. But he was losing a pitcher’s duel with Ricky Nolasco (one run on five hits in seven innings) and the Mets trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth before rallying. David Wright drew a leadoff walk, and Ike Davis and Josh Thole followed with one-out walks to load the bases. Turner fell behind 0-2 but fouled off seven pitches from Bell (0-3) while working the count full. His walk tied it, and after Hairston grounded into a force at the plate, Nieuwenhuis’ slicing single made a winner of Ramon Ramirez (2-1). “[It was] beautiful. Turner’s at-bat was tremendous. It was so fun to watch. It’s just great,’’ said Niese. “I was in here watching on the TV, but it was nerve-wracking. My hands are numb from clapping so hard.’’ General manager Sandy Alderson added: “It was an unusual circumstance with all the players in the lineup being homegrown, and a testament to the players that were signed and developed under [former GM] Omar [Minaya].’’ | Mid | [
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142 F.Supp.2d 534 (2001) Maria AGUINDA, et al., Plaintiffs, v. TEXACO, INC., Defendant. Gabriel Ashanga Jota, et al., Plaintiffs, v. Texaco, Inc., Defendant. Nos. 93 CIV. 7527, 94 CIV. 9266. United States District Court, S.D. New York. May 30, 2001. *535 *536 Cristobal Bonifaz, Law Offices of Cristobal Bonifaz, Amherst, MA, Martin J. D'Urso, Joseph C. Kohn, Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C., Philadelphia, PA, for Plaintiffs. George S. Branch, Daniel J. King, King & Spalding, Atlanta, GA, Milton Schubin, Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays & Handler, LLP, Ronald Minkoff, Beldoch Levine & Hoffman LLP, Jonathan S. Abady, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, New York City, for Defendant. OPINION AND ORDER RAKOFF, District Judge. Pending before the Court is the renewed motion of defendant Texaco to dismiss these cases in favor of their being pursued in the courts of Ecuador (or in the courts of Peru by any Peruvian plaintiff who prefers *537 that forum). Because Texaco has carried its burden on every element of the motion, and because the record establishes overwhelmingly that these cases have everything to do with Ecuador and nothing to do with the United States, the Court grants the motion and dismisses the cases on the ground of forum non conveniens. Familiarity with the facts and prior proceedings in these cases is here assumed. See, e.g., Aquinda v. Texaco, Inc., 945 F.Supp. 625 (S.D.N.Y.1996), reconsid. denied, 175 F.R.D. 50 (S.D.N.Y.1997), vacated sub nomine, Jota v. Texaco, Inc., 157 F.3d 153 (2d Cir.1998). To recapitulate briefly, plaintiffs in the Aquinda suit are 76 residents of the Oriente region of Ecuador and plaintiffs in the Ashanga suit are 23 residents of the adjoining area in Peru (and four related organizations), each group of plaintiffs purporting to sue on behalf of a corresponding class of thousands of such residents. See Complaint, Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., 1994 WL 142006 (S.D.N.Y. April 11, 1994) ("Aguinda Compl."), at ¶¶ 3-4 & Exs. B, C, D; Complaint, Ashanga v. Texaco, Inc., 94 Civ. 9266 ("Ashanga Compl."), at ¶¶ 3, 13. Neither lawsuit alleges any injury to persons, property, or commerce in the United States. Instead, plaintiffs allege they "have or will suffer property damage, personal injuries, and increased risk of disease," Aguinda Compl. ¶ 11, in Ecuador and Peru respectively, as a result of negligent or otherwise improper oil piping and waste disposal practices that were initiated several decades ago, on lands owned by the Republic of Ecuador, by a consortium (the "Consortium") in which Texaco held an indirect interest. See Ashanga Compl. ¶¶ 6-7; Aguinda Compl. ¶¶ 6-7; Defendant Texaco, Inc.'s Appendix of Affidavits, Documents and Other Authorities in Support of Its Renewed Motions to Dismiss ("Texaco App."), Ex. 2, Affidavit of Texaco Petroleum Co. ("TexPet Aff."), at ¶ 7. No present or former member of the Consortium is a party to these lawsuits. That includes the Government of Ecuador, which, either directly or through the state-owned corporation PetroEcuador, regulated the Consortium from the outset, acquired a minority stake in 1974, acquired full operational control in 1990, and acquired exclusive ownership in 1992. See, e.g., Jota, 157 F.3d at 156; Texaco App., Ex. 2, TexPet Aff. at ¶¶ 6-10 & Ex. B; Texaco App., Ex. 3, Deposition of William C. Benton ("Benton Dep.") at 201. Not only is the Government of Ecuador not named as a party but also it cannot be sued as a third-party defendant, since it has now formally affirmed that it will not waive sovereign immunity with respect to these cases, see infra. Even before the Government of Ecuador took complete control of the Consortium, Texaco's only interest consisted of its indirect investment in Texaco Petroleum Company ("TexPet"), a Delaware corporation and fourth-tier subsidiary of Texaco, which initially operated the petroleum concession for the Consortium and held varying interests in the Consortium until 1992. See Jota, 157 F.3d at 156; TexPet Aff. at ¶¶ 2, 3, 10. But TexPet, though sued in the courts of Ecuador, see infra, is not named as a party here. Instead, the sole defendant is Texaco, based on broad but conclusory allegations that Texaco directly controlled the Consortium's activities from the United States, see Aguinda Compl. at ¶¶ 2, 28; Ashanga Compl. at ¶¶ 11, 25. Faced with similar allegations in a parallel action brought against Texaco by some of the same plaintiffs as here, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas dismissed the case in favor of its being pursued in the courts of Ecuador. See *538 Sequihua v. Texaco, Inc., 847 F.Supp. 61, 63 (S.D.Tex.1994). Here, however, the late Judge Broderick (to whom these cases were originally assigned) while expressing doubts that these suits would survive a similar motion to dismiss, see Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., 1994 WL 142006, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 11, 1994) allowed plaintiffs to conduct considerable discovery as to the alleged Texaco involvement. Nonetheless, the plaintiffs, after taking numerous depositions and obtaining responses to no fewer than 81 document requests and 143 interrogatories, were unable to adduce material competent evidence of meaningful Texaco involvement in the misconduct complained of to the point that plaintiffs essentially stipulated as much. See Texaco App., Ex. 21, Stipulation and Order, Aguinda v. Texaco Inc., 93 Civ. 7527, dated July 12, 1995. Accordingly, this judge (to whom the cases were ultimately reassigned following Judge Broderick's death) dismissed the cases on the ground, inter alia, of forum non conveniens. See Aquinda v. Texaco, Inc., 945 F.Supp. 625 (S.D.N.Y.1996), reconsid. denied, 175 F.R.D. 50 (S.D.N.Y.1997); Ashanga v. Texaco, Inc., 94 Civ. 9266 (judgment, Aug. 13, 1997). The Court of Appeals reversed, however, finding, so far as forum non conveniens was concerned, that the district court had failed to obtain "a commitment by Texaco to submit to the jurisdiction of the Ecuadoran courts for purposes of this action" and, further, had relied too heavily on the determinations of the District Court for the Southern District of Texas in weighing the factors relevant to a forum non conveniens dismissal. Jota, 157 F.3d at 159. Following remand, Texaco provided the missing commitment to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Ecuador (and Peru, as well) and then renewed its motion to dismiss on ground of forum non conveniens. After receiving further briefing from the parties and obtaining clarification from the Government of Ecuador as to its current posture respecting these lawsuits, cf. Jota, 157 F.3d at 160, this Court, by Order dated January 21, 2000, indicated that it was leaning toward granting the motion but would defer ruling in order to give the plaintiffs the chance to reopen an issue they had previously abandoned, i.e., whether the courts of Ecuador (and/or Peru) are sufficiently independent and impartial to provide the requisite modicum of due process. See Bridgeway Corp. v. Citibank, 201 F.3d 134, 141-42 & n. 1 (2d Cir.2000). After briefing on this issue was completed, the matter was further delayed by plaintiffs' mandamus petition to the Court of Appeals seeking this Court's recusal. That petition having now been denied, see In re Aguinda, 241 F.3d 194, 2000 WL 33182244 (2d Cir. Feb. 23, 2001), and plaintiffs' further petition for rehearing en banc of that denial having also been denied by order of the Court of Appeals filed May 29, 2001, the Court is now free to rule on the pending motion. To prevail on a motion to dismiss on the ground of forum non conveniens, a defendant must demonstrate (1) that there exists an adequate alternative forum, see DiRienzo v. Philip Servs. Corp., 232 F.3d 49, 56 (2d Cir.2000); Evolution Online Sys., Inc. v. Koninklijke PTT Nederland N.V., 145 F.3d 505, 510 (2d Cir.1998); PT United Can Co. v. Crown Cork & Seal Co., 138 F.3d 65, 73 (2d Cir.1998), and (2) that the ordinarily strong presumption favoring the plaintiff's chosen forum is overcome by a balance of the relevant factors of private and public interest weighing heavily in favor of the alternative forum, see Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 255-57, 102 S.Ct. 252, 70 L.Ed.2d 419 (1981), reh'g denied, 455 U.S. 928, 102 S.Ct. 1296, *539 71 L.Ed.2d 474 (1982); Gulf Oil Corp. v. Gilbert, 330 U.S. 501, 508-10, 67 S.Ct. 839, 91 L.Ed. 1055 (1947) ("Gilbert"); DiRienzo, 232 F.3d at 56-57; PT United Can Co., 138 F.3d at 73-74. The requirement of an adequate alternative forum "[o]rdinarily ... will be satisfied when the defendant is `amenable to process' in the other jurisdiction." Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 255 n. 22, 102 S.Ct. 252 (quoting Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 506-07, 67 S.Ct. 839); see also Blanco v. Banco Industrial de Venezuela, S.A., 997 F.2d 974, 980 (2d Cir.1993). Furthermore, "[a]n agreement by the defendant to submit to the jurisdiction of the foreign forum can generally satisfy this requirement." DiRienzo, 232 F.3d at 57; see also Jota, 157 F.3d at 159. Here, Texaco has now unambiguously agreed in writing to being sued on these claims (or their Ecuadorian equivalents) in Ecuador, to accept service of process in Ecuador, and to waive for 60 days after the date of this dismissal any statute of limitations-based defenses that may have matured since the filing of the instant Complaints. See Texaco Inc.'s Memorandum of Law In Support of Its Renewed Motions to Dismiss Based on Forum Non Conveniens and International Comity ("Def.'s Mem.") at 12-13; Texaco App., Exs. 18 & 19, Texaco Inc.'s Notice of Agreements in Satisfying Forum Non Conveniens and International Comity Conditions; transcript of hearing on defendant's renewed motion to dismiss, Feb. 1, 1999 ("Tr.") at 5. Though not required to do so by the Court of Appeals, Texaco has also provided identical assurances with respect to a Peruvian forum, should any of the Peruvian residents in Ashanga prefer that forum. See Def.'s Mem. at 12-13; Texaco App., Ex. 19. While plaintiffs argue that these commitments by Texaco do not extend beyond the named plaintiffs to other, unnamed members of the putative classes, this is not a reasonable reading of the commitments and the Court does not so construe them. Lest there be any doubt, however, the Court directs that if Texaco does not agree that these commitments extend, mutatis mutandis, to all members of the putative classes, it must so inform the Court in writing within three business days of receiving this Opinion and Order, in which case the Court will re-open the otherwise final dismissal of these cases. Even though, as mentioned, such submission by a defendant to being sued in a foreign forum is normally sufficient in itself to satisfy the threshold requirement of an adequate alternative forum in a motion to dismiss on grounds of forum non conveniens, plaintiffs, in their opposition to defendant's instant motion, raise several additional objections to the adequacy of an Ecuadorian forum. The first is that "Ecuador Is Not An Adequate Forum Because Its Jurisprudence, For All Practical Purposes, Does Not Recognize Tort Claims." Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Reply to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint, dated Jan. 25, 1999 ("Pls.' Jan. 25, 1999 Mem.") at 5. Rather remarkably, this argument ignores the undisputed evidence that certain members of the putative Aguinda class, as well as three affected Ecuadorian municipalities, have already brought tort actions in the Ecuadorian courts, on some of the very claims here alleged, against TexPet, Petroecuador and other present or former members of the Consortium, and have, in some of these cases, obtained tort judgments in plaintiffs' favor. See Texaco App., Ex. 14, Affidavit of Dr. Vicente Bermeo Lañas at ¶ 13; Texaco App., Ex. 15, Affidavit of Dr. Rodrigo Perez Pallares ("Perez Aff.") at ¶ 4 & Ex. A; see also Texaco App., Ex. 13, Affidavit of Dr. Adolfo Callejas Ribadeneira, dated Dec. 28, 1998 ("Callejas Aff. I") at ¶¶ 2-5 *540 & Exs. A D; Texaco, Inc.'s Reply Memorandum of Law in Support of Its Renewed Motions to Dismiss Based on Forum Non Conveniens and International Comity ("Def.'s Reply Mem."), Ex. 1, Affidavit of Dr. Adolfo Callejas Ribadeneira, dated Jan. 22, 1999 ("Callejas Aff. II") at ¶¶ 3-4 & Ex. A. Likewise, although unrelated to the particular claims here made, numerous Ecuadorian oilfield workers have brought personal injury suits against TexPet in Ecuador based on claims of alleged negligence and have prevailed in several of these cases. See Perez Aff., Exs. A, B. More generally, section 2241 of the Ecuadorian Civil Code expressly provides that persons injured in their person or property by another's negligence or intentional wrongdoing may sue in the Ecuadorian courts for monetary damages and equitable relief. See Texaco App., Ex. 10, Affidavit of Dr. Enrique Ponce y Carbo ("Ponce y Carbo Aff.") at ¶¶ 12-14; see also Delgado v. Shell Oil Co., 890 F.Supp. 1324, 1359-60 (S.D.Tex.1995), aff'd, 231 F.3d 165 (5th Cir.2000). Plaintiffs concede as much, but nevertheless assert, through their "legal expert," that "very few such actions are filed in the [Ecuadorian] courts." See Plaintiffs' Appendix of Affidavits, Documents and Other Authorities in Opposition of [sic] Texaco's Motions to Dismiss, Ex. 79, Affidavit of Alberto Wray ("Wray Aff.") at ¶ 8. Professor Wray, however, supplies little explanation or description of his methodology in reaching this conclusion, and it appears to be based on nothing more than a tenuous inference from the fact that in Ecuador (as in the United States) few tort cases reach the nation's Supreme Court. Comparable inferences have been held insufficient to deem a foreign forum inadequate. See In re Union Carbide Corp. Gas Plant Disaster at Bhopal, India in December, 1984, 634 F.Supp. 842, 848-52 (S.D.N.Y.1986) (Indian forum found adequate for mass tort case despite assertions of "little reported case law in the tort field," "no tort law relating to disputes arising out of complex product or design liability," and other indications of lesser-developed tort law), aff'd as modified, 809 F.2d 195 (2d Cir. 1987); see also Alnwick v. European Micro Holdings, Inc., 2001 WL 391952, at *6 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 22, 2001) (Dutch forum adequate "even assuming that Dutch law does not recognize the tort of fraud"); and cf. Capital Currency Exch., N.V. v. National Westminster Bank PLC, 155 F.3d 603, 609-11 (2d Cir.1998) (England adequate forum despite fact that English courts had never awarded money damages in antitrust case). Here, moreover, any speculation about the Ecuadorian courts' alleged unreceptiveness to tort cases is put to rest by the undisputed evidence, supra, that tort claims based on the very occurrences here at issue have been successfully prosecuted in the Ecuadorian courts. Furthermore, several United States courts have previously found Ecuador to be an adequate forum to address similar (and, in some cases, identical) tort claims to those of plaintiffs here. See, e.g., Delgado, 890 F.Supp. at 1359-61 (Ecuador adequate for personal injury cases based on pesticide exposure); Sequihua, 847 F.Supp. at 64 (Ecuador adequate to address personal injury and property damage from oil pollution); Ciba-Geigy Ltd. v. Fish Peddler, Inc., 691 So.2d 1111, 1117 (Fla.Dist.Ct. App.1997) (Ecuador adequate to address property damage from fungicide exposure). In short, plaintiffs' first objection to the adequacy of an Ecuadorian forum is entirely without foundation. Plaintiffs' second objection to the adequacy of an Ecuadorian forum is that "Ecuador is Not an Adequate Forum For This Litigation Because Ecuador Does Not *541 Recognize Class Actions and Has No Comparable Procedure to Grant Plaintiffs the Equitable Remedy They Are Principally Seeking." Pls.' Mem. at 10. This, again, is unpersuasive. The class action mechanism, added to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 1937, is ultimately nothing more than a "convenient procedural device," Beamon v. Brown, 125 F.3d 965, 969 (6th Cir.1997) (quoting 3B James Wm. Moore, et al., Moore's Federal Practice ¶ 23.02 (2d ed.1980)), which most of the world's nations have chosen not to adopt and the merits of which continue to be debated even in the United States. Its absence does not ordinarily render a foreign forum "inadequate" for purposes of forum non conveniens analysis. See, e.g., Beamon, 125 F.3d at 969-70; In re Union Carbide Corp. Gas Plant Disaster at Bhopal, India in December, 1984, 809 F.2d 195, 199 (2d Cir.1987); In re Lloyd's Am. Trust Fund Litig., 954 F.Supp. 656, 673 (S.D.N.Y.1997); and cf., e.g., Murray v. British Broadcasting Corp., 81 F.3d 287, 292-93 (2d Cir.1996) (England adequate forum despite plaintiff's claim that American contingency fee was only way he could afford a lawyer). It seems doubtful, moreover, that the instant cases would qualify for class action status even if they were to remain in the United States, see generally Amchem Prods., Inc. v. Windsor, 521 U.S. 591, 117 S.Ct. 2231, 138 L.Ed.2d 689 (1997), and hence the alleged deprivation of this device may be no deprivation at all. To begin with, there are immense due process problems inherent in providing adequate notice and representation to the thousands of Amazonian residents that plaintiffs seek to include in their proposed classes, see generally, Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., 527 U.S. 815, 843-48, 119 S.Ct. 2295, 144 L.Ed.2d 715 (1999); Allison v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., 151 F.3d 402, 412 (5th Cir.1998). It is also obvious that the multiplicity of ways in which plaintiffs allege that the Consortium's activities have directly and indirectly impacted various plaintiffs' various interests, or will impact them in the future, renders it problematic whether questions of law or fact common to the members of the class predominate over questions affecting individual members. See, e.g., Amchem, 521 U.S. at 623-25, 117 S.Ct. 2231; see also Aguinda, 1994 WL at *2. Even the bare question of liability could not readily be handled here as a class action, given the multiple causation issues raised by plaintiffs' claims of indirect injuries extending over hundreds of miles and dozens of years and affecting individual members of the classes (including future claimants) in a multitude of different ways, ranging from the pollution of wells to the development of "pre-cancerous growths." See Jota, 157 F.3d at 155-56. Indeed, many of the injuries claimed by even the named plaintiffs are in the nature of "increased risks" and other future contingent claims that have not yet ripened into actual injuries. See, e.g., Aguinda Compl. ¶¶ 11-26; Ashanga Compl. ¶¶ 13-23. While conceivably some of these problems might be mitigated through the creation and adequate representation of numerous subclasses (none of which plaintiffs provide for), it is difficult to see how the vastly complicated, if not entirely unmanageable lawsuit that would then emerge would offer greater efficiencies than could be achieved in Ecuador through more conventional lawsuits invoking traditional principles of stare decisis and joinder. Indeed, even where class actions are permitted, as in the United States, experience has shown that the premature and undifferentiated aggregation of hundreds or thousands of tort claims has often proved counterproductive. See Report on Mass Tort Litigation To the Judicial Conference of the *542 United States ("Judicial Conference Report") 5-6, 22, 36, 39-40 (1999). While plaintiffs try to skirt some of these objections by claiming in conclusory fashion that they are "principally" seeking equitable, injunctive relief, see Pls.' Mem. at 10, they have in no respect relinquished their claims for billions of dollars in damages and other legal relief, see Jota, 157 F.3d at 161. Without such relinquishment, it is highly doubtful that the equitable aspects of these cases could be separately litigated in a way that would satisfy Rule 23, Fed.R.Civ.P. See Allison, 151 F.3d at 425-26. Indeed, much of the equitable relief here sought (such as "medical monitoring" for a variety of potential future medical injuries) is inextricably intertwined with the individualized claims for damages and the individualized issues of multiple causation. Even assuming arguendo that plaintiffs' claims for equitable relief could be separated from the rest of the litigation, it is equally doubtful, as the Court of Appeals recognized, see Jota, 157 F.3d at 162, that a United States court could, in the absence of the Government of Ecuador, fully address many of plaintiffs' claims for equitable relief; and that Government has now made clear that it will neither waive sovereign immunity nor participate as a party in these actions here, see Texaco App., Ex. 17, Letter to the Court from Ambassador of Ecuador; see also Tr. at 59. Since, by contrast, the Government of Ecuador can be joined as a party in Ecuador, an Ecuadorian forum, even in the absence of the class action device, might well be a more adequate forum than the United States for purposes of providing complete equitable relief. In short, the absence of the class action device in Ecuador is not a sufficient impediment to render the Ecuadorian forum inadequate. Plaintiffs' final objection to the adequacy of an Ecuadorian forum is that "Procedural Processes in Ecuador Make It Difficult if Not Impossible to Litigate These Tort Actions There." Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint, Jan. 11, 1999 ("Pls.' Jan. 11, 1999 Mem.") at 9; see also id. at 13-14. Under this heading, plaintiffs first argue that claims of environmental contamination commenced in Ecuador must initially be filed with administrative agencies and that these agencies are slow to take action. See id. at 9. Plaintiffs' only support for these assertions is a typically conclusory opinion from Professor Wray, who cites no authority to justify his conclusions in this regard. See Wray Aff. ¶ 12. Defendant, by contrast, has adduced detailed affidavits from its Ecuadorian legal experts specifically denying that any such impediment exists to filing these claims directly with the Ecuadorian courts and asserting, instead, that the administrative agencies simply provide an alternative forum for certain of plaintiffs' claims. See Ponce y Carbo Aff. at ¶ 17; Callejas Aff. I at ¶ 5; Callejas Aff. II at ¶¶ 3-5. Moreover, even if Professor Wray were right and plaintiffs had to first pursue their administrative remedies, such an "exhaustion" requirement, commonplace to much United States litigation, is hardly a ground for deeming the Ecuadorian forum inadequate. See generally DiRienzo, 232 F.3d at 57 ("Even if particular causes of action or certain desirable remedies are not available in the foreign forum, that forum will usually be adequate so long as it permits litigation of the subject matter of the dispute, provides adequate procedural safeguards and the remedy available in the alternative forum is not so inadequate as to amount to no remedy at all."). Plaintiffs' other argument under their third heading essentially consists of listing some of the differences between United *543 States procedures and those of civil law systems like Ecuador's that make the former a more favorable forum for plaintiffs generally. Such differences include, for example, Ecuador's tighter restrictions on discovery, its denial of oral cross-examination in certain circumstances, and its preference for court-appointed experts over party-retained experts. See Wray Aff. ¶¶ 4-7. Some would argue that these features of civil law systems render those systems more, not less, adequate to the fair determination of justice; and certainly in recent years the United States has itself moved in the direction of imposing more limits on discovery and giving courts more control over expert testimony. But whatever the merits of these debates, the notion that any of these differences renders "inadequate" in any fundamental sense the civil law system employed by Ecuador, by most other nations in South America, and by most of the nations of Europe is insulting to those nations and absurd on its face.[1]See generally DiRienzo, 232 F.3d at 57-59; Lockman Found. v. Evangelical Alliance Mission, 930 F.2d 764, 768 (9th Cir.1991); Borden, Inc. v. Meiji Milk Prods. Co., 919 F.2d 822, 829 (2d Cir.1990); Potomac Capital Inv. Corp. v. Koninklijke Luchtvaapt Maatschapplj N.V., 1998 WL 92416, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 4, 1998); Manela v. Garantia Banking Ltd., 940 F.Supp. 584, 590-91 & n. 11 (S.D.N.Y. 1996); Polanco v. H.B. Fuller Co., 941 F.Supp. 1512, 1527 (D.Minn.1996). Further still, the asserted procedural difference between the United States and Ecuadorian legal systems of which plaintiffs most complain, i.e., the supposed inability of an Ecuadorian court to compel discovery from Texaco even if Texaco submits to the court's jurisdiction, see Pls.' Jan. 11, 1999 Mem. at 13, not only is challenged by Texaco's legal expert as an inaccurate assertion, see Ponce y Carbo Aff. at ¶ 18, but also is, in any event, rendered largely irrelevant by the fact that Texaco has expressly stipulated that the very substantial discovery plaintiffs have already obtained from Texaco in these cases, see Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., 1994 WL 142006, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 11, 1994), can be utilized in the Ecuador courts by any plaintiff bringing suit there, see Def.'s Mem. at 13. In sum, none of the objections to the adequacy of an Ecuadorian forum that plaintiffs have specifically raised in response to the instant motion has merit. Earlier in this litigation, plaintiffs also appeared to raise, and then abandon, the further objection that the Ecuadorian courts were subject to corrupting influences and outside pressures, especially from the military, that rendered them inadequate to dispense independent, impartial justice in these cases. Compare, e.g., Plaintiffs' Memorandum in Opposition to Texaco, Inc.'s Motions to Dismiss, dated Feb. 20, 1996 ("Pls.' 1996 Mem.") at 40 n. 72 ("Even since the military junta relinquished power in 1979, corruption has tainted the Ecuadorian judiciary.") with id. at 42 ("Plaintiffs do not rely on any such assumption [that Ecuadorian courts are unable to dispense justice]."). When the instant motion was renewed on remand from the Court of Appeals, plaintiffs, in their memoranda in opposition, made no mention of this issue whatever. *544 Nevertheless, in late January 2000, after members of the Ecuadorian military joined protestors (including indigenous dissidents) in what ultimately proved to be an abortive coup, this Court, sua sponte, invited renewed consideration of this issue, see Memorandum Order dated Jan. 31, 2000. In response, submissions were eventually received not only from the parties but also from the U.S. Department of State and the Government of Ecuador. Unfortunately, most of these papers proved of little use to the Court, since they largely consisted (perhaps understandably) of broad, conclusory assertions as to the relative corruptibility or incorruptibility of the Ecuadorian courts, with scant reference to specifics, evidence, or application to the instant cases. As Judge Broderick pointed out early in this litigation, "the courts of the United States are properly reluctant to assume that the courts of a sister democracy are unable to dispense justice," Aguinda v. Texaco, Inc., 1994 WL 142006 at *2, and something more than bald assertion is required to overcome this presumption. See, e.g., El-Fadl v. Central Bank of Jordan, 75 F.3d 668, 678 (D.C.Cir. 1996); Blanco, 997 F.2d at 982; Mercier v. Sheraton Int'l, Inc., 981 F.2d 1345, 1351 (1st Cir.1992). When one looks beyond gross generalizations to relevant particulars, one finds the following: (1) There is not the slightest indication, in any of the papers submitted on this issue, of any impropriety on the part of Texaco or any of its affiliates, or indeed on the part of any present or former member of the Consortium, with respect to any judicial or administrative proceeding of any kind in Ecuador. Indeed, as previously mentioned, TexPet and PetroEcuador have already been sued in Ecuador on some of the same or related claims by some of the same or related plaintiffs as are involved here, and several of these suits have resulted in judgments involving substantial payments to certain of the plaintiffs. See Callejas Aff. I at ¶¶ 2-5 & Exs. A-K; Texaco, Inc.'s Appendix of Rebuttal Exhibits in Support of Its Reply Memorandum of Law ("Texaco Rebuttal App."), Ex. 22, Affidavit of Dr. Ricardo Vaca Andrade ("Vaca Aff."), at ¶ 1. (2) There are presently pending in Ecuador's courts numerous cases against multinational corporations. See Callejas Aff. I at ¶ 5; Texaco Rebuttal App., Ex. 25, Supplemental Aff. of Dr. Alejandro Ponce Martinez, at ¶ 2. None of the submissions here alleges corruption of the judiciary or the judicial process on the part of any of these corporations. On the contrary, the Chairman of Ecuador's judicial disciplinary committee, who while in private practice successfully litigated numerous cases against TexPet, affirms that Ecuadorian courts do not give preferential treatment to multi-national companies like Texaco. See Vaca Aff. at ¶¶ 1,6. (3) The failure of the military coup of January 21, 2000 reaffirmed Ecuador's insistence on democratic, civilian control of its institutions. While no one claims the Ecuadorian judiciary is wholly immune to corruption, inefficiency, or outside pressure, the present Government of Ecuador, headed by a former law school dean, has taken vigorous steps to further the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, see Texaco Rebuttal App., Ex. 34, Declaration of Dr. Ramon Jiménez-Carbo, Ecuador's Attorney General, dated Apr. 5, 2000. As summarized by the U.S. Department of State in its most recent Human Rights "Country Report" on Ecuador, dated February, 2000 ("2000 Country Report"), available at http://www.state.gov, at 5: The Supreme Court that took office in 1997 publicly recognized the shortcomings of the judicial system and pledged *545 to improve the quality and training of judges. In May 1998, the Supreme Court supervised the selection by open competition of all appellate judges. A Judicial Council, charged with administering the court system and disciplining judges, took office in the fall of 1998. In November 1999, the Council's disciplinary committee fired two judges and two court employees for their role in the release of suspected drug traffickers. All four faced criminal charges. During the year, the Judicial Council removed at least two judges and a number of minor officials from their jobs. See also Letter to A.U.S.A. Edward Scarvalone from U.S. Dept. of State, dated June 8, 2000, Ex. A (1999 Country Report for Ecuador) at 6 (to same effect); Bridgeway Corp., 201 F.3d at 142-43 (2000) (status of Country Reports). (4) While the State Department nonetheless continues to describe Ecuador's legal and judicial systems as "politicized, inefficient, and sometimes corrupt" so far as certain "human rights" practices are concerned, see 2000 Country Report at 1, this is based, as the Country Reports make clear, on cases largely involving confrontations between the police and political protestors. Id. By contrast, not one of the cases described by the 1999 and 2000 Country Reports as evidence of such conclusions remotely resembles the kind of controversy here at issue. See 1999 and 2000 Country Reports; see also Diaz v. Aerovias Nacionales De Colombia, 1991 WL 35855, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 12, 1991), aff'd, 948 F.2d 1276 (2d Cir.1991). (5) As previously noted, in the past decade alone numerous United States courts have found Ecuador to be an adequate alternative forum for the determination of civil disputes involving United States companies, see, e.g., Patrickson v. Dole Food Co., Civil No. 97-01516 (D.Haw.1998) (slip op. at 41-51), available at Texaco App., Ex. 25; Espinola-E v. Coahoma Chem. Co., Civil No. 96cv360RR (S.D.Miss.1998) (slip op. at 5-9), available at Texaco App., Ex. 26; Delgado, 890 F.Supp. at 1359-60; Sequihua, 847 F.Supp. at 64; Ciba-Geigy Ltd., 691 So.2d at 1117. Nor has any case held to the contrary since Ecuador became a democratic constitutional republic in 1979. (6) Finally, the underlying claims here in issue have been and continue to be the subject of public scrutiny and political debate in Ecuador, a fact made prominent even by the Government of Ecuador's own statements to this Court, see, e.g., Plaintiffs' Supplemental Submission In Further Response To This Court's January 31, 2000 Memorandum Order And This Court's May 2, 2000 Conference, Ex. 46, Letter from Ecuador's Attorney General to Nina Pacari Vega, Second Vice-President of the Ecuadorian National Congress, dated Apr. 26, 2000.