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Tag Archives: natural pills There are quite a few different products available in the market claiming to offer you help in achieving a certain goal and when it comes to weight loss, you will find far too many types of products which would make it quite difficult for you to decide which ones you should be going for and which ones you should be avoiding at all costs. It is not just about the various products that are available in the market to help you with your weight loss endeavors but also the nature of such products as there are exercise machines, dietary supplements in the form of shakes and pills and so on which make it quite difficult for you to determine which option would be ideal for you to proceed further with in order to have your targets achieved without issues. One of the most popular products that has recently gained entrance into the market is sletrokor which has all natural ingredients that would allow you to achieve your goal of losing weight effectively without compromising your health in any way, shape or form and it is something that you might want to do further reading about in order to determine whether it would be ideal for your situation. You can read more about sletrokor at http://weightlosstop.com/pills/sletrokor_review.php as it is going to furnish you with all the details that would enable you to decide whether this product would be right for you. | Mid | [
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Fans Say Critics Say n/a For Parents n/a Not Today - great message By leedc Written January 31, 2015 Great message, creative subtitling. The story needs to be shared, and people here need a chance to involve themselves in something outside themselves and beyond something that's just mind-numbing. US acting was OK, Indian was great. Contrast yourself with a world that's not yours, but leave with a way to do something about it! 33 out of 44 found this helpful. Did you? well made, not for small children By annajacq Written September 15, 2014 I think this was a beautiful multifaceted movie. Not only exposing the enormity and horror of the child sex trade but also took a self important, entitled young man who thinks that God has turned His back on him, out of his world of parties and into trying to answer the question of "what can I do?"" How can this be?" and ultimately "how am I" and Who Is God" It even addresses the cliché Christian answers given in the midst of the brokenness. Well done. 15 out of 22 found this helpful. Did you? Your heart will change By rdvt4me Written December 19, 2014 Great movie! You can see God working on his heart and a transformation happen that will change a young man's life. Your heart will break for the Dalit people. 15 out of 23 found this helpful. Did you? Not Today By FandoMovies4trw Written April 15, 2013 This is a must see for everyone, in my opinion. It's a movie with a purpose, and does an excellent job of bringing awareness to a very real tragic situation in our world. I thought it was very well done overall, with good acting, and a compelling storyline. Not a 'feel-good' movie, but it's truth and sensitively done. Not for small children due to the subject matter. Get your tickets and go TODAY! 15 out of 22 found this helpful. Did you? Important message - must see! By Debbiedo28 Written January 26, 2015 Based on horrible events that happen every day around the world, this was a well written and acted depiction of human traffiicking. I was in tears several times as I witnessed the heart wrenching lives of these victims and the Dalits in India. This is an important message and I hope many will see this touching movie. Photos Get Updates On All Things Movies: THANKS FOR SIGNING UP! Send Me FanText THANKS FOR SIGNING UP! By entering your mobile number and clicking "SIGN ME UP!", you consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and authorize Fandango and its service providers to deliver FanTexts and other promotional texts to your mobile phone using automated technology. Text marketing authorization is not required for any purchase from Fandango. Message and data rates may apply. We will not send more than 5 msgs/month. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting "STOP" or seek help by texting "HELP" to "FNDGO" (36346). | High | [
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Benefits of buying a VPS server with a bitcoin payment: There are many benefits to buying an anonymous vps server from a vps provider that accepts bitcoin such as Xitheon. You can buy web hosting with bitcoin anonymously, without providing your ID, credit card or address to ensure there is no connection to your person, which reduces the surface area of a fraud, hack or attack targeting you. Xitheon communicates with the blockchain after your vps is paid with bitcoin to quickly verify the payment and instantly activate your vps, vps, or web hosting plan. Servers are deployed instantly from funded accounts, or after blockchain confirmation for non-funded accounts. Read more about Funding Accounts » | Mid | [
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Instagram Post Calendar Category: Reviews The Dark Knight Returns. Arguably one of the best comic book stories every written, especially when it comes to Batman or Superman. This seemed to be the template leading up to Batman v Superman’s release. Batman’s suit(s) and build were ripped from the pages of the aforementioned book, and the title itself told fans what to expect. I’m coming from the perspective of an avid comic book reader who happens to also enjoy comic book films. Seeing as BvS is also a comic book film, I’m going to review it with the mind-set that it is based on a solid foundation of rules and lore that should respectfully be followed. I’m also not going to go into too much detail so I don’t ruin anything for future viewers. So let’s begin. This was the second showing at my local cinema, I was sitting next to a guy who offered me a Twix bar, and my first thought was, I hope that this Twix isn’t better than this film. It didn’t start off well. For the first ten minutes of the film the projection was out of focus. So it was like watching the film through the eyes of someone who really needed glasses but refused to put them on. Then it was fixed, and we began from the beginning. It was like the transition from potato to 4K. Admittedly the premise was set up well, though I had already seen it in the trailer. Then from there it just got random. It’s like the writers had an idea, and thought, “Now how can we link every major character to this idea?” went from there and left that same idea in the middle of the story. This is probably because there is a hell of a lot going on. As the second film in this new DC Cinematic Universe behind Man of Steel it shouldn’t have had this much weight on it to set up the entirety of the following movies, but I understand that Warner Brothers are trying to play catch up to Disney and Marvel. Small(er) steps would have been better. The problem with the plot isn’t that it’s convoluted. There are a number of random plot points that are obviously thrown in to set up things for the future, but its done in a way that breaks up the main narrative and adds literally nothing to the story. Nothing at all. Literally. Forgive me for comparing this to Deadpool but bear with me. Deadpool was a film that thought was maybe a bit too small in scale, but it benefited from that, especially since a sequel can become bigger and better than its predecessor. BvS is guilty of doing too much. While it is fun to see some of these strange scenarios through, they didn’t offer anything. What they did get right were the visuals however. Zack Snyder is most notably known for 300, Watchmen and Man of Steel which are striking visually and with the except of Man of Steel have a comic book feel. With this film though it gets a bit grey at times. It tries to be dark and brooding a lot of the time and can be tonally awkward. Batman (Ben Affleck) is pulled off well and is accurately reminiscent of TDKR. If his first proper scene is what the future Batman film may be like, then I look forward to it. SPOILER ALERT But Batman is blatantly killing people? Come on, I know he’s older and angry but he doesn’t compromise his morals. SPOILER END. Superman (Henry Cavill) is Superman and we all know how that is. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) feels tacked on and doesn’t really have an identity except to have the Justice League trinity together, but Gadot does her as much justice as she can. The one thing that they kind of managed to implement was the political and moral side to the destruction Superman leaves in his wake, though it doesn’t affect Batman in the slightest. Lex Luthor comes off more like The Riddler than the calm, composed genius he is (ding, ding, ding). But that’s neither here nor there. Doomsday happens to be the biggest farce of the whole movie. Once you watch it (and you know who Doomsday is) you’ll see why. He’s The Incredible Hulk’s Abomination except not as good. He doesn’t even talk. When I say that this movie is a set-up, I mean in terms of narrative. It’s an overlong introduction to the dawn of the Justice League (pun intended) and it deserved more attention to detail than it got. Snyder has said that there is supposed to be an Ultimate Cut with over half an hour of footage, and maybe that will make it better than the theatrical version. I can only hope. By the end I knew the answer to whether the Twix was better, and It wasn’t. But at least it was worth it. P.S. There is no after credit scene. Go home. 4.9/10.0 Before today I’d never listened to a Toro Y Moi project, even off of the recommendation of a friend I put it off. And I’ve finally taken the plunge. Another surprise release (not from Toro, I mean in general) comes in the form of Samantha not knowing what to expect at all. That was a slight lie it seems, as the sound is kind of what I expected from him. It’s either his name or the fact that artists that are hidden from the limelight often incorporate a sound somewhat original but is unoriginal in that it’s expectedly old school, expectedly strange, expectedly… expected. Not to detract from the music though, the sounds are refreshing in comparison with the same music heard day to day on the radio. It’s reminiscent of Soulection production, it feels Sango infused. Identity wise, by the time I got to track four I wasn’t sure what Toro’s artistry actually was, whether it was rapping, singing, production or all three [Editor’s Note: After research I’ve come to find he is indeed a producer]. The songs are concise for the most part as there are twenty tracks which saves the album from being exhausting. An early highlight is Pitch Black which has a funky drumline and a plethora of effects which keep it different and infectious throughout. The consistency of the project is welcome as the sounds are pleasant on the ear without getting overdone. This is helped by the mixing of the album which as you may know I adore when done well. The features perform well and fit their representative tracks perfectly, singing with an auto-tune less Young Thug and more Kanye (no T-Pain I’m afraid). Stoned at the MOMA is a favourite of mine in the way it uses the sample, the percussion and the guitar sweetening the package. One thing that this project excels at is capturing an ambience all its own. Its production is dark but not so dark that you feel like you’re wallowing in the sins of somebody else, and provides ample enough groove to make you feel good all at once. This is a project worth listening to, especially considering that it’s free, and what do you have to lose with things that are free? There is time you can, I’ll give you that, but you won’t be, trust me. 8.0/10 Since the initial announcement of the Attack on Titan live action film, many were excited. Then the first trailer was released and then everybody was sceptical. I wasn’t particularly swayed either end but for the problems at hand were big problems. Let me begin by saying that it could be worse. It stays largely faithful to the source material, and because obviously the source material is very good, the story remains decent at all times. However, because of the medium that a film is everything moves very fast in comparison with both the series and [I assume] the manga. This kind of helps the film, but it doesn’t aid the story, and those that have seen the series will be wondering where everything went. The fact of the run time [which is about 1 hour 30 minutes] being short means that character development is at a loss. Eren is just an angry teenager, Mikasa is a mysterious mostly absent teenage girl, and Armin is still the nerd of the group who is surprisingly less irritating and useless than his animated counterpart. The Survey Corps members, who had a relatively fleshed out development cycle of their own are all introduced in literally one scene when they’re all about to undergo their first mission. The world is more post-apocalyptic compared to the manga/show which I think makes sense considering the whole world went to pot. Apparently 100 years wasn’t long enough for the world to get back into tip top shape. It helps maintain the aesthetic throughout but for purists it won’t bode well. One thing this film retains however is the violence, and because now it is live action, it’s much more visceral, when the effects hold up that is. Ever since the release of the first trailer there were many comments on the CGI, especially surrounding the Colossus Titan (shownbelow). In its final form I just accepted the fact that a limited budget would leave the titans looking a bit lacklustre in comparison with bigger budget films. The smaller titans do look batter though, and look clapped [see: ugly] enough to be scary, and because they’re based on the likeness of humans I suspect it was easier to recreate them, although they look kind of janky when eating people and whatnot. The practical effects hold up better though, blood and the like. The film revels in the fact that the story is a grim one, spare the odd gleeful time here and there and turns it up all the sadness all the way to the top. There are the odd times of goodness which are ended almost instantly by someone being eaten or pulled apart or something. It’s also a more mature film than the series in that there’s more adult orientated content. There is one particular scene where a new female character, Hiana gets Eren to feel up on her and well, that gets ruined as well. THAT scene involving Armin and Eren is alright I guess, I was taken aback because you know, it’s real. But the fact that everything happens in real time [and quickly] takes away from the surprise and suspense of certain events unfolding. Some of the changes are a bit strange as well. I understand that the makers probably wanted to differentiate itself from the other mediums some of them were just strange. For example, this love triangle between Mikasa, Eren and Shikishima I felt was misplaced and was a bit creepy. If you’re interested in getting into the Attack on Titan lore I suggest that you please do not start with the films (the second part is supposed to come out later on this year), as it just isn’t representative of the quality of the show [this could change with the second part though]. But if you’re just looking for entertainment, than yeah it’s definitely entertaining without too much to think about. Just don’t expect the Attack on Titan series. 