[2] Given such public scrutiny in Ecuador, even the possibility that corruption or undue influence might be brought to bear if this litigation were pursued in Ecuador seems exceedingly remote. See Texaco Rebuttal App., Ex. 23, Affidavit of Dr. Fabian Corral Burbano de Lara at ¶ 9. Accordingly, the Court is satisfied on the basis of the record before it that the courts of Ecuador can exercise with respect to the parties and claims here presented that modicum of independence and *546 impartiality necessary to an adequate alternative forum. See Bridgeway Corp., 201 F.3d at 141-42 & n. 1. While the Court has been presented with less information on which to assess the adequacy of the Peruvian courts in this respect, but see Torres v. Southern Peru Copper Corp., 965 F.Supp. 899, 903 (S.D.Tex.1996), aff'd, 113 F.3d 540 (5th Cir.1997) (finding Peru to be an adequate alternative forum); Vargas v. M/V Mini Lama, 709 F.Supp. 117, 118 (E.D.La.1989) (same), the Ecuadorian courts provide in any event an adequate forum in which the Peruvian plaintiffs here can bring their claims. See Callejas Aff. I at ¶¶ 11-13; Ponce y Carbo Aff. at ¶¶ 9, 11, 14.[3] The Peruvian forum, therefore, is simply an alternative option that the Peruvian plaintiffs may, if they wish, elect. While Ecuador therefore provides an adequate alternative forum for these cases, the United States, by contrast, is a palpably inadequate forum for these cases in some notable respects. As Judge Broderick stated in indicating, at the very outset of this litigation, his preliminary belief that dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds might well be appropriate: "[d]isputes over class membership, determination of individualized or common damages, and the need for large amounts of testimony with interpreters, perhaps often in local dialects, would make effective adjudication in New York problematic at best." Aguinda, 1994 WL 142006 at *2, quoted also in Jota 157 F.3d at 156-57. Similarly, in its Memorandum Order of January 31, 2000, this Court noted that "the notion that a New York jury (which plaintiffs have demanded) applying Ecuadorian law (which likely governs the claims here made) could meaningfully assess what occurred in the Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador in the late 1960's and early 1970's is problematic on its face." Aguinda, 2000 WL 122143, at *1. A court, no matter how steeped in due process, whose fact-finders are called upon to adjudicate matters so extremely far removed from their everyday experience may not itself provide an adequate forum. Although not strictly an issue of "adequacy," mention should also be made under this rubric of the fact that in early 1998 Ecuador, apparently in reaction to the fact that certain disputes between Ecuadorian shrimp farmers and an American pesticide manufacturer were the subject of parallel litigation in both the Ecuadorian courts and the state courts of Florida, see Tr. at 17-18, passed Interpretive Law 55, which reads in pertinent part as follows: Without prejudice to the meaning of its literal tone let articles 27, 28, 29 and 30 of the Code of Civil Procedure be interpreted in the sense that when dealing with concurrent international competency, the claimant will be able to choose freely between filing the lawsuit in Ecuador or abroad ... Should the lawsuit be filed outside Ecuadorian territory, this will definitely terminate national competency as well as any jurisdiction of Ecuadorian judges over the matter. Exhibits In Support of Plaintiffs' Opposition to Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the Complaint, Ex. 1. Plaintiffs argue that, under Law 55, their filing of these suits in the United States has deprived the Ecuadorian courts of jurisdiction. This argument, however, rests on two doubtful assumptions. The first is that Law 55 is retroactive and applies to lawsuits, like these, that were filed prior to the enactment of Law 55 in 1998. This seems dubious on its face, *547 since it posits that such plaintiffs would be conclusively held to a choice of forum made before they had any reason to believe either that such a choice would be conclusive or that it would forever deprive them of even the possibility of an alternative forum. The second assumption is that Law 55 applies even after a case is dismissed on grounds like forum non conveniens. This also seems highly doubtful, since the ostensible purpose of the law is to require plaintiffs to proceed in a single forum, not to be deprived of any forum whatever (let alone the forum found most relevant). See Ponce y Carbo Aff. at ¶ 32. While the Ecuadorian courts have yet to resolve these issues, see Tr. at 59-61; see also Callejas Aff. II at ¶¶ 6-11 & Ex. B, and while the Government of Ecuador has taken no position as to applicability vel non of Law 55 to the instant case, see Tr. at 59-61, the unlikelihood that Ecuadorian courts would ultimately adopt both these dubious assumptions makes Law 55 an insufficient basis for concluding that the Ecuadorian forum is unavailable. See Patrickson v. Dole Food Co., slip op. at 43-44. Nevertheless, as a safeguard, this Court, like the Court in Patrickson, supra, will qualify the dismissals here to provide that in the event that a court of last review in Ecuador finally affirms the dismissal for lack of jurisdiction pursuant to Law 55 of any action raising the claims here at issue pursued in good faith in Ecuador by any of the plaintiffs here, this Court, upon motion made within 60 days, will resume jurisdiction over that action. Having carried its burden of proving that an adequate alternative forum exists, defendant must next "demonstrate that the ordinarily strong presumption favoring the plaintiff's chosen forum is countered by the private and public interest factors set out in Gilbert, which weigh so heavily in favor of the foreign forum that they overcome the presumption for plaintiffs' choice of forum." DiRienzo, 232 F.3d at 56-57. See also, e.g., Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 255-56, 102 S.Ct. 252; Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S.Ct. 839. It is true that in certain circumstances "a foreign plaintiff's choice deserves less deference," Piper Aircraft, 454 U.S. at 256, 102 S.Ct. 252, notably where, as here, the plaintiffs involved are all foreign nationals residing abroad. See, e.g., Wiwa v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 226 F.3d 88, 103 (2d Cir.2000); In re Union Carbide, 809 F.2d at 198. But the Second Circuit has also chosen not to apply this lesser deference "when a treaty with a foreign nation accords its nationals access to our courts equivalent to that provided American citizens." Blanco, 997 F.2d at 981. Since it appears that the United States has such a treaty with Ecuador, see Treaty with Ecuador, June 13, 1839, art. 13, 8 Stat. 534, 538, this Court will assume arguendo that plaintiffs' choice of forum carries a strong presumption of validity that may only be overcome by a balance of relevant factors that heavily favors dismissal in favor of an alternative forum. See, e.g., Evolution Online Sys., 145 F.3d at 510. In weighing this balance, the Court must consider the "private interest" and "public interest" factors set out in Gilbert, as well as other relevant factors special to the case. See Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508-09, 67 S.Ct. 839. In so doing, a prudent district court should proceed with caution, since the assigning of relative weights in such circumstances often calls for a nice exercise of discretion. The fact that, because of the district court's greater familiarity with the full "feel" and "flavor" of the case, such exercise of discretion is subject to limited appellate review, see, e.g., Alfadda v. Fenn, 159 F.3d 41, 45 (2d Cir.1998), is only the more reason for the district court to proceed with care and circumspection. *548 But having done its level best to proceed in this manner, this Court is of the view that the balance of both private and public interest factors tips here overwhelmingly in favor of dismissal of these cases. Under Gilbert, the "private interest" factors include the relative ease of access to sources of proof, the cost of obtaining the attendance of willing witnesses, the availability of compulsory process for obtaining attendance of unwilling witnesses, the possibility of viewing the relevant premises, and other such practical concerns. Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508, 67 S.Ct. 839. Here, these factors weigh heavily in favor of an Ecuadorian forum. On plaintiffs' own submissions, these cases concern the ongoing contamination of the rain forest of eastern Ecuador and adjoining areas as a result of allegedly negligent oil piping and waste disposal practices undertaken there. An Ecuadorian court would be able to view those premises and assess the allegations made in respect to them in ways no New York jury could hope to approximate. Likewise, all plaintiffs, as well as all members of their putative classes, reside in eastern Ecuador or nearby areas of Peru, all of their alleged personal and property injuries occurred there, and virtually all witnesses to the manner in which such injuries occurred reside there, along with all the relevant medical and property records. See Texaco App., Ex. 1, Affidavit of Daniel J. King ("King Aff.") at ¶¶ 24-29; Ashanga Compl. at ¶¶ 41-48, 64; Aguinda Compl. at ¶¶ 3, 11. Further still, defendant has made an essentially unrebutted showing that both the documentary and testamentary evidence of the allegedly negligent acts and decisions taken by the Consortium resides in Ecuador, see King Aff. at ¶ 26, along with the primary evidence supporting defendant's defenses including evidence bearing on the key roles of Petroecuador and the Government of Ecuador, see id. at ¶¶ 22, 24-26, 28. By contrast, what, if anything, occurred in the United States? While plaintiffs continue to allege in conclusory fashion that Texaco directed the Consortium's oil operations from the United States, they have wholly failed, despite years of discovery, to adduce competent evidence to support this assertion. On the contrary, the record before the Court, when scrutinized in terms of admissible evidence, establishes overwhelmingly that Texaco's only meaningful involvement in the activities here complained of was its indirect investment in its fourth-tier subsidiary, TexPet, which is not a party here and which conducted its participation in the activities here complained of almost exclusively in Ecuador. See, e.g., TexPet Aff. at ¶¶ 3-10. The record before the Court also clearly establishes that all of the Consortium's key activities, including the decisions and practices here at issue, were managed, directed, and conducted by Consortium employees in Ecuador, see, e.g., Texaco App., Ex. 5, Deposition of William P. Doyle ("Doyle Dep.") at 101, 104, 109; Texaco App., Ex. 6, Deposition of Robert M. Bischoff ("Bischoff Dep.") at 219; Texaco App., Ex. 8, Deposition of Robert C. Shields ("Shields Dep.") at 57, 136, 142, 184-85; Benton Dep. at 202, 206. By contrast, no one from Texaco or, indeed, anyone else operating in the United States, made any material decisions as to the Consortium's activities and practices that are at issue here, id.; see also, e.g., Benton Dep. at 170-84; Texaco App., Ex 11, Deposition of Richard K. Meyers ("Meyers Dep.") at 149-51; Bischoff Aff. at 219; Texaco App., Ex. 9, Deposition of Denis York Lecorgne at 72-73. In response, plaintiffs rely on conjecture or irrelevancy as well as misstatement *549 and miscitation[4] to try to supplant what their evidence wholly fails to show. For example, plaintiffs emphasize certain indications that the president of TexPet reported as a general matter to the president of Texaco's Latin American/West Africa division ("LAWA"), based in Coral Gables, Florida, and that the budgets of TexPet, along with those of many other subsidiaries, were reviewed by LAWA. See Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 11-14; see also Pls.' App., Ex. 21, Doyle Dep. at 32-33, 47-51. Plaintiffs also provide some evidence that certain unbudgeted and other contracts by TexPet were required to receive LAWA approval, largely for financial, legal, and tax purposes. See Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 15-17; see also, e.g., Pls.' App., Ex. 20, Benton Dep. at 31-33, 48-49, 92-93. But at most this evidence simply establishes the obvious fact that Texaco, as a corporate parent, exercised some general oversight over the expenses and revenues of its subsidiaries. None of these procedures indicates any parental control or direction over the pipe design, waste disposal, and other allegedly negligent practices of the Consortium that are at issue in this case. Plaintiffs also emphasize that the Consortium from time to time went beyond TexPet to contract with various other U.S.-based subsidiaries of Texaco (also non-parties here) for technical and other assistance, largely with regard to specific issues or in response to special requests. For example, the U.S.-based Texaco Marine Department and the Central Offshore Engineering Department provided advice, pursuant to contracts with the Consortium, regarding offshore oil installations and equipment, see Pls.' App., Ex. 20, Benton Dep. at 150-51, 158-60, and the Consortium also received technical assistance from the U.S.-based Texas Pipeline Company, also a subsidiary of Texaco, for certain pipeline problems, see, e.g., Pls.' App., Ex. 2, Shields Dep., at 157-58. Some technical advice was even procured from Texaco's U.S.-based Environmental Health and Safety Division. See, e.g., Pls.' App., Ex. 20, Benton Dep. at 159-60. However, the record is clear that all these services were limited to providing specific technical analyses requested by the Consortium to help implement design and other decisions previously reached in Ecuador, and it is the design and other decisions reached in Ecuador that are challenged in these lawsuits. Conversely, there is no evidence that any of these service contractors exercised any authority or direction, or engaged in any decision-making whatever, as to the Consortium's activities here at issue. For example, while plaintiffs allege that chemical analyses of samples used for environmental monitoring were performed in the United States, see Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 28 n. 57; Pls.' App., Ex. 54, Meyers Dep. at 68-71, they offer no evidence to rebut defendant's evidence that the analyses themselves were neutral and accurate and that the decisions of what actions to take on the basis of these analyses were made solely by the Consortium in Ecuador, see, e.g., Texaco App., Ex. 3, Benton Dep. at 174-77; Texaco App., Ex. 5, Doyle Dep. at 155-57, 168, 251-52. *550 In similar fashion, while plaintiffs allege in conclusory fashion that "Texaco personnel in the United States directed the response to [some] environmental problem[s] in Ecuador," the only evidence they adduce in support of this statement is an indication that some U.S.-based Texaco personnel provided technical information requested by TexPet on such topics as the maximum safe levels of salt and oil in water and how to clean up oil spills, see Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 29, which was then forwarded to the Consortium for its use and decision-making. Thus, far from "directing" the response, Texaco simply provided some data for a decision made in Ecuador by the Consortium. Furthermore, while plaintiffs emphasize that another Texaco subsidiary, the Texas Pipeline Company, received contractor bids for a planned expansion of the main Ecuadorian pipeline and recommended a contractor for the project, see Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 23-24; Pls.' App., Ex. 45, they offer no evidence that Texas Pipeline Company personnel decided the design or specifications of the proposed expansion or that such decisions caused any portion of the environmental harms that are the subject matter of this litigation. Indeed, they concede that they do not even know whether the proposed expansion was ever built in accordance with these specifications, see Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 23 n. 48; and, in fact (as the defendant has now shown) it was not, but rather was built in accordance with different specifications decreed by the Ecuadorian Government. See Texaco App., Ex. 4, Executive Decree No. 925, at § 18.2. The simple fact of the matter is that, after having deposed numerous Texaco witnesses and reviewed tens of thousands of Texaco documents in an effort to establish a meaningful nexus between the United States and the decisions and practices here complained of, plaintiffs have come up bone dry.[5] Indeed, on July 11, 1995, after much of this discovery had been completed, plaintiffs stipulated that they had: no knowledge, information or documents having any tendency to prove or disprove (or otherwise lead to the discovery of information or documents that might tend to prove or disprove) the existence or non-existence of any facts relating to... (a) "events relating to the harm alleged by plaintiffs occurring in the United States, including specific or generalized directions initiating events to be implemented elsewhere, communications to and from the United States and discussions in the United States concerning, or assistance to or guidance for events occurring elsewhere; and (b) events occurring outside the United States to the extent the information can be furnished or secured voluntarily or through directives to parties in the United States to secure the information; and (c) the extent, if any, to which conduct in the United States caused actionable harm under the criteria discussed in [Judge Broderick's April 11, 1994 discovery Order]." Texaco App., Ex. 21 (quoting Aguinda, 1994 WL 142006 at *1; Mem. Decision and Order, dated June 19, 1995, at 2-3) (emphasis in original). Nothing plaintiffs have discovered since then in any way modifies these concessions or supplies the missing nexus. Finally, in any fair balancing here of the relevant "private interests," reference *551 must again be made to the glaring facts that neither the Government of Ecuador nor PetroEcuador, the state-run oil company that owns the Consortium and had primary control of it through much of the relevant time period, are parties to the instant suits, whereas they could be joined in any similar suit brought in Ecuador, see Bermeo Aff. at ¶ 11. Indeed, Petroecuador was in fact so impleaded in one of the similar suits brought against TexPet in Ecuador. See Callejas Aff. I at ¶ 2. Accordingly, the balance of the Gilbert "private interest" factors heavily supports dismissal of this case in favor of Ecuador (and, if any Peruvian resident prefers, Peru). See, e.g., Stewart v. Dow Chemical Co., 865 F.2d 103, 107 (6th Cir.1989); De Melo v. Lederle Labs., 801 F.2d 1058, 1062-63 (8th Cir.1986); Doe v. Hyland Therapeutics Div., 807 F.Supp. 1117, 1125-26 (S.D.N.Y.1992); Abouchalache v. Hilton Int'l Co., 464 F.Supp. 94, 97-98 (S.D.N.Y. 1978). The Gilbert "public interest" factors include local interest in the controversy, court congestion, avoidance of unnecessary problems in application of foreign law, and avoidance of imposing jury duty on residents of a jurisdiction having little relationship to the controversy. See Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 508-09, 67 S.Ct. 839. Here, these factors also overwhelmingly support an Ecuadorian (and to a lesser extent Peruvian) forum in preference to one in this District or anywhere else in the United States. The Ecuadorian local interest in the controversy is, on plaintiffs' own showing, very substantial, whereas the public interest of the United States is much more modest. According to plaintiffs, the acts complained of resulted in environmental pollution of Ecuador's rainforest regions and other property, and thereby injured tens of thousands of Ecuadorian and Peruvian citizens in their property and/or persons. While, if these allegations are true, the United States still has an interest in not permitting its companies to participate in such misconduct, the uncontested role of the Government of Ecuador in authorizing, directing, funding, and profiting from these activities necessarily lessens the United States' interest in the litigation while further increasing that of Ecuador. On any fair view of the evidence so far adduced in this case, the alleged preference given by the Consortium to oil exploitation over environmental protection was a conscious choice made by the Government of Ecuador in order to stimulate its economy.[6] The public interest of the United States in second-guessing those decisions is modest indeed. While plaintiffs allege that the piping and waste disposal practices used to implement this choice were "negligent" (in the sense of causing more environmental harm than other, more expensive alternatives available to the Consortium would have caused), they have not adduced anything but conclusory statements to suggest that the Government of Ecuador was unaware of the trade-off; and, in any case, whether or not the Government of Ecuador was or was not aware of these alleged consequences can only be determined, in any meaningful way, if the litigation is brought in Ecuador, where (as noted) the Government of Ecuador can be joined as a party. *552 While bringing these suits in Ecuador and/or Peru may impose material burdens on the courts there, the well-known congestion of American dockets is undoubtedly greater than that of less litigious societies like Ecuador and Peru. Indeed, in terms of engendering inordinate delays, the history of mass tort class litigation in the United States is not such as to inspire confidence, see Judicial Conference Report, supra. On its face, it seems more likely that the individual plaintiffs in the instant cases would obtain any recovery to which they are entitled much faster by bringing the kind of individualized actions that have already been brought against TexPet in Ecuador, and successfully prosecuted to completion there, than by serving as named plaintiffs in the massive lawsuits the U.S.-based plaintiffs' counsel here propose. As to applicable law, it follows from the facts that Ecuadorian lands and Ecuadorian people are the primary focus of this case that Ecuador's interests in this case vastly outweigh those of New York and that Ecuadorian law will therefore apply to most, if not all of, the claims raised in these cases. See Zurich Ins. Co. v. Shearson Lehman Hutton, Inc., 84 N.Y.2d 309, 319, 618 N.Y.S.2d 609, 642 N.E.2d 1065 (N.Y.1994); Schultz v. Boy Scouts of Am., Inc., 65 N.Y.2d 189, 201, 491 N.Y.S.2d 90, 480 N.E.2d 679 (N.Y.1985) (citing Neumeier v. Kuehner, 31 N.Y.2d 121, 128, 335 N.Y.S.2d 64, 286 N.E.2d 454 (N.Y.1972)). Because the courts of Ecuador are in the best position to find and apply their own law, this factor weighs significantly in favor of dismissal. See Hyland Therapeutics, 807 F.Supp. at 1129-30; Travelers Indem. Co. v. S/S Alca, 710 F.Supp. 497, 501-02 (S.D.N.Y.1989), aff'd, 895 F.2d 1410 (2d Cir.1989); Abiaad v. General Motors Corp., 538 F.Supp. 537, 543 (E.D.Pa.1982), aff'd, 696 F.2d 980 (3d Cir.1982). Finally, as already discussed, the notion that a New York federal jury is better equipped than an Ecuadorian judge to apply Ecuadorian law to Spanish-language testimony and documents relating to 30 years' of activities by an Ecuador-sponsored Consortium in an Amazonian rain forest is preposterous. Plaintiffs argue, however, that this balance of Gilbert factors heavily favoring dismissal needs to be re-weighed in light of the fact that, in addition to their more conventional claims, they have also alleged a claim under the Alien Tort Claims Act ("ATCA"), 28 U.S.C. § 1350, which provides a federal forum for aliens suing United States entities for violations of the law of nations. Whatever the abstract merits or demerits of this argument, discussed infra, it is of little relevance to this case, for two reasons. First, the specific claim plaintiffs purport to bring under the ATCA that the Consortium's oil extraction activities violated evolving environmental norms of customary international law, see, e.g., Pls.' Jan. 11, 1999 Mem. at 18-19; Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 64-68 lacks any meaningful precedential support and appears extremely unlikely to survive a motion to dismiss. See Beanal v. Freeport-McMoran, Inc., 197 F.3d 161, 166-67 (5th Cir.1999); Amlon Metals, Inc. v. FMC Corp., 775 F.Supp. 668, 671 (S.D.N.Y.1991). As the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stated in dismissing a substantially similar claim in Beanal, supra, "the [ATCA] `applies only to shockingly egregious violations of universally recognized principles of international law.' See Zapata v. Quinn, 707 F.2d 691, 692 (2d Cir.1983) (per curiam) ... [F]ederal courts should exercise extreme caution when adjudicating environmental claims under international law to insure that environmental policies of the United States do not displace environmental *553 policies of other governments." Beanal, 197 F.3d at 167. Second, even if the ATCA claim had greater facial promise, the discovery already taken in this case has established overwhelmingly that no act taken by Texaco in the United States bore materially on the pollution-creating activities of which plaintiffs complain. This is not a case, then, where the United States was specially used as a base from which to direct violations of international law visited on some foreign site. Conversely, the actions in question occurred overwhelmingly in Ecuador, where courts are fully capable of interpreting alleged violations of international law. The United States therefore has no special public interest, under the ATCA or otherwise, in providing a forum for plaintiffs pursuing an international law action against a United States entity that plaintiffs can adequately pursue in the place where the violation actually occurred. As a more general matter, moreover, the presence of a claim under the ATCA does not alter the standard forum non conveniens analysis to anything like the degree suggested by plaintiffs. While "the original purposes of the ATCA remain the subject of some controversy... the most learned exposition of the statute's original purposes ... suggest[s] that the statute was originally motivated by a desire to insure that claims by an alien against U.S. citizens or for incidents occurring in the United States were litigated in federal court rather than state court, so as to prevent the states from mishandling such cases and creating international incidents." Wiwa, 226 F.3d at 105 n. 10. See also Tel-Oren v. Libyan Arab Republic, 726 F.2d 774, 782 (D.C.Cir.1984) (Edwards, J. concurring) ("There is evidence ... that the intent of this section was to assure aliens access to federal courts to vindicate any incident which, if mishandled by a state court, might blossom into an international crisis."); Filartiga v. PenaIrala, 630 F.2d 876, 890 (2d Cir.1980) (the kinds of questions that arise under the FTCA "are fraught with implications for the nation as a whole, and therefore should not be left to the potentially varying adjudications of the courts of the fifty states"). While the apparent purpose of ATCA, then, was simply to afford aliens a federal forum in preference to a state forum, the effect of its text is to afford aliens a forum in the United States to assert violations of international law. But nothing in that text suggests that the United States forum should therefore be given preference over a more convenient foreign forum which is adequate to handle the case. Accordingly, courts have applied forum non conveniens analysis to cases involving claims brought under the ATCA in essentially the same manner as applied to all other cases. See, e.g., In re Estate of Ferdinand E. Marcos Human Rights Litig., 978 F.2d 493, 500 (9th Cir.1992) ("Such limitations as venue and the doctrine of forum non conveniens are available in [ATCA] cases as in any other."); Cabiri v. Assasie-Gyimah, 921 F.Supp. 1189, 1199 (S.D.N.Y.1996) (conducting forum non conveniens analysis in case involving claims under the Alien Tort Claims Act); Eastman Kodak Co. v. Kavlin, 978 F.Supp. 1078, 1084 (S.D.Fla.1997) (same); see also Kadic v. Karadzic, 70 F.3d 232, 250 (2d Cir.1995) (noting the United States' statement suggesting that ordinary forum non conveniens analysis should apply to the ATCA claims there stated).[7] *554 In support of their contrary position that the ATCA materially alters forum non conveniens analysis, plaintiffs point to Flatow v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 999 F.Supp. 1, 25 (D.D.C.1998), in which a district court held that forum non conveniens review is inappropriate for cases brought under the state-sponsored terrorism exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(7). However, that statute applies only where the plaintiff or victim of terrorism is a United States national at the time of the incident, 28 U.S.C. § 1605(a)(7)(B)(ii), so that the United States has a special interest in "ensuring that its citizens have an opportunity to seek redress in the United States," Flatow, 999 F.Supp. at 25, whereas the ATCA, by contrast, only applies to alien plaintiffs. More importantly, the Second Circuit recently had occasion to review the entire issue in comparing the wording of the original ATCA, here applicable, with the wording of an amendment to the ATCA, known as the Torture Victims Protection Act ("TVPA"), 28 U.S.C. § 1350 App., that extends jurisdiction under the ATCA to cases brought, not by aliens but by U.S. residents, who have been victims of foreign torture. See Wiwa, supra. Based on the wording differences between the original ATCA and the amendment, the Court divined a special United States receptivity to TVPA suits not necessarily present in the case of other ATCA suits. See Wiwa, 226 F.3d at 104-05. But even then the court concluded that "[t]his is not to suggest that the TVPA has nullified, or even significantly diminished, the doctrine of forum non conveniens." Id. at 106. A fortiori, the doctrine applies in undiminished fashion to ATCA suits that do not fall within the purview of the TVPA. Accordingly, even if one assumes for the sake of argument the hypothesis that Texaco participated in a violation of international law that would support the claim here brought under the ATCA, neither that assumption nor any of the other considerations special to these cases materially alters the balance of private and public interest factors that, as previously discussed, "tilt[s] strongly in favor of trial in the foreign forum," Wiwa, 226 F.3d at 106 (quoting R. Maganlal & Co. v. M.G. Chemical Co., 942 F.2d 164, 167 (2d Cir.1991)), and, indeed, virtually mandates dismissal in favor of Ecuador or, if any plaintiff prefers, Peru. For the foregoing reasons, the defendant's motion to dismiss these cases on grounds of forum non conveniens is hereby granted. Clerk to enter judgment in both cases. SO ORDERED. NOTES [1] Following remand from the Court of Appeals, the Government of Ecuador expressly confirmed to this Court, at a hearing attended not only by its counsel but also by its Procurador General and its United Nations Ambassador, that it believed that, while its legal procedures were different from those of the United States, it nonetheless could provide an adequate forum for this litigation. See Tr. at 63. [2] Pacari is the leader of Pachakutik, an Ecuadorian political party of substantial and increasing power having its primary support among indigenous groups in the Amazon and Sierra regions of Ecuador. See U.S. Dept. of State, FY 2001 Country Commercial Guide: Ecuador ("2001 Ecuador Commercial Guide") at 18, available at http:// www.state.gov. [3] While plaintiffs claim the Ecuadorian courts are biased against Peruvians, they adduce no competent evidence of this allegation but simply make reference to the border dispute between the two countries that was settled in 1998. [4] For example, even though plaintiffs state that "TexPet required the approval of Texaco personnel regarding the merits of all proposed wells in Ecuador," Pls.' 1996 Mem. at 17 (emphasis in original), the evidence they cite in support of this statement shows only that Texaco provided some funding and occasional technical assistance. See Pls.' App., Ex. 2, Shields Dep. at 77-80, 326; Pls.' App., Ex. 35. Indeed, the witness whose deposition plaintiffs cite in support of their statement actually testified to the contrary, affirming that "Texaco, Inc. had no involvement in drilling wells in Ecuador." Pls.' App., Ex. 2, Shields Dep. at 325. [5] It should also be noted that, to the extent any of this discovery taken from Texaco is even arguably relevant to any action brought in any Ecuadorian or Peruvian court by any plaintiff here, Texaco has agreed to its admissibility there. See Def.'s Mem. at 13; Texaco App., Exs. 18 & 19, at § B.4. [6] According to the U.S. State Department, "Until the 1970's, Ecuador was an agrarian country dependent on commodity exports.... Starting in 1972, oil development in the Amazon basin fueled a decade of rapid growth, averaging 9 percent annually, that financed expanded public services, state enterprises, infrastructure, and import-substitution manufacturing." 2001 Ecuador Commercial Guide at 4. [7] Similarly, ordinary forum non conveniens analysis has been held to apply to claims under a variety of other federal statutes providing for special federal jurisdiction and/or special venue rules. See, e.g., Capital Currency Exch. v. National Westminster Bank PLC, 155 F.3d 603, 608-09 (2d Cir.1998) (forum non conveniens applies to Sherman Act claims despite special federal venue provision); TransUnion Corp. v. Pepsico, Inc., 811 F.2d 127, 129-30 (2d Cir.1987) (same, for RICO claims); Cruz v. Maritime Co. of Philippines, 702 F.2d 47, 48 (2d Cir.1983) (same, for Jones Act claims); Wells Fargo & Co. v. Wells Fargo Express Co., 556 F.2d 406, 431 (9th Cir.1977) (same, for Lanham Act claims); see generally Gilbert, 330 U.S. at 507, 67 S.Ct. 839 (forum non conveniens available "even when jurisdiction is authorized by the letter of a general venue statute."). | Low | [
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Search the Site Tribal leaders ask Congress to cut red tape for energy work Posted: Apr 6, 2011 Written by ELIZABETH BEWLEY, Great Falls Tribune Tribal leaders urged lawmakers last week to unravel the red tape that has delayed energy development on American Indian land."We want development of our natural resources. Nevertheless, we've been held back for many reasons," Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly told the House natural resource panel's Indian affairs subcommittee. "I believe that leaders want to help, but that message seems to get lost in the federal government." Tribal lands contain an estimated 10 percent of the nation's renewable and nonrenewable energy resources, but more than 15 million acres of Indian land with such resources have not been developed, said Rep. Don Young, the Alaska Republican who chairs the subcommittee. Young and tribal leaders said burdensome federal laws and regulations are to blame. Because the federal government holds tribal lands in trust, drilling or building renewable energy plants on reservations requires federal approval. Any energy project on federal land must be approved by agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Environmental Protection Agency. But on tribal lands, developers must also get the Bureau of Indian Affairs' stamp of approval. | Mid | [
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It is well known in the art to use building panels to make wall or partition surface assemblies on structural building frames. There are various requirements for such building panel assemblies. In particular the panels must be capable of quick, simple and reliable assembly. This will ensure that wall surfaces can be rapidly built, with minimal risk of damage to the wall panels during assembly. In the case of an exterior wall, the joints should protect the building from the ingress of wind, moisture, and other environmental factors. In the case of an interior partition, the joints should be draftproof. The problems encountered by existing panels are numerous. As the concept of panel modularity evolved, panels became larger in the interests of faster assembly time since obviously fewer large panels would be needed to complete a wall surface when compared to, for example, smaller panels or even bricks. Large panels present various drawbacks, some of which are their increased weight and bulk, making it difficult to manoeuvre, position and attach the large panels to a building structure. Add to this the difficulty in sealing the edges of adjacent panels, such difficulty being accentuated the taller or more inaccessible the building structure becomes. Furthermore, large panels, once installed, are not removable from the building structure without damages to the panels and/or the structure, thus preventing the re-installation of the panels on another structure or simply on the same building structure after relocation thereof. Attempts have been made previously to seal the edges of adjacent panels with rubber sill garage doors sealing or windows rubber hoses sealing system but among the consistent drawbacks has been the frequent damage to sealing surfaces while the panels are handled, and during the building assembly activity. The damage to the sealing surfaces is often difficult to detect and repair during construction, resulting in drafty, leaky buildings that require repair as soon as they are placed in service. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved building panel with modular, self-aligning, quick-assembly interfaces providing sealing and weatherproofing. | High | [
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Rok Petrovič Rok Petrovič (5 February 1966 – 16 September 1993) was a Yugoslav and Slovenian alpine skier. Petrovič was born in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, the son of Krešimir Petrović, a well known sports psychologist of Croatian origin (His mother been from Vela Luka). His first success in alpine ski racing was the 1983 Junior World Championship slalom title in Sestriere, Italy. After this he rapidly advanced up the world slalom rankings. In the 1985–86 Alpine Skiing World Cup season, he was practically unbeatable in slalom, his competition left to wait for rare mistakes in his highly aggressive and innovative skiing style. That season he won 5 races, is second in St. Anton, Austria and third in Geilo, Norway, easily winning the World Cup slalom title and becoming the first Yugoslav with a crystal globe. After his championship-winning season, Petrovič was unable to recapture his winning form, the only hint of his championship season being a second place behind his teammate Bojan Križaj at the unforgettable race in Kranjska Gora next season. He finished eighth in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games giant slalom. Due to his lack of winning results, he quit skiing in 1988 and began studies at the College of Sports in Ljubljana. He graduated in 1991 and continued with post-graduate study. He was to defend his M.Sc. thesis in the autumn of 1993, but shortly before defending his thesis he took a short break at the Croatian island Korčula and drowned in a diving accident. Altogether he won 5 World Cup races, all in slalom and all in his champion season in 1985-86: World Cup results Season titles Season standings Race podiums Category:1966 births Category:1993 deaths Category:Sportspeople from Ljubljana Category:Yugoslav male alpine skiers Category:Slovenian male alpine skiers Category:Olympic alpine skiers of Yugoslavia Category:Alpine skiers at the 1988 Winter Olympics Category:Underwater diving deaths Category:Accidental deaths in Croatia Category:FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champions Category:Slovenian people of Croatian descent | High | [
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#import "GPUImagePixellatePositionFilter.h" #if TARGET_IPHONE_SIMULATOR || TARGET_OS_IPHONE NSString *const kGPUImagePixellationPositionFragmentShaderString = SHADER_STRING ( varying highp vec2 textureCoordinate; uniform sampler2D inputImageTexture; uniform highp float fractionalWidthOfPixel; uniform highp float aspectRatio; uniform lowp vec2 pixelateCenter; uniform highp float pixelateRadius; void main() { highp vec2 textureCoordinateToUse = vec2(textureCoordinate.x, (textureCoordinate.y * aspectRatio + 0.5 - 0.5 * aspectRatio)); highp float dist = distance(pixelateCenter, textureCoordinateToUse); if (dist < pixelateRadius) { highp vec2 sampleDivisor = vec2(fractionalWidthOfPixel, fractionalWidthOfPixel / aspectRatio); highp vec2 samplePos = textureCoordinate - mod(textureCoordinate, sampleDivisor) + 0.5 * sampleDivisor; gl_FragColor = texture2D(inputImageTexture, samplePos ); } else { gl_FragColor = texture2D(inputImageTexture, textureCoordinate ); } } ); #else NSString *const kGPUImagePixellationPositionFragmentShaderString = SHADER_STRING ( varying vec2 textureCoordinate; uniform sampler2D inputImageTexture; uniform float fractionalWidthOfPixel; uniform float aspectRatio; uniform vec2 pixelateCenter; uniform float pixelateRadius; void main() { vec2 textureCoordinateToUse = vec2(textureCoordinate.x, (textureCoordinate.y * aspectRatio + 0.5 - 0.5 * aspectRatio)); float dist = distance(pixelateCenter, textureCoordinateToUse); if (dist < pixelateRadius) { vec2 sampleDivisor = vec2(fractionalWidthOfPixel, fractionalWidthOfPixel / aspectRatio); vec2 samplePos = textureCoordinate - mod(textureCoordinate, sampleDivisor) + 0.5 * sampleDivisor; gl_FragColor = texture2D(inputImageTexture, samplePos ); } else { gl_FragColor = texture2D(inputImageTexture, textureCoordinate ); } } ); #endif @interface GPUImagePixellatePositionFilter () - (void)adjustAspectRatio; @property (readwrite, nonatomic) CGFloat aspectRatio; @end @implementation GPUImagePixellatePositionFilter @synthesize fractionalWidthOfAPixel = _fractionalWidthOfAPixel; @synthesize aspectRatio = _aspectRatio; @synthesize center = _center; @synthesize radius = _radius; #pragma mark - #pragma mark Initialization and teardown - (id)init; { if (!(self = [self initWithFragmentShaderFromString:kGPUImagePixellationPositionFragmentShaderString])) { return nil; } return self; } - (id)initWithFragmentShaderFromString:(NSString *)fragmentShaderString; { if (!(self = [super initWithFragmentShaderFromString:fragmentShaderString])) { return nil; } fractionalWidthOfAPixelUniform = [filterProgram uniformIndex:@"fractionalWidthOfPixel"]; aspectRatioUniform = [filterProgram uniformIndex:@"aspectRatio"]; centerUniform = [filterProgram uniformIndex:@"pixelateCenter"]; radiusUniform = [filterProgram uniformIndex:@"pixelateRadius"]; self.fractionalWidthOfAPixel = 0.05; self.center = CGPointMake(0.5f, 0.5f); self.radius = 0.25f; return self; } - (void)setInputSize:(CGSize)newSize atIndex:(NSInteger)textureIndex; { CGSize oldInputSize = inputTextureSize; [super setInputSize:newSize atIndex:textureIndex]; if ( (!CGSizeEqualToSize(oldInputSize, inputTextureSize)) && (!CGSizeEqualToSize(newSize, CGSizeZero)) ) { [self adjustAspectRatio]; } } #pragma mark - #pragma mark Accessors - (void)setInputRotation:(GPUImageRotationMode)newInputRotation atIndex:(NSInteger)textureIndex; { [super setInputRotation:newInputRotation atIndex:textureIndex]; [self setCenter:self.center]; [self adjustAspectRatio]; } - (void)adjustAspectRatio; { if (GPUImageRotationSwapsWidthAndHeight(inputRotation)) { [self setAspectRatio:(inputTextureSize.width / inputTextureSize.height)]; } else { [self setAspectRatio:(inputTextureSize.height / inputTextureSize.width)]; } } - (void)forceProcessingAtSize:(CGSize)frameSize; { [super forceProcessingAtSize:frameSize]; [self adjustAspectRatio]; } - (void)setFractionalWidthOfAPixel:(CGFloat)newValue; { CGFloat singlePixelSpacing; if (inputTextureSize.width != 0.0) { singlePixelSpacing = 1.0 / inputTextureSize.width; } else { singlePixelSpacing = 1.0 / 2048.0; } if (newValue < singlePixelSpacing) { _fractionalWidthOfAPixel = singlePixelSpacing; } else { _fractionalWidthOfAPixel = newValue; } [self setFloat:_fractionalWidthOfAPixel forUniform:fractionalWidthOfAPixelUniform program:filterProgram]; } - (void)setAspectRatio:(CGFloat)newValue; { _aspectRatio = newValue; [self setFloat:_aspectRatio forUniform:aspectRatioUniform program:filterProgram]; } - (void)setCenter:(CGPoint)center { _center = center; CGPoint rotatedPoint = [self rotatedPoint:center forRotation:inputRotation]; [self setPoint:rotatedPoint forUniform:centerUniform program:filterProgram]; } - (void)setRadius:(CGFloat)radius { _radius = radius; [self setFloat:_radius forUniform:radiusUniform program:filterProgram]; } @end | Mid | [
0.583143507972665,
32,
22.875
] |
Complications of central nervous system hydatid disease. Central nervous system hydatid cyst disease presents with different clinical pictures depending on the involvement of cerebral and spinal structures. The majority of cerebral echinococcosis cases are in the pediatric age group, mostly involving the white matter, and their treatment is mainly surgical. Complications of this entity depend on several factors including the location, size, and multiplicity of the cysts, as well as the presence of contamination. The most common complication is a rupture of the cyst into the subarachnoid space which leads to widespread dissemination followed by severe inflammatory or anaphylactic response. However, vertebral lesions are usually invasive and cause neurological symptoms due to compression. Almost all patients complain of radicular pain and motor deficits; and up to one half of patients present with paraparesis. This paper examines the natural history and complications which may arise during the treatment of cerebral and vertebral hydatid cysts, and discusses their clinical management. | High | [
0.663615560640732,
36.25,
18.375
] |
An ink-jet printer includes a pen in which small droplets of ink are formed and ejected from the printer pen toward a printing medium. Such pens include printheads with orifice plates with several very small nozzles through which the ink droplets are ejected. Adjacent to the nozzles are ink chambers, where ink is stored prior to ejection through the nozzle. Ink is delivered to the ink chambers through ink channels in fluid communication with an ink supply. The ink supply may be, for example, contained in a reservoir part of the pen. For color printing, multiple colors are made available to the printer. For each color of ink there is a separate ink reservoir and ink delivery system coupled to a separate group of ink chambers and nozzles. In order to achieve high quality, high-resolution printing, these groups of nozzles are placed relatively close together on the printhead. Control of ink flow is required to prevent excess ink from being delivered to the printhead. Excess ink delivery leads to leakage, or drooling from the nozzles. Ink-jet printer systems are affected by changes in ambient conditions, such as temperature and pressure. When the ambient temperature increases or ambient pressure decreases, air diffused throughout the ink and air bubbles present within the ink reservoir expand to cause displacement of ink. Unless this expansion is managed, the displaced ink is forced out the printhead nozzles resulting in undesired drool. When an inkjet pen drools, one color of ink may migrate across the surface of the printhead to another color group. When ambient temperature or pressure changes, the migrated ink may be sucked back into the nozzles of another color ink. The mixing of these two ink colors causes contamination, producing poor quality printing. Open cell foam is often used to store ink within a reservoir of an ink jet pen. In conventional foam ink storage systems, the top of the reservoir may be vented to ambient to allow equalization of pressure within the ink container to the outside air pressure. However, substantially all of the exterior surfaces of conventional foam ink storage members are in contact with the walls of the pen reservoir. Such contact between ink saturated foam and the reservoir walls creates a seal through which air is unable to pass for venting to atmosphere. When changes in ambient conditions occur to expand air in the reservoir, the expanded trapped air displaces ink and causes drool through the nozzles. To control leakage, extra felting of the foam member has been employed. Felting is a measure of the extent to which foam is compressed. Compressing the foam decreases the pore dimensions. By increasing the felting of the foam (i.e., the amount of compression of the foam), pore size decreases and capillary force increases. A greater capillary force increases back pressure within the reservoir. An increase in back pressure within the reservoir helps to prevent drool. However, extra felting of the foam does not aid removal of air trapped within the foam. Extra felting also reduces the foam's ink storage capacity. Moreover, extra felting makes manufacturing difficult, as the foam is difficult to insert in the necessarily small reservoir. Grooved reservoir walls have been used to prevent ink drool. The grooves create a series of interconnected channels between the foam member and the reservoir walls. Expanding air from the foam's interior diffuses into these channels and is vented out of the reservoir. However, the grooved reservoir walls can be difficult to manufacture. Additionally, grooved reservoir walls can make the walls more flexible, and the pressure exerted by the compressed foam can deform the flexible reservoir walls so that the ink-jet pen does not fit properly within the printer. The present invention is directed to a system for storing ink in a pen reservoir, while preventing ink leakage due to a change in ambient temperature or pressure. The system comprises porous grooved foam. The porous foam is grooved on the exterior portion to provide paths for air to move to the atmosphere. Thus, air within the interior portion of the foam may expand to the grooves on the exterior portion. An atmospheric vent is in fluid communication with at least one of the grooves, thereby to vent excess air within the reservoir. The grooved foam may be used in any of a variety of ink-jet pen reservoirs and may be implemented with any foam-based pen. | Mid | [
0.641509433962264,
34,
19
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Andrew Liszewski Genius comes in all shapes and sizes, and in this case it's a cylindrical 16-ounce water bottle called the Hydros that features a brilliant access port on the side of the cap that lets you fill it from the shortest of taps, or shallowest of sinks. No longer do you have to craft a makeshift funnel with your hand, or horror of horrors, only fill your bottle halfway. The door covering the side panel stays completely sealed when the bottle is upright, so there's no spillage. And a twisting cap lets you drink from the top of the bottle, so you don't have to hold it sideways and shotgun your hydration. The $28Hydros bottle also comes with a built-in filter, but if you're topping up from a sketchy water source it will only remove nasty tastes and smells, not the contaminents that will make you sick. And after every 150 refills you'll need to swap it out at $10 a pop. [Hydros via Gearculture] | Low | [
0.45652173913043403,
23.625,
28.125
] |
Size Matters! We are often asked what size marquee our clients need to hire for their event. This is of course very easy to calculate, but first we need to know a few key bits of information. The size you require will very much depend on what your plans are for the day. For example, when we put up a marquee for an I Do Festivals event, we have always allowed enough room for the stage which is generally three meters just in width and our bars from The Festival Bar Company which generally takes up a width of about two meters. Then it’s really all down to seating. We utilise as much space as we can by setting up the table and chairs of your choice so that your guests can be seated for food if that is something you would like, some of our clients are happy with straw bales although this is not always the most cost effective solution. Then as the day turns into the evening, we take the tables down opening up a dance floor. It’s always a good idea to keep some seating in the marquee so that older guests can still enjoy the party and of course your dancing diva’s can rest up before they hit the floor again! Here at The Festival Marquee Company we will give you expert advise on how to secure the right size marquee and we will of course assist you with planning it all out. Before you decide to book with us, we will create you a mock-up of what your marquee will look like so that you can book with confidence knowing that size matters to us! For festival events, many of our clients decide on a mixture of seating and the catering options can be as relaxed as street food from The Street Food Catering Company. This generally means that your marquee requirement is less than we would recommend for an event that is having a formal three-course meal. However, do proceed with caution, as much our we love our beautiful countryside, we all know that our Great British summertime’s can be known to have the odd shower! Therefore, even if you are planning a more informal event, do let us know so that we can make sure there is enough room to keep everyone dry! | Mid | [
0.6192660550458711,
33.75,
20.75
] |
Q: Stripe 401 Unauthorized - No valid API key provided I've followed Ryan Bates's Railscast 'Integrating Active Merchant' and after some fiddling around it's working or at least i don't receive any errors in Rails. When i check to the log in my Stripe account i see the following: type: "invalid_request_error" message: "This API call cannot be made with a publishable API key. Please use a secret API key. It's a 401 Unauthorized - No valid API key provided. error. I have the below in my development environment. I've double checked the keys to see if they are mixed up and they're not. ActiveMerchant::Billing::Base.mode = :test ::GATEWAY = ActiveMerchant::Billing::StripeGateway.new( :login => 'pk_test_yfredactedredactedfA', :password => 'sk_test_Rrredactedredacted2J') Development.log shows: Processing by OrdersController#create as HTML Parameters: {"utf8"=>"✓", "authenticity_token"=>"ZWredactedredactedredactedredactedad4=", "order"=>{"first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>"", "email"=>"", "address_1"=>"", "address_2"=>"", "city"=>"", "postal_code"=>"", "country_code"=>"United Kingdom", "card_number"=>"", "security_code"=>"", "card_expires_on(3i)"=>"1", "card_expires_on(2i)"=>"5", "card_expires_on(1i)"=>"2014"}, "commit"=>"Confirm and pay"} [1m[36mProduct Load (0.1ms)[0m [1mSELECT "products".* FROM "products" WHERE "products"."id" = ? LIMIT 1[0m [["id", 2]] [1m[35m (0.1ms)[0m begin transaction [1m[36mSQL (0.4ms)[0m [1mINSERT INTO "orders" ("created_at", "updated_at") VALUES (?, ?)[0m [["created_at", Tue, 06 May 2014 11:05:16 UTC +00:00], ["updated_at", Tue, 06 May 2014 11:05:16 UTC +00:00]] [1m[36m (6.1ms)[0m [1mcommit transaction[0m [1m[35m (0.2ms)[0m SELECT SUM("products"."price") AS sum_id FROM "products" WHERE "products"."id" IN (2) Although i'm not sure it'll help Thanks A: According to the Stripe docs: In addition to live and test mode, there are also two types of keys secret and publishable keys. Publishable API keys are meant solely to identify your account with Stripe, they aren't secret. In other words, they can safely be published in places like your Stripe.js javascript code, or in an Android or iPhone app. Publishable keys only have the power to create tokens. Secret API keys should never be published, and must be kept confidentially on your own servers. These keys can perform any API request to Stripe without restriction. You'll never need to use them both at once, you use one or the other. The error you posted states: This API call cannot be made with a publishable API key. Please use a secret API key. You can distinguish the keys from the first few characters: pk_test_... - publishable key for test mode sk_test_... - secret key for test mode So you need to provide the secret key where you provided the publishable key before. Here's an example of using the secret key with ActiveMerchant: transaction = ActiveMerchant::Billing::StripeGateway.new(:login => STRIPE_SECRET_KEY) (Note there's no :password given.) | Mid | [
0.597285067873303,
33,
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Carbachol-induced hydrolysis of phospholipids in hippocampal slices may be mediated in part by subsequent activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. We observed that AP-3, an antagonist of metabotropic glutamate receptors, reduced carbachol-induced hydrolysis of phospholipids in hippocampal slices. This inhibition could be explained in different ways, e.g.: 1) AP-3 acts also as antagonist of muscarinic receptors mediating the hydrolysis of phospholipids induced by carbachol, 2) Carbachol induces the release of glutamate which, by activating metabotropic glutamate receptors, leads to additional hydrolysis of phospholipids. The aim of this work was to test these possibilities. It is shown that AP-3 reduces carbachol-induced hydrolysis of phospholipids in hippocampal slices but not in cerebellar neurons at 10-14 days of culture, when these cells are not able to induce hydrolysis of phospholipids following activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. It is also shown that carbachol induces a release of [3H]aspartate in hippocampal slices. The results reported suggest that the hydrolysis of phospholipids induced by carbachol in hippocampal slices would have two components. One part would be due to direct activation by carbachol of muscarinic receptors associated to activation of phospholipase C. This part would not be inhibited by AP-3. The second part would be due to subsequent release of glutamate and activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. This part would be inhibited by AP-3. | High | [
0.679425837320574,
35.5,
16.75
] |