5.0/10 I don’t know a lot about Jack Garratt other than he sings very well. I heard his single The Love You’re Given on a Beats 1 show a while back and decided to look for some of his music, because I liked it (obviously) and I found that he had released an EP this year entitled Synesthesiac. Synaesthesia by the way is a “condition” for want of a better word (apparently Pharrell says that he has it) which allows one stimulant to activate an unrelated response. For example, a common one had by many including myself is that listening to music can make one see colours, each represented by a different sound. So I’m going to use this particular thing to review this EP and let you all in on what colours are popping until the music [is] stop[ing]s. To begin we have Synesthesia Pt.1. we’ve started off with some light blue tones as soft piano and guitar swims blissfully through the ears, then out of nowhere horns of orange blaze like fires in the night through a forest. The amalgamation of sounds varying from vinyl scratches to faint background violin and the digital sounds at play make for a work of art. During the second outro the blue hues come back in along with the greens as they pulse and rise at the preparation of a drop that never comes along. Instead it bleeds fluidly into the next song, The Love You’re Given and Garratt’s voice is heard above the repeated high pitched sample. At the moment the sounds match the cover art. The bass covers our canvas in thick greens that mix with the light blue. Digital highs bring along pink streaks over the paint. Garratt’s vocals are a falsetto well practiced and confident in its usage as it repeats throughout the second drop. I’m surprised that he fit this amount of sounds into a song that I thought was supposed to be a slow jam kind of song. I appreciate the live drums at the end. The mixing of this project makes for an arresting listen as each song blends so well into each other. I’m glad more people are appreciating that mixing is just as important as the songs themselves. Chemical starts off with deep purples, as the deep vocals provide a depth to the production, then we get into UK Garage territory and it gets heavy with the oranges, and the purples mix with them to create a colour that I can’t think of a name for right now. Purange. That will do. The song jitters and stutters for a while, my head bobs and the paints jump like when tiny polystyrene balls are put on top of a speaker. Deep blues for the Lonesome Valley. The bass usage is increased as the song goes on, then stagnates then hits harder than ever before. It’s quite maddening really. Trying to figure out what will happen next that is. A random saxophone may pop up and work so well you don’t want to see it leave. Then other things happen and you forget about everything else. Let’s just bring in all of the colours shall we because I can’t keep track. I like that most of the times, I only come across good music, and while I want to be fair and review things badly. That’s just not fair when it’s too good not to give its dues. Anyway, Jack Garratt has a new fan. His name is Aiden, and you should be one too. Listen to the EP below! 9.0/10 Last year, FKA twigs (FKA stands for Formerly Known As) released her first full length LP, LP1 and gained critical success along with more of a following, which was boosted further by her relationship with the guy from Twilight that ironically hates Twilight (EDIT: Robert Pattinson is his name). It was actually T-Pain who sparked my interest in her as he tweeted about one of her EP’s and because he’s a musical genius I thought that he’d have good taste in music, and I was right. Well, he was right. Now, her latest project entitled M3LL15X comes in the form of her third EP, though I wish that it was called EP3, akin to both EP1/2 but oh well. I’m giving myself 19 minutes to write this which is also the length of the EP. Here goes! First we begin with Figure 8 which was premiered on Zane Lowe’s segment of Beats 1 Radio. As usual, twigs’ voice is airy and fierce at the same time and she utilises her high pitched voice as a contrast to the dark sounds, spacey sounds. There is so much going on and the way that everything works together is impressive, I imagine this is what being on drugs would be like for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with how strange and unpredictable the song is. I’m not going to lie, it takes a lot for me to understand FKA twigs sometimes. The production sometimes overpowers her voice, or the effects on her voice, while making it an arresting listen make it more effort than it should be to listen to the lyrics. If she took Cookie Lyon’s advice and put the vocals of top of the track then I think that it would be less of a problem. I’m Your Doll sounds like it’s supposed to be sexy but it’s not. It’s a harsh sounding song which makes sense considering the lyrics “Rough me up/I’m your doll.” Which is mostly what I could catch during my listen. Just in case you were wondering, when listening to projects I prefer to hear the lyrics first hand as opposed to reading them but it can’t work all of the time I suppose. In Time is fierce. It’s actually quite a traditional love song but from the first bass drop I was thinking, “Yeah, this song yeah. Yeah. Wheel up the tune.” The drums which cascade from left to right are maddeningly infectious. This is actually a song to be played in the rave. Then the beat changes and it goes to a whole other level. You know what, this is my favourite song. I can see myself singing this often. You know those songs that deserve to be long? This is one of those songs. Ironically, Glass & Patron feels fragile at the beginning, and then the beat kicks in and after the initial drop where all the sounds clash it comes in sounding like a classic noughties UK based party song reminiscent of Babycakes. Twigs’ resident producer Boots is a mad genius. How can one person throw so many flavours into one song? He’s like a UK Timbaland/Kanye hybrid, and the fact that both of these people bounce so well off of each other is strong. The last song which is Mothercreep reminds us that FKA will be with us soon. Hopefully. I’m ready for this new album now I can’t refute and this just released. When I next go to a party I want to hear this song after the first drop to fade in from Drake’s Hotline Bling. Any DJ’s who read this make it happen. It ended too soon. All in all I think that I actually like this more than I did the album, which is always a plus because that means that as an artist she’s getting better. With the climate of music at the moment as well, FKA twigs manages to be different enough from the crowd to still be a compelling artist to listen to. My body is ready for what’s next. Listen to the EP Below! 8.7/10 Produced entirely by Adrian Younge who has produced Twelve Reasons to Die / II with Ghostface Killah, the [amazing] score for the movie Black Dynamite and more, comes Bilal’s fifth album, In Another Life. At 39 minutes this is Bilal’s shortest project so far. It begins with a reggae like bass line and deep vocals, mirroring the lyrical content on Sirens II [likely the second iteration of the same song]. The songs content seems like a precursor of what to expect of the rest of the album, especially considering the societal climate we are in today, where sirens are picking off black people left right and centre. But Bilal is still Bilal and where there is pain, there is also love. If you have heard Younge’s previous work then you’d know what to expect. For the uninitiated, what is on offer is a very rugged sound. Live instrumentation, reminiscent of the Blaxploitation 70’s/80’s film period. The sounds however don’t overpower Bilal’s voice but if anything it compliments it more than his previous sounds. He’s always been a raw acoustic artist in terms of musical artistry, and like D’Angelo with Black Messiah, Adrian Younge’s production turns it up some more notches. Open Up The Door takes the album into upbeat territory, as the songs moves at a fast pace that makes you want to step. I Really Don’t Care sounds as if you were listening to it in a café, sipping on a cold brew in summertime with a pastry in front of you, letting the breeze flow through your locks, or your scalp whichever is your flavour. Just relaxed. Relaxed, in love and on point. Pleasure Toy is perhaps my favourite song, and as Big K.R.I.T. spits, “It’s hard to be subtle when you want what you want”. The song isn’t crass, but is another groove that is both an ode to the body and the power of music. The production is airy, light and the backing instruments I believe, do more for the songs atmosphere than what’s upfront, the piano in particular, while the synths add more to the groove. Bilal is known for using his voice is an integral part of the track as opposed to just laying down verses, and the harmonies lay thick on the entire album, and his voice compliments the sound of each track you’d think there were different performers for each song. He goes from smooth soul man on Satellites to screaming on the chorus of Lunatic, intertwined with wispy voiced verses. After working with Kendrick on both To Pimp A Butterfly and the excellent Colbert Report performance of Untitled, it made sense for them to work together again for the song Money Over Love. This song is full of energy, and Kendrick spits rapid fire lyrics complete with a backing choir to back up his words. “The best things in life ain’t free.” I’d never heard of Kimbra prior to her feature on Holding It Back but her performance was a strong one, complementing the feel of the song perfectly, as well as Bilal’s voice, it provided a softer, almost vulnerable contrast. Spiralling’s lyrics really feel like he is losing control of himself, but the way he sings it is filled with a contentedness in his weaknesses. Strong. As Bilal continues to explore with his sound and grow as an artist, he always makes for an interesting listening experience. With this project he stripped down the elements of music (with the help of Younge) and made them his own. It’s timeless music, and deserves at least on listen if only to appreciate the sounds at hand. Listen to the album below! 8.4/10 Having been recently featured on Flying Lotus’ You’re Dead! And Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly it is the perfect time for Thundercat to release his own project since 2013’s Apocalypse. The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam is his third release on the Brainfeeder label, shared with the likes of Kamasi Washington who also released his debut album The Epic earlier this year. Before listening to this I didn’t know that Thundercat actually sang, which left me in a state of ignorance, but he has a very good voice. It’s high tone and works for the atmosphere of each song. The first track Hard Times is a sparse one, filled (or left with) airy guitar strings throughout. As the mini album plays on, it flows effortlessly. Midway through Song for the Dead is a musical tempest which had me in a trance, it was a literal musical storm which broke into the second half of the songs guitar instrumental back up by more natural wind like sounds. Though the sound of the project is consistent each song stands out on their own, with Them Changes introducing itself with a funky bass line and a rolling guitar chord. This differentiation between sounds makes for an interesting listen, but you have to listen. I found myself having to listen multiple times just to grasp the themes and different sounds of the project. The fact that it’s so short (clocking in at just 17 minutes), and so mellow means that it can just pass you by with each listen. Them Changes I approaches the theme of love with lyricism that is closer to poetry than traditional R&B. Metaphors abound effortlessly and they aren’t the cheap variety either. The very first line is something that I could hear Jack Sparrow saying, and whether or not that’s a good thing or a bad thing, you can’t refute its strength, “Nobody move/There’s blood on the floor/And I can’t find my heart/Where did it go/Did I leave it in the cold” Now, Lone Wolf and Cub tackles the theme of loneliness and perhaps the most funky and drawn out method possible. Even though it’s drawn out and lacks a lot of substance lyrically, the musicianship here backs up those things that are lacking. [Editors Note:Lone Wolf and Cub is a manga created by the writer Kazuo Koike, and artist Goseki Kojima which is about Ogami Ittō who was disgraced and forced to become an assassin. He then decides to take revenge on the clan who planned his disgrace, and brings along his three year old son, and together become… Omnimon! (Lone Wolf and Cub). So maybe Thundercat plans to take revenge on somebody, I guess we’ll never know unless it hits the news.] The last two songs, That Moment and Where the Giants Roam / Field of the Nephilim are a smooth exit to the 6-set of songs. The former, has a fitting title due to its length, and is as sparse if not more so than the introduction, and the latter which is another short song, has shimmering production, although the lyrics are almost nonsensical but I don’t mind because they sound beautiful. “Where the dragons from?/Not in your mind/Somewhere between space and end/Watching, waiting for their time.” Maybe Thundercat is also part of the LoveDragon producer group and is awaiting his time to shine? We’ll find out in the next episode hopefully. This small project is most likely a teaser of what is to come, and while it is a snippet it’s a good insight. A foray into the strange and wonderful mind of Thundercat, and I’d like another trip. Listen to the project below! | High | [
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Blueprints For Sewing Geodesic Sweatshirt Sewing Pattern Geodesic is a pullover inspired by the Geodesic dome. Version 1 is a loose fitting crop top that hits at the natural waist. Version 2 is a tunic length top with cozy pockets. Cut straight, it is fitted at the hip an loose through the rest of the body. This is a beginner level pattern. Please review size chart image for available sizes. | Mid | [
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Overexpression of phosphorylated STAT-1alpha in the labial salivary glands of patients with Sjögren's syndrome. To clarify the molecular mechanisms of Sjögren's syndrome (SS), we analyzed the functional role of the STAT-1 gene, one of the interferon-gamma (IFNgamma)-inducible genes, in labial salivary glands (LSGs) from SS patients. The expression of STAT-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, and the phosphorylation of STAT-1 protein (Tyr(701) and Ser(727) pSTAT-1) was investigated by Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. The expression of IFNgamma-inducible 10-kd protein (IP-10), IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), and Fas was also examined by real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analyses. STAT-1alpha and STAT-1beta mRNA were highly expressed in LSGs from SS patients. The level of STAT-1alpha protein in SS LSGs was higher than that in 3 control LSGs, whereas STAT-1beta protein was not clearly detected by Western blot analysis. Moreover, Tyr(701) and Ser(727) pSTAT-1alpha proteins were specifically detected in SS LSGs. Immunohistochemical analysis showed localization of Tyr(701) pSTAT-1 in infiltrating lymphocytes and the adjacent ductal epithelium from SS patients. Ser(727) pSTAT-1 was localized only in the ductal epithelium of SS LSGs. The STAT-1-inducible genes IP-10 and IRF-1 and the Fas genes were highly expressed in SS LSGs and were colocalized with Ser(727) pSTAT-1-positive, but not Tyr(701) pSTAT-1-positive, cells. We found evidence of the up-regulation of STAT-1alpha mRNA and protein in LSGs from SS patients, as well as the presence of pSTAT-1alpha in ductal epithelium from SS patients. Our findings suggest that STAT-1alpha, especially Ser(727) pSTAT-1, may function as a key molecule in the pathogenesis of SS. | High | [
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Application of capillary high-performance liquid chromatography to biotechnology, with reference to the analysis of recombinant DNA-derived human growth hormone. Using capillary HPLC, femtomole amounts of recombinant DNA-derived human growth hormone (rhGH) have been successfully detected from solutions at nanomolar concentrations. The separation used capillaries of 15 cm x 320 microns I.D. and detection was with a UV absorbance detector containing a capillary Z-shaped flow-cell. A sample of rhGH that was recovered from rat serum was analyzed by capillary reversed-phase HPLC, using both acidic- and neutral-pH mobile phases, as well as by capillary ion-exchange chromatography. When compared to HPLC separations performed at flow-rates of 1 ml/min, the sensitivity of the detection was increased 200 times, without any loss in resolution. Sub-microgram amounts of rhGH were also analyzed by tryptic mapping using capillary HPLC and peptides were identified by capillary LC-MS. | High | [