New medications for nicotine dependence treatment. For several years, nicotine replacement therapy (nicotine gum, patches, and nasal spray) has been the mainstay for the treatment of nicotine dependence. The nicotine vapor inhaler is a new pharmacological adjunct shown to be effective in placebo-controlled trials. It delivers a vaporized form of nicotine to the oral mucosa. Bupropion sustained release (SR) is the first non-nicotine pharmacological treatment approved for smoking cessation and is thought to be effective because of its dopaminergic activity on the pleasure and reward pathways in the mesolimbic system and nucleus accumbens. Though few studies have been reported, there is pharmacological rationale to use combined pharmacotherapies for the treatment of nicotine dependence. While there are a limited number of reported studies with mixed findings using higher than the standard nicotine patch dose, use of higher doses of nicotine patch therapy (i.e., more than one patch at a time) may be appropriate for smokers who previously failed single dose patch therapy or in those whose nicotine withdrawal symptoms were not adequately relieved with standard therapy. The concept of therapeutic drug monitoring can be applied to nicotine replacement therapy. A new product, a sublingual nicotine tablet, has shown efficacy in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial and will likely be approved in the future. The anti-hypertensive, mecamylamine, has been found to have efficacy for smoking cessation in a small trial. Nicotine and mecamylamine both occupy receptors that would otherwise be acted upon by nicotine from cigarettes, thus, when administered in combination, would be expected to occupy more receptors than either drug alone, thereby attenuating smoking reward and facilitating extinction of the smoking behavior. Pivotal trials of this combination are underway. Remaining questions include: (1) what is the optimal dose and duration of treatment using nicotine replacement therapy? (2) What is the optimal duration of treatment using bupropion? (3) What are the best combination treatments and which smokers are best suited for combination treatment? (4) Will other similar pharmacological agents with dopaminergic/noradrenergic activity have efficacy similar to bupropion? | High | [
0.673629242819843,
32.25,
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] |
Military service age and obligation: 17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; 19-30 years of age for compulsory service; conscript service obligation is 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) (2012) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 10,273,129 females age 16-49: 10,114,552 (2010 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 8,622,897 females age 16-49: 8,626,222 (2010 est.) Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: male: 342,895 female: 330,098 (2010 est.) Military expenditures: country comparison to the world: 21 Transnational Issues: Algeria Disputes - international: Algeria and many other states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the National Liberation Front's (FLN) assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 90,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf); 1,500 (Mali) (2013) IDPs: undetermined (civil war during 1990s) (2012) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Algeria is a transit and, to a lesser extent, a destination and source country for women, and, to a lesser extent, men subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; criminal networks, which sometimes extend to sub-Saharan Africa and to Europe, are involved in both human smuggling and trafficking; sub-Saharan adults enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally, often with the aid of smugglers, for onward travel to Europe, but some of the women are forced into prostitution; some Algerian women are also forced into prostitution; some sub-Saharan men, mostly from Mali, are forced into domestic servitude tier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government has not held any perpetrators of sex trafficking or forced labor accountable with jail time; some trafficking victims are treated as illegal migrants and are subject to arrest, detention, and deportation because authorities continue to confuse human trafficking and smuggling; the government has not developed or employed systematic procedures for identifying trafficking victims and referring them for protective services; no public awareness campaigns are conducted and no plan of action was developed to complement Algeria's anti-trafficking law (2013) | Mid | [
0.592771084337349,
30.75,
21.125
] |
Coronary and cardiovascular dynamics and oxygen availability during acute normovolemic anemia. The hematocrit of 12 dogs was reduced from 43 to 30 and then to 20% by bleeding and simultaneous infusion of lactated Ringer's solution. At each level of anemia, blood volume, heart rate, cardiac output, left and right pressures, left ventricular (LV) work, aortic mean pressure, and systemic vascular resistance were at prebleeding values. Pulmonary arterial saturation decreased from 76 to 67 and 50%. LV coronary venous saturation fell from 46 to 31% at hematocrit 30, with no further reduction at hematocrit 20. Electromagnetically measured left coronary mean flow was 120 and 185% of control at hematocrits 30 and 20. Coronary flow reserve, or the ratio of peak increase in flow after 10 second occlusion to preocclusion flow, was 3.8 at hematocrit 43, 3.0 at 30, and 1.9 at 20. The change in ratio was due to increased resting flow with anemia, whereas peak reactive hyperemia flow did not change with hematocrit. Acute normovolemic anemia is not associated with significant changes in cardiac work. Despite lowered blood viscosity, systemic resistance is maintained by vasoconstriction. Systemic oxygen availability (Cardiac output X arterial O2 content) is decreased, but uptake is maintained by increased O2 extraction. LV O2 consumption is maintained by maximally increasing the already high myocardial O2 extraction and by increasing coronary flow. At half-normal hematocrit, coronary reserve is compromised significantly, indicating cardiac vulnerability at these levels of anemia, especially if coronary occlusive disease or higher work demands on the heart should coexist. | High | [
0.688442211055276,
34.25,
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Q: The interior of $[0,1]\times \{0\}$ as a subset of $\mathbb{R}^2$ and as a subset of $\mathbb{R}\times\{0\}$. Let $\mathbb{R}^2$ have the usual topology and let $\mathbb{R}\times\{0\}$ have the subspace topology, what is the interior of $[0,1]\times \{0\}$ as a subspace of $\mathbb{R}^2$? What about the interior as a subspace of $\mathbb{R}\times \{0\}$? The answer gives $\varnothing$ and $(0,1)\times\{0\}$ respectively but I don't understand why. The way I see it, $[0,1]\times \{0\}=\{(x,0): x\in [0,1]\}\subset \mathbb{R}^2$, then the interior is empty, since this set does not have any open subsets in $\mathbb{R}^2$. A: For the second case, you must give the subspace topology to $\mathbb{R}\times \{0\}$ in which case it is "the same" as $\mathbb{R}$. So the interior of $[0,1]\times \{0\}$ in $\mathbb{R}\times \{0\}$ is "the same" as the interior of $[0,1]$ in $\mathbb{R}$. | Mid | [
0.5645933014354061,
29.5,
22.75
] |
Q: Instantiating a 2d array in a java constructor? I am so confused. I need to make a constructor to create a 2d array with parameters called from main method.. Every time I call the Seats 2D array in another method of the same class, I get an error. Why is that and how do I use the array I made in the constructor? class MovieSeating { public MovieSeating(int rowNum, int columnNum) { String [][] Seats = new String[rowNum][columnNum]; for (int r = 0; r < rowNum; r++) { for (int c = 0; c < columnNum; c++) { Seats[r][c] = "???"; } } } private Customer getCustomerAt(int row, int col) { System.out.println("Customer at row " + row + " and col " + col + "." ); System.out.println(Seats[row][col]); } A: You are on a good track, but you have to make Seats instance variable in order to get proper results: private String [][] Seats; public MovieSeating(int rowNum, int columnNum) { Seats = new String[rowNum][columnNum]; for (int r = 0; r < rowNum; r++) { for (int c = 0; c < columnNum; c++) { Seats[r][c] = "???"; } } } | High | [
0.689655172413793,
35,
15.75
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/* * ProGuard -- shrinking, optimization, obfuscation, and preverification * of Java bytecode. * * Copyright (c) 2002-2017 Eric Lafortune @ GuardSquare * * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it * under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free * Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) * any later version. * * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for * more details. * * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along * with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., * 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA */ package proguard.optimize.peephole; import proguard.classfile.*; import proguard.classfile.attribute.*; import proguard.classfile.attribute.visitor.AttributeVisitor; import proguard.classfile.editor.CodeAttributeEditor; import proguard.classfile.instruction.Instruction; import proguard.classfile.instruction.visitor.InstructionVisitor; import proguard.classfile.util.SimplifiedVisitor; /** * This InstructionVisitor deletes blocks of code that can never be reached by * regular calls or branches. * * @author Eric Lafortune */ public class UnreachableCodeRemover extends SimplifiedVisitor implements AttributeVisitor, InstructionVisitor { //* private static final boolean DEBUG = false; /*/ private static boolean DEBUG = true; //*/ private final InstructionVisitor extraInstructionVisitor; private final ReachableCodeMarker reachableCodeMarker = new ReachableCodeMarker(); private final CodeAttributeEditor codeAttributeEditor = new CodeAttributeEditor(); /** * Creates a new UnreachableCodeRemover. */ public UnreachableCodeRemover() { this(null); } /** * Creates a new UnreachableCodeRemover. * @param extraInstructionVisitor an optional extra visitor for all * deleted instructions. */ public UnreachableCodeRemover(InstructionVisitor extraInstructionVisitor) { this.extraInstructionVisitor = extraInstructionVisitor; } // Implementations for AttributeVisitor. public void visitAnyAttribute(Clazz clazz, Attribute attribute) {} public void visitCodeAttribute(Clazz clazz, Method method, CodeAttribute codeAttribute) { // DEBUG = // clazz.getName().equals("abc/Def") && // method.getName(clazz).equals("abc"); // TODO: Remove this when the code has stabilized. // Catch any unexpected exceptions from the actual visiting method. try { // Process the code. visitCodeAttribute0(clazz, method, codeAttribute); } catch (RuntimeException ex) { System.err.println("Unexpected error while removing unreachable code:"); System.err.println(" Class = ["+clazz.getName()+"]"); System.err.println(" Method = ["+method.getName(clazz)+method.getDescriptor(clazz)+"]"); System.err.println(" Exception = ["+ex.getClass().getName()+"] ("+ex.getMessage()+")"); throw ex; } } public void visitCodeAttribute0(Clazz clazz, Method method, CodeAttribute codeAttribute) { if (DEBUG) { System.out.println("UnreachableCodeRemover: "+clazz.getName()+"."+method.getName(clazz)+method.getDescriptor(clazz)); } reachableCodeMarker.visitCodeAttribute(clazz, method, codeAttribute); codeAttributeEditor.reset(codeAttribute.u4codeLength); codeAttribute.instructionsAccept(clazz, method, this); codeAttributeEditor.visitCodeAttribute(clazz, method, codeAttribute); } // Implementations for InstructionVisitor. public void visitAnyInstruction(Clazz clazz, Method method, CodeAttribute codeAttribute, int offset, Instruction instruction) { if (DEBUG) { System.out.println(" "+(reachableCodeMarker.isReachable(offset) ? "+" : "-")+" "+instruction.toString(offset)); } // Is this instruction unreachable? if (!reachableCodeMarker.isReachable(offset)) { // Then delete it. codeAttributeEditor.deleteInstruction(offset); // Visit the instruction, if required. if (extraInstructionVisitor != null) { instruction.accept(clazz, method, codeAttribute, offset, extraInstructionVisitor); } } } } | Low | [
0.519565217391304,
29.875,
27.625
] |
Q: I want to display same column twice with different values mysql select * from Teams; | team_name | team_id | | India | 1 | | England | 2 | | Germany | 3 | | Japan | 4 | select * from Matches; | match_id | match_date | hometeam | awayteam | homescore | awayscore | | 1 | 2014-06-24 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | | 2 | 2014-06-25 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | Matches-table hometeam and awayteam are foreign keys for Teams-table team_id I want a select that displays the homescore and awayscore along with team_names A: You have to join matches table with teams table like this: SELECT th.team_name as team_home, m.homescore, ta.team_name as team_away, m.awayscore FROM matches m INNER JOIN teams th ON m.hometeam = th.team_id INNER JOIN teams ta ON m.awayteam = ta.team_id Here is SqlFiddle | High | [
0.6933701657458561,
31.375,
13.875
] |
President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the FBI planted a “spy” in his campaign has handed his associates a new way to characterize any suspicious interactions they may have had during the election: those interactions, especially those being examined by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, were an FBI setup. Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign abetted a Russian disinformation campaign, and whether the president sought to obstruct that investigation. Earlier this month, The Washington Post revealed that Roger Stone and Michael Caputo, two former advisers to Trump’s campaign team of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller, were approached during the election by a Russian national who was offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. Stone and Caputo told the Post that they believe the man was acting as an informant for the FBI. The wife of another campaign aide now cooperating with Mueller, George Papadopoulos, is telling a similar story: Papadopoulos did nothing without the campaign’s consent, she has said, and was targeted by western agents trying to entrap him. Retroactively downplaying these potentially inappropriate contacts with foreign nationals by casting them as an FBI set-up fits squarely into a narrative enthusiastically promoted by the president. Trump, a subject of Mueller’s obstruction investigation, has tweeted repeatedly about “Spygate”—a term invented by his allies to describe the FBI’s use of an informant to approach members of his campaign during the election. The FBI, which does not usually publicly discuss ongoing investigations, has not responded to the accusations. The result: Trump and his supporters have been able to minimize their bad publicity and continue to characterize the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt.” Roger Stone and Michael Caputo’s latest disclosure to the Post is a good example: Neither Stone nor Caputo told the House Intelligence Committee when testifying under oath last year that the Russian national, Henry Greenberg, had tried to sell the campaign damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Caputo told me that didn’t remember his May 2016 interaction with Greenberg until just before his interview with Mueller’s team last month. (He says he told the agents about a second interaction he had with Greenberg at a fundraiser charity event in Miami in January 2017). Still, Caputo is not worried that he may have perjured himself before Congress—he believes Greenberg was acting as an FBI informant when he approached the campaign, and that the bureau should have to answer for its use of human sources during the election. Hours after the Post story broke, Caputo’s spokeswoman sent out a press release touting his exposure of “another FBI informant.” “It is important to note that I disclosed this to Mueller after they asked me a very general question about whether a Russian ever approached me with information on the Hillary Clinton campaign,” Caputo told me. “It bothers me that the Obama FBI was investigating the Republican nominee for president. But it truly concerns me that they were tapping a violent Russian criminal illegal alien to join the fray.” Greenberg, who appears to have assisted the FBI between 2008-2012, was charged in Los Angeles in 1994 with assault with a deadly weapon, according to records obtained by the Post. Papadopoulos’ wife Simona Mangiante, who has asked Trump to pardon Papadopoulos, has used a similar argument: In an interview with The Daily Caller, she said “it was George who brought up Mifsud to the FBI”—a reference to Joseph Mifsud, a mysterious Maltese professor who told Papadopoulos in April 2016 that the Russians had dirt on Clinton. (The FBI accused Papadopoulos of making materially false statements about the timing of his meeting with Mifsud.) Mangiante added that she believed the FBI used Stefan Halper, a longtime FBI and CIA source who teaches at Cambridge University, to target Papadopoulos “and infiltrate the campaign.” She claimed that Papadopoulos was the target of other “highly suspicious” approaches during the election. Whereas Halper reportedly approached the Trump campaign at the FBI’s behest, however, there is no evidence that Greenberg was acting as an FBI informant when he offered the campaign dirt on Clinton in May 2016. Asked why he did not notify the FBI when a Russian offered him compromising information about Clinton, Caputo said he and Stone “thought Greenberg was a crackpot and of no concern, and he did not represent himself as an agent of the Russian government.” Caputo said he now believes Greenberg has been allowed to remain in the U.S. because he is still working for the FBI. He questioned why the special counsel’s team grilled him last month about his contact with Greenberg, and why the FBI agents “knew so much about this meeting” with Greenberg “that was so matterless.” (Stone has said he has not yet met with, or even been contacted by, Mueller’s team.) Caputo says he hired private investigators in Florida and Russia to look into Greenberg and “got chapter and verse on this guy.” He discovered, among other things, that Greenberg repeatedly entered the U.S. from Russia under a “significant public benefit parole” between 2008-2012. Records obtained by the Post support that claim. Scott Olson, a recently retired FBI agent who ran counterintelligence operations and spent more than 20 years at the bureau, told me that this kind of parole “is available to law enforcement when they need bring someone who is assisting with a criminal investigation into the US and that person cannot gain entry on their own, usually because they have a criminal record.” But the records show that Greenberg’s work with the FBI ended in 2013—three years before he reached out to Caputo and Stone—meaning it is likely that he was either “freelancing” or working for Russia when he approached the Trump campaign in May 2016, said Frank Montoya, Jr., a former FBI special agent who served as the Director of the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive. When Greenberg approached Caputo, moreover, the FBI had not yet launched its investigation into the Trump campaign. “My read on Greenberg is that he was either working at the behest of the Russians or he was freelancing (which means it was at the behest of the Russians),” Montoya told me. The Russians, he noted, “used all kinds of resources” to launch an “all-out assault to undermine our election,” and human sources are not immune from “freelancing” or going “rogue,” he said. “It is not unheard of—rather routine actually—for people like [Greenberg] to play both sides against the middle.” By using this service you agree not to post material that is obscene, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable. Although GovExec.com does not monitor comments posted to this site (and has no obligation to), it reserves the right to delete, edit, or move any material that it deems to be in violation of this rule. | Mid | [
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A top commander in the Free Syrian Army (FSA), captured by rival rebel faction Jabhat al-Nusra, has claimed he collaborated with Israel in a “confession video” released by a Shariah court. In the video, the commander claimed he had accepted a large quantity of light arms as well as Soviet-made anti-tank missiles in return for promising to maintain control over the Golan Heights border and ensuring no other rebel factions approached the frontier. The commander also claimed that the medical treatment some rebels received in Israel was coordinated through his force and the Israeli military, under a pact in which no rebels would go near the fence without permission. Israel has not confirmed directly arming any rebel faction, and the accuracy of the video cannot be confirmed. Since it is a confession given while captured, it is possible it was coerced. | Low | [
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We value our customers and aim to provide, honest and quality work. Effective repair work and customer service is our priority and commitment to our customers. Check out our A+ BBB rating – an accolade we’ve earned for the last 7 years running. All of our technicians are thoroughly trained, experienced, and professional, so say goodbye to unsatisfactory service and high prices. Oven Service We service and repair appliances in LA up to a 50 mile radius. If need a Oven Repair La Vernia, TX 78121 in Houston, we understand the importance of getting it fixed. If you have a broken Oven, chances are you may not be able to prepare meals. If you have an electric Oven with no heat, gas Oven not working or any other problem, act fast. You can count on us for quick service. We understand that Oven repair La Vernia, TX 78121 are a necessity, especially if you use it often. We offer local Oven repair La Vernia, TX 78121 to bring you fast repairs. Your Oven is one of your most essential appliances. If you experience a situation where you need to fix your ice maker , it may be best to let a professional handle it. When your Oven refuses to cooperate, it can be very frustrating. If you need any Oven repair La Vernia, TX 78121, call LA today. Same Day. No Hidden Fees. Affordable. NO HIDDEN FEES: No extra charge for weekends, evenings, or holidays. Your time is valuable and we work around your schedule to fix your Oven . AFFORDABLE: You can count on us for affordable appliance repair La Vernia, TX 78121. Quick Fix Appliance Repair La Vernia, TX 78121 will waive the service call upon your agreement to allow us to do the repair. You are only responsible for labor and parts! Our appliance technicians will provide you with a Oven Troubleshooting Diagnostic specific to your unit. Repair or Buy? Choosing repair over replacement could save you HUNDREDS. If your Oven has had its run, replacing your unit may be a good option. Understanding the problem and repair costs will make the decision process easy. Oven Repair La Vernia, TX 78121 Oven Repair La Vernia, TX 78121 Tip Houston Caution: Prior to working on a gas oven, ensure that it’s unplugged, or turn off the electric power to the unit by tripping a circuit breaker or remove the fuse. If there is a grounding wire to the oven, disconnect it. Also close the gas supply valve to shut off the unit’s gas supply. The best way to prevent your oven from needing repairs in the first place is to take care of it properly. Here is some information in that regards.Never store plastic items or other utensils in the oven as they may burn or melt if the oven is accidentally turned on with them inside. Use coking pans that are large enough to prevent a boil over. Be sure to wipe up spills promptly to prevent bake on. We will waive your service fee! Give us a call today and schedule your service call; we will waive the service call fee if we do the repair! If you have any questions, would like an estimate, or just want to say hello contact us today! Contact Us Today! We will waive your service fee! Give us a call today and schedule your service call; we will waive the service call fee if we do the repair! If you have any questions, would like an estimate, or just want to say hello contact us today! | Mid | [
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Anticipating Errors : "Any program that accepts data from a user must include code to validate that data before sending it to the data store. You cannot rely on the data store, ...., or even your programming language to notify you of problems. You must check every byte entered by your users, making sure that data is the correct type for its field and that required fields are not empty." Similar Content Good morning community! I am working on a script which read from a text file ( .txt ) and should import all the content in a SQLite3 DB, in order to execute some queries that should be difficult to execute on a text file. So, I was looking for something very very fast, because the file could be very large ( I don't know exaclty how much can became big, but I know a lot of rows, it's a log file ... ) I found the "Import method", but I don't know If I can implement it in a query ( @jchd, it's your turn! ) Do you know some methods that I can implement in my script to have a very very fast import of thousands and thousands rows in a SQLite3 DB? Thanks a lot Francesco Good morning I'd like to know if someone else here has already tried to use an AutoIt script which work on the same DB ( i.e. SQLite ) on different Computers. If yes, please answer here, because I'd like to develop it, and I don't know where to start ( i.e. , I don't know how the script would work if 2 or more users are writing/reading in the same moment... ) Thanks! | Mid | [
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Geographic atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium. We followed the clinical course of 29 eyes with geographic atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium and identified three phases of the disease through which the eyes progressively evolved. In the initial phase, eyes showed focal discrete areas of atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium in the parafoveal area. These eyes retained good visual acuity for many years. The second phase was characterized by foveal involvement in which there was a precipitous loss in visual acuity. Foveal involvement included coarse foveal granularity, thinning of the foveal retinal pigment epithelium, increasing encirclement of the fovea with focal areas of atrophy, and minimal macular drusen. The end stage of the disease was a confluent, usually circular, area of atrophy that involved the entire central macula. | Mid | [
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Electronic devices such as tablet computers, slate computers, personal digital assistants, gaming consoles, and smart phones can permit users to provide input thereto using a digital pen, a digitizer pen, a stylus, a stylus pen, or the like, generally referred to herein as an “electronic stylus” or “stylus.” For example, a stylus can be used to control a tablet computer as with a mouse, a joystick, or a keyboard, such as by manipulating icons on the tablet computer's screen, by moving windows on the screen, etc. Besides functioning as a basic selection tool, the stylus can allow writing (text, drawing, etc.) on the tablet computer's screen, such as to jot down notes and illustrations, which can be stored digitally. An electronic stylus can facilitate use of an electronic device, but electronic styluses involve a number of potential hazards. Electronic styluses can be easily misplaced, as with ordinary writing implements such as pencils and ballpoint pens. Replacing misplaced electronic styluses is typically more costly than replacing ordinary writing implements and can result in interrupted use of an electronic device for hours, days, or more while a user obtains a replacement electronic stylus. Another potential hazard with electronic styluses is that they usually must be stored and transported with increased care and safety over non-electronic devices in order to avoid stylus damage, e.g., from being dropped, from being exposed to rain or other moisture, from being cracked or crushed by a heavier object, etc. Many electronic devices do not include storage space for an electronic stylus. The stylus must therefore be otherwise stored and/or transported by a user, which can increase chances of stylus damage and/or increase chances of misplacing the stylus. Even if an electronic device does include storage space for an electronic stylus, the stylus occupies valuable device real estate, thereby preventing other aspects of the device from occupying that space. The electronic device may thus be limited in any one or more of its processing capabilities, battery power, memory size, audio output ability, etc., in order to provide storage space for the electronic stylus. Built-in storage space for an electronic stylus can additionally or alternatively increase an electronic device's size, which can make the electronic device less attractive to a user. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved electronic stylus. | Mid | [
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204 F.3d 133 (4th Cir. 2000) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.TROY ROLLE, a/k/a Robert Stan Marks, Defendant-Appellant. No. 98-4212(CR-97-608). UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS, FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT. Argued: October 29, 1999.Decided: February 14, 2000. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, at Spartanburg. Henry M. Herlong Jr., District Judge.[Copyrighted Material Omitted] ARGUED: Linda S. Sheffield, Decatur, Georgia, for Appellant. Harold Watson Gowdy, III, Assistant United States Attorney, Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellee. ON BRIEF: J. Rene Josey, United States Attorney, Greenville, South Carolina, for Appellee. Before MOTZ, TRAXLER, and KING, Circuit Judges. Affirmed by published opinion. Judge King wrote the opinion, in which Judge Motz and Judge Traxler joined. OPINION KING, Circuit Judge: 1 On August 26, 1997, appellant Troy Rolle was charged in the District of South Carolina with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and cocaine base, and possession of the same with intent to distribute.1 2 Rolle's trial on these charges was conducted in the district court in Spartanburg on March 3 and 4, 1998, at the conclusion of which the jury returned a verdict of guilty on both counts. Following his sentencing to life in prison on each count, Rolle appeals his convictions and sentences. 3 In his appeal, Rolle asserts numerous errors, specifically that: (1) he was denied his right to be present during the district court's questioning of prospective jurors; (2) the district court erred in striking some prospective jurors for cause and failing to strike others; (3) the Government exercised its peremptory strikes in a racially discriminatory fashion; (4) the evidence was insufficient to support his conspiracy conviction; (5) the prosecutor improperly vouched for the credibility of a crucial witness; and (6) the district court erroneously calculated the amount of cocaine attributable to him for sentencing purposes. Finally, Rolle asserts ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. For the reasons enunciated below, we find no reversible error and affirm Rolle's convictions and sentences. I. A. 4 Jury selection for Rolle's trial began on March 3, 1998. As is a common practice, potential jurors completed questionnaires prior to trial for use of the parties and the court. The questionnaires were designed to determine each juror's ability to be fair and impartial, and to otherwise assist in the jury selection process. Based on responses to these questionnaires, the Government and Rolle's trial counsel identified approximately sixteen potentially biased jurors to the court. The court determined that individual voir dire of these jurors was necessary, so it summoned them singly into chambers, together with the attorneys.2 The court and the attorneys then closely questioned the jurors to assess their impartiality. This process consumed two to three hours, occupying substantially the entire morning of the first day of trial.3 5 As the identified jurors were being called into chambers, Rolle remained in the custody of the Marshal in the courtroom, and he was not physically present for any of the individual voir dire. No objection was made to any of these procedures, by either Rolle's counsel or by the Government attorneys. Subsequent to the individual voir dire of these prospective jurors, the proceedings reconvened in open court. The exercise of peremptory strikes by the parties, and completion of other jury selection procedures, occurred in Rolle's presence. 6 Rolle asserts on appeal that his exclusion from the individual voir dire proceedings requires reversal of his convictions. As we explain below, we are unable to find reversible error. B. 7 The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment together guarantee a defendant charged with a felony the right to be present at all critical stages of his trial. As a constitutional matter, a defendant thus has the right "to be present at all stages of the trial where his absence might frustrate the fairness of the proceedings." Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 819 n.15 (1975) (citation omitted). We have recognized that an accused's absence during the jury selection process can potentially frustrate the fairness of a trial by denying the defendant an opportunity to "give advice or suggestions to his lawyer concerning potential jurors". United States v. Camacho, 955 F.2d 950, 953 (4th Cir. 1992) (citation omitted). Furthermore, an accused's absence from portions of voir dire may also prevent him from effectively exercising his peremptory challenges, a "process that is essential to an impartial trial." Id. (citing Lewis v. United States, 146 U.S. 370, 378 (1892)). 8 Rule 43(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, deriving from these constitutional guarantees and the even broader common law privilege,4 explicitly confersthe more expansive right to "be present . . . at every stage of the trial, including the impaneling of the jury . . ." Fed. R. Crim. P. 43(a). Rule 43 was originally intended to be "a restatement of existing law." Fed. R. Crim. P. 43, 1944 Advisory Committee Note, Para. 1 (citations omitted). As we noted in Camacho, Rule 43 has "traditionally been understood to codify both a defendant's constitutional right and his common law right to presence. Accordingly, its `protective scope' is broader than the constitutional right alone." Camacho, 955 F.2d at 953 (citations omitted).5 9 Included within the expansive scope of a criminal defendant's Rule 43(a) right of presence is the right to be present at the voir dire of prospective jurors. United States v. Tipton, 90 F.3d 861, 872 (4th C0ir. 1996) (citations omitted). As we recognized in Camacho, a defendant's presence at voir dire is of utmost importance: 10 [T]he defendant has unique knowledge which is important at all stages of the trial, including voir dire. At the voir dire he may, for example, identify prospective jurors that he knows. He may also have knowledge of facts about himself or the alleged crime which may not have seemed relevant to him in the tranquility of his lawyer's office, and thus may not have been disclosed, but which may become important as the individual prejudices or inclinations of the jurors are revealed. He may also be a member of the community in which he will be tried and might be sensitive to particular local prejudices his lawyer does not know about. 11 Camacho, 955 F.2d at 956 (quoting United States v. Alessandrello, 637 F.2d 131, 151 (3rd Cir. 1980) (Higginbotham, J., dissenting) (decision holding that brief absence from voir dire was harmless error)). 12 Although it earlier asserted a contrary position, the Government now concedes that Rolle had a right to be present during the individual voir dire in the court's chambers.6 Here, the judge andcounsel privately questioned twelve prospective jurors while Rolle was in the Marshal's custody in the courtroom. At no time did anyone suggest or assert that Rolle should be present during this stage of trial. However, at oral argument, the Government conceded that an error occurred and acknowledged that, pursuant to its responsibilities to the justice system, it should have drawn the court's attention to Rolle's absence during the proceedings in question.7 C. 1. 13 Our analysis of Rolle's claim is informed by our Tipton decision, where we addressed a similar violation of a defendant's right of presence. There, we examined whether the exclusion of the defendants from in camera individualized examinations of prospective jurors, designed to explore the jurors' attitudes on the death penalty and reveal potential racial biases, constituted reversible error. We assumed in Tipton, without deciding, that error had occurred "in the form of a `deviation' from the constitutionally-grounded legal rule that presence was required throughout the proceedings at issue." 90 F.3d at 874. We assumed further that any such error was "plain." Id. 14 Like the defendants in Tipton, neither Rolle nor his counsel made any contemporaneous challenge to the voir dire proceedings being conducted in Rolle's absence; thus, we are required to examine Rolle's exclusion from these proceedings under the"plain error" analysis. Fed. R. Crim. P. 52(b).8 While Rolle's failure to object does not necessarily extinguish any error caused thereby, it imposes stringent limitations on our ability to correct any such error. 15 The Supreme Court's holding in United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725 (1993), guides our analysis on the proper application of Rule 52(b)'s "plain error" limitation on appellate notice of forfeited errors. Under Olano, four conditions must be met to notice plain error under Rule 52(b): (1) there must be error, i.e., a deviation from a legal rule; (2) the error must be plain under current law; (3) the plain error must affect substantial rights, which typically means that the defendant is prejudiced by the error in that it "affected the outcome" of the proceedings; and (4) the error must seriously affect"the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings." Id. at 733-36. As the Supreme Court's holding in Olano indicates, we may correct forfeited error only if it is "plain" and "affects substantial rights." Even then we are "not required to do so" unless the error is one that "causes the conviction or sentencing of an actually innocent defendant," or otherwise "seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity or public reputation of judicial proceedings." Id. at 735-36 (citations omitted). 2. 16 Our application of the relevant authorities to these facts compels us to hold that Rolle's absence from the individual voir dire proceedings conducted in his trial violated his right to be present during the critical stage of jury selection. Having demonstrated a plain deviation from the constitutionally-grounded strictures of Rule 43(a), Rolle has, under these facts, satisfied the first two prongs of Olano. However, Rolle's claim of reversible error must fail if the error did not affect any of Rolle's "substantial rights." 3. 17 In Olano, the Court indicated that there are potentially three ways to demonstrate that plain error has prejudiced an accused's substantial rights. First, a defendant may demonstrate that an error affected his substantial rights by a specific showing -the burden being upon him -that the error has caused him actual prejudice by affecting the outcome of the trial. Id. at 734.9 Second, aside from this most obvious means, the Court noted -without deciding -that there might be forms of forfeited error that, for Rule 52(b) purposes, affect substantial rights independent of any prejudicial impact. Id. at 735. Third, the Court also suggested that there may be categories of error from which prejudice should be presumed, notwithstanding that the defendant could not make a specific showing. Id. at 735. 18 Adhering to the Court's analysis in Olano, we recognized in Tipton that we must "address all three possibilities, assuming arguendo the existence of the latter two forms of correctable forfeited errors as to which actual prejudice either need not or cannot be proved." 90 F.3d at 874 (citation omitted). Rolle does not assert, however, that the error here falls within either of the latter two categories, instead relying on his claim of actual prejudice. 19 Rolle's reluctance to embrace either of the two latter categories is prudent and reasonable in light of Tipton. As for the second category, errors that affect substantial rights independent of any prejudicial impact, we concluded in Tipton that if such a category of plain error does in fact exist, "absence from portions of a jury voir dire is not among them." Id. at 875. Similarly, with regard to the third category, we stated that while "[t]here may be circumstances of involuntary absence from jury voir dire where prejudice should be presumed . . . we think they could only involve absences throughout the entire process." Id. (citing United States v. Crutcher, 405 F.2d 239, 244 (2d Cir. 1968) (complete absence never harmless error)); see also Camacho, 955 F.2d at 955-57 (while not reaching the issue of whether such error could ever be harmless, refusing to hold defendant's absence from the entire voir dire process to be harmless beyond a reasonable doubt). Therefore, if any prejudice to Rolle is to be found in this instance, it must be by a specific showing. 20 To establish actual prejudice, Rolle must show that his absence from the individual voir dire proceedings in his case "affected the outcome of the [trial]," or "probably influenced the verdict[s]" against him. Olano, 507 U.S. at 734-35. As we noted in Tipton, exactly how a criminal defendant may demonstrate "that his absence during portions of a jury selection process actually `affected the outcome of [trial],' or `probably influenced the verdict' against him has never been definitively explored." 90 F.3d at 876. Strictly construed, the "actual prejudice" standard appears to require Rolle to establish that his absence 21 resulted in selection of a jury that probably reached a verdict different from that which would have been reached by a jury selected with benefit of his presence at the times of his absence. 22 Id. If this is the ultimate burden, we have recognized that it is "near if not beyond the limits of practical possibility[to carry] given the variables in the process and evidentiary restrictions." Id. 23 If his burden is not this stringent, Rolle would at least be compelled to demonstrate that his absence somehow affected the selection of the jury. Id. As Judge Phillips noted in Tipton, an accused's right to presence is not violated, and thus could not be prejudicial, unless his presence would have made some demonstrable difference. Id. At the same time, however, merely demonstrating that "some difference" in the makeup of the jury would have resulted from his presence is not sufficient for Rolle to establish actual prejudice. As we explained in Tipton: 24 If no more is shown, for example, than that jurors 1, 3, and 5 would have been excluded, this could not suffice to show that their presence caused the finally unfavorable"outcome." Something more, for example, that jurors 1, 3, and 5 in the above hypothetical were demonstrably biased, surely must be shown, and even that might not, under all the circumstances, suffice. 25 Id. We have never explicitly determined what precise showing between these two extremes (on one hand, demonstrating that the verdict would have been different, and on the other hand, merely showing that the jury might have been constituted in a meaningfully different way) is sufficient to establish actual prejudice. Nevertheless, we need not make this determination here, since we conclude that Rolle has failed to meet even the lesser threshold. 26 In support of his claim that we should find actual prejudice, Rolle asserts the following: (a) no African-Americans were on the jury; (b) he was denied the opportunity to ask questions of and provide input to his counsel in determining the qualifications of those jurors who were ultimately chosen to hear the case; (c) he was denied the opportunity to comment or raise objections through counsel when the court, in camera, struck certain jurors for cause and sought to rehabilitate others; and (d) his presence in the courtroom after the in camera proceedings was insufficient to address the above deficiencies, since he lacked the information necessary to participate intelligently in jury selection. 27 While recognizing the validity of Rolle's concerns, we are unable to conclude that his proffered reasons are sufficient to demonstrate actual prejudice. Clearly, Rolle is unable to show that his absence from the individual voir dire proceedings actually resulted in a jury panel that reached a verdict different from that which would have been reached otherwise. Indeed, Rolle is unable to demonstrate anything beyond his mere speculation that the makeup of the jury panel might have been different.10 In Tipton, we explicitly rejected this position as being insufficient to establish actual prejudice. 90 F.3d at 876. Accordingly, we conclude that Rolle has failed to carry his burden to demonstrate actual prejudice resulting from his absence during the individual voir dire proceedings. D. 28 In sum, we conclude that the exclusion of Rolle from an important portion of his criminal trial -the individual voir dire of twelve members of the prospective jury panel -was a violation of his constitutionally-grounded Rule 43 right to be present, and therefore constitutes "error" that is "plain." However, because Rolle is unable to demonstrate that his absence from these voir dire proceedings affected his "substantial rights," there is no reversible error to be found.11 II. A. 29 We have carefully considered the remainder of Rolle's challenges to his convictions, see 30 at 2, and we conclude that none are of sufficient merit to warrant reversal of the district court's judgment. We withhold adjudication, however, of Rolle's assertion that his trial counsel was ineffective, inasmuch as the record below fails to conclusively establish counsel's alleged ineffectiveness. See United States v. King, 119 F.3d 290, 295 (4th Cir. 1997). Rolle may choose to present this claim in a proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. B. 31 Rolle contends that the district court incorrectly calculated the quantity of cocaine attributable to him for sentencing purposes. Rolle was sentenced as a career offender, see United States Sentencing Commission, Guidelines Manual, §4B1.1, with the result that his offense level was determined with regard to the statutory maximum penalty applicable to the counts of conviction. 32 It is undisputed that, upon his arrest, Rolle was found with 187 grams of cocaine base, an amount subjecting him to a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. See 21 U.S.C.§ 841(b)(1)(A) (conviction for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base requires term of imprisonment that"may not be less than 10 years or more than life"). Rolle's offense level was therefore calculated as 37, see U.S.S.G. § 4B1.1(A), with a concomitant criminal history category of VI. Because Rolle was sentenced within the resultant imprisonment range of 360 months to life, any miscalculation that the district court may have made with regard to attributing additional quantities of drugs to Rolle was immaterial. III. 33 For the foregoing reasons, we affirm Rolle's convictions and sentences in all respects. AFFIRMED Notes: 1 The two-count indictment specifically charged Rolle with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine and cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, and also with possession of cocaine and cocaine base with intent to distribute, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). 2 In preparing for the individual voir dire proceedings, the district court informed the venire as follows: With some of you there are some questions that have been raised as to some of the responses to the questions. And I'm going to at this time bring you into another room, confidentially, and ask you additional questions concerning your responses. So we're going through that process at this time. In that connection, I'm going to need all attorneys involved in criminal cases to participate in this. I'm going to have the court reporter go into the jury room and we'll go in and call you in one at a time. We'll do that at this time. J.A. 56. The court ultimately called only twelve of the identified jurors into chambers. It struck the other four potentially biased prospective jurors for cause without questioning them individually. 3 The jury selection process occurred in three distinct stages. First, a general voir dire of the entire venire took place after the court initially convened. Second, after concerns were raised regarding the potential bias of certain prospective jurors, the court conducted individual voir dire of the identified jurors in chambers. Third, after the individual voir dire was concluded, the proceedings reconvened in open court to complete the jury selection process. 4 See United States v. Gregorio , 497 F.2d 1253, 1257-59 (4th Cir. 1974), overruled on other grounds by United States v. Rhodes, 32 F.3d 867 (4th Cir. 1994). In Gregorio, we discussed the common law foundation of the right of presence and held that, even in cases where the Sixth Amendment right of confrontation is not implicated, an accused's right of presence is premised on two basic principles: (1) assuring nondisruptive defendants the opportunity to observe -and, it is to be hoped, to understand -all stages of the trial not involving purely legal matters generally incomprehensible to the layman in order to prevent the loss of confidence in courts as instruments of justice which secret trials would engender; [and] (2) protecting the integrity and reliability of the trial mechanism by guaranteeing the defendant the opportunity to aid in his defense. Id. at 1258-59 (citations omitted). 5 See Gregorio, 497 F.2d at 1257 (reasoning that, because the language in Rule 43 "is a crystallization of these statements of the common law, we believe that the rule should be interpreted in light of the evolving meanings and purposes of the common law"). 6 In its brief, the Government initially contended that Rolle had no right to be present, characterizing the in camera proceedings conducted here as a hearing on challenges for cause. It asserted that such a hearing is a "legal conference" and maintained that a defendant's presence is not required at a conference or argument on a question of law. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 43(c)(3). However, a "hearing on challenges for cause" is an incomplete and inaccurate characterization of the proceedings at issue here. The Government alternatively maintained that if Rolle had a right to attend the in camera proceedings, he waived that right when, after the district court announced its intention to individually question certain jurors, Rolle did not request to be present. In support of this argument, the Government relied on United States v. Gagnon , 470 U.S. 522, 528 (1985) (district court need not obtain express waiver "for every trial conference which a defendant may have a right to attend"), as well as our decision in United States v. Ford, 88 F.3d 1350, 1368 (4th Cir. 1996) (defendants waived their right to attend individual voir dire of prospective jurors conducted at the bench by failing to object before the jury was sworn). At oral argument, however, the Government altered its position, indicating that the "better argument" is that Rolle's failure to object resulted in a procedural forfeiture, rather than a waiver. We agree, and find both Gagnon and Ford readily distinguishable. The proceedings here were entirely different from the trial conference in Gagnon and the bench conference (with the defendants present in the courtroom) in Ford. Here, the district court conducted portions of voir dire in its chambers outside of Rolle's presence without effectively making the scope of the proceedings known. It is not clear from the district court's statement to the venire, see supra at 3 n.2, that the in camera proceedings were intended to address the issue of whether prospective jurors could be impartial. Thus, Rolle was never specifically advised and cannot reasonably be said to have understood that the in camera proceedings would encompass questions of potential bias and impartiality. Accordingly, Rolle could not have knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to be present during the individual voir dire conducted in chambers. 7 Prosecutors have "a unique role in the criminal justice system, which regards them not just as advocates but as ministers of justice." ABA/BNA Law. Manual on Prof. Conduct, 61:601 (1999). As such, the prosecutor has a special obligation to the criminal justice system to see that justice is done and ensure that a "defendant is accorded procedural justice and that guilt is decided on the basis of sufficient evidence." Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.8 cmt. (1995). When prosecutorial efforts fall short of this obligation, we are reminded of Justice Sutherland's classic admonition: The United States Attorney is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 88 (1935). We would be remiss, however, if we failed to note the commendable candor with which counsel for the Government has acknowledged its responsibility to the court. 8 Rule 52(b) provides, "[p]lain errors or defects affecting substantial rights may be noticed although they were not brought to the attention of the court." 9 The Court indicated that such a specific showing would ordinarily be the only means of demonstrating that an error has affected substantial rights, stating, "In most cases, a court of appeals cannot correct the forfeited error unless the defendant shows that the error was prejudicial." 507 U.S. at 734 (citation omitted). 10 Contrary to the representations of counsel at oral argument, our review of the record indicates that one of the prospective jurors questioned in individual voir dire, Juror No. 104, was in fact impanelled. Nevertheless, Rolle does not specifically allege that this juror would have been excluded from the jury if Rolle had attended the individual voir dire proceedings; even if he had established such an allegation, this alone would not be enough to evidence actual prejudice. 11 Having found no prejudice, we need not consider the fourth prong of the Olano analysis to determine whether the error here, even if prejudicial, so "seriously affect[ed] the fairness, integrity or public reputation of the judicial proceedings" as to warrant correction. | Mid | [
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Technical Field The present disclosure relates to an exposure system and an exposure method. Related Art As the progress of technology, the flat display device has been widely applied to various fields. In particular, the liquid crystal display (LCD) device has the advantages of light weight, thin, low power consumption, and no radiation, so it gradually replaces the traditional CRT display device. The LCD device can be applied to many electronic devices such as mobile phone, portable multimedia device, laptop computer, LCD TV and LCD monitor. For example, in order to improve the multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) technology of TFT LCD, the manufacturer utilizes a PSA (polymer sustained alignment) technology in the exposure process to enhance the optical properties of the LCD device, such as the aperture ratio and contrast. In more detailed, the PSA technology is to add light-reaction monomers into the liquid crystal molecules in the ODF (one drop filling) process. After applying electricity, the UV light is provided to cure the light-reaction monomers in the liquid crystal molecules, and the cured light-reaction monomers are arranged according to the pattern of a patterned transparent conductive layer of the TFT substrate. Accordingly, the cured light-reaction monomers can achieve the purpose of liquid crystal alignment. In the conventional PSA exposure apparatus, the UV light is provided from a fixed light source and has a constant illuminance. Cooperating with a reflective plate, the UV light can continuously irradiate the light-reaction monomers in the liquid crystal layer of a panel located at a fixed distance, thereby inducing the light polymerization. Accordingly, the liquid crystal molecules can be aligned with multi-domain vertical alignment. However, in the exposure process of large sized panel, if the lamps of the exposure machine are too long, the lamp bending issue may incur. Otherwise, the long lamps may have uneven light intensity due to the non-uniform internal coating, which can cause the insufficient exposure evenness. | Low | [
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/* Name: Base16 Duotone-DarkPark Author: adapted from: Simurai (https://github.com/simurai/duotone-dark-syntax/) Less-variables template by Bram de Haan (https://github.com/atelierbram/) Original Base16 color scheme by Chris Kempson (https://github.com/chriskempson/base16) */ $base00 = #1c2624; $base01 = #273431; $base02 = #495f5a; $base03 = #556d67; $base04 = #627a74; $base05 = #5c8a7e; $base06 = #4dffd2; $base07 = #ebfffa; $base08 = #008060; $base09 = #0fa0bd; $base0A = #0dccf2; $base0B = #5796a2; $base0C = #66e6ff; $base0D = #38dafa; $base0E = #309179; $base0F = #18866b; | Mid | [
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+++ title = "Template talk:Toolkit" description = "" date = 2010-02-04T05:40:50Z aliases = [] [extra] id = 5404 [taxonomies] categories = [] tags = [] +++ I've created this template for use with things like [[Gtk+]], [[GLUT]] and [[Qt]], under the assumption that "toolkit" refers to a library which aids in graphical user interface development. It's been my experience that that's the case, but I want to check myself; Does the term "toolkit" reasonably and/or commonly apply to support libraries outside of GUI development? While it's been my experience that those libraries adopt the term SDK, again, I want to check myself. --[[User:Short Circuit|Michael Mol]] 04:28, 3 February 2010 (UTC) :Toolkits are particular kinds of libraries that focus on turning the low-level interactions with a GUI drawing system into higher level concepts (widgets/components). The earliest toolkit I know of is Xt/Xaw (Xt provided the glue – plus a bunch of stuff to make things like an object system in plain [[C]] – and Xaw defined widgets on top of it; Xaw was superseded by Motif, thank goodness…) but there may be earlier ones; my knowledge of the state of GUI system development prior to the late '80s is very shaky. –[[User:Dkf|Donal Fellows]] 17:14, 3 February 2010 (UTC) :I agree about the meaning of 'toolkit', but I, for one, would prefer that we not use this term; I just find it unaesthetic and gratuitously confusing. :Also, a SDK is something entirely different: a SDK has these two key attributes: 1. It is that which you need to write software ''which interacts with something else in particular'' -- some hardware, some host application, some platform, whatever (e.g. "iPhone SDK", "Java ME SDK", "Source SDK", etc etc). 2. It is ''not just a library'' but also one or more of an IDE (or plugin for an IDE), documentation, header files if applicable, test suites, compilers (especially cross-compilers, for mobile devices, microcontrollers, etc), other toolchain components, etc. An SDK is a big glob of stuff useful to developers, ''almost none of which goes into your program''; it's ''the stuff you need to write/compile/build the program''. —[[User:Kevin Reid|Kevin Reid]] 00:13, 4 February 2010 (UTC) :: Since my impression of the usage of the word "toolkit" was apparently not limited to just me, I would strongly prefer to use it in that capacity. As an established term, it stands to have the greatest amount of common familiarity with other documentation and discussion indexed and contained elsewhere, and so it serves well both from the perspective if arriving after perusing other information sources, as well as seeking other information sources after arriving here. :: While I'd find a debate on the meaning of "SDK" interesting, I don't think this particular talk page is the best place for that. --[[User:Short Circuit|Michael Mol]] 05:40, 4 February 2010 (UTC) | Low | [
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/* Copyright (c) 2004-2011, The Dojo Foundation All Rights Reserved. Available via Academic Free License >= 2.1 OR the modified BSD license. see: http://dojotoolkit.org/license for details */ //>>built define("dojo/store/api/Store",["dojo/_base/declare"],function(_1){ var _2=_1("dojo.store.api.Store",null,{idProperty:"id",queryEngine:null,get:function(id){ },getIdentity:function(_3){ },put:function(_4,_5){ },add:function(_6,_7){ },remove:function(id){ delete this.index[id]; var _8=this.data,_9=this.idProperty; for(var i=0,l=_8.length;i<l;i++){ if(_8[i][_9]==id){ _8.splice(i,1); return; } } },query:function(_a,_b){ },transaction:function(){ },getChildren:function(_c,_d){ },getMetadata:function(_e){ }}); _2.PutDirectives=function(id,_f,_10,_11){ this.id=id; this.before=_f; this.parent=_10; this.overwrite=_11; }; _2.SortInformation=function(_12,_13){ this.attribute=_12; this.descending=_13; }; _2.QueryOptions=function(_14,_15,_16){ this.sort=_14; this.start=_15; this.count=_16; }; _1("dojo.store.api.Store.QueryResults",null,{forEach:function(_17,_18){ },filter:function(_19,_1a){ },map:function(_1b,_1c){ },then:function(_1d,_1e){ },observe:function(_1f,_20){ },total:0}); _1("dojo.store.api.Store.Transaction",null,{commit:function(){ },abort:function(_21,_22){ }}); return _2; }); | Low | [
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# About Unity Test Framework
The Unity Test Framework (UTF) enables Unity users to test their code in both **Edit Mode** and **Play Mode**, and also on target platforms such as [Standalone](https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/Standalone.html), Android, iOS, etc.