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Q: Can I plot a cone about an arbitrary axis in 3D? I'm playing around with Mathematica to try to produce a 3D visualization of something. I need to generate the surface of a cone with a circular base. But the axis of the cone must be the body diagonal of a cube, i.e. the vector <1,1,1>. I want the apex angle theta_a to be 10.6796 degrees (0.186393 radians). I have no idea if it will prove to be helpful but I am able to generate an arbitrary vector that makes this angle with the body diagonal in the following way. First, I found one such vector by specifying its x and y components and finding a z component that satisfies the appropriate dot product relationship. Then I made a function that rotates a vector about an arbitrary axis by an angle. This function in principle generates the cone that I want if you were to continuously vary the rotation angle between -pi and pi. Here is my code: rotaxis[rotvec_, rotax_, angle_] := Module[{}, (* Rotate a vector rotvec about the vector rotax by radians equal to angle *) vecpar = Dot[rotvec, rotax]/Dot[rotax, rotax]*rotax; vecperp = rotvec - vecpar; w = Cross[rotax, vecperp]; vecperprot = Norm[vecperp] (vecperp*Cos[angle]/Norm[vecperp] + w*Sin[angle]/Norm[w]); rotated = vecperprot + vecpar ] mvecs = Table[ rotaxis[{1, 1, 1.46159669020979`}*.6, {1, 1, 1}, q], {q, 0, 2 \[Pi], \[Pi]/8}]; Graphics3D[{Thick, Line[{{-1, -1, -1}, {1, 1, 1}}], Line[{{1, -1, -1}, {-1, 1, 1}}], Line[{{-1, 1, -1}, {1, -1, 1}}], Line[{{1, 1, -1}, {-1, -1, 1}}], Red, Line[{{0, 0, 0}, mvecs[[#]]}] & /@ Range[Length@mvecs]}, BoxStyle -> {Thick, Dashed}] The function rotvec is just taking this and putting it into Mathematica. The variable mvecs is essentially a list of endpoints that would form the base of the cone that I want. The output of the Graphics3D shows the whole figure I'm trying to make except I'd like the red lines to replaced by a smooth cone. Hopefully this isn't a stupid question. I'm woefully unfamiliar with making 3D graphics in Mathematica. Edit: Per a comment from @Jens, this is easily done by using the built-in function Cone. The appropriate cone is created by, for example, Cone[{{vec},{0,0,0}},Norm[vec]Tan[0.186393]] where vec is the desired coordinate of the middle of the base. A: Just to record an answer to the question, here are two possible ways of defining a cone: c1 = Cone[{{1, 1, 1}, {0, 0, 0}}, Norm[{1, 1, 1}] Tan[0.186393]]; c2 = {CapForm["Butt"], Tube[{{1, 1, 1}, {0, 0, 0}}, {Norm[{1, 1, 1}] Tan[0.186393], 0}]}; Table[ Graphics3D[{Thick, Line[{{-1, -1, -1}, {1, 1, 1}}], Line[{{1, -1, -1}, {-1, 1, 1}}], Line[{{-1, 1, -1}, {1, -1, 1}}], Line[{{1, 1, -1}, {-1, -1, 1}}], Red, c}, BoxStyle -> {Thick, Dashed}], {c, {c1, c2}}] The obvious choice is to use Cone as shown in c1, and an alternative with potentially more flexibility is the method in c2 which uses uses Tube. With Tube you can define for example truncated cones by making the smaller radius (in the second argument list of Tube) different from 0. | Mid | [
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The HillTube HUD chief: Obama housing plan will expand ‘strong recovery’ Obama is expected to outline his proposals to reform the housing system, including winding down government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in Phoenix, against the backdrop of that city’s rebounding housing market. Fannie and Freddie received a $187 billion taxpayer-funded bailout in 2008. The trip marks the latest stop on his tour aimed at refocusing the agenda on the economy and the middle class. “What the president is saying today is that we've gotta build a system overall that makes sure we never have a crisis like we had again,” Donovan said of the housing market collapse. “We have to build a safer system.” Donovan pointed to the stronger state of the housing market, which has rebounded in recent months due to low interest rates. He added that the president is encouraged by a show of bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and expects lawmakers to act on many of the measures. “The president's encouraged,” Donovan said. “There's bipartisan progress on the Hill on this and he wants to work with members to get this done as quickly as possible.” Obama will also link his housing reform proposals to immigration reform, Donovan said. According to the White House, immigrants accounted for almost 40 percent of new homeowners from 2000 to 2010. | Mid | [
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Blood volume redistribution on fluid treatments after burn-blast combined injury, especially with respect to the regulation role of microcirculation due to the Fåhraeus effect. Considering the Fåhraeus effect and the blood volume regulation role of the microcirculation, we used a new method for calculating the blood volume change in microcirculation, macrocirculation as well as the whole circulation (delta Vmic, delta Vmac, delta Vb), to compare fluid therapy effects of hypertonic saline dextran solution (HSD) and lactic Ringer's solution at the early stage after burn-blast combined injury (BBI). The measurement of plasma viscosity was used in this calculation. The results showed that, with calculation of the blood volume change in microcirculation and macrocirculation, this method could more exactly and distinctly display the change and distribution of blood volume during the therapy. It confirms that HSD treatment can increase blood pressure and attenuate tissue edema, by significantly increasing total blood volume, recouping delta Vmac. The study suggests that a desirable and practical clinical method for blood volume change can be developed based on the present study. | High | [
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One example of an axial flow rotary machine is a gas turbine engine of the type used to propel aircraft. An aircraft gas turbine engine typically has a compression section, a combustion section, and a turbine section. An annular flowpath for working medium gases extends axially through the engine. A stator assembly extends axially through the engine and about the working medium flowpath. A rotor assembly extends axially through the sections of the engine and inwardly of the stator assembly. The rotor assembly includes rows of rotor blades which extend outwardly from the rotor across the working medium flowpath in both the turbine and compression sections. The stator assembly includes an engine case which bounds the working medium flowpath and which is disposed outwardly of the rotor assembly. Rows of stator vanes extend inwardly from the engine case and across the working medium flowpath into proximity with the rotor assembly. The rows of stator vanes are located upstream of the associated row of rotor blades to direct the working medium gases into the downstream row of rotor blades. One example of a gas turbine engine having a stator assembly and a rotor assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,233 issued to Baran entitled "Stator Assembly For Bounding The Working Medium Flowpath Of A Gas Turbine Engine". In this construction, the stator assembly includes an outer case and a wall bounding the working medium flowpath which is formed of a plurality of circumferentially extending wall segments, such as the duct 34 and the stator vanes 32. An inner casing in the form of a seal member 86 extends circumferentially between the outer case and the wall elements to form a cooling air chamber outwardly of the inner casing and to block hot gases from the working medium flowpath from the mixing with the cooling air chamber, or air from the cooling air chamber flowing into the working medium flowpath. The seal member might be formed of relatively thin sheet metal material and formed in a single circumferentially continuous piece. However, the circumferential continuity may result in the seal element being cracked or warped during transient operative conditions of the engine as the outer case changes its diameter at a different rate from the inner case in response to transient thermal conditions of the engine. A second example of an engine structure employing rotor blades and stator vanes inwardly of an outer case is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,373 issued to William G. Monsarrat which is entitled "Flow Directing Assembly For A Gas Turbine Engine." In Monsarrat, the compression section of the engine includes an inner case and an outer case or annular sleeve. The outer case is attached to the inner case and positions the segments circumferentially about the rotor assembly during operation of the engine. The inner case extends axially in the engine outwardly of an annular flowpath for working medium gases. The inner case is formed of a plurality of arcuate segments which are circumferentially adjacent one to the other. Adjacent arcuate segments are spaced circumferentially leaving a circumferential clearance gap G therebetween. The engine also includes a plurality of cooling tubes which extend circumferentially about the exterior of the outer case. The cooling tubes impinge cooling air under preselected operative conditions of the engine to adjust the radial clearance between the inner case and the rotor assembly. As the cooling air is impinged on the outer case, the outer case contracts and moves inwardly to a smaller diameter, forcing the inner case to a smaller diameter and decreasing the clearance gap G between adjacent arcuate segments and decreasing the radial gap between the rotor assembly and the stator assembly. The circumferential gap G between adjacent arcuate segments allows the segments to slidably accommodate the inward and outward movmment of the outer case. The gap decreases resistance by the inner case to movement of the outer case; and, it avoids crushing or stretching of the inner case by the outer case at operative conditions where the outer case has a different diameter than the inner case, such as might occur during transient operating conditions of the engine because of differences in thermal expansion between the inner case and the outer case. As shown in FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,373, the adjacent arcuate segments overlap each other to provide sealing. Alternatively, a means for sealing, such as a feather seal, extends circumferentially between the adjacent arcuate segments of the inner case. The above constructions notwithstanding, scientists and engineers under the direction of Applicant's assignee are working to develop inner cases which have having an acceptable fatigue life while accommodating changes in diameter of the outer case and while blocking the movement of gases. | Mid | [
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With long, red hair, most popular Orlando Solar Bear is hard to miss Scott Tanski has earned nicknames and fan club because of long, bright red hair. November 6, 2013|By Bryan Levine, Orlando Sentinel In the mostly anonymous world of minor-league hockey, Scott Tanski needs no introduction. The Orlando Solar Bears right winger's long, bright red hair says it all. Hanging around his shoulders, the hair is an instant conversation starter, earning Tanski a slew of nicknames and his own fan club. "Whenever I'm out with the boys, any time they see a redheaded person in public, they'll always ask me if I'm related to that person," said Tanski, who will be on the ice Thursday night when the Solar Bears host the Elmira Jackals in an ECHL game at Amway Center. "No matter what they look like, another redheaded person is always my long-lost sibling. "We get a kick out of it." It's not often that a player without eye-popping stats — Tanski has scored 10 goals in 65 career games with the Solar Bears — has hair that is. He began letting his locks flow in March 2011 and has embraced the attention that his distinct look has attracted. "I never decided to grow out my hair,'' said Tanski, who gets his red hair from his mother, Corrine. "It's something that just sort of happened. As the hair continued to grow, it started to grow on me." So have the nicknames. Some are obvious, such as Pippi Longstocking, while others are more creative. "We have an Ironman mask we give out to the 'Ironman' of the game after every win," said Eric Baier, Tanski's teammate. "One day he got ahold of it, pulled his head around it and he looked exactly like the predator from the movies. "We've been calling him 'The Predator' ever since." Said Solar Bears coach Vince Williams: "I compare him to [long-haired Pittsburgh Steelers safety] Troy Polamalu. That stuff gets you some popularity. Maybe he can get Pantene Pro-V to endorse him and make some money." Tanski's hair has inspired some fans, most notably Jon Moore and Nick Szymula. Better known as "The Tanski Twins," they attended nearly every game last season dressed in red, curly wigs and Tanski jerseys. "During warmups of that first game, we were trying to figure out who our favorite player would be," Szymula said. "The moment we saw his long, red, curly hair, we thought, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we wore wigs to the game and dressed up like him?'" It was not funny this past summer when Tanski and his girlfriend, Kayla, were bored and took a straightener to his hair. "It went all the way down my back,'' Tanski said. "I looked like a lion, and I didn't like that look at all. "It was certainly a devastating experience to my ego.'' Tanski trims his hair occasionally to keep it looking healthy and has no plans to cut it all off. He said he only would consider it only so the hair could go to a charity such as Locks of Love, which makes hairpieces for children who lost their hair because of a disease. "I think I would feel bad for anyone who ends up with my hair. It's so frizzy. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, but I'm pretty sure they can dye and straighten it to make it look better." | Mid | [
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New HHIC guide helps installers navigate Boiler Plus Following the launch of Boiler Plus legislation in October, questions have risen from those within the industry surrounding the qualifying technologies, and how they can help consumers decide which suits their lifestyle and home best. As a result, the Heating and Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC) are launching a series of useful guides, assisting installers and consumers alike in their choice of a measure which will ensure higher levels of both domestic energy efficiency and thermal comfort. Given that one size doesn’t fit all, it’s vital that consumers are aware of the range of products available for them. The first guide, published today, covers Weather compensation – a suitable measure for the legally binding changes outlined in boiler plus, which can be used to describe any control functions which adjust internal temperatures based on the weather outside, ensuring homes are heating adequately. Speaking about the guide, Martyn Bridges - Director of Marketing and Technical Support at Worcester Bosch Group and chair of HHIC Boiler Technical Panel, said: “With the advent of the Boiler + standards, entering into force in April 2018, we know that many installers will be keen to learn more about the four technologies eligible for installation with a replacement gas combination boiler, at least one of which must be specified and fitted alongside the boiler. Through discussion at HHIC meetings, and whilst the policy was at a formative stage, we identified that there was a need to provide a simple and effective way to assist in educating and supporting installers less familiar with the concepts, principles and installation considerations for weather compensation. We decided that an industry factsheet would be the best approach, helping installers grasp the key points, and instilling them with the confidence to undertake more focused training if necessary. DBEIS have placed great emphasis on the importance of installer skills and competence to the success of Boiler +, not least through the correct specification and installation of control options based on property, consumer and system considerations. This document can only help aid the UK installer in their transition to working more frequently with weather compensating controls, particularly as it has been developed in consultation with appliance manufacturers, installation businesses, training providers and other leading industry representatives.” | High | [
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In our part of the world, it would seem that the cold weather has passed its worst for the season. Already our dogs seem to be enjoying the moderate warmth, but they clearly miss the snow, and for us, the dreadful thaw stage is always accompanied by our floors being decorated with impossibly crazy patterns of dirty paw prints. For less fortunate dogs, the respite from the cold may represent something a little more crucial, and may even de-mark the difference between periods of life threatening experience vs. a time of safety. I am speaking of course of those dogs that spend their lives in the outdoors. If you've sampled the bitter cold of a North American winter, you'll already know that prolonged exposure to even short-lived temperature cascades can be a deeply unpleasant experience if you are not physically prepared. Yet there still remains a certain category of human being that thinks it's O.K. to expose their pets to extreme sub-zero temperatures, day in, day out. At this point, you may be expecting me to descend into a condemnatory indictment of cruel and thoughtless owners; but that would be rather obvious. The cold-heartedness of their behaviour is self-evident and there's very little point in dwelling upon the physical hardship of what these dogs go through. I'm sure you can imagine. Frankly, if I was going to do that, I should have posted this blog last November. It’s the whole of issue of people who have dogs and then isolate them from themselves that has been bothering me of late. I find myself wondering about why these individuals would choose to have a dog in the first place? Admittedly I am somewhat biased, but I cannot comprehend acquiring any animal (that it should be such a pleasure to spend one's life with) and then keeping it in exile from yourself, living at a constant arm's length. In part my thoughts were sparked by a little episode a few days ago when I was talking to a person who was telling me that he had just got a puppy. “How’s it getting on?” I asked. “Well we don’t let it in the house” he responded. “Why? Don’t you like it?” I asked, trying to mask my… I was going to say horror, but it was actually contempt. Of course he used the standard excuse that the dog was there for guarding. And this, it would seem, is adequate justification for forcing so many creatures to endure not only all of the hardships that the weather may provide (after all, snow and ice are not the only inclemencies that nature may throw at them) but also for condemning them to lives of isolation. I have pondered what precisely do these hapless creatures guard their owners against? Dangerous psychopaths? Marauding bears? Threatening raccoons? Their owner’s own paranoia? And if the guarding is really necessary and there is some kind of clear and present danger, would the perpetrators pick times of the nastiest weather to do their worst? Is it not conceivable that they too would prefer not to be out doing their evil deeds when the climate is least conducive to skullduggery? But there I am, back to the weather again, and that’s not the nub of it. Granted, I can accept that some livestock guardian breeds are best suited to being in the great outdoors on a permanent basis. Their intensely thick coats and protective dispositions almost require that kind of lifestyle. But even the most hardened farmers I have known are grateful enough for the service their dogs perform to offer them shelter. So what is it with those who keep their poor canines outside all the time? What's their excuse? Could it be that they have just not thought it through because of their total inability to empathise? Is there some kind of congenital predisposition in some towards believing that "this is what dogs are for"? Or is this the only life they may conceive of for a dog? Is there a canine equivalent for misogyny/misandry? I have certainly known those who do not even profess to have their dogs for guarding purposes, yet still do not allow them inside. I knew a despicable (sorry, couldn't hold back on that one either) individual who allowed his partner to rescue an ailing older dog with crippling arthritis, and then refused the animal all access to the comforts his home could offer, and in so doing merely compounded the creature’s misery and discomfort, making his lot worse than it had been in the loving foster home from which they took him. I have met several women who were so house-proud that the fear of mud on carpets or stray hairs on furnishings caused them to deny access to their four-legged friend. But worst and perhaps most cruel of all are those who have at one time allowed their pets the luxury of becoming fully fledged members of the family, only to subsequently deny them that right and banish them when circumstances change. The arrival of an infant, a change in domicile or even an alteration in a state of mind can cause this one. Whatever, the result is the same: separation of man and beast. Our society has selected canines along with a few other ‘chosen’ creatures to be our companions. There are deeply seated and somewhat surprising reasons for this that I have never explored in the covers of my books because of how bizarre they are in their nature. Nonetheless, dogs are to us what they are, and to expel them from our lives, yet still be in their proximity has implications far beyond the heartless acts of unthinking owners. Not sharing our day to day experience with those dogs that we 'own' is to deprive ourselves of an experience of ourselves that we may not glean in any other way, for a dog may look at us from the perspective of who we could be, not who we are. It is an opportunity to be missed. For their part, once introduced into our homes dogs quickly form bonds and develop the desire to spend their lives with us. If treated with respect and kindness, they cherish the relationships they have with their humans. They are unendingly loyal and devoted and desire little more than to be by our sides. I can accept that people are where they are on their ascension pathway, and that they may have a lot of learning still to 'get'. But there's another part of me that can't help feeling that if people can't see the true nature of what our relationship with dogs can offer us, they're just being a bit stupid! | Mid | [
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--- abstract: 'We develop a generalized loss network framework for capacity planning of a perinatal network in the UK. Decomposing the network by hospitals, each unit is analyzed with a GI/G/c/0 overflow loss network model. A two-moment approximation is performed to obtain the steady state solution of the GI/G/c/0 loss systems, and expressions for rejection probability and overflow probability have been derived. Using the model framework, the number of required cots can be estimated based on the rejection probability at each level of care of the neonatal units in a network. The generalization ensures that the model can be applied to any perinatal network for renewal arrival and discharge processes.' --- **A Generalized Loss Network Model with Overflow for Capacity Planning of a Perinatal Network** [Md Asaduzzaman]{}\ Institute of Statistical Research and Training (ISRT), University of Dhaka\ Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh, E-mail: [email protected] [Thierry J Chaussalet]{}\ Department of Business Information Systems, School of Electronics and Computer Science\ University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW, UK\ E-mail: [email protected] Introduction {#section1} ============ In most of the developed world neonatal care has been organized into networks of cooperating hospitals (units) in order to provide better and more efficient care for the local population. A neonatal or perinatal network in the UK offers all ranges of neonatal care referred to as intensive, high dependency and special care through level $1$ to level $3$ units. Recent studies show that perinatal networks in the UK have been struggling with severe capacity crisis [@Bliss07; @NAO]. Expanding capacity by number of beds in the unit, in general, is not an option since neonatal care is an unusually expensive therapy. Reducing capacity is not an option either, as this would risk sick neonates being denied admission to the unit or released prematurely. Consequently, determining cot capacity has become a major concern for perinatal network managers in the UK. Queueing models having zero buffer also referred to as ‘loss models’ $(./././0)$ have been widely applied in hospital systems and intensive care in particular [e.g., @Dijk09; @Litvak08; @Asadaor10; @Asadadc11; @AsadrssA11]. [@Dijk09] proposed an M/M/c/0 loss model for capacity management in an Operating Theatre-Intensive Care Unit. [@Litvak08] developed an overflow model with loss framework for capacity planning in intensive care units while [@Asadaor10; @Asadadc11] developed a loss network model for a neonatal unit, and extended the model framework to a perinatal network in [@AsadrssA11]. These models assume that inter-arrival times and length of stay follow exponential distributions. Queueing models with exponential inter-arrival and service times are easiest to study, since such processes are Markov chains. However, length of stay distribution in intensive care may be highly skewed [@Griffiths06]. Performance measures of a queueing system with non-zero buffer are insensitive to service time distribution provided that the arrival process is Poisson [@Kelly79]. This insensitivity property is, in general, no longer valid in the case of zero buffer or loss systems [@Klimenok05]. Many approaches have been found towards generalizing such processes since Erlang introduced the M/M/c/0 model for a simple telephone network and derived the well-known loss formula that carries his name in 1917 [@Kelly91; @Whitt04]. [@Takacs56; @Takacs62] considered the loss system with general arrival pattern (GI/M/c/0) through Laplace transform. Nowadays there has been a growing interest in loss systems where both arrival and service patterns are generalized (GI/G/c/0). The theoretical investigation of the GI/G/c/0 loss model through the theory of random point processes has attracted many researchers. [@Brandt80] gave a method for approximating the GI/GI/c/0 queue by means of the GI/GI/$\infty$ queue, while [@Whitt84] applied a similar approximation under heavy traffic. [@Franken82] examined the continuity property of the model, and established an equivalence between arrival and departure probability. [@Miyazawa93] gave an approximation method for the batch-arrival GI$^{[x]}$/G/c/N queue which is applicable when the traffic intensity is less than one. The M/G/c/N and the GI/G/c/N queue have also been studied widely; for a comparison of methods, see [@Kimura00]. Although many studies have been found in the literature, no simple expression for the steady state distribution is available for a GI/G/c/0 system. [@Hsin96] provided the exact solution for the GI/GI/c/0 system expressing the inter-arrival and service time by matrix exponential distribution. The method is computationally intensive and often includes imaginary components in the expression (which are unrealistic). Diffusion approximations, which require complicated Laplace transforms have also been used for analyzing GI/G/c/N queues [e.g., @Kimura03; @Whitt04]. [@Kim03] derived a transform-free expression for the analysis of the GI/G/1/N queue through the decomposed Little’s formula. A two-moment approximation was proposed to estimate the steady state queue length distribution. Using the same approximation, [@Choi05] extended the system for the multi-server finite buffer queue based on the system equations derived by [@Franken82]. [@Atkinson09] developed a heuristic approach for the numerical analysis of GI/G/c/0 queueing systems with examples of the two-phase Coxian distribution. In this paper we derive a generalized loss network model with overflow for a network of neonatal hospitals extending the results obtained by [@Franken82]. Since some model parameters cannot be computed practically, a two-moment based approximation method is applied for the steady state analysis as proposed by [@Kim03]. The model is then applied to the north central London Perinatal network, one of the busiest network in the UK. Data obtained from each hospital (neonatal unit) of the network have been used to check the performance of the model. The rest of the paper is organized as follows: in the next section we first discuss a typical perinatal network and then develop a generalized loss model with overflow for the network. The steady state distribution and expression for rejection and overflow probabilities have been derived for each level of care of the neonatal units. Application of the model and numerical results are presented in Section \[section4\]. Structure of a perinatal network {#section2} ================================ A perinatal network in the UK is organized through level $1$, level $2$ and level $3$ units. Figure \[fig1\] shows a typical perinatal network in the UK. Level $1$ units consist of a special care baby unit (SCBU). It provides only special care which is the least intensive and most common type of care. In these units, neonates may be fed through a tube, supplied with extra oxygen or treated with ultraviolet light for jaundice. Figure \[fig2\] shows the typical patient flow in a level $1$ unit. A level $1$ unit may also have an intensive therapy unit (ITU) which provides short-term intensive care to neonates, and the unit may then be referred to as ‘level $1$ unit with ITU’. Figure \[fig3\] shows the structure of a level $1$ unit with ITU. Level $2$ units consist of a SCBU and a HDU where neonates can receive high dependency care such as breathing via continuous positive airway pressure or intravenous feeding. These units may also provide short-term intensive care. A level $3$ unit provides all ranges of neonatal care and consists of an SCBU, an HDU and an NICU where neonates will often be on a ventilator and need constant care to be kept alive. Level $2$ and level $3$ units may also have some transitional care (TC) cots, which may be used to tackle overflow and rejection from SCBU. Although level $2$ and level $3$ units have similar structures level $2$ units might not have sufficient clinician support for the NICU. NICU are HDU are often merged in level $2$ and level $3$ units for higher utilization of cots. In level $2$ or level $3$ units, NICU-HDU neonates are sometimes initially cared at SCBU when all NICU cots are occupied. Similarly SCBU neonates are cared at NICU-HDU or TC, depending upon the availability of cots, staff and circumstances. This temporary care is provided by staffing a cot with appropriate nurse and equipment resources, and will be referred to as ‘overflow’. Rejection occurs only when all cots are occupied; in such cases neonates are transferred to another neonatal unit. Patient flows in a typical level $3$ or level $2$ unit are depicted in Figure \[fig4\]. Unlike for level $3$/level $2$ units, overflow does not occur in level $1$ units with ITU. The underlying admission, discharge and transfer policies of a perinatal network are described below. 1. All mothers expecting birth $<27$ week of gestational age or all neonates with $<27$ week of gestational age are transferred to a level $3$ unit. 2. All mothers expecting birth $\ge 27$ but $<34$ week of gestational age or all neonates of the same gestational age are transferred to a level $2$ unit depending upon the booked place of delivery. 3. All neonatal units accept neonates for special care booked at the same unit. 4. Neonates admitted into units other than their booked place of delivery are transferred back to their respective neonatal unit receiving after the required level of care. Now we shall develop a generalized loss network framework for a perinatal network with level $1$, level $2$ and level $3$ units. To obtain the steady state behavior of the network, we first decompose the whole network into a set of subnetworks (i.e., each neonatal units) due to higher dimensionality, then we derive the steady state solution and expression of rejection probability for each of the units. When analyzing a particular sub-network in isolation, back transfers are combined with new arrivals to specifically take into account the dependencies between units. Cot capacity for the neonatal units may be determined based on the rejection probabilities at each level of care and overflow to temporary care of the units. Mathematical model formulation {#section3} ============================== Model for a level 1 unit ------------------------ A level $1$ unit consists typically of a SCBU. Therefore, assuming no waiting space and first come first served (FCFS) discipline, a level $1$ unit can be modelled as a GI/G/c/0 system. Let the inter-arrival times and length of stay of neonates be i.i.d. random variables denoted by $A$ and $L$, respectively. Also the length of stay is independent of the arrival process. Define $$\begin{aligned} m_{A}& =\mathbb{E}(A)=\frac{1}{\lambda}, & m_{L}& =\mathbb{E}(L)=\frac{1}{\mu}.\end{aligned}$$ Let $N$ denotes the number of neonates in the system at an arbitrary time, $N^{a}$ denotes the number of neonates (arriving) who find the system is in steady state with $N$ neonates, and $N^{d}$ denotes the number of neonates discharged from the system in steady state with $N$ neonates. Let $c$ be the number of cots at the SCBU. For $0\le n \le c$, let $$\pi(n)=\mathbb{P}(N=n),$$ $$\begin{aligned} \pi^a(n)& =\mathbb{P}\big(N^a=n\big), & \pi^d(n)& =\mathbb{P}\big(N^d=n\big),\end{aligned}$$ and $$\begin{aligned} m_{A,n}^d & =\mathbb{E}\big(A_n^d\big), & m_{L,n}^a & =\mathbb{E}\big(L_n^a\big), & m_{L,n}^d & =\mathbb{E}\big(L_n^d\big),\end{aligned}$$ where $A_n^d$ is the remaining inter-arrival time at the discharge instant of a neonate who leaves behind $n$ neonates in the systems, $L_n^a$ ($L_n^d$) is the remaining length of stay of a randomly chosen occupied cot at the arrival (discharge) instant of a neonate who finds (leaves behind) $n$ neonates in the system. Let $m_{A,n}^a$ and $m_{L,n}^{*a}$ be, respectively, the mean inter-arrival time and the mean length of stay under the condition that the system started at the arrival instant of a neonate when there were $n$ neonates in the system. Clearly, $$\begin{aligned} m_{A,n}^a &= m_A, & m_{L,n}^{*a} &= m_L\,. \end{aligned}$$ From the definitions, we obtain $$\begin{aligned} m_{A,c}^d&=m_A, & m_{L,c}^a &= m_{L,c}^d\,.