This package provides a standard test framework for users of Unity and developers at Unity so that both benefit from the same features and can write tests the same way.
UTF uses a Unity integration of NUnit library, which is an open-source unit testing library for .Net languages. For more information about NUnit, see the [official NUnit website](http://www.nunit.org/) and the [NUnit documentation on GitHub](https://github.com/nunit/docs/wiki/NUnit-Documentation).
> **Note**: UTF is not a new concept or toolset; it is an adjusted and more descriptive naming for the toolset otherwise known as Unity Test Runner, which is now available as this package.
# Installing Unity Test Framework
To install this package, follow the instructions in the [Package Manager documentation](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.package-manager-ui@latest/index.html).
> **Note**: Search for the Test Framework package. In Unity 2019.2 and higher, you may need to enable the package before use.
# Using Unity Test Framework
To learn how to use the Unity Test Framework package in your project, read the [manual](./manual.md).
# Technical details
## Requirements
This version of the Unity Test Framework is compatible with the following versions of the Unity Editor:
* 2019.2 and later.
## Known limitations
Unity Test Framework version 1.0.18 includes the following known limitations:
* The `UnityTest` attribute does not support WebGL and WSA platforms.
* The `UnityTest` attribute does not support [Parameterized tests](https://github.com/nunit/docs/wiki/Parameterized-Tests) (except for `ValueSource`).
* The `UnityTest` attribute does not support the `NUnit` [Repeat](https://github.com/nunit/docs/wiki/Repeat-Attribute) attribute.
* Nested test fixture cannot run from the Editor UI.
* When using the `NUnit` [Retry](https://github.com/nunit/docs/wiki/Retry-Attribute) attribute in PlayMode tests, it throws `InvalidCastException`.
## Package contents
The following table indicates the root folders in the package where you can find useful resources:
| Location | Description |
| :----------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------ |
| _/com.unity.test-framework/Documentation~_ | Contains the documentation for the package. |
## Document revision history
| Date | Reason |
| :----------- | :---------------------------------------------------- |
| August 23, 2019 | Applied feedback to the documentation |
| July 25, 2019 | Documentation updated to include features in version 1.1.0 |
| July 11, 2019 | Documentation updated. Matches package version 1.0.18 |
| May 27, 2019 | Documentation created. Matches package version 1.0.14 |
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Stumping for her mother for the first time in 2016 on Tuesday, Chelsea Clinton directly criticized Bernie Sanders on health care policy, echoing Hillary Clinton’s recent attacks on the Vermont senator. Asked about mounting enthusiasm for Sanders among young people, the daughter of the Democratic presidential frontrunner urged younger voters to focus on the “specifics” of Sanders’ policy proposals. “Sen. Sanders wants to dismantle Obamacare, dismantle the CHIP program, dismantle Medicare, and dismantle private insurance," she said during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. "I worry if we give Republicans Democratic permission to do that, we’ll go back to an era -- before we had the Affordable Care Act -- that would strip millions and millions and millions of people off their health insurance." In a statement, Sanders spokeswoman Arianna Jones said that Clinton's attacks are "wrong." "It is time for the United States to join the rest of the industrialized world and provide health care as a right to every man, woman and child," she said. "A Medicare-for-all plan will save the average middle-class family $5,000 a year. Further, the Clinton campaign is wrong. Our plan will be implemented in every state in the Union regardless of who is governor." Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha Clinton also took a question about Sanders’ policies on education –- the focus of Chelsea Clinton’s New Hampshire swing. "There’s a $19 trillion gap, give or take, in what Senator Sanders has proposed and how he he’s articulated paying for his proposals.So that to me is troubling” the daughter of Secretary Clinton said. The attacks are similar to charges made by Hillary Clinton herself in recent days. But they show that Chelsea Clinton, who has largely avoided the campaign spotlight, is not shy about using her role as a campaign surrogate to hit Sanders on policy issues. While Clinton leads Sanders among Democrats nationally by 15 points, according to a NBC News|SurveyMonkey online poll released Tuesday, the former first lady struggles against Sanders with young people. Among Democratic voters under 24 years old, 68 percent say they back Sanders, while just 26 percent support Clinton. Earlier Tuesday, Chelsea Clinton also described the birth of her first child as “one of the real reasons” why Hillary Clinton decided to pursue another presidential run. “Becoming a grandmother has only deepened my mother's resolve to work on issues like those related to early learning and early childhood that have brought us here today, and also was one of the real reasons why she decided to run for president,” the younger Clinton said at an event in New Hampshire focused on early childhood education. “To help ensure that every child would have the opportunities that we will be blessed to be able to provide our daughter, because she knows that that’s not only the right thing to do for our country, but also because she wants that to be the country that Charlotte grows up in and the friends and the colleagues that she will make and enjoy over the years.” During the first of three campaign events slated for Tuesday, Chelsea Clinton said that “one of the great gifts” of motherhood has been watching her own mother settle into a new role in the family. “I didn’t know when I became a mom, that one of the great gifts I would receive would be watching my parents as grandparents,” she said, describing how her parents enjoy singing “Wheels on the Bus” with granddaughter Charlotte, who was born in September 2014. She is expecting her second child this year. | Mid | [
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With the increase of gambling at gaming venues has come increased competition between gaming venues to obtain a larger share of the total gambling spend. Gaming venue operators have therefore continuously looked for new variations and types of games to enhance the entertainment value of the games offered at the venues. In response to this need, suppliers of gaming devices and systems have attempted to provide the sought after variety, while still developing games that comply with the relevant regulations in the jurisdiction of the gaming venue operator. Suppliers of gaming devices therefore are faced with restrictions on the types of games and gaming machines that are allowable, both in terms of the prevailing regulations and in terms of providing a return on investment to the gaming venue operators. | Low | [
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Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) embedded in the nuclear envelope (NE) gate the exchange of macromolecules between the nucleus and the cytoplasm of cells. Each NPC is a large assembly of multiple copies of approximately thirty different proteins termed nucleoporins (Nups)[@b1][@b2]. At \~45--60 MDa in mass, it represents one of the largest and most complicated machines in eukaryotic cells. Electron microscopic reconstructions have revealed its overall shape. In yeast and vertebrates, it features a canonical ring-spoke scaffold structure with eight-fold rotational symmetry, a central transporter/plug structure, and peripheral fibers protruding into the cytoplasm and nucleoplasm[@b3][@b4][@b5][@b6]. Resolving the molecular architecture of NPCs has been a formidable challenge. Besides high resolution cryo-electron micrographs of NPCs[@b7][@b8][@b9], computational methods have been used to predict 3D-architecture maps of the yeast NPC[@b10][@b11][@b12]. By design however the *in silico* modeling required user input of estimated subunit stoichiometries. The stoichiometry of Nups within the yeast and vertebrate NPCs has been majorly estimated by gel densitometry of isolated NPCs[@b1][@b2][@b11]. Also, the fluorescence emitted by GFP-tagged Nups within yeast was used to estimate relative Nup abundances at NPCs[@b13], but the fluorescence signals detected by flow cytometry included all GFP-Nup molecules in the cell, not only those at NPCs. A similar, more sophisticated measurement was conducted on rat kidney cells using confocal microscopy analysis of NPCs labeled with GFP-Nups[@b14]. Lastly, super-resolution microscopy of isolated NPCs was used to fit a given number of scaffold Nups within current models of average NPCs[@b15][@b16]. In the end however, due to the inherent difficulty of counting proteins within individual supramolecular complexes in live cells, all of the above reports of Nup stoichiometry per NPC represent best estimates of the average, rather than direct, eye-witness counts from individual NPCs. A more accurate account of Nup copy-number within individual NPCs of live cells should produce better and more realistic 3D-architecture map of NPCs. Precise information on subunit stoichiometry could change our understanding of the function, biogenesis and compositional dynamics of NPCs. Here, we utilized a single-molecule fluorescence imaging approach called single-point edge-excitation sub-diffraction (SPEED) microscopy[@b17][@b18] to directly count the copy-number of GFP-Nup molecules within individual NPCs of live yeast. This novel approach permitted a real-time visualization of Nups within single NPCs, and their quantitation produced a significantly-revised report of subunit stoichiometry for the *S. cerevisiae* NPC. Results ======= Counting GFP molecules in GFP oligomers --------------------------------------- We first validated the 'counting' accuracy of SPEED microscopy using molecular complexes of GFP formed by controlled chemical coupling of GFP molecules. As shown in [Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, molecular complexes containing one (1xGFP), two (2xGFP), four (4xGFP), six (6xGFP), twelve (12xGFP) and twenty-eight molecules of GFP (28xGFP) were constructed and used as standards. GFP-complexes were sparsely immobilized on the surface of PEG-coated coverslips, with a nearest neighboring distance of approximately 5 μm ([Fig. 1 A--V](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). These well-separated fluorescent GFP-complexes enabled us to excite only one at a time in the illumination volume of SPEED microscopy (\~320 nm in the x, y and z dimensions). Second, we sought to collect complete photobleaching curves with all photobleaching steps for each GFP-complex used as standard. In principle, a *n*-step photobleaching curve was expected for each *n*xGFP construct assuming that all GFP molecules were initially fluorescent and could be photobleached individually and progressively over time by a laser beam. The number of GFP molecules per complex could then be determined from the number of steps in the photobleaching curve, but only if no *pre*-photobleaching occurred and if the GFP molecules were photobleached to become dark one-by-one. Previous studies suggested that it would be challenging to detect multiple photobleaching steps from single fluorescent complexes of GFP molecules, and that low success rates for recording all photobleaching steps were expected[@b19][@b20]. The major challenges mentioned included the pre-photobleaching effect; the transient indistinguishable initial or intermediate photobleaching steps; the significant background noise; and the ability to distinguish photobleaching steps without artificial bias. To overcome these barriers, we optimized the detection of all photobleaching steps by SPEED microscopy as follows. First, to minimize the pre-photobleaching effect, we used a very weak excitation light to find individual molecular complexes of GFP on the surface of a coverslip, and then switched to a second laser beam with 1000-fold greater power to initiate the photobleaching steps (Methods). Second, to capture the fast-decaying initial or intermediate photobleaching steps, we used higher detection frame rates of 20--100 Hz, corresponding to 10--50 ms per frame. Third, to suppress the background noise, our SPEED microscope minimized the excitation volume by using the inclined, diffraction-limited illumination volume formed by the focal plane after guiding the laser beam through the edge of the objective ([Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). This design dramatically reduced the out-of-focus fluorescence and also completely avoided the auto-fluorescence in the center of the objective. Compared to conventional wide-field microscopy, SPEED microscopy achieves a much higher (≥11) signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio for single-particle localization and provides a capacity of capturing single NPCs on the NE of live yeast ([Fig. 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"})[@b17][@b18][@b21]. Additionally, the background fluorescence is subtracted from the fluorescence signal of GFPs in our measurements to further suppress the effects of background noise. Lastly, to identify each photobleaching step without arbitrary selection, we employed a published computer algorithm that resolves single steps in photobleaching curves based on the maximum likelihood ratio method[@b22]. The details were described in [Supplementary Materials](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. As shown in [Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, these technical advances enabled us to clearly identify 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 28 photobleaching steps in the photobleaching curves of the 1xGFP, 2xGFP, 4xGFP, 6xGFP, 12xGFP and 28xGFP molecular standards, respectively ([Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). We even identified four initial transient decaying steps in the photobleaching curves of 28xGFP ([Fig. 1U](#f1){ref-type="fig"}), which were later confirmed by the independent intensity-based measurements discussed below. To complement the direct-counting approach, we also calculated the total initial number of GFP molecules in each complex, by dividing the initial fluorescence intensity of the complex (at time 0 of its photobleaching curve) by the averaged intensity of an individual phototbleaching step ([Fig. 1W](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). For example, over 700 well-resolved photobleaching steps were used to calculate the averaged intensity of one GFP photobleaching step ([Fig. 1W--i](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). Likewise, the distribution of initial fluorescence intensities for the 6xGFP, 12xGFP and 28xGFP complexes were plotted to calculate the copy numbers of GFPs in each GFP-complex. For 6xGFP and 12xGFP, the calculated copy numbers were consistent with the maximum copy numbers determined from the photobleaching curves. For the 28xGFP complexes, the calculated copy number from the fluorescence intensity was twenty eight, in agreement with the designed copy number of the 28xGFP complex as well. This pointed to the existence of four brief initial photobelaching steps in the direct counting approach used for the 28xGFP complex ([Fig. 1U](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). We concluded from the above experiments that SPEED microscopy can be used to directly count up to twenty-eight GFP molecules in a complex based on its photobleaching curve. We also concluded that the copy number of GFPs in a complex can be calculated independently, from the ratio of the initial fluorescence intensity of GFP-complexes over the emission intensity of one GFP molecule. Next, we adapted both approaches to directly determine the copy number of Nups within individual NPCs of live yeast. SPEED microscopy illumination of individual NPCs on the NE of live yeast cells ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yeast cells expressing GFP-tagged Nups were first imaged using a wide-field epi-fluorescence microscope ([Fig. 2 A--B](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). The cells were alive during the microscopic analyses ([Supplemental Fig. S1](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Sparse and overlapped fluorescent spots corresponding to GFP-labeled NPCs were observed ([Fig. 2B](#f2){ref-type="fig"} and [Fig. 3A](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). NE areas devoid of NPCs were also observed, as expected[@b23]. Previously SPEED microscopy was used to image a single fluorescent NPC on the NE of permeabilized or live HeLa cells[@b17][@b18][@b21]. The success was based on the fact that SPEED microscopy provided an inclined illumination point spread function (iPSF) with \~320 nm in the x, y and z dimensions, which is smaller than the averaged nearest neighboring distance between NPCs in HeLa cells, after an incident 488-nm laser beam used to illuminate Nup-GFP was shifted \~237 μm off the center of the objective ([Fig. 2C](#f2){ref-type="fig"})[@b17][@b18]. However, imaging of a single fluorescent NPC in live yeast could be more challenging since yeast has a smaller nucleus and a higher spatial density of NPCs on the NE than HeLa cells. Fortunately, the NPCs on yeast NE are not evenly distributed and their spatial density ranges from 4.0 to 22.0 NPCs/μm^2^ [@b23]. Thus, to avoid imaging the NE areas with visibly-high NPC density, we specifically selected the regions on the NE with sparse fluorescent spots of NPCs. As a result, only isolated GFP-NPCs that were visible on the equator of the NE were brought into the small inclined diffraction-limit illumination volume of SPEED microscopy ([Fig. 2 C--D](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). As done previously[@b17][@b18][@b21], 2D Gaussian function fittings were employed to test whether the fluorescent spot of NPC captured on the NE is an overlap of multiple NPCs, or a single NPC ([Fig. 2 D--E](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). Specifically, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the selected fluorescent NPC spots in the long and short axes of the fluorescence spot was analyzed by 2D asymmetrical Gaussian function fitting. The width in *x* and *y* directions of a single GFP-NPC on the NE of yeast should be smaller or equal to 580 nm and 790 nm (≤2.4 and ≤3.3 pixels as shown in [Fig. 2 D--E](#f2){ref-type="fig"} and [supplemental Fig. S2](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) assuming there are 8, 16 or 32 copies of Nups in each NPC ([supplemental Fig. S2](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"})[@b17]. Therefore, any fluorescent spots on the yeast NE with unresolved larger FWHM widths ([Fig. 2 F--G](#f2){ref-type="fig"}) or with resolved multiple peaks ([Fig. 2 H--I](#f2){ref-type="fig"}) were not analyzed further. Only single isolated NPCs were selected for further analyses ([supplemental Fig. S2](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Finally, for the selected single fluorescent NPCs, the excitation laser beam in the SPEED microscope was kept on until all of the GFP fluorescence from the illuminated single GFP-NPC was completely photobleached ([Fig. 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). Counting the copy-number of Nups in individual yeast NPCs --------------------------------------------------------- We adapted the approach described above to count the copy number of each Nup *in situ* using live yeast NPCs. For the analysis, we used haploid *S. cerevisiae* strains featuring NUP-GFP gene fusions constructed by homologous recombination at chromosomal loci. These were ideal because they are expressed at endogenous levels from endogenous NUP promoters[@b24][@b25], and because all cellular copies of the corresponding Nup contained a GFP label. In the few cases where the GFP label interfered with Nup localization or with cell viability, the Nup was excluded from the analysis. In the end, 24 of \~30 Nups were analyzed ([Supplemental Fig. S3](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). For each live yeast strain analyzed, we collected 60--160 photobleaching curves from 60--160 individual fluorescent NPCs ([Figs. 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"} and [4](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, [Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). Remarkably, in contrast to the one average copy number observed for each synthetic GFP oligomer standard ([Fig. 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"}), two or three average copy numbers were observed for each GFP-Nup in live yeast NPCs. For example, in the case of NPCs labeled with Nup60-GFP ([Fig. 3A](#f3){ref-type="fig"}), the initial intensities of the photobleaching curves collected from the 60 NPCs generated two clustered distributions. After dividing each by the averaged intensity of single photobleaching steps for Nup60-GFP ([Fig. 3 C--D](#f3){ref-type="fig"}), two different copy numbers, 4.2 ± 1.3 and 7.6 ± 1.3, were calculated ([Fig. 3 B--C](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). Consistently, we detected eight photobleaching steps in 14% of all the sampled NPCs ([Fig. 3 C and G](#f3){ref-type="fig"}), suggesting eight Nup60-GFP molecules maximum per NPC. Thus, the fluorescence intensity-based calculation method and the direct photo-bleaching step counting method showed a maximum copy of eight Nup60-GFPs in live yeast NPCs. Similarly, in the case of Nup49-GFP labeled NPCs, the initial intensities of NPC fluorescence in the photobleaching curves suggested two different copy numbers, 9.7 ± 4.9 and 15.8 ± 0.8 (data not shown). In addition, approximately 9% of all the measured NPCs revealed a maximum of sixteen copies of Nup49-GFP per NPC based on the photobleaching step counting method ([Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). The observed maximum copy-number of 8 and 16 for for Nup60 and Nup49 respectively, was consistent with previous estimates of their stoichiometry[@b1][@b11]. In contrast, the lower copy-numbers detected of approximately 4 molecules of Nup60-GFP and 10 for Nup49-GFP were initially surprising, but in retrospect, should have been expected for a number of reasons. First, not all Nup-GFP molecules synthesized in live yeast fluoresce. Previous studies have shown that up to 20% of GFP molecules in chimeras do not fold well-enough to emit fluorescence due to interference of adjacent domains with folding[@b26][@b27], and/or may experience delays in chromophore centre maturation[@b28]. Another possibility is that not every NPC in live yeast contains a maximum copy number of each Nup. For example, some Nups have residence times in the NPC that last only seconds to minutes, potentially leaving several binding sites unoccupied at any given moment[@b14]. To determine if any of these possibilities affect the accuracy of our measurements, we conducted further tests. To minimize the effect of non-fluorescent GFP molecules, we scanned thousands of fluorescent NPCs in hundreds of live yeast and included 60--160 well-isolated NPCs in 60--160 different cells for each analysis. These large-numbers increased the chances of detecting the maximum copy number for each Nup in NPCs. Next, we tested whether the maximum number of Nups visible per NPC can be affected by the rapid Nup dissociation or association events during sampling. Fortunately, we found that the average NPC dissociation or association time for yeast Nups is\>10 s (unpublished data), which is orders of magnitude longer than the detection time of 10--50 ms for each point in the photobleaching curve. This makes it unlikely that a GFP-Nup could have dissociated or associated during sampling time of the first data point (time 0). Also, copy-numbers for each Nup were derived from many single NPC data, so the net effect of opposite association and dissociation processes should have canceled each other during our detections. For these reasons we believe that the copies of GFP-Nups detected here per NPC by SPEED microscopy were not under or overestimated. Following the procedure above, the maximum copy numbers of twenty four different Nups within the NPC of live yeast were determined ([Fig. 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"} and [Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). Each NPC contained: a maximum of sixteen copies of Nic96 ([Fig. 4 A--B](#f4){ref-type="fig"}) and Nsp1 ([Fig. 4 C--D](#f4){ref-type="fig"}), rather than thirty two copies as previously estimated[@b1][@b11]; approximately sixteen copies of Gle2, Mlp1 ([Fig. 4 K--L](#f4){ref-type="fig"}), Nup49, Nup53, Nup57, Nup82, Nup84, Nup116, Nup133, Nup145C, Nup170 and Nup188; eight copies of Nup1, Nup60, Nup159 and Pom152 ([Fig. 4 E--F](#f4){ref-type="fig"}); and ten to fifteen copies of Nup59, Pom34 ([Fig. 4 G--H](#f4){ref-type="fig"}), Nup157, Nup192, Nup100 ([Fig. 4 I--J](#f4){ref-type="fig"}), and Mlp2 ([Fig. 4 M--N](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). The copy-number of other Nups (Gle1, Ndc1, Nup2, Nup42, Nup85, Nup120, Nup145N and Pom33)[@b29] was not listed because suitable haploid strains expressing their corresponding GFP fusions were not available at the time of this analysis. Discussion ========== The maximum copy-number of Nups per NPC observed here in live yeast by SPEED microscopy provides new insight into the subunit stoichiometry of NPCs. The copy-number of two Nups, which were never before estimated (Mlp1 and Mlp2) was recorded here at fourteen to sixteen copies per NPC ([Fig. 4 K--N](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). For fourteen of twenty four other Nups analyzed, the maximum copy-number per NPC measured here was in agreement with (and thus validated) previous estimates of 16 copies of Gle2, Nup49, Nup53, Nup57, Nup82, Nup84, Nup116, Nup133, Nup145C, Nup170, Nup188; and 8 copies of Nup1, Nup60 and Nup159[@b1][@b11]. Notably, contrary to previous estimates, we found that none of the yeast Nups are present in 32 copies per NPC as was predicted for Nsp1, Nic96 and Pom34[@b1][@b11]. Lastly, for Nic96, Nsp1 and Pom152 the number of molecules counted was only half of what was previously estimated. Interesting deviations were observed from the expected eight-fold symmetry pattern of NPCs. For example, Pom34 was detected at \~10 copies per NPC; and Nup59, Nup100, Nup157, Nup192 and Mlp2 were detected at \~13 to 15 copies per NPC. In all likelihood, this is due to a competition of duplicate Nups for shared or overlapping docking sites at the NPC. Indeed, five of these 'stoichiometric misfits' (i.e. Nup59, Nup100, Nup157, Nup192 and Mlp2) are in fact gene duplicates of Nup53, Nup116, Nup170, Nup188, and Mlp1, respectively[@b30][@b31][@b32][@b33], and could very likely compete with their homolog for the same docking site at the NPC, a possibility that can be tested in the future. Alternatively, there are reported cases where nine-fold or ten-fold symmetry of NPC was noted[@b34][@b35]. The current estimate of the copy number of Nups in human NPCs may also need to be revised. It was recently suggested that Nup copy numbers vary considerably between different human cell lines, and that approximately one third of human Nups are present at 32 copies per NPC[@b16], much higher than the average copy number of 16 for yeast NPCs. This, and the fact that human Nups have longer amino acid sequences, explains why the yeast and human NPCs are so different in size, despite being composed of \~32 different Nups each yeast NPC[@b1][@b4][@b5] Our future interest is to adapt this SPEED microscopy approach to count the copy number of Nups in NPCs of different human cell lines. In conclusion, the technical advances of SPEED microscopy described here enabled us to directly count the number of subunits of a supramolecular structure in living cells. This real-time and highly-accurate determination of subunit stoichiometry forces a refinement of current 3D-architecture maps of the yeast NPC. These refined maps advance our understanding of the structure, function, composition-dynamics, and biogenesis of NPCs. More generally, our molecular counting technology can be adapted to investigate the subunit composition of other supramolecular structures in yeast and higher eukaryotes. Methods ======= Yeast strains and growth conditions ----------------------------------- The *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* strains used were generated by Huh *et al.