\end{aligned}$$ We set $$\begin{aligned} m_{A,-1}^a &= 0, & m_{A,-1}^d &= 0, & m_{L,0}^a &= 0, & m_{L,0}^d &= 0,\end{aligned}$$ for convenience. Then the first set of system equations obtained by [@Franken82] for a GI/G/c/0 loss system can be written as $$\pi(n)-\lambda m_{A,n-1}^a \pi^a(n-1) = - \lambda m_{A,n-1}^d \pi^d(n-1) + \lambda m_{A,n}^d \pi^d(n),\;\; 0\leq n\leq c.$$ The second set of system equations can be given by $$\begin{gathered} n\pi(n) + (n-1)\lambda m_{L,n-1}^d\pi^d(n-1) - n\lambda m_{L,n}^d\pi^d(n) \\= \lambda m_{L,n-1}^{*a} \pi^a(n-1)+ (n-1)\lambda m_{L,n-1}^a\pi^a(n-1) - n\lambda m_{L,n}^a \pi^a(n),\;\; 1\leq n \leq c-1,\end{gathered}$$ and $$c\pi(c) + (c-1)\lambda m_{L,c-1}^d \pi^d(c-1) = \lambda m_{L,n}^{*a} \pi^a(c-1)+(c-1)\lambda m_{L,c-1}^a\pi^a(c-1).$$ From the first set of system equations for the GI/G/c/0 queue, the following equations can be derived $$\pi(0) = \lambda m_{A,0}^d \pi^d(0),\label{eq7.1}$$ and $$\pi(n) = \lambda m_{A,n}^d \pi^d(n)+\lambda m_A\pi^a(n-1)-\lambda m_{A,n-1}^d\pi^d(n-1),\;\; 1\leq n\leq c. \label{eq7.2}$$ From the second set of system equations for the GI/G/c/0 queue, the following equations can be derived $$\begin{gathered} \pi(n)= \frac{1}{n}\Big[\lambda\pi^a(n-1)\big(m_L+(n-1)m_{L,n-1}^a\big)+\lambda n m_{L,n}^d\pi^d(n) \\-(n-1)\lambda m_{L,n-1}^d\pi^d(n-1)-\lambda n m_{L,n}^a\pi^a(n)\Big],\;\; 1\leq n\leq c-1, \label{eq7.3}\end{gathered}$$ and $$\pi(c)= \frac{1}{c}\Big[\lambda\pi^a(c-1)\big(m_L+(c-1)m_{L,c-1}^a\big)-(c-1)\lambda m_{L,c-1}^d\pi^d(c-1)\Big]. \label{eq7.4}$$ \[th01\] The steady state distribution for a GI/G/c/0 system is given by $$\pi^a(n)=\pi^d(n)=K^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{n-1}\frac{\lambda_{i}}{\mu_{i+1}}, \;\; 0\leq n\leq c, \label{eq7.5}$$ and $$\pi(n)=\pi^a(n)\varphi_n=\pi^d(n)\varphi_n,\;\; 0\leq n\leq c,$$ where $$K=\sum_{n=0}^c\prod_{i=0}^{n-1}\frac{\lambda_{i}}{\mu_{i+1}},$$ and $$\label{eq7.6} \left. \begin{array}{ll} \displaystyle\frac{1}{\mu_i} =& m_L-i\big(m_A-m_{A,i-1}^d\big)+(i-1)\big(m_{L,i-1}^a-m_{L,i-1}^d\big),\;\; 1\leq i\leq c,\vspace{.3cm}\\ \displaystyle\frac{1}{\lambda_i} =& \left\{ \begin{array}{l} (i+1)\big(m_{A,i+1}^d+m_{L,i+1}^a-m_{L,i+1}^d\big),\;\; 0\leq i\leq c-2,\smallskip\\ cm_A,\;\; i=c-1, \end{array}\right.\vspace{.3cm}\\ \varphi_i =& \left\{ \begin{array}{l} \lambda m_{A,0}^d,\;\; i=0,\smallskip\\ \lambda\Big[m_{A,i}^d+\big(m_A-m_{A,i-1}^d\big)\mu_i/\lambda_{i-1}\Big],\;\; 1\leq i\leq c. \end{array} \right. \end{array} \right\}$$ The steady state distribution can be obtained by solving the above two sets of system equations. First, we equate equations (\[eq7.1\]) and (\[eq7.2\]) with equations (\[eq7.3\]) and (\[eq7.4\]) for each $n$, $0\le n\le c$. Then using the following well-known rate conservation principle, we solve them simultaneously, $$\pi^a(n)=\pi^d(n).$$ Hence we obtain equation (\[eq7.5\]). In steady state analysis of a GI/G/c/0 system, equations in (\[eq7.6\]) involve quantities $m_{A,n}^d$, $m_{L,n}^a$ and $m_{L,n}^d$, which are not easy to compute in general, except for some special cases such as Poisson arrival or exponential length of stay. Therefore, a two moment approximation is used as proposed by [@Kim03] and [@Choi05] for the steady state distribution of the GI/G/c/0 system based on the exact results as derived in equations \[eq7.5\] and \[eq7.6\]. To obtain the approximation, we replace the inter-arrival and length of stay average quantities $m_{A,n}^d$, $m_{L,n}^a$ and $m_{L,n}^d$ by their corresponding time-average quantities; $$m_{A,n}^d\approx q_A=\frac{\mathbb{E}\big(A^2\big)}{2\mathbb{E}(A)}=\frac{\big(1+c_A^2\big)m_A}{2}, \;\; 0\leq n\leq c-1, \label{eq7.7}$$ $$m_{L,n}^a=m_{L,n}^d\approx q_L=\frac{\mathbb{E}\big(L^2\big)}{2\mathbb{E}(L)}=\frac{\big(1+c_L^2\big)m_L}{2},\;\; 0\leq n\leq c-1, \label{eq7.8}$$ where $c_A^2$ $\big(c_L^2\big)$ is the squared coefficient of variation of inter-arrival times (length of stay). Using equations (\[eq7.7\]) and (\[eq7.8\]) in equation (\[eq7.5\]), we obtain the two moment approximation for the steady state distribution $$\tilde{\pi}^a(n)=\tilde{\pi}^d(n)=\tilde{K}^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{n-1}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_i}{\tilde{\mu}_{i+1}}, \;\; 0\leq n\leq c, \label{eq7.9}$$ and $$\tilde{\pi}(n)=\tilde{\pi}^a(n)\tilde{\varphi}_n=\tilde{\pi}^d(n)\tilde{\varphi}_n,\;\; 0\leq n\leq c,$$ where $$\tilde{K}=\sum_{n=0}^{c}\prod_{i=0}^{n-1}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_i}{\tilde{\mu}_{i+1}},$$ and $$\label{eq7.10} \left. \begin{array}{ll} \displaystyle\frac{1}{\tilde{\mu}_i} &= m_L-i\big(m_A-q_A\big),\;\; 1\leq i\leq c,\vspace{.3cm}\smallskip\\ \displaystyle\frac{1}{\tilde{\lambda}_i} &= \left\{ \begin{array}{l} (i+1)q_A,\;\; 0\leq i\leq c-2,\smallskip\\ cm_A,\;\; i=c-1, \end{array} \right. \vspace{.3cm}\\ \tilde{\varphi}_i &= \left\{ \begin{array}{l} \lambda q_A,\;\; i=0,\smallskip\\ \lambda\Big[q_A+\big(m_A-q_A\big)\tilde{\mu}_i/\tilde{\lambda}_{i-1}\Big],\;\; 1\leq i\leq c-1,\smallskip\\ \lambda\Big[m_A+\big(m_A-q_A\big)\tilde{\mu}_i/\tilde{\lambda}_{i-1}\Big],\;\; i=c. \end{array} \right. \end{array} \right\}$$ Therefore, the rejection probability for a level $1$ unit is computed as $$R = \tilde{\pi}(n)\Big{/}\sum_{n=0}^{c}\tilde{\pi}(n).$$ Model for a level 1 neonatal unit with ITU ------------------------------------------ In a level $1$ unit with ITU (Figure \[fig3\]), overflow from ITU to SCBU does not occur. The unit can be modelled as two joint GI/G/c/0 systems. Therefore, extending the Theorem \[th01\], the steady state distribution for a level $1$ neonatal unit with ITU is given by $$\pi^a(\mathbf{n})=\pi^d(\mathbf{n})=K^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}-1)}\prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}-1)}\frac{\lambda_{1i}}{\mu_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\lambda_{2j}}{\mu_{2(j+1)}},$$ and $$\pi(\mathbf{n})=\pi^a(\mathbf{n})\varphi_\mathbf{n},$$ where $$K=\sum_{n_{1}, n_{2}}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}-1)} \prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}-1)}\frac{\lambda_{1i}}{\mu_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\lambda_{2j}}{\mu_{2(j+1)}}.$$ The approximate steady state distribution for a level $1$ neonatal unit with ITU is given by $$\tilde{\pi}^a(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{\pi}^d(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{K}^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}-1)}\prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}-1)}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}}{\tilde{\mu}_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{2j}}{\tilde{\mu}_{2(j+1)}},$$ and $$\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{\pi}^a(\mathbf{n})\tilde{\varphi}_\mathbf{n},$$ where $$\tilde{K}=\sum_{n_{1}, n_{2}}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}-1)} \prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}-1)}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}}{\tilde{\mu}_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{2j}}{\tilde{\mu}_{2(j+1)}}.$$ and $\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}$, $\tilde{\mu}_{1i}$, $\tilde{\lambda}_{2i}$, $\tilde{\mu}_{2i}$ and $\tilde{\varphi}_i$ are defined by equations in (\[eq7.10\]) for NICU-HDU and SCBU-TC, respectively. The rejection probability at the $i$th level of care is calculated as $$R_{i} = \sum_{\mathbf{n}\in T_{i}}\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n})\Big{/}\sum_{\mathbf{n}\in S}\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n}),\;\; i=1, 2,$$ where $T_{1}=\big\{{\mathbf n}\in S\mid n_{1}= c_{1}\big\}$ and $T_{2}=\big\{{\mathbf n}\in S\mid n_{2}= c_{2}\big\}$. Model for a level 3/level 2 neonatal unit ----------------------------------------- We derive the mathematical model for a level 3/level 2 neonatal unit as described in Section \[section2\] and showing in Figure \[fig4\]. Let $c_{1}$, $c_{2}$ and $c_{3}$ be the number of cots at NICU-HDU, SCBU and TC, respectively. Let $X_{i}(t)$ be the number of neonates at unit $i$, and $X_{ij}(t)$ be the number of neonates overflowing from unit $i$ to unit $j$, $i, j \in \{1, 2, 3\}$ at time $t$. Then the vector process $$\mathbf{X}=\big(X_{1}(t), X_{12}(t), X_{2}(t), X_{21}(t), X_{23}(t), t\ge 0 \big)$$ is a continuous-time discrete-valued stochastic process. We assume the process is time homogeneous, aperiodic and irreducible on its finite state space. The process does not necessarily need to hold the Markov property. The state space is given by $$S=\big\{{\mathbf n}=(n_{1}, o_{12}, n_{2}, o_{21}, o_{23}) : n_{1}+o_{21}\le c_{1}, o_{12}+n_{2}\le c_{2}, o_{23}\le c_{3}\big\},$$ where $n_{i}, i=1, 2$, is the number of neonates at the $i$th main unit, and $o_{ij}, i, j\in \{1, 2, 3\}$, is the number of neonates at the $j$th overflow unit from the $i$th unit. Now the system can be modelled as two joint loss queueing processes with overflow. Assume that the joint GI/G/c/0 systems are in steady state. We shall now derive the expression for the steady state distribution for a level $3$/level $2$ neonatal unit. Extending the Theorem \[th01\] for two joint GI/G/c/0 systems, the steady state distribution for a level $3$ or level $2$ neonatal unit with overflows can be derived. \[th1\] The steady state distribution for a level $3$ or level $2$ unit can be given by $$\pi^a(\mathbf{n})=\pi^d(\mathbf{n})=K^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}+o_{21}-1)}\prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}+o_{12}+o_{23}-1)}\frac{\lambda_{1i}}{\mu_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\lambda_{2j}}{\mu_{2(j+1)}},$$ and $$\pi(\mathbf{n})=\pi^a(\mathbf{n})\varphi_\mathbf{n},$$ where $\lambda_{1i}$, $\lambda_{2j}$, $\mu_{1i}$, $\mu_{2j}$, $\varphi_i$ are arrival and departure related quantities for NICU-HDU and SCBU-TC, respectively, defined by equations in (\[eq7.6\]), and $$K=\sum_{\mathbf{n}\in S}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}+o_{21}-1)} \prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}+o_{12}+o_{23}-1)}\frac{\lambda_{1i}}{\mu_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\lambda_{2j}}{\mu_{2(j+1)}}$$ is the normalizing constant. The approximate steady state distribution for a level $3$/level $2$ neonatal unit is given by $$\tilde{\pi}^a(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{\pi}^d(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{K}^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}+o_{21}-1)}\prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}+o_{12}+o_{23}-1)}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}}{\tilde{\mu}_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{2j}}{\tilde{\mu}_{2(j+1)}},$$ and $$\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n})=\tilde{\pi}^a(\mathbf{n})\tilde{\varphi}_\mathbf{n},$$ where $\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}$, $\tilde{\mu}_{1i}$, $\tilde{\lambda}_{2i}$, $\tilde{\mu}_{2i}$ and $\tilde{\varphi}_i$ are defined by equations in (\[eq7.10\]) for NICU-HDU and SCBU-TC, respectively, and $$\tilde{K} = \sum_{\mathbf{n}\in \mathbf{S}}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}+o_{21}-1)}\prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}+o_{12}+o_{23}-1)}\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{1i}}{\tilde{\mu}_{1(i+1)}}\cdot\frac{\tilde{\lambda}_{2j}}{\tilde{\mu}_{2(j+1)}}.$$ The rejection probability at the $i$th level of care for a level $3$/level $2$ neonatal unit is computed as $$R_{i} = \sum_{\mathbf{n}\in T_{i}}\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n})\Big{/}\sum_{\mathbf{n}\in S}\tilde{\pi}(\mathbf{n}), \label{eq7.12}$$ where $$T_{1}=\big\{\mathbf{n}\in S\mid(n_{1}+o_{21}=c_{1}\;\;\text{and}\;\; o_{12}+n_{2}=c_{2})\big\},$$ and $$T_{2}=\big\{\mathbf{n}\in S\mid(o_{12}+n_{2}=c_{2},\;n_{1}+o_{21}=c_{1}\;\;\text{and}\;\; o_{23}=c_{3})\big\}.$$ The overflow probability $O_{i}, i=1, 2$ at the $i$th level of care for a level $3$/level $2$ unit can also be computed from equation (\[eq7.12\]) substituting $T_{i}$ by $\{T_{i}^{*}\setminus T_{i}\}, i=1,2$,\ where $$T_{1}^{*}=\big\{\mathbf{n}\in S\mid(n_{1}=c_{1}\;\;\text{and}\;\; o_{12}+n_{2}<c_{2})\big\},$$ and $$T_{2}^{*}=\big\{\mathbf{n}\in S\mid(n_{2}+o_{12}=c_{2}\;\;\text{and}\;\;n_{1}+o_{21}<c_{1})\;\;\text{or}\;\;(o_{12}+n_{2}=c_{2}, n_{1}+o_{21}=c_{1}\;\;\text{and}\;\; o_{23} < c_{3})\big\}.$$ \[th2\] The approximate steady state distribution for a level $3$ or level $2$ neonatal unit is exact for exponential inter-arrival time and length of stay distributions at each level of care. In the case of exponential inter-arrival time and length of stay distributions, arrival and departure related parameters reduce to the corresponding mean values of inter-arrival and length of stay $$\begin{aligned} m_{1A,n}^d &=q_{1A}=m_{1A}=\frac{1}{\lambda_{1}}, & m_{1L,n}^a &= m_{1L,n}^d=q_{1L}=m_{1L}=\frac{1}{\mu_{1}}\end{aligned}$$ $$\begin{aligned} m_{2A,n}^d &=q_{2A}=m_{2A}=\frac{1}{\lambda_{2}}, & m_{2L,n}^a &= m_{2L,n}^d=q_{2L}=m_{2L}=\frac{1}{\mu_{2}}\end{aligned}$$ and $$\varphi_\mathbf{n}=1.$$ Then the steady state solution becomes $$\pi^a(\mathbf{n})=\pi^d(\mathbf{n})=K^{-1}\prod_{i=0}^{(n_{1}+o_{21}-1)}\frac{\lambda_{1}}{(i+1)\mu_{1}} \prod_{j=0}^{(n_{2}+o_{12}+o_{23}-1)} \frac{\lambda_{2}}{(j+1)\mu_{2}}.$$ Hence we obtain $$\pi(\mathbf{n})=K^{-1}\frac{{{{\Big(\frac{\lambda_{1}}{{\mu_{1}}}\Big)}^{{(n_{1}}+o_{21})}}}{{{{\Big(\frac{\lambda_{2}}{{\mu_{2}}}\Big)}}^{{(o_{12}}+n_{2}+o_{23})}}}}{{(n_{1}+o_{21})!}{(o_{12}+n_{2}+o_{23})!}},$$ where $$K = \sum_{\mathbf{n}\in S}\frac{{{{\Big(\frac{\lambda_{1}}{{\mu_{1}}}\Big)}^{{(n_{1}}+o_{21})}}}{{{{\Big(\frac{\lambda_{2}}{{\mu_{2}}}\Big)}}^{{(o_{12}}+n_{2}+o_{23})}}}}{{(n_{1}+o_{21})!}{(o_{12}+n_{2}+o_{23})!}},$$ which is the steady state solution for a level $3$ unit as in [@AsadrssA11] for Markovian arrival and discharge patterns. Adding back transfers, we can easily obtain the steady state distribution for a level $2$ unit. Application of the model {#section4} ======================== The case study -------------- We apply the model to the case of a perinatal network in London which is the north central London perinatal network (NCLPN). The network consists of five neonatal units: UCLH (level $3$), Barnet (level $2$), Whittington (level $2$), Royal Free (level $1$ with ITU) and Chase Farm (level $1$). The underlying aim of the network is to achieve capacity so that 95% women and neonates may be cared for within the network. Data on admission and length of stay were provided by each of the units. Since the data did not contain the actual arrival rate and the rejection probability for the units we estimated the actual arrival rates using SIMUL8^^ [@Simul8], a computer simulation package designed to model and measure performances of a stochastic service system. Table \[tab1\] presents mean length of stay and estimated mean inter-arrival times for each level of care at UCLH, Barnet, Whittington, Royal Free and Chase Farm neonatal units for the year $2008$. Then we also use simulation (SIMUL8) to estimate the rejection probabilities for each level of care of the units for various arrival and discharge patterns. We refer to these estimates as ‘observed’ rejection probabilities. Numerical results and discussion -------------------------------- In this section rejection probabilities are estimated for all five units in the NCLPN through the application of the model formulae in Section \[section3\]. An extensive numerical investigation has been carried out for a variety of inter-arrival and length of stay distributions to test the performance of the model and the approximation method. Table \[tab2\] compares the ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities at each level of care for UCLH, Barnet, Whittington, Royal Free and Chase Farm neonatal units for various combinations of inter-arrival time and length of stay distributions. Namely, exponential (M), two-phase hyper-exponential (H$_2$) and two-phase Erlang (E$_2$) distributions are considered. To compare ‘observed’ rejection probabilities with estimated rejection probabilities when one of these probabilities are $0.05$ or more, we define ‘absolute percentage error’ (APE) as the absolute deviation between ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probability divided by ‘observed’ rejection probability and then multiplied by 100. Rejection probabilities below $0.05$ are normally considered statisfactor. For this reason we have not reported the APE when both ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities are less than $0.05$. The ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities are close for the UCLH unit. At NICU-HDU, the highest ‘observed’ rejection probability is occurred for E$_2$/E$_2$/c/0, and the estimated rejected probability is also highest for the