*[@b24] with the exception of the Nup116-GFP expressing strain, which was obtained as a gift from *S. Simon* lab[@b36]. In all cases (except for Nup116-GFP) the GFP-tag was added at the C-terminus of the Nup. Yeast were grown in liquid YPD medium (1% yeast extract, 2% peptone, 2% dextrose) at 30°C to a cell density of 0.5--2.0 OD~600~/mL. For live-cell imaging, the cells were harvested by centrifugation, resuspended in minimal medium (0.17% yeast nitrogen base, 0.5% ammonium sulfate, 0.079% CSM), and immobilized on concanavalin A-coated coverslips. Yeast cells continued to grow in this media during the observation time (\~90 min; [Supplemental Fig. S1](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). The duration of each cell measurement was less than 2 min. Yeast were kept in fresh media for less than 60 min when measuring fluorescence overall. All measurements were conducted on visibly-live cells. Microscopy ---------- Live yeast expressing GFP-tagged nucleoporins were first observed using a wide-field fluorescence microscope equipped with a charge-coupled device camera (Coolsnap HQ2, Photometrics) to locate the nucleus equator. Then the selected area was observed under the SPEED microscope, which includes an Olympus IX81 instrument equipped with a 1.4 NA 100× oil-immersion apochromatic objective (UPLSAPO 100X, Olympus), a 120 mW ArKr tunable ion laser (Melles Griot), an on-chip multiplication gain charge-coupled device camera (Cascade 128+, Roper Scientific), and the Slidebook software package (Intelligent Imaging Innovations) for data acquisition and processing. Excitation was provided by a 488 nm laser. Green fluorescence emissions were collected through the same objective, filtered by a dichroic filter (Di01-R405/488/561/635-25x36, Semrock) and an emission filter (NF01-405/488/561/635-25X5.0, Semrock), and imaged by the CCD camera. Images were captured continuously; the exposure time of each image was 10--50 ms. Construction of nxGFP molecular complexes ----------------------------------------- **1xGFP:** GFP was genetically enginered with N-terminal 6xHis-tags and then overexpressed in *Escherichia coli* BL21(λDE3) strain by 1 mM IPTG induction. Branson Sonic Dismembrator 550 was used 2 times at 5 minutes with 50% duty cycle and output 3 to break up the cells. The extract was further purified by Superflow (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), MonoQ, and Superdex 200 (Amersham Pharmacia) chromatography. The three chromatographic steps were necessary to yield a single band by Coomassie-stained polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. **2xGFP:** Genetically engineered 2xGFP[@b37] was expressed from a pTrcHisB vector in JM109 *E. Coli* at 30°C and was purified to homogeneity from cell lysates using nickel-nitrilotriacetic Superflow (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), SAX-10, and SEC-1 (Thermo Scientific) chromatography. The purified 1xGFP and 2xGFP molecules were diluted to a picomolar concentration, deposited on slides (the natural charge allowed these GFPs to adhere to the surface of the glass), and examined by SPEED microscopy ([Fig. 1 A--F](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). **4xGFP:** Purified 2xGFP was crosslinked to itself by incubating two equal molar concentrations of 2xGFP with succinimidyl-6-hydrazino-nicotinamide (S-HyNic) and succinimidyl-4-formylbenzamide (S-4FB), respectively (Solulink, San Diego, CA). The S-4FB NS S-HyNic linkers conjugate to proteins through primary amines (-NH~2~) on lysines or the N-terminus. HyNic-modified 2xGFP was incubated with 4FB-modified 2xGFP in a catalyzed conjugation reaction, which resulted in two 2xGFP molecules conjugating through a UV-traceable, exceptionally-strong bond (bisoarylhydrazone) with measurable absorbance at 354 nm ([Fig. 1 G--I](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). 2xGFP dimers (4xGFP) were resolved from 2xGFP and GFP multimers by ion exchange chromatography. Purity was confirmed by SDS-PAGE analysis. **6xGFP:** To create 6xGFP complexes, we used the homotetrameric streptavidin molecule (Sigma S4762-5MG) to bridge one biotin molecule on a slide surface to three biotinylated 2xGFP molecules in solution. First, we coated the surface of 2xGFP with a modified biotin molecule featuring a long-chain PEG3 linker (Solulink, San Diego, CA); this linker was included to reduce crowding of 2xGFP molecules on the streptavidin surface. We then generated slides with an average biotin surface density of 10^9^ molecules/cm^2^ (Microsurfaces Inc, NJ); this distribution in turn limited the average nearest-neighbor distance of 6xGFP complexes to \~5 μm. This distance could be increased further by including streptavidin molecules that had been pre-incubated with a 1:3 molar equivalent of biotin. These streptavidin-biotin complexes (10 μg/ml in PBS buffer) were added to biotin coated slides, followed by unreacted streptavidin molecules and incubation for 30 min in a humidified chamber. After washing the slide (with PBS, 50 mM Tween-20) to remove unbound streptavidin, biotinylated 2xGFP molecules (in PBS buffer, 10% glycerol) were added at nanomolar concentration and the slide was incubated 30 min further in a humidified chamber at room temperature. Unbound, biotinylated 2xGFP molecules were removed by washing as before. These slides were then examined by SPEED microscopy ([Fig. 1 J--L](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). **12xGFP:** To create 12xGFP complexes, we employed the same procedure as described for 6xGFP, but we used 4xGFP as substrate instead of 2xGFP ([Fig. 1 M--Q](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). **28xGFP:** To create 28xGFP complexes we followed the same procedure as for 6xGFP and 12xGFP, but used 2xstreptavidin molecules instead. The 2xstreptavidin conjugates w generated using the same crosslinking procedure described for 4xGFP. 2xstreptavidin complexes bound to biotin-coated slides had up to 7 available sites to bind biotinylated 4xGFP, thus capturing a maximum of 28 copies of GFP per complex ([Fig. 1 R--V](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). Only the brightest, single fluorescent spots were examined ([Fig. 1S](#f1){ref-type="fig"}); dimmer spots contained fewer than the maximum number of 4xGFP substrates bound. Identification of single NPCs on the yeast nuclear envelope ----------------------------------------------------------- Two steps were followed to select single NPCs oriented perpendicularly to the NE on the equator of the nucleus, and to the *y* direction of the Cartesian coordinates (*x*, *y*) in the CCD camera. First, a fluorescent NPC 'spot' on the nuclear equator was chosen such that the tangent of the NE at the location of this NPC spot was parallel to the *y* direction of the Cartesian coordinates (*x*, *y*) in the CCD camera. Second, the FWHM in the long and short axes of the fluorescence spot was analyzed by 2D asymmetrical Gaussian function fitting, as shown in [supplemental Fig. S2](#s1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. As a result, any spots with wider FWHM ([Fig. 2 F--G](#f2){ref-type="fig"}) or with resolved peaks ([Fig. 2 H--I](#f2){ref-type="fig"}) were not analyzed further. Minimization of the pre-photobleaching effect --------------------------------------------- Control experiments showed that pre-photobleaching of the GFP-Nup fluorescence during the lamp illumination time in the wide-field microscope (prior to SPEED microscopy) was unlikely. A lamp power density of 0.18 W/cm^2^ was used in the wide-field epifluorescence microscope to image the fluorescent NEs of live yeast and the search time needed to locate individual GFP-labeled NPCs on the NE was only 10--20 s. This was much shorter than the recorded photobleaching times of approximately 350 s for the first GFP out of 8 GFP-Nups, or about 70 s for the first GFP in the case of 16 copies of a GFP-Nup. Thus, pre-photobleaching of GFP fluorescence was maximally avoided during the search process. In contrast, the laser power density of 250 W/cm^2^ used subsequently for the SPEED microscopy analysis made the average photobleaching time of the first GFP-Nup very short (200 ± 63 ms) for cases where 8 copies of a GFP-Nup were detected, and even shorter (100 ± 31 ms) when 16 copies of a GFP-Nup were detected. Supplementary Material {#s1} ====================== ###### Supplementary Information Supplementary Info This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Health to W.Y. (GM094041 and GM097037) and to M.R. (GM077520). **Author contributions** M.R. and W.Y. designed experiments. L.M., A.G. and A.L. performed experiments. A.L. and M.R. established cell lines. L.M., A.G. and W.Y. conducted data analysis. L.M., M.R. and W.Y. wrote the manuscript. {#f1} {#f2} {#f3} {#f4} ###### Stoichiometry of Nups in the yeast NPC *S. cerevisiae* Nups *In vitro* estimated copies per NPC *In vivo* visualized, maximum copies per NPC[\*](#t1-fn1){ref-type="fn"} ---------------------- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gle2 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (2%, 120) Mlp1 ND 16 (1%, 160) Mlp2 ND 14 (3%, 120) Nic96 32[@b1][@b11] 16 (3%, 160) Nsp1 32[@b1][@b11] 16 (8%, 120) Nup1 8[@b1][@b11] 8 (9%, 120) Nup49 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (9%, 120) Nup53 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (6%, 120) Nup57 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (4%, 120) Nup59 16[@b1][@b11] 14 (4%, 120) Nup60 8[@b1][@b11] 8 (14%, 60) Nup82 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (7%, 120) Nup84 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (7%, 120) Nup100 8[@b1], 16[@b11] 14 (2%, 160) Nup116 16[@b1] 16 (2%, 120) Nup133 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (9%, 120) Nup145C 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (10%, 120) Nup157 16[@b1][@b11] 14 (4%, 120) Nup159 8[@b1][@b11] 8 (30%, 60) Nup170 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (2%, 120) Nup188 16[@b1][@b11] 16 (10%, 120) Nup192 16[@b1][@b11] 15 (2%, 120) Pom34 16[@b11], 32[@b1] 10 (3%, 160) Pom152 16[@b1][@b11] 8 (15%, 60)  \*Shown in brackets is the percentage of photobleaching curves that produced the maximum copy-number of Nups per NPC listed (i.e. the incidence of occurrence), followed by the number of NPCs sampled in each case. Highlighted in gray are significant differences between previous estimates and our current determinations. ND, not detected. [^1]: Current address: Yale University School of Medicine Department of Cell Biology 333 Cedar Street PO Box 208002 New Haven, CT 06520-8002 USA. | Mid | [
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To let C see functions that will be used, it is enough to declare them. Normally this is done in a header file; in this example we do it directly in the code. If we do not declare them explicitly, they get an implicit declaration (if implicit declaration matches the use, everything's fine; but it is better however to write an explicit declaration) #include <stdio.h>#include <stdlib.h> /* let us declare our functions; indeed here we need really only M declaration, so that F can "see" it and the compiler won't complain with a warning */int F(constint n);int M(constint n); C++ has prior declaration rules similar to those stated above for C, if we would use two functions. Instead here we define M and F as static (class) methods of a class, and specify the bodies inline in the declaration of the class. Inlined methods in the class can still call other methods or access fields in the class, no matter what order they are declared in, without any additional pre-declaration. This is possible because all the possible methods and fields are declared somewhere in the class declaration, which is known the first time the class declaration is parsed. The following version shows better what's going on and why we seemingly didn't need pre-declaration (like C) when "encapsulating" the functions as static (class) methods. This version is equivalent to the above but does not inline the definition of the methods into the definition of the class. Here the method declarations in the class definition serves as the "pre-declaration" for the methods, as in C. In E, nouns (variable names) always refer to preceding definitions, so to have mutual recursion, either one must be forward-declared or we must use a recursive def construct. Either one of these is syntactic sugar for first binding the noun to an E promise (a reference with an undetermined target), then resolving the promise to the value. def M binds M to a promise, and stashes the resolver for that promise where bind can get to it. When def F... is executed, the function F closes over the promise which is the value of M. bind M... uses the resolver to resolve M to the provided definition. The recursive def operates similarly, except that it constructs promises for every variable on the left side ([F, M]), executes the right side ([fn ..., fn ...]) and collects the values, then resolves each promise to its corresponding value. As long as the code of the two functions is inside the same "block" (module or program) we don't need special care. Otherwise, we should "load" at least the interface of the other function (each module will load mutually the other; of course the compiler won't enter in a infinite loop), e.g. by using a "use" (we do that if M and F function are inside different modules) jq supports mutual recursion but requires functions to be defined before they are used. In the present case, this can be accomplished by first defining a function with the desired arity. He we define F and M as arity-0 filters: Objective-C has prior declaration rules similar to those stated above for C, for C-like types. In this example we show the use of a two class method; this works since we need an interface block that is like declaration of functions in C code. We don't need to pre-declare or specify in some other way a function that will be defined later; but both must be declared before their use. (The code is written to handle vectors, as the testing part shows) Since Order is powered by the C preprocessor, definitions follow the same rule as CPP macros: they can appear in any order relative to each other as long as all are defined before the ORDER_PP block that calls them. If you wanted to use a let-like construct to create local bindings, you would do the following. The define construct above is just a syntactic sugar for the following where the entire rest of the scope is used as the body. uBasic/4tH supports mutual recursion. However, the underlying system can't support the stress this puts on the stack - at least not for the full sequence. This version uses memoization to alleviate the stress and speed up execution. Forward declarations are not an issue in Ursala, which allows any definition to depend on any symbol declared within the same scope. However, cyclic dependences are not accepted unless the programmer explicitly accounts for their semantics. If the recurrence can be solved using a fixed point combinator, the compiler can be directed to use one by the #fix directive as shown, in this case with one of a family of functional fixed point combinators from a library. (There are easier ways to define these functions in Ursala than by mutual recursion, but fixed points are useful for other things as well.) Since all "labels" (symbols), if not local, can be seen by the whole code in the same source unit, we don't need special care to let the subroutine func_f call func_m. If the function would have been in another source unit, we should have declared it extern (the linker will resolve the symbol), as done for printf. (It must be linked with the C standard library libc or similar and a startup code; lazyly a gcc mutrec.o works, being mutrec.o produced by e.g. nasm -f elf mutrec.asm) | Mid | [
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/* * This file is part of the Yices SMT Solver. * Copyright (C) 2017 SRI International. * * Yices is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or * (at your option) any later version. * * Yices is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the * GNU General Public License for more details. * * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License * along with Yices. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. */ #include "mcsat/watch_list_manager.h" void watch_list_manager_construct(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_db_t* var_db) { init_ivector(&wlm->vlist_memory, 0); init_pvector(&wlm->wlist_memory, 0); init_ivector(&wlm->all_watchers, 0); init_ivector(&wlm->all_lists, 0); init_int_hmap(&wlm->list_to_constraint_map, 0); init_int_hmap(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map, 0); wlm->var_db = var_db; } void watch_list_manager_destruct(watch_list_manager_t* wlm) { uint32_t i; delete_int_hmap(&wlm->list_to_constraint_map); delete_int_hmap(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map); for (i = 0; i < wlm->wlist_memory.size; ++ i) { ivector_t* list_vector = wlm->wlist_memory.data[i]; if (list_vector != NULL) { delete_ivector(list_vector); safe_free(list_vector); } } delete_pvector(&wlm->wlist_memory); delete_ivector(&wlm->vlist_memory); delete_ivector(&wlm->all_watchers); delete_ivector(&wlm->all_lists); } static ivector_t* watch_list_manager_get_list_of_lists(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_t watcher) { if (watcher >= wlm->wlist_memory.size) { return NULL; } else { return wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher]; } } variable_list_ref_t watch_list_manager_new_list(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, const variable_t* list, uint32_t size, variable_t constraint) { uint32_t i; variable_list_ref_t ref; // Reference of the constraint ref = wlm->vlist_memory.size; // Copy the elements and null-terminate for (i = 0; i < size; ++ i) { ivector_push(&wlm->vlist_memory, list[i]); } ivector_push(&wlm->vlist_memory, variable_null); // Remember the association with the constraint int_hmap_add(&wlm->list_to_constraint_map, ref, constraint); int_hmap_add(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map, constraint, ref); // Remember the list ivector_push(&wlm->all_lists, ref); return ref; } void watch_list_manager_gc_mark(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, gc_info_t* gc_vars) { // Look for any lists at the current GC level uint32_t marked_i = 0; for (marked_i = gc_vars->marked_first; marked_i < gc_vars->marked.size; marked_i ++) { variable_t constraint_var = gc_vars->marked.data[marked_i]; if (watch_list_manager_has_constraint(wlm, constraint_var)) { variable_list_ref_t list_ref = watch_list_manager_get_list_of(wlm, constraint_var); variable_t* vars = watch_list_manager_get_list(wlm, list_ref); while (*vars != variable_null) { gc_info_mark(gc_vars, *vars); vars ++; } } } } void watch_list_manager_gc_sweep_lists(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, const gc_info_t* gc_vars) { gc_info_t gc_lists; int_hmap_t new_list_to_constraint_map; int_hmap_t new_constraint_to_list_map; variable_list_ref_t new_vlist_top = 0; init_int_hmap(&new_list_to_constraint_map, 0); init_int_hmap(&new_constraint_to_list_map, 0); // Relocation of lists gc_info_construct(&gc_lists, variable_list_ref_null, false); // Reallocate the variable list memory: // - scan from bottom (using all_lists), keep list that are not collected // - keep map from old lists to new lists (gc_info) uint32_t ref_i = 0, ref_keep; for (ref_i = 0, ref_keep = 0; ref_i < wlm->all_lists.size; ++ ref_i) { // Old reference variable_list_ref_t old_vlist_ref = wlm->all_lists.data[ref_i]; // Get the constraint variable_t old_constraint = watch_list_manager_get_constraint(wlm, old_vlist_ref); variable_t new_constraint = gc_info_get_reloc(gc_vars, old_constraint); if (new_constraint != gc_vars->null_value) { // Add to map list -> constraint int_hmap_add(&new_list_to_constraint_map, new_vlist_top, new_constraint); int_hmap_add(&new_constraint_to_list_map, new_constraint, new_vlist_top); // We keep this one wlm->all_lists.data[ref_keep ++] = new_vlist_top; gc_info_mark(&gc_lists, old_vlist_ref); gc_info_set_reloc(&gc_lists, old_vlist_ref, new_vlist_top); // Copy over the list variable_t list_element; do { list_element = wlm->vlist_memory.data[old_vlist_ref ++]; assert(list_element == variable_null || gc_info_get_reloc(gc_vars, list_element) != variable_null); wlm->vlist_memory.data[new_vlist_top ++] = list_element; } while (list_element != variable_null); } } ivector_shrink(&wlm->all_lists, ref_keep); // Go through the watchers and update their watchlists using the gc_lists map uint32_t watch_i; for (watch_i = 0; watch_i < wlm->all_watchers.size; ++ watch_i) { variable_t watcher = wlm->all_watchers.data[watch_i]; assert(watcher < wlm->wlist_memory.size); ivector_t* wlist = wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher]; assert(wlist != 0); uint32_t wlist_i, wlist_keep; for (wlist_i = 0, wlist_keep = 0; wlist_i < wlist->size; wlist_i ++) { variable_list_ref_t old_list = wlist->data[wlist_i]; variable_list_ref_t new_list = gc_info_get_reloc(&gc_lists, old_list); if (new_list != variable_list_ref_null) { // Keep this entry wlist->data[wlist_keep ++] = new_list; } } ivector_shrink(wlist, wlist_keep); } // Swap in the map from lists to constraints delete_int_hmap(&wlm->list_to_constraint_map); wlm->list_to_constraint_map = new_list_to_constraint_map; delete_int_hmap(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map); wlm->constraint_to_list_map = new_constraint_to_list_map; gc_info_destruct(&gc_lists); } variable_t watch_list_manager_get_constraint(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_list_ref_t var_list) { int_hmap_pair_t* find; find = int_hmap_find(&wlm->list_to_constraint_map, var_list); assert(find != NULL); return find->val; } bool watch_list_manager_has_constraint(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_t constraint) { return int_hmap_find(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map, constraint) != NULL; } variable_list_ref_t watch_list_manager_get_list_of(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_t constraint) { int_hmap_pair_t* find; find = int_hmap_find(&wlm->constraint_to_list_map, constraint); assert(find != NULL); return find->val; } variable_t* watch_list_manager_get_list(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_list_ref_t var_list) { return wlm->vlist_memory.data + var_list; } void watch_list_manager_add_to_watch(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_list_ref_t var_list, variable_t watcher) { assert(watcher != variable_null); if (watcher >= wlm->wlist_memory.size) { // Extend the vector if necessary (fill with NULL) size_t new_size = wlm->wlist_memory.size; while (watcher >= new_size) { new_size = new_size + new_size / 2 + 1; } resize_pvector(&wlm->wlist_memory, new_size); while (watcher >= wlm->wlist_memory.size) { pvector_push(&wlm->wlist_memory, NULL); } } // Create the new vector if not there if (wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher] == NULL) { wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher] = safe_malloc(sizeof(ivector_t)); init_ivector(wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher], 0); ivector_push(&wlm->all_watchers, watcher); } // Add the variable list to the watch-list for the watcher ivector_push(wlm->wlist_memory.data[watcher], var_list); } void remove_iterator_construct(remove_iterator_t* it, watch_list_manager_t* wlm, variable_t watcher) { it->wlm = wlm; it->watcher = watcher; it->keep = 0; it->current = 0; } void remove_iterator_destruct(remove_iterator_t* it) { while (!remove_iterator_done(it)) { remove_iterator_next_and_keep(it); } ivector_t* current_list = watch_list_manager_get_list_of_lists(it->wlm, it->watcher); if (current_list != NULL) { ivector_shrink(it->wlm->wlist_memory.data[it->watcher], it->keep); } } variable_list_ref_t remove_iterator_get_list_ref(const remove_iterator_t* it) { const ivector_t* current_list; current_list = watch_list_manager_get_list_of_lists(it->wlm, it->watcher); assert(current_list); return current_list->data[it->current]; } variable_t remove_iterator_get_constraint(const remove_iterator_t* it) { return watch_list_manager_get_constraint(it->wlm, remove_iterator_get_list_ref(it)); } const variable_t* remove_iterator_get_list(const remove_iterator_t* it) { variable_list_ref_t list_ref = remove_iterator_get_list_ref(it); assert(list_ref < it->wlm->vlist_memory.size); return it->wlm->vlist_memory.data + list_ref; } bool remove_iterator_done(const remove_iterator_t* it) { const ivector_t* current_list; current_list = watch_list_manager_get_list_of_lists(it->wlm, it->watcher); return current_list == NULL || it->current >= current_list->size; } void remove_iterator_next_and_keep(remove_iterator_t* it) { const ivector_t* current_list; current_list = watch_list_manager_get_list_of_lists(it->wlm, it->watcher); assert(current_list); current_list->data[it->keep ++] = current_list->data[it->current ++]; } void remove_iterator_next_and_remove(remove_iterator_t* it) { it->current ++; } void watch_list_manager_print(watch_list_manager_t* wlm, FILE* out) { variable_t x; uint32_t i; for (x = 0; x < wlm->wlist_memory.size; ++ x) { ivector_t* list_of_lists = wlm->wlist_memory.data[x]; if (list_of_lists) { fprintf(out, "lists of "); variable_db_print_variable(wlm->var_db, x, out); fprintf(out, "\n"); for (i = 0; i < list_of_lists->size; ++ i) { fprintf(out, "\t"); variable_list_ref_t list_ref = list_of_lists->data[i]; variable_t* list = watch_list_manager_get_list(wlm, list_ref); while (*list != variable_null) { variable_db_print_variable(wlm->var_db, x, out); fprintf(out, " "); list ++; } fprintf(out, "\n"); fprintf(out, "\tfrom "); variable_t cstr = watch_list_manager_get_constraint(wlm, list_ref); variable_db_print_variable(wlm->var_db, cstr, out); fprintf(out, "\n"); } } } } uint32_t watch_list_manager_size(const watch_list_manager_t* wlm) { return wlm->all_lists.size; } | Low | [
0.534161490683229,
32.25,