same arrival and discharge patterns with an absolute percentage error (APE) $4.73\%$. The lowest ‘observed’ rejection probability is $0.1848$ for the H$_2$/E$_2$/c/0 while the estimated rejection probability is $0.1726$ with an APE $4.98\%$. At SCBU for E$_2$/M/c/0, the ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities are $0.1332$ and $0.1652$, respectively, with an APE $24.02\%$. At Barnet NICU-HDU, the ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities are close with a varying APEs from $0.95\%$–$15.31\%$. For Barnet SCBU the ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities are all less than $0.05$ and relatively close to each other. Both the UCLH NICU-HDU and SCBU and Barnet NICU-HDU would require additional cots to keep the rejection level low and achieve a $0.05$ target. Rejection probabilities from both NICU-HDU and SCBU at the Whittington neonatal unit are below $0.05$ regardless of the combination of inter-arrival time and length of stay distributions, which indicates that the neonatal unit is performaing well with 12 NICU, 16 SCBU and 5 TC cots. The ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities at Royal Free ITU and SCBU and Chase Farm SCBU are close to each other. The results in Table \[tab2\] suggest that Royal Free ITU and SCBU and Chase Farm SCBU require extra cots to decrease the rejection level. Through our extensive numerical investigations we observe that the rejection probability often varies greatly according to arrival and discharge patterns. The number of cots required will also vary depending upon arrival and discharge patterns. Therefore, one should take into account the actual arrival and discharge patterns for accurate capacity planning of neonatal units rather than approximating by Markovian arrival and discharge patterns. To achieve a ‘95%’ admission acceptance target UCLH NICU-HDU and SCBU, Barnet NICU-HDU, Royal Free ITU and SCBU, and Chase Farm SCBU need to increase their number of cots. We have also observed that performance of the proposed generalized capacity planning model improves as the squared coefficient of variation values of inter-arrival and length of stay get closer to $1$ (recall that our approximation is exact for the Markovian inter-arrival and length of stay case in which squared coefficient of variation values of inter-arrival and length of stay are both $1$) and as $\lambda/\mu$ gets larger (i.e., under heavy traffic). A possible explanation is that as $\lambda/\mu$ gets larger, the period during which all the cots are busy tends to get longer. As such a busy period gets longer, arrival and departure points of arrivals tend to become more and more like arbitrary points in time. As such, the approximation is likely to get more accurate. Conclusion {#section5} ========== Planning capacity accurately has been an important issue in the neonatal sector because of the high cost of care, in particular. Markovian arrival and length of stay can provide only approximate estimates which may often underestimate or overestimate the required capacity. The underestimation of cots may increase the rejection level, which in turn may be life-threatening or cause expensive transfers for high risk neonates, hence increase risk for vulnerable babies. On the other hand, overestimation may cause under-utilization of cots, and potential waste of resources. In this paper a generalized framework for determining cot capacity of a perinatal network was derived. After decomposing the whole network into neonatal units, each unit was analyzed separately. Expressions for the stationary distribution and for rejection probabilities were derived for each neonatal unit. An approximation method was suggested to obtain the steady state rejection probabilities. The model formulation was then applied to the neonatal units in the NCLPN. A variety of inter-arrival and length of stay distributions in the neonatal units has been considered for numerical experimentation. The ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities were close (APE typically less than 20%) for all hospital units when rejection probabilities were $0.05$ or more. When ‘observed’ rejection probabilities were less than $0.05$, as for the Barnet SCBU and both the Whittington NICU-HDU and SCBU, the APE increased rapidly to beyond 50%. However, since these values are less than or close to 0.05, they do not have an impact on management decisions regarding the number of cots. In contrast, when ‘observed’ rejection probabilities are high, then the estimated values become close to each other. The ‘observed’ and estimated rejection probabilities were, in general, close for high traffic intensities. As traffic intensity drops the absolute percent error increases quickly. In most cases, the absolute percent error becomes small for Markovian arrival and length of stay patterns. We know that service time distribution is insensitive for delay systems if the arrival process is Poisson. However, the property is no longer valid for loss systems. The model results as seen in Table \[tab2\] also confirm this sensitivity property. The main advantage of the model framework is that arrival and discharge pattern do not need to hold the Markov property. The model is based on the first two moments and requires no distributional assumption. This two-moment approximation techniques performs reasonably well in terms of accuracy (APE) and is fast. The method is exactly Markovian for equal mean and variance. The numerical results show that the model can be used as a capacity planning tool for perinatal networks for non-Markovian arrival and discharge patterns as well as Markovian patterns. If good estimates of the first two moments are available, then the generalized model can be used to determine the required cot capacity in a perinatal network for given level of rejection probabilities. Although we applied the model framework in the hospital case the model formulation can also be applied to plan capacity for other areas such as computer, teletraffic and other communication networks. Asaduzzaman, M., T. J. Chaussalet, N. J. Robertson. 2010. A loss network model with overflow for capacity planning of a neonatal unit. [*Annals of Operations Research*]{} [**178**]{} 67–76. Asaduzzaman, M., T. J. Chaussalet. 2011. An overflow loss network model for capacity planning of a perinatal network. [*Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A.*]{} [**174**]{} 403–417. Asaduzzaman, M., T. J. Chaussalet, S. Adeyemi, S. Chahed, J. Hawdon, D. Wood, N. J. Robertson. 2011. Towards effective capacity planning in a perinatal network centre. [*Archives of Disease in Childhood*]{} [**95**]{} F283–F287. Atkinson, J. B. 2008. Two new heuristics for the GI/G/n/0 queueing loss system with examples based on the two-phase Coxian distribution. [*Journal of the Operational Research Society*]{} [**60**]{} 818–830. Bliss. 2007. Too Little, Too Late?, Bliss - The Premature Baby Charity, London, Retrieved April 20, 2011, http://www.bliss.org.uk/page.asp?section=677§ionTitle=Too+little%2C+too+ late%3F. Brandt, A., B. Lisek. 1980. On the approximation of GI/GI/m/0 by means of GI/GI/$\infty$. [*Journal of Information Processing and Cybernetics*]{} [**16**]{} 597–600. Choi, D. W., N. M. Kim, K. C. Chae. 2005. A two-moment approximation for the GI/G/c queue with finite capacity. [*INFORMS Journal on Computing*]{} [**17**]{} 75–81. Franken, P., D. Konig, U. Arndt, V. Schmidt. 1982. [*Queues and Point Processes*]{}. Wiley. Griffiths, J. D., N. Price-Lloyds, M. Smithies, J. Williams. 2006. A queueing model of activities in an intensive care unit. [*IMA Journal of Management Mathematics*]{} [**17**]{} 277–288. Hsin, W. J., A. van de Liefvoort. 1996. The teletraffic analysis of the multi-server loss model with renewal distributions, [*Telecommunication Systems*]{} [**5**]{} 303–321. Kelly, F. P. 1979. [*Reversibility and Stochastic Networks*]{}. Wiley. Kelly, F.P. 1991. Loss networks. [*Annals of Applied Probability*]{} [**1**]{} 319–378. Kim, N. K., K. C. Chae. 2003. Transform-free analysis of the GI/G/1/K queue through the decomposed Little’s formula. [*Computer and Operations Research*]{} [**30**]{} 353–365. Kimura, T. 2000. Equivalence relations in the approximations for the M/G/s/s+r queue. [*Mathematical and Computer Modelling*]{} [**31**]{} 215–224. Kimura, T. 2003. A consistent diffusion approximation for finite-capacity multiserver queues. [*Mathematical and Computer Modelling*]{} [**38**]{} 1313–1324. Klimenok, V., C. S. Kim, D. Orlovsky, A. Dudin. 2005. Lack of invariant property of the Erlang loss model in case of MAP input. [*Queueing Systems*]{} [**49**]{} 187–213. Litvak, N., M. van Rijsbergen, R. J. Boucherie, M. van Houdenhoven. 2008. Managing the overflow of intensive care patients. [*European Journal of Operational Research*]{} [**185**]{} 998–1010. Miyazawa, M., H. C. Tijms. 1993. Comparison of two approximations for the loss probability in finite-buffer queues. [*Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences*]{} [**7**]{} 19–27. National Audit Office. 2007. Caring for Vulnerable Babies: The Reorganisation of Neonatal Services in England, Retrieved April 20, 2011, http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0708/caring\_for \_vulnerable\_babies.aspx. SIMUL8, 2000. [*SIMUL8 Manual and Simulation Guide*]{}. Glasgow: Visual Thinking International Limited. Takács, L. 1956. On the generalization of Erlang’s formula, [*Acta Mathematica Hungarica*]{} [**7**]{} 419–433. Takács, L. 1962. [*Introduction to the Theory of Queues*]{}. Oxford University Press. Van Dijk, N. M., N. Kortbeek. 2009. Erlang loss bounds for OT-ICU systems. [*Queueing Systems*]{}, [**63**]{} 253–280. Whitt, W. 1984. Heavy-traffic approximations for service systems with blocking, [*AT&T Bell Lab Technical Journal*]{} [**63**]{} 689–708. Whitt, W. 2004. A diffusion approximation for the G/GI/n/m queue, [*Operations Research*]{}. [**52**]{} 922–941. --------------------- -------------------- --------------------- Unit Mean inter-arrival Mean length of stay NICU-HDU 0.58 11.51 SCBU-TC 0.24 5.83 [**Barnet**]{} NICU-HDU 1.12 6.78 SCBU-TC 0.83 9.71 [**Whittington**]{} NICU-HDU 1.11 5.16 SCBU-TC 0.88 14.61 [**Royal Free**]{} ITU 2.77 2.21 SCBU 0.91 9.99 [**Chase Farm**]{} SCBU 1.05 8.03 --------------------- -------------------- --------------------- : Inter-arrival and length of stay for the neonatal units in the NCLPN in 2008 \[tab1\] ---------------------------------- ------------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------- ---------------- System notation ‘Observed’ rej. prob. Est. rej. prob. Abs. per. err. (17 NICU, 12 SCBU and 8 TC cots) NICU-HDU M/M/c/0 0.1895 0.1962 3.54 SCBU-TC 0.1319 0.1271 3.64 NICU-HDU M/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1989 0.1933 2.82 SCBU-TC 0.1186 0.1313 10.71 NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.2123 0.1706 19.64 SCBU-TC 0.1214 0.1010 16.80 NICU-HDU M/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.2096 0.1987 5.20 SCBU-TC 0.1405 0.1235 12.10 NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.2179 0.2347 7.71 SCBU-TC 0.1332 0.1652 24.02 NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1852 0.1669 9.88 SCBU-TC 0.1255 0.1077 14.18 NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1848 0.1726 4.98 SCBU-TC 0.0996 0.0970 2.61 NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.2155 0.2332 8.21 SCBU-TC 0.1512 0.1672 10.58 NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.2260 0.2367 4.73 SCBU-TC 0.1353 0.1626 20.18 [**Barnet**]{} (6 NICU, 14 SCBU and 4 TC cots) NICU-HDU M/M/c/0 0.1644 0.1508 8.27 SCBU-TC 0.0142 0.0076 \* NICU-HDU M/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1496 0.1614 7.89 SCBU-TC 0.0117 0.0111 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.1411 0.1513 7.23 SCBU-TC 0.0147 0.0097 \* NICU-HDU M/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1653 0.1433 13.31 SCBU-TC 0.0141 0.0051 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.1326 0.1529 15.31 SCBU-TC 0.0055 0.0020 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1586 0.1571 0.95 SCBU-TC 0.0125 0.0134 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1508 0.1473 2.32 SCBU-TC 0.0142 0.0072 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1691 0.1752 3.61 SCBU-TC 0.0034 0.0037 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1269 0.1355 6.78 SCBU-TC 0.0059 0.0007 \* ---------------------------------- ------------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------- ---------------- : Comparison of rejection probabilities for different distributions at all five neonatal units in the NCLPN \*APEs are ignored for rejection probabilities $<0.05$ \[tab2\] Continuation of Table \[tab2\]\ ---------------------------------- ------------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------- ---------------- System notation ‘Observed’ rej. prob. Est. rej. prob. Abs. per. err. (12 NICU, 16 SCBU and 5 TC cots) NICU-HDU M/M/c/0 0.0216 0.0007 \* SCBU-TC 0.0138 0.0018 \* NICU-HDU M/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0009 0.0026 \* SCBU-TC 0.0003 0.0128 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.0042 0.0000 \* SCBU-TC 0.0110 0.0011 \* NICU-HDU M/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0097 0.0015 \* SCBU-TC 0.0029 0.0054 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.0006 0.0000 \* SCBU-TC 0.0010 0.0011 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0053 0.0035 \* SCBU-TC 0.0091 0.0225 \* NICU-HDU H$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0002 0.0026 \* SCBU-TC 0.0236 0.0134 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0003 0.0000 \* SCBU-TC 0.0002 0.0024 \* NICU-HDU E$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0018 0.0000 \* SCBU-TC 0.0005 0.0005 \* [**Royal Free**]{} (2 ITU and 12 SCBU) ITU M/M/c/0 0.1468 0.1504 2.45 SCBU 0.1558 0.1580 1.41 ITU M/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1714 0.1504 12.25 SCBU 0.1476 0.1580 7.05 ITU H$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.1667 0.1556 6.66 SCBU 0.1509 0.1476 2.19 ITU M/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1560 0.1504 3.59 SCBU 0.1393 0.1580 13.42 ITU E$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.1756 0.1504 14.35 SCBU 0.1516 0.1685 11.15 ITU H$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1681 0.1351 19.63 SCBU 0.1452 0.1476 1.65 ITU H$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1481 0.1556 5.06 SCBU 0.1680 0.1476 12.14 ITU E$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1252 0.1347 7.59 SCBU 0.1384 0.1685 21.75 ITU E$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1315 0.1579 20.08 SCBU 0.1619 0.1685 4.08 [**Chase Farm**]{} (10 SCBU) SCBU M/M/c/0 0.1078 0.1060 1.67 SCBU M/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1094 0.1060 3.11 SCBU H$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.1474 0.1233 16.35 SCBU M/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1047 0.1060 1.24 SCBU E$_\text{2}$/M/c/0 0.0719 0.0792 10.15 SCBU H$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1418 0.1233 13.0 SCBU H$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.1469 0.1233 16.0 SCBU E$_\text{2}$/H$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0817 0.0792 3.06 SCBU E$_\text{2}$/E$_\text{2}$/c/0 0.0700 0.0792 13.14 ---------------------------------- ------------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------- ---------------- \*APEs are ignored for rejection probabilities $<0.05$ | Mid | [