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Butler County, Kansas Butler County (county code BU) is a county in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Kansas and is the largest county in the state by total area. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 65,880. Its county seat and most populous city is El Dorado. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Plains of North America was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans. From the 16th century to 18th century, the Kingdom of France claimed ownership of large parts of North America. In 1762, after the French and Indian War, France secretly ceded New France to Spain, per the Treaty of Fontainebleau. In 1802, Spain returned most of the land to France, but keeping title to about 7,500 square miles. In 1803, most of the land for modern day Kansas was acquired by the United States from France as part of the 828,000 square mile Louisiana Purchase for 2.83 cents per acre. In 1848, after the Mexican–American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Spain brought into the United States all or part of land for ten future states, including southwest Kansas. In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. 19th century In 1855, Butler County was founded. It was named in honor of a U.S. Senator from South Carolina, Andrew Butler (1796–1857), who was one of the authors of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and a strong advocate of Kansas becoming a slave state. In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado, in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. The original branch line connected Florence, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron, Winfield, Arkansas City. In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway built a branch line north-south from Herington to Caldwell. This branch line connected Herington, Lost Springs, Lincolnville, Antelope, Marion, Aulne, Peabody, Elbing, Whitewater, Furley, Kechi, Wichita, Peck, Corbin, Wellington, Caldwell. By 1893, this branch line was incrementally built to Fort Worth, Texas. This line is called the "OKT". The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was foreclosed in 1891 and was taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, and finally merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island". 21st century In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Butler County (near Potwin, Towanda, Augusta, Douglass), with much controversy over tax exemption and environmental concerns (if a leak ever occurs). A pumping station named Burns was built 2 miles north of Potwin, and new power lines were built from a high-voltage line 0.3 mile east of De Graff. In an unusual technical glitch, a farmstead about 4 miles northeast of Potwin became the default site of 600 million IP addresses (due to their lack of fine granularity) when the Massachusetts-based digital mapping company MaxMind changed the putative geographic center of the contiguous United States from 39.8333333,-98.585522 to 38.0000,-97.0000. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the largest county by area in Kansas. Adjacent counties Chase County (northeast) Greenwood County (east) Elk County (southeast) Cowley County (south) Sumner County (southwest) Harvey County (west) Sedgwick County (west) Marion County (northwest) Major highways Sources: National Atlas, U.S. Census Bureau Interstate 35 U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 77 Kansas Highway 96 Kansas Highway 177 Kansas Highway 196 Kansas Highway 254 Demographics Butler County is part of the Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the U.S. Census in 2000, 59,482 people, 21,527 households, and 16,059 families resided in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 23,176 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The county's racial makeup was 94.94% White, 1.38% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.69% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population. There were 21,527 households, of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.60% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.40% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.13. In the county, the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males. The county's median household income was $45,474, and the median family income was $53,632. Males had a median income of $38,675 versus $26,109 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,150. About 5.40% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.00% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over. Government Presidential elections Like of most of Kansas’ counties, Butler county is solidly Republican. In 2008, John McCain carried the county by a nearly two-to-one margin over Barack Obama. Since 1992, no Democratic candidate has received so much as forty percent of the county’s vote. The last Democratic candidate to carry the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Laws Butler County was a prohibition, or "dry", county until the Kansas Constitution was amended in 1986 and voters approved the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink with a 30% food sales requirement. Education Unified school districts Bluestem USD 205 Leon, Latham, Beaumont, Bois d'Arc, Haverhill, Keighley, Wingate, Rural Areas Remington USD 206 Whitewater, Potwin, Brainerd, Elbing, Furley, Plum Grove, Rural Areas Circle USD 375 Towanda, Benton, Greenwich, Midian, Rural Areas Andover USD 385 Andover, Lorena, Rural Areas Rose Hill USD 394 Rose Hill, Rural Areas Douglass USD 396 Douglass, Rural Areas Augusta USD 402 Augusta, Gordon, Rural Areas El Dorado USD 490 El Dorado, De Graff, Oil Hill, Rural Areas Flinthills USD 492 Rosalia, Cassoday, Pontiac, Rural Areas District Office In Neighboring County Peabody-Burns USD 398 Small Northern Rural Area of Butler County Central USD 462 Small Southern Rural Area of Butler County Private schools Berean Academy in Elbing College Butler County Community College in El Dorado Communities Cities Andover Augusta Benton Cassoday Douglass Elbing El Dorado Latham Leon Potwin Rose Hill Towanda Whitewater Census-designated place Rosalia Other unincorporated places Beaumont Bois d'Arc Brainerd Clay Center De Graff Gordon Haverhill Hopkins Keighley Palmer Pickrell Corner Pontiac Prospect Rock Smileyberg Ghost towns Aikman Alki Amador Browntown Chelsea (now lies under El Dorado Lake) Durachen Frazier Lorena Magna City Midian Oil Hill Oil Valley Ophir Plum Grove Providence Ramsey Salter Vanora Wingate Townships Butler County is divided into twenty-nine townships. The cities of Augusta and El Dorado are considered governmentally independent and are excluded from the census figures for the townships. In the following table, the population center is the largest city (or cities) included in that township's population total, if it is of a significant size. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Butler County, Kansas References Further reading History of Butler County, Kansas; Vol P Mooney; Standard Publishing; 869 pages; 1916. An Illustrated Hand Book, Compiled from the Official Statistics, Descriptive of Butler County, Kansas; 66 pages; T.B. Murdock; 1887. Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Geo. A. Ogle & Co; 69 pages; 1905. Standard Atlas of Butler County, Kansas; Walter F. McGinnis & I.C. Thomas; 59 pages; 1885. External links County Butler County - Directory of Public Officials Historical Butler County GenWeb Kansas State Historical Society Maps Butler County Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT Kansas Railroad Maps: Current, 1996, 1915, KDOT and Kansas Historical Society Category:Kansas counties Category:1855 establishments in Kansas Territory Category:Wichita, KS Metropolitan Statistical Area | Mid | [
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Q: Are IBActions fired on main queue? I tried to search this out, but kinda stuck in this question. All guides about UI say, that all UI stuff should be on GCD main thread, but no one says about inner implementation of IBActions. So, are IBActions fired on GCD main thread or not? A: Yes, and you can test it by yourself using NSLog(@"is main thread? %d", [NSThread isMainThread]); You can also use the debugger and left view to know about what thread is been executed your code. | High | [
0.7157894736842101,
29.75,
11.8125
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Q: Want to build a password manager using OpenPGP.js I'm kind of tired of the password managers that are available around... I need one that's open source, that works on OSX, that lets me store .pem files and that I can trust. As I haven't found one, I thought it could be an interesting project for me to work on. I'm going to use AngularJS just b/c it's a technology that I want to start using and this project seems like a good fit. My idea would be to have a dumb backend that took care of the login / registration and CRUD operations of the passwords (with tags to make the search easier)... but all the encryption / decryption should be performed by the browser. The only thing that I'm not quite sure is how safe the private key is on the browser... Can different plugins / addons access to it when I load it into OpenPGP? is the private key stored as is on memory when OpenPGP is using it? I've seen there are quite some other plugins using this, but I'm not exactly sure how good this would be. I guess I could just have a different profile, or a browser I don't use with this... how good of an idea is it? A: [Disclosure: I, too, work for a password manager company] Long ago, I tried to develop my own password management solution using PGP/GnuPG. As I thought more about it, I found it unsatisfactory and eventually switched to the one that I have now come to work for. Here are some things you should consider before trying to roll your own password management system: What is your source of randomness for key and password generation? Do you know how to use a cryptographically secure random number generator and why it works the way it does What is your key derivation function? Does it use something like PBKDF2 to resist password cracking attempts against your master password? Do you know how all of the choices in your KDF interact and stand up against current and foreseeable attacks? How much sensitive data remains decrypted at any one time? If you decrypt an entire file, then all of that decrypted data will need to reside in memory or virtual memory on your computer, leaving it potentially exposed after a crash, in memory, in automatic backup files, or in system swap files What measures does the system have to prevent data loss? Does the (automatic) back up system perform any integrity checks on the data prior to making a backup? How is memory of sensitive data cleared when it is no longer needed? Are there obfuscation techniques for sensitive data (such as decryption keys) that may need to reside in the app’s memory for a while? Will your system automatically lock or does it require you to take action to lock/close your data? Can you eliminate or minimize the use of Copy and Paste of sensitive data? If you build in web browser support are you aware of the kinds of threats against password management tools "in the browser"? And most importantly, can you keep up with all of the research and development on all of these (and other) issues that may require a change in design or implementation? You do not have to have a satisfactory answer to all of these to try to roll your own. But if you wish to "ignore" some of these questions you should do so deliberately. I wish you the best with whatever you decide to do. | High | [
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Q: Facebook Like Button For Email Ok, so I've looked around a number of different websites but seem to get mixed information. Does anyone have any advice for implementing a Facebook Like button in an HTML email campaign? I have already tried this article but for some reason, clicking the like opens a blank page with another like button. http://emailexpert.org/adding-a-facebook-like-button-to-your-email-template/ Any help would be appreciated. A: Here is how you can add a Facebook Like button, Share Button, and Tweet Buttons. Please Note: Where it says my-campaign-url.com is the webpage of the email newsletter. Replace img src with your own image for the button. Also I am not sure you need everything in the Facebook button but you can clean it up with some testing => Facebook Like <a title="Like this on Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like. php?href=http://my-campaign-url.com&layout=standard&show_faces= false&width=450&action=like&colorscheme=light&height=427%20"> <img src="/Images/network_icons/fblike-button-small.png" style="border: 0 none;" alt="Like This on Facebook"></a> Facebook Share <a title="Share this on Facebook" href='http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://my-campaign-url.com'><img src='/Images/network_icons/fb-share.png' alt='Share my campaign' /></a> Tweet Button <a title="Share Via Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet? url=http://my-campaign-url&text=My%20Text%20-%20&via=My Name&"> <img src="/Images/network_icons/tweet-button-small.png" style="border:0 none;" alt="Share Via Twitter"></a> Another (possibly easier) option. Use the AddThis Service for E-Mail Marketing. See AddThis site for more info. Example Code Follows: <!-- AddThis Button BEGIN --> <!-- Facebook --> <a href="http://api.addthis.com/oexchange/0.8/forward/facebook/offer?pco=tbx32nj-1.0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmy-site.com%2Fnewsletter&pubid=ra-[Your AddThis ID for Analytics]" target="_blank" ><img src="http://cache.addthiscdn.com/icons/v1/thumbs/32x32/facebook.png" border="0" alt="Facebook" /></a> <!-- Twitter --> <a href="http://api.addthis.com/oexchange/0.8/forward/twitter/offer?pco=tbx32nj-1.0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmy-site.com%2Fnewsletter&pubid=ra-[Your AddThis ID for Analytics]" target="_blank" ><img src="http://cache.addthiscdn.com/icons/v1/thumbs/32x32/twitter.png" border="0" alt="Twitter" /></a> <!-- Rest of AddThis Services--> <a href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?source=tbx32nj-1.0&=250&pubid=ra-[Your AddThis ID for Analytics]&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmy-site.com%2Fnewsletter " target="_blank" ><img src="http://cache.addthiscdn.com/icons/v1/thumbs/32x32/more.png" border="0" alt="More..." /></a> | Mid | [
0.5885558583106261,
27,
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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584696203336871201.post1451368822146980411..comments2016-07-20T06:26:31.100-07:00Comments on Dividend Growth Investor: Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) Dividend Stock Analysis 2013Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584696203336871201.post-35008741507558936562013-11-02T10:39:39.817-07:002013-11-02T10:39:39.817-07:00I appreciate your analysis on this stock as I am b...I appreciate your analysis on this stock as I am both in the military (and thus deal with LMT often) and because I own a few shares. Other stocks are a bigger priority for me, but I do have some of LMT as well.Dan Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-3584696203336871201.post-30472893517894296012013-11-01T16:59:07.359-07:002013-11-01T16:59:07.359-07:00DGI - excellent analysis. I was just discussing m...DGI - excellent analysis. I was just discussing military/defense related stocks with a friend of mine yesterday, and told him I was hesitant to have much of my portfolio in this area. While I agree that the U.S. is unlikely to significantly cut their military budget going forward, it nonetheless remains a possibility. <br /><br />I currently only have one stock in what I would consider to be in this sector - Harris Corp (HRS), which has done extremely well for me since I purchased it in the beginning of 2012. That being said, I think I will continue to be exceedingly cautious with respect any future investments in this area.Dining on Dividendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/[email protected] | Mid | [
0.590233545647558,
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Soccer Stars in the Classroom – not Just on The Field Last year’s girl’s varsity soccer team worked hard both on and off the field. After having a successful season on the field with a record of 15-6-1, the team also was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for the seventh consecutive year. Nancy Stehman. Photo by Lindsey Ostrum The requirement of this club is to have a team GPA of at least 3.25, and the team earned a 3.847, the highest a girl’s soccer team at Penn Manor has ever earned. Coach Zapata felt that, “[The team] always worked extremely hard, and they choose to play 12 months a year, so I know they like to play.” Mr. Zapata. Photo by Lindsey Ostrum However, senior Ambria Armstrong said all the hard work did come at a price. “It was definitely a lot of work, and I really had no free time. It was pretty much school, soccer, homework and sleep.” She also stated that her hardest class to maintain an A in was AP Literature. Coach Zapata believed being a part of the soccer team was a motivation to keep their grades high, “It was more of an expectation from the staff. Keeping their grades up is something we tell the girls about a lot.” Ambria Armstrong. Photo by Lindsey Ostrum This is also a new achievement for our school. This is the first time the girl’s soccer team has had the highest GPA out of the seven schools in the league. Congratulations to the following members of the girl’s varsity soccer team: | Mid | [
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Q: Fluid Typo3 - How to get variables definded via flux from different page uids I guess my problem is easily solved, but I'm thinking for days about it, googling didn't help me out. Maybe I just don't understand the concept :-). In my provider extension I define a simple main page with one configuration option. Depending on what "fontawesomeicon" says for a page, its corresponding Fonteawesome-Icon shall be placed before the menu entry text. But when I implement it this way, every page menu entry gets the Icon from the actual page. I don't know how to tell the system, that the corresponding {fontawesomeicon} shall be taken from that page this entry belongs to. Thanks for any hints to get it working. I'm useing Typo3 7.1 Page config Fullpage.html: <f:section name="Configuration"> <flux:form id="fullpage" /> <flux:grid> <flux:grid.row> <flux:grid.column colPos="0" name="main" /> </flux:grid.row> </flux:grid> <flux:field.input name="fontawesomeicon" /> </f:section> Partial config Elements.html: <f:section name="MainMenu"> <ul class="sf-menu"> <v:page.menu pageUid="{settings.startpageUid}" entryLevel="2" levels="2" expandAll="TRUE" as="menu"> <f:for each="{menu}" as="item"> <li class="{item.class}"> <a href="{item.link}"><i class="fa fa-lg {fontawesomeicon}"></i> {item.linktext}</a> <f:if condition="{item.hasSubPages}"> <ul> <f:render section="SubMenu" arguments="{_all}" /> </ul> </f:if> </li> </f:for> </v:page.menu> </ul> </f:section> <f:section name="SubMenu"> <v:page.menu pageUid="{item.uid}" entryLevel="2" levels="1" as="submenu"> <f:for each="{submenu}" as="subitem"> <li class="{subitem.class}"> <a href="{subitem.link}"><i class="fa {fontawesomeicon}"></i> {subitem.linktext}</a> </li> </f:for> </v:page.menu> </f:section> Just to complete it... putting it together in the page layout file Page.html: <f:layout name="Page" /> <f:render section="MainMenu" partial="Elements" arguments="{_all}" /> <f:render section="Main" /> A: Finally got it. It's the old problem... how do you ask the right question if you don't get to the real matter. Another post (about accessing flexform) gave me the final hint. Yay! <f:section name="MainMenu"> <ul class="sf-menu"> <v:page.menu pageUid="{settings.startpageUid}" entryLevel="2" levels="2" expandAll="TRUE" as="menu"> <f:for each="{menu}" as="item"> <li class="{item.class}"> <!--new:--> <flux:form.data table="pages" field="tx_fed_page_flexform" uid="{item.uid}" as="menuIcon"> <a href="{item.link}"><i class="fa fa-lg {menuIcon.fontawesomeicon}"></i> {item.linktext}</a> <!--new:--> </flux:form.data> <f:if condition="{item.hasSubPages}"> <ul> <f:render section="SubMenu" arguments="{_all}" /> </ul> </f:if> </li> </f:for> </v:page.menu> </ul> </f:section> <f:section name="SubMenu"> <v:page.menu pageUid="{item.uid}" entryLevel="2" levels="1" as="submenu"> <f:for each="{submenu}" as="subitem"> <li class="{subitem.class}"> <!--new:--> <flux:form.data table="pages" field="tx_fed_page_flexform" uid="{subitem.uid}" as="subMenuIcon"> <a href="{subitem.link}"><i class="fa {subMenuIcon.fontawesomeicon}"></i> {subitem.linktext}</a> <!--new:--> </flux:form.data> </li> </f:for> </v:page.menu> </f:section> | High | [
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Scot Peterson’s Atty Responds To ‘Unfounded Criticism Of His Actions’ In School Shooting Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter PARKLAND (CBSMiami) – An attorney for now-retired Broward school resource deputy Scot Peterson is responding to what he calls ‘unfounded criticism of his actions’ during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. According to Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, Scot Peterson stayed outside the building where the shooting was taking place. Scot Peterson took cover outside as bullets flew for 4 minutes and “never went in,” Israel had said. “I was disgusted. I was just demoralized with the performance of former deputy (Scot) Peterson,” Israel said. The sheriff alleges their training mandates they go in. “We train to immediately move in to a situation like that and push towards the shooter, eliminate the shooter, make sure that you can save lives by eliminating the shooter,” said Sheriff Israel. President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue. “You have one guard. He didn’t turn out to be too good, I’ll tell you that,” said Trump. “Peterson, the deputy who didn’t go into the school because he didn’t want to go into the school.” Peterson resigned last week following his suspension. Now, he has hired attorney Joseph DiRuzzo who has released a statement on behalf of Peterson. He says Sheriff Israel’s news conference held on February 22 in which he was accused of failing to respond appropriately, misaligns his client who has a decorated career with BSO including “glowing annual performance reviews and being named the school resource officer of the year in 2014 for Parkland.” READ ENTIRE STATEMENT HERE. DiRuzzo stresses, “Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need. However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue. Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances and that the video (together with the eyewitness testimony of those on the scene) will exonerate him of any sub-par performance. Sheriff Israel has indicated that the video may never be released to the public, but then commentated on the very same video to allege that Mr. Peterson took up a position on the west side of the building, but that Mr. Peterson never went in the building. Sheriff Israel’s statement is, at best, gross oversimplification of the events that transpired.” CBS4’s Carey Codd spoke with former prosecutors and law enforcement officers who said they don’t foresee criminal charges being brought against Peterson. They said it would be a stretch to charge him with culpable negligence for failing to act. Peterson’s pension would also likely not be affected unless he’s convicted of a felony that relates to his direct job performance. Many continue to question Peterson’s actions, saying with dozens and dozens of rounds being fired it’s difficult to believe the veteran deputy did not know where the shots were coming from. Jeff Bell is president of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association. “With that information you know where those rounds are being fired from, you better get your butt in that building because it doesn’t matter if you actually kill the shooter,” Bell said. “There are plenty of circumstances in past scenarios where shooters have simply given up because they saw uniform police officer make entry.” There have been questions about whether BSO had a policy not to go into an active shooter situation until a SWAT team arrived. Sheriff Scott Israel said the training is to confront an active shooter. John Rivera is the former longtime president of the Police Benevolent Association in Miami-Dade. He said he’s not aware if BSO has such a policy but says in a situation like this shooting it could have understandably been disobeyed. “Even if we had a policy not to go in, I think given the circumstances and hearing the children, I think we would have rushed in, even if it we violated the policy,” Rivera said. Questions also have mounted over what happened during the shooting. Sources have previously said that Coral Springs police officers arrived at the site of the shooting and were surprised to find three sheriff’s deputies, in addition to Peterson, had not entered the school. Israel said his department is also looking into reports that the deputies didn’t enter the school building during the shooting, but as of now, Peterson was the only officer that he was certain had been derelict. “We will get to the truth, but at this point, one deputy was remiss, dereliction of duty, and he’s now no longer with this agency. And that’s Peterson,” Israel said. DiRuzzo claims Sheriff Israel omitted facts. He wrote: Peterson initially “received a call of firecrackers — and not gunfire — in the area of the 1200 Building.” In response to the firecracker call Mr. Peterson along “with Security Specialist Kelvin Greenleaf exited the 100 Building and ran north the couple of hundred yards to the 1200 Building.” Upon arriving at 1200 Building Mr. Peterson “heard gunshots but believed that those gunshots were originating from outside of any of the buildings on the school campus.” BSO trains its officers that in the event of outdoor gunfire one is to seek cover and assess the situation in order to communicate what one observes to other law enforcement. Consistent with his training, Mr. Peterson “took up a tactical position between the 700-800 buildings corridor/corner.” Peterson was the first BSO officer to advise BSO dispatch that he heard shots fired. Peterson “initiated a ‘Code Red’ lockdown of the entire school campus.” “The first police officer that arrived on-scene was from the Coral Springs Police Department.” Mr. Peterson informed this Coral Springs Police Officer that he “thought that the shots were coming from outside.” This Coral Springs Police Officer took up a tactical position (approximately twenty yards away from Mr. Peterson) behind a tree with his rifle. “Radio transmissions indicated that there was a gunshot victim in the area of the football field,” which served to confirm Mr. Peterson’s belief “that the shooter, or shooters, were outside.” Peterson had the presence of mind to have the school administrators go to the school’s video room to review the closed-circuit cameras to locate the shooter and obtain a description for law enforcement. Peterson provided his keys to the Coral Springs SWAT team so that they could enter the 1200 Building. Peterson “provided BSO SWAT Command with handwritten diagrams of the entire Stoneman Douglas campus for student evacuation.” DiRuzzo added, “Mr. Peterson is looking forward to cooperating with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation, which we hope will detail the events of that tragic day and which we believe will ultimately clear Mr. Peterson’s name. | Low | [
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