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You can give the ball to Melo when he's not shooting well... he doesn't care. You can say what you want about his efficiency but with the game on the line, regardless of how he's shot throughout a given game, I want Melo with the ball and feel good about him creating and making a clutch shot. The Knicks CAN beat the Heat. It's going to be EXTREMELY difficult and the smart money is on them not doing it. But they are a LeBron ACL tear away from being the favorite in the East. Just because the Heat are great doesn't mean the team should give up. A playoff run, even if it ends at the hands of Miami, would be GREAT for the franchise and the fans. Sports fans in general have this title-only mentality that drives me crazy. The journey matters, and it can be just as rewarding and fun. I hate the idea that "well we aren't going to win a championship, so let's ADMIT that, and not focus on winning, but instead just dream of a time down the road that we MIGHT be able to acquire players and coaches and try to win (even though we can do that RIGHT NOW)... which will then give us the opportunity to win it all." Well duh, of course we want Melo to shoot the last shot. He's our best player. That doesn't mean a whole lot though. I'm actually not someone who has a "title only" mentality, but BBD consistently makes the point about winning a title so I use that reference too. We haven't won a playoff series a long time, so that's a factor too. Making the playoffs is no big deal in the east. It's winning playoff series which I would like to do. Not to mention we're old as crap so winning a title should be a priority this season. And that argument of "we're one LeBron ACL tear away from being the best team" is an absurd argument. Big deal. We're one Melo ACL tear away from being a lottery pick team. Quote: Originally Posted by Rob S Melo is one of the best clutch guys in the league. Would you honestly not give the ball to Melo for a last shot? I don't care if he is 2-20, Melo is getting the ball....any other decision would be asinine. Where did I say not to give him the ball? All I said is he's inconsistent so when he's off (which can be fairly often) we'll suffer the consequences. He loves to try and take over games in the end and be clutch but when he's off he doesn't know how to defer the ball like other stars, i.e. LeBron, Wade, Durant, etc. Chris Paul turns into a scorer in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. Did you see him carry the Clips past the Griz in last year's playoffs? Dude is absolutely clutch, and one of the best in the league at it, too. The clippers looks damn good. If we don't make finals, which I still believe we will I can see them making it. They drew horrible matchups last year but they had a winning record against both the thunder and the heat and they look even better this year. Especially if this stretch isn't just a fluke for deandre. The clippers looks damn good. If we don't make finals, which I still believe we will I can see them making it. They drew horrible matchups last year but they had a winning record against both the thunder and the heat and they look even better this year. Especially if this stretch isn't just a fluke for deandre. West is definitely pretty open now after the Harden trade....playoffs in the West should be fun as hell. | Mid | [
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NSW Premier Bob Carr said the sheik could face criminal charges if he made comments which incited rapes. "If anything the sheik says in future appears to be an incitement to the crime of rape ... I just want to assure him that the full force of the criminal law will be brought to bear," he told reporters. Mr Carr said most Muslim Australians did not share the sheik's views. "I know he's appalled Muslim Australians, appalled Muslim Australians who know the sort of anger that will be directed at their community because of these extremist views that are not held by the vast majority of Muslims in this country." | Low | [
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Tag - internationalism (Originally posted by openDemocracy, republished under a Creative Commons license) The US elections are now over, but crucial foreign policy decisions remain on the table. Foreign aid was hardly discussed in the US presidential elections, and neither Romney nor Obama said whether American assistance should still be funnelled through non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This neglect is unfortunate, given the current global backlash against externally supported NGOs. The time has come for western and international donors to reconsider the way in which they support human rights, democracy, gender equality, and other liberal causes in the developing and former Communist world. Supporting liberal NGOs can be useful, but it must be done carefully and modestly, lest it undermine the same agendas it seeks to promote. | Mid | [
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Amityville, New York Amityville is a village in the town of Babylon in Suffolk County, New York, in the United States. The population was 9,523 at the 2010 census. History Huntington settlers first visited the Amityville area in 1653 due to its location to a source of salt hay for use as animal fodder. Chief Wyandanch granted the first deed to land in Amityville in 1658. The area was originally called Huntington West Neck South (it is on the Great South Bay and Suffolk County, New York border in the southwest corner of what once called Huntington South), but is now the Town of Babylon. According to village lore, the name was changed in 1846 when residents were working to establish its new post office. The meeting turned into bedlam and one participant was to exclaim, "What this meeting needs is some amity". Another version says the name was first suggested by mill owner Samuel Ireland to name the town for his boat, the Amity. The place name is strictly speaking an incidental name, marking an amicable agreement on the choice of a place name. The village was formally incorporated on March 3, 1894. In the early 1900s, Amityville was a popular tourist destination with large hotels on the bay and large homes. Annie Oakley was said to be a frequent guest of vaudevillian Fred Stone. Will Rogers had a home across Clocks Boulevard from Stone. Gangster Al Capone also had a house in the community. Amityville has been twinning with Le Bourget, France since 1979. The Amityville Horror Amityville is the setting of the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, which was published in 1977 and had been adapted into a series of films made between 1979 and 2017. The story of The Amityville Horror can be traced back to a real life murder case in Amityville in November 1974, when Ronald DeFeo, Jr. shot all six members of his family at 112 Ocean Avenue. In December 1975 George and Kathy Lutz and Kathy's three children moved into the house, but left after twenty-eight days, claiming to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena produced by the house. Jay Anson's novel is said to be based on these events but has been the subject of much controversy. The house featured in the novel still exists but has been renovated and the address changed in order to discourage tourists from visiting it. The Dutch Colonial Revival architecture house built in 1927 was put on the market in May 2010 for $1.15 million and sold in September for $950,000. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. The total area is 15.38% water. The Village of Amityville is bordered to the west by East Massapequa (in Nassau County), to the north by North Amityville, to the east and south by Copiague, and to the south by the Great South Bay. Points of interest The Triangle - The fork of Broadway and Park Avenue, along with Ireland Place create a triangular plot of land at the center of the village. The Triangle building was built in 1892, the same year that Ireland Place opened. A gazebo was added to the north point of The Triangle prior to 1988. In 1994, The Triangle was officially designated “Memorial Triangle” in memory of all who have served the village. The Lauder Museum is located at the corner of Broadway and Ireland Place, just south of The Triangle. The historic building was built for the Bank of Amityville in 1909. The Amityville Historical Society opened the Lauder Museum in 1972. The Mike James Courts at Bolden Mack Park The Amityville beach Sand Island - an island in the Great South Bay directly south of The Amityville Beach and only accessible by boat. Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 9,523 people and 3,107 households in the village, with 2.61 persons per household. The population density was 4,506.9 people per square mile. There were 3,997 housing units, of which 28.2% were in multi-unit structures. The homeownership rate was 71.8%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $443,500. 3.6% of housing units were vacant and 20.7% of occupied housing units were occupied by renters. The racial makeup of the village was 81.7% White, 9.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 4.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.1% of the population. The village was 74.5% non-Hispanic White. There were 3,107 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% had individuals over the age of 65, 47.3% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02. In the village, the population was relatively old with 4.5% under the age of 5, 17.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 20 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.4 years. 78.7% of the population had lived in the same house 1 year & over. 14.9% of the entire population were foreign-born and 21.6% of residents at least 5 years old spoke a language other than English at home. 90.1% of residents at least 25 years old had graduated from high school, and 30.7% of residents at least 25 years old had a bachelor's degree or higher. The mean travel time to work for workers aged 16 and over was 27.8 minutes. The median income for a household in the village was $74,366. The per capita income for the village was $35,411. 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line. Public schools All of the villages are served by the Amityville Union Free School District, which also serves large portions of North Amityville and East Massapequa and a small portion of Copiague (however this part of Copiague is served by the Amityville post Office and is probably thought to be part of Amityville). As of the 2010-2011 School Year, the Amityville Union Free School District had 2,780 students. The racial demographics were 0% American Indian or Alaska Native, 54% non-Hispanic black or African-American, 35% Hispanic or Latino, 1% Asian or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, 8% non-Hispanic white, and 2% multiracial. 51% of students were eligible for free lunch, 10% for reduced-price lunch and 11% of students were Limited English Proficient. 16.5% of students were classified as "Special Ed". The school district had a graduation rate of 79% and 2% of students did not complete school. 87% of graduates received a Regents Diploma and 31% received a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. Of the 2011 completers, 35% planned to move on to 4-year College, 52% to 2-year College, 4% to Other Post-Secondary, 3% to the Military, 5% to Employment, 1% to Adult Services, 0% had other known post-secondary plans, and 1% had no known post-secondary plan. The district currently has: One Elementary School serving Pre-K and Kindergarten: Northeast Elementary School One Elementary School serving Grades 1-3: Northwest Elementary School One Elementary School serving Grades 4-6: Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School One Junior High School (Grades 7-9): Edmund W. Miles Middle School One High School (Grades 10-12): Amityville Memorial High School For the 2011-2012 School Year, the Accountability Status for Northeast and Northwest Elementary Schools and the high school was "In Good Standing", while Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School was "In Need of Correction Action (year 2) Focused" and the middle school was "In Need of Restructuring (year 1) Comprehensive". The Accountability Status for the district overall was "In Good Standing" Up until recently, Amityville Memorial High School served grades 9-12, Edmund W. Miles Middle School served grades 6-8, Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School served grades 3-5, and Northwest Elementary School served grades 1-2. The first part of the change was implemented at the start of the 2009-2010 School Year when new 9th graders were kept at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and new 6th graders were kept at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. At the start of the 2012-2013 school year, new 3rd graders were kept at Northwest Elementary School. Transportation Amityville is served by the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road. The station is a hub for buses in the area: S1: Amityville - Halesite via New York State Route 110 1A: Amityville - North Amityville S20: Sunrise Mall - Babylon S33: Sunrise Mall - Hauppauge Notable people Henry Austin - 19th Century baseball player, died in Amityville. Alec Baldwin - actor Christine Belford - actress Benjamin Britten - world-renowned British classical composer from 1939-1942 De La Soul - Hip Hop trio Rik Fox - bass guitarist Tony Graffanino - MLB player Mike James - NBA player Kevin Kregel - astronaut Ronald DeFeo - mass murderer George Lutz - owner of 112 Ocean Avenue from 1975–1976 Tre Mason - NFL running back for Los Angeles Rams Donnie McClurkin - gospel singer Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP SE John Niland - NFL player Robert Phillips - classical guitarist A. J. Price - NBA player Eddie Reyes - founder of Taking Back Sunday George Ross - baseball player David Torn - composer, guitarist, and music producer Dave Weldon - U.S. Congressman Darrel Young - NFL player References External links Flag of Amityville, New York (Flags of the World) Category:Babylon (town), New York Category:Villages in New York (state) Category:Villages in Suffolk County, New York Category:Populated coastal places in New York (state) Category:The Amityville Horror | Low | [
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Q: A topology question arised from my sorting algorithm I made a new sorting algorithm. It's named Quick-Merge Sort. It is applicable to random-accessible containers. It goes: Choose a pivot and start partitioning the container, like in Quick Sort. Do this while the "special condition" is satisfied. When the "special condition" is violated, this interrupts the process. If interruption didn't take place (that is, an iteration of Quick Sort is completed), recursively sort the sub-containers of the partition. Otherwise, break the entire container in two, sort each of them recursively, and then merge the resulting runs, like in Merge Sort. This arises the following topology question. Give $ℝ^2$ the usual topology. Define subspaces $X$ and $C$ as follows: $$ X = \{(x,y): x≥0 \land y≥0 \land x+y≤1\} $$ $$ C = \{(x,y):x+y=1\} $$ $C$ is called the line of completion. Let $x$ be the proportion of entries that has been sorted below the pivot while Step 1, and let $y$ be the proportion of entries that has been sorted above the pivot while Step 1. Then $(x,y) \in X$. The set $A$ of $(x,y)$ satisfying the "special condition" is called the region of Quick Sort. Since either $x$ or $y$ always increases during Step 1, $A$ is any subspace of $X$ that satisfies: $$ \forall (x,y) \in A \quad \exists f:[0,1]\overset{\text{continuous}}{\to} A \quad \forall t \in [0,1] \quad f(0)=(0,0) \land f(1)=(x,y) \land (\pi_1 \circ f)^\prime(t)≥0 \land (\pi_2 \circ f)^\prime(t)≥0 $$ That is, for every point in $A$, there exists a path from the origin to the point whose derivative is either zero or toward right, up, or the 1st quadrant. The "special condition" must reduce the worst-case time complexity to $O(n \log n)$. As a consequence, $A$ must also satisfy: $$ \forall z \in [0,1] \quad A \cap \{(x,y):x+y=z\} \space \text{is nonempty and connected} \land \overline{A} \cap \{(0,1),(1,0)\} = \emptyset $$ Where the closure is defined in $X$. Let $B$, the curve of interruption, be $\text{Bd} \space A$, where closure is defined in $\{(x,y):x≥0 \land y≥0\}$. The questions are: Is $B$ always path-connected? Is $B$ always connected? If any of the above is false, what would be a pathological example? (Note that interruption doesn't take place when $(x,y) \in B \cap C$.) A: From the "special condition", we can deduce: $$ \exists g,h:[0,1] → [-1,1] \quad \forall u \in [0,1] \quad \overline{\{y-x:(x,y)\in A \land x+y=u\}}=[h(u),g(u)] $$ Let $u=x+y$ and $v=y-x$. From the other condition of $A$, we can deduce: $$ \forall u_1,u_2 \in [0,1] \quad u_1 < u_2 → (\frac{g(u_2)-g(u_1)}{u_2-u_1}≤1 \land \frac{h(u_2)-h(u_1)}{u_2-u_1}≥-1) $$ Then $g(u)-u$ and $h(u)+u$ are monotone, and thus their discontinuities are jump discontinuities. Then $B$ is the union of the graphs of $v=g(u)$ and $v=h(u)$ with their jump discontinuities and $g(1)$-to-$h(1)$ interpolated, then subtracting $\{(x,y):x=0 \lor y=0\}$ and then taking closure in $X$. It follows that $B$ is path-connected. | Low | [
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Tanner Hall at the Winter X Games via Powder.com Cannabis smokers come from all walks of life. High caliber lawyers, programmers and athletes smoke weed to calm their mind and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Most individuals choose to keep their habits discreet, as marijuana is usually not tolerated by businesses and other professional environments. In the case of athletes, the World Anti-doping Agency strictly prohibits cannabis use during competition. Getting busted by the organization may get you disqualified under the following criteria: performance enhancing, illegal usage and health risks. However, in the past few years and in the spirit of legalization, more and more athletes are signing sponsorship agreements with cannabis brands. Read on to find how such collaborations are changing the landscape of the sporting community. Tanner Hall and the “Chron” Tanner Hall discusses his upcoming cannabis product line via GrindTV Tanner Hall is considered to be a legend in freestyle skiing. His jaw-dropping credentials include seven X Games gold medals and four silver awards. Hall is also a cannabis enthusiast and is currently engaged in a partnership with Black Rock Originals, a Denver-based marijuana products brand. During a recent collaboration, the two launched the Skiboss Collection- an assortment of cannabis travel accessories, ranging from rolling papers to a card grinder for breaking down big nuggets. During an interview with The New Yorker, Hall admitted that he was high on the “chron” (his personal term for cannabis or chronic) when he won all of his X Games medals. “If you’ve ever skied on a powder day, you know you’re gonna stop in the trees at least two or three times a day to smoke a joint because of how good the snow is and how good a day it is. It brings you and your friends together,” explained Hall. Supporting Cannabis Use in Sports In addition to Hall, other athletes, such as UFC’s Nick Diaz and the NFL’s Ricky Williams, have also shown their support for cannabis in high-level sports. According to a 2013 study, over 75 percent of NFL prospects smoked weed in college. Many sporting organizations can’t deny the prevailing presence of cannabis, and the effect that legalization is having on the industry. Avery Collins, an ultramarathoner, is also an advocate for cannabis. He is sponsored by Roll-Uh-Bowl and a Colorado edibles company. With that in mind, should regulatory institutions ease their grip on marijuana use? The answer could be yes. With cannabis businesses acting as advocates to erase the stigma that marijuana has on performance and lifestyle, it is likely that some groups may eventually come around to allowing some forms of cannabis (such as edibles or oils) during training. “A lot of athletes use a lot of marijuana for good reason,” said Hall. “I think you’d be surprised how many do it, at a high level. In snow sports, it’s kind of a given that you’ll see a lot of smokers out there; it’s been ingrained in the mountain culture for quite a while. People don’t look down on it as much.” | Mid | [
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525 S.E.2d 83 (2000) 271 Ga. 890 EDWARDS et al. v. DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN & YOUTH SERVICES. No. S99G0900. Supreme Court of Georgia. January 18, 2000. Watkins, Lourie & Roll, Joseph W. Watkins, Lance D. Lourie, Atlanta, Langdale, Vallotton, Linahan & Threlkeld, William P. Langdale III, William P. Langdale, Jr., Valdosta, for appellants. Capers, Dunbar, Sanders & Bruckner, Paul H. Dunbar III, Ziva P. Bruckner, Augusta, Shivers & Associates, Patricia Guilday, Alpharetta, Thurbert E. Baker, Attorney General, Kathleen M. Pacious, Deputy Attorney General, for appellee. Middleton, Mathis, Adams & Tate, Charles A. Mathis, Jr., Mills, Moraitakis, Kushel & Pearson, Glenn E. Kushel, Atlanta, amici curiae. FLETCHER, Presiding Justice. We granted certiorari to consider whether state employees perform a "discretionary function" under the Georgia Tort Claims Act when they make decisions on the emergency medical treatment of juveniles in state custody.[1] Adhering to our previous opinions that the discretionary function exception to the tort claims act requires the exercise of a *84 policy judgment, we hold that the decision of state employees on the type of emergency medical treatment to provide incarcerated juveniles is not a discretionary function as that term is defined in the statute. As a result, the state is not immune from liability under the discretionary function exception in this case. Therefore, we reverse. Fifteen-year-old Latasha Edwards died from a subdural hematoma while incarcerated at the Macon Youth Development Center. Her parents sued the Georgia Department of Children & Youth Services under the Georgia Tort Claims Act, alleging that YDC employees were negligent in failing to provide proper medical care to Edwards. The trial court ruled that the claims were barred under the discretionary function exception of OCGA § 50-21-24(2) and granted summary judgment to the state. The Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia affirmed on the grounds that the state employees exercised a discretionary decision in determining the type of medical care to provide and were therefore subject to immunity.[2] In granting the writ of certiorari, we asked the parties to address whether the court of appeals improperly expanded the meaning of "discretionary function" to decisions of state employees that are not related to policy judgments. Ambiguous Legislative History of Georgia Tort Claims Act The Georgia Tort Claims Act grants a "limited waiver" of the state's sovereign immunity.[3] Under the act, the state waives its sovereign immunity for the torts of state employees while acting within the scope of their official duties "in the same manner as a private individual or entity would be liable under like circumstances" subject to the act's exceptions and limitations.[4] In construing a statute, we must look at the legislative intent, "keeping in view at all times the old law, the evil, and the remedy" and give ordinary "signification" to all words.[5] The General Assembly states its intent in the second section of the act. In that section, it acknowledges that the strict application of sovereign immunity produces "inherently unfair and inequitable results."[6] It further states that, unlike private enterprise, state government does not have the flexibility to choose its activities and control its exposure to liability, but instead must provide a broad range of services and perform a variety of functions. As a result, state government should not have the duty to do everything possible, and the state's exposure to tort liability must be limited. In conclusion, "it is declared to be the public policy of this state that the state shall only be liable in tort actions within the limitations of this article and in accordance with the fair and uniform principles established in this article."[7] A major exception to state liability under the act is the "discretionary function" exception. Under this exception, the state shall have no liability for losses resulting from the "exercise or performance of ... a discretionary function or duty on the part of a state officer or employee."[8] The act defines "discretionary function or duty" to mean "a function or duty requiring a state officer or employee to exercise his or her policy judgment in choosing among alternate courses of action based upon a consideration of social, political, or economic factors."[9] A review of the legislative history provides limited insight into the legislative intent in enacting the discretionary function exception.[10] On the one hand, it appears that the *85 legislature intended to limit the state's overall exposure to tort liability; on the other hand, the legislature enacted a relatively narrow definition of discretionary function as an exception to state liability. The state act was patterned "in most respects" after the Federal Tort Claims Act, and the discretionary function exception is similar to the federal exception as developed by case law.[11] The purpose of the exception under the federal act is to prevent the courts from substituting their own judgment for the policy decisions of the executive and legislative branches of government.[12] Interpreting the Discretionary Function Exception to the Act In Department of Transportation v. Brown,[13] this Court first considered the scope of the discretionary function exception in the Georgia Tort Claims Act. Because the statute included a definition of discretionary function or duty, we explicitly rejected our prior case law that distinguished between the discretionary and ministerial acts of state employees as the basis for state liability. Instead, we approved of decisions from other jurisdictions holding that the discretionary function exception applies only to basic governmental policy decisions, rejecting the state's argument that the exception includes any decision affected by social, political, or economic factors.[14] Last term, we again considered the application of the discretionary function exception in Brantley v. Department of Human Resources.[15] In that case, we reiterated that the more narrow statutory definition of discretionary function controls in claims against state employees over the definition that had been developed in prior case law and applied in several cases by the court of appeals.[16] The plain meaning of the statutory exception is that the state employee must exercise a "policy judgment" in choosing among various alternative actions based on social, political, and economic factors. We concluded that the foster parent's decision to leave a two-year-old child unattended in a swimming pool was not a basic policy decision entitled to protection from review under the tort claims act. In their briefs, the Edwards do not challenge the department's failure to promulgate appropriate policies and procedures for the diagnosis and referral of sick inmates or its failure to train and supervise personnel in implementing those policies and procedures; instead, the Edwards contend that the department's nursing staff and other employees failed to properly assess their daughter's condition and seek adequate medical care for her. The staff's medical decisions about the proper diagnosis and treatment of Edwards do not involve policy judgments based on social, political, or even economic factors.[17] As other state courts have held, decisions on emergency medical care are not the type of basic governmental policy decision that the tort claims act intended to protect from liability.[18] Because we find this reasoning both *86 persuasive and consistent with the purpose of our act, we hold that the decision of state employees on the type of emergency medical care to provide incarcerated juveniles does not fall within the discretionary function exception to the Georgia Tort Claims Act. Judgment reversed. All the Justices concur. NOTES [1] See OCGA § 50-21-24(2) (discretionary function exception). [2] See Edwards v. Department of Children & Youth Services, 236 Ga.App. 696, 512 S.E.2d 339 (1999). [3] See OCGA § 50-21-23. [4] Id. [5] OCGA § 1-3-1. [6] OCGA § 50-21-21(a). [7] Id. [8] OCGA § 50-21-24(2). [9] OCGA § 50-21-22(2). [10] See Charles N. Kelley, Jr., Georgia Tort Claims Act: Provide a Limited Waiver of Sovereign Immunity, 9 GA. ST. U.L.REV. 349, 352 n. 32 (1992) (mentioning "discretionary acts" as one of a "long lists of acts" for which the state will not accept liability). [11] See David J. Maleski, The 1992 Georgia Tort Claims Act, 9 GA. ST. U.L.REV. 431, 448 (1993). [12] See Brantley v. Department of Human Resources, 271 Ga. 679, 523 S.E.2d 571 (1999); Maleski, supra note 11, at 448. [13] 267 Ga. 6, 471 S.E.2d 849 (1996). [14] Id. at 7, 471 S.E.2d 849. [15] 271 Ga. 679, 523 S.E.2d 571. [16] See id. at 681-682, 523 S.E.2d 571 (discussing court of appeals cases); see also Northwest Ga. Reg'l Hosp. v. Wilkins, 220 Ga.App. 534, 469 S.E.2d 786 (1996) (noting that statutory definition of "discretionary" in tort claims act is more narrow than earlier case law defining "discretionary acts" of state employees). [17] See Magee v. United States, 121 F.3d 1 (1st Cir.1997) (decisions about specific medical treatment fall outside protection of discretionary function exception); Rise v. United States, 630 F.2d 1068, 1072 (5th Cir.1980) (failure to provide proper medical care cannot be considered the exercise of a discretionary function); Jackson v. Kelly, 557 F.2d 735 (10th Cir.1977) (discretionary function exception does not absolve government from liability for negligent medical care). [18] See, e.g., Darling v. Augusta Mental Health Inst., 535 A.2d 421 (Me.1987) (distinguishing between psychiatrist's decision concerning involuntary commitment to state mental hospital, which constitutes a discretionary function, and doctor's negligent medical treatment of patient); Kelley v. Rossi, 395 Mass. 659, 481 N.E.2d 1340 (1985) (treating physician in hospital emergency room was not engaged in a discretionary function under exception to state tort claims act); Peterson v. Traill County, 601 N.W.2d 268 (N.D.1999) (jailer's failure to transfer inmate suffering from alcohol withdrawal "is an ordinary individualized judgment made by jailers as part of their routine work duties" and not a discretionary function). | Mid | [
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Bandai Namco and Level-5 have announced 'The Book of Wizards' DLC offering for Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, which will launch on March 19 for ¥1500 or as a part of the game's Season Pass. This is the second of two paid DLC packs for the game, following The Lair of the Lost Lord last December, which consisted of a challenge battle dungeon. Update: This DLC will be called 'The Tale of a Timeless Tome' in English and will cost $14.99. 'The Tale of a Timeless Tome' can be played separately from 'The Lair of the Lost Lord' and it is available starting in Chapter 5. Evan hears a rumor about a strange dream people experience if they sleep at the Goldpaw Inn. In the dream is a strange character with a rabbit head and a conductor's suit (which might look familiar if you've played the original Ni no Kuni). The DLC also will explore deeper into certain character stories. One of the released artworks shows Evan's bodyguard Nella, while another seems to show Queen of Hydropolis Nerea. The Book of Wizards also expands upon the Martial Method combat tweaks introduced in the previous DLC by adding two more styles to the game. A new battle arena, called Pandora Night [Solosseum Slog in English], will also be added, offering a high-level time-attack challenge. Find some images in the gallery. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - The Book of Wizards DLC | High | [
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Q: Python: Restrict the code to be run for an hour I have written a scraper that does html scraping and then use API to get some data, since its a very lengthy code I haven't put it here. I have implemented random sleep method and using it within my code to monitor throttle. But I want to make sure I don't over run this code, so my idea is to run for an 3-4 hours then taker breather and then run again. I haven't done anything like this in python I was trying to search but not really sure where to start from, it would be great if I get some guidance on this. If python has a specific module link to that would be a great help. Also is this relevant? I don't I need this level of complication? Suggestions for a Cron like scheduler in Python? I have functions for every single scraping task, and I have main method calling all those functions. A: You can use a threading.Timer object to schedule an interrupt signal to the main thread after the time is exceeded: import thread, threading def longjob(): try: # do your job while True: print '*', except KeyboardInterrupt: # do your cleanup print 'ok, giving up' def terminate(): print 'sorry, pal' thread.interrupt_main() time_limit = 5 # terminate in 5 seconds threading.Timer(time_limit, terminate).start() longjob() Put this in your crontab and run every time_limit + 2 minutes. | Mid | [
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Natural oils massage made with different techniques in order to fit all individual constitutions. It strengthens the body's vital functions, frees lymphatic blocks , cleanses, relaxes, improves sleep and grows immune system. Time: 50 min. Price: 65,00 € Patrasveda - hot pads massage It 'a special massage technique that, coming from the Far East. Initially, the whole body is anointed with special warm oils; continue with the buffers fall herbal expertly massaged with rapid movements. Slims, tones up the skin especially on the belly, generally acts as a beauty treatment and rejuvenation in case of scars and orange peel skin. Time: 50 min. Price: 75,00 € Udvartana - detoxifying massage with exfoliation With a mixture of barley flour, chickpeas and pure sesame oil, the body is massaged and at the same time subjected to an exfoliating treatment. It stimulates the metabolism and has a deep cleansing effect. The massage consists in a set of ancient techniques: cupping, massage with Tibetan bowls, energy points, etc. The massage makes the body vibrating and activates it at cellular level. These sounds stimulate and help it to reach an equilibrium point. The result is perceptible harmony both at physical and psychic level. Our masseuse focuses in treating all her skills and her sensitivity and delicacy. An forced appointment for those who want to keep fit or simply get involved in this pleasure. Time: 50 min. Price: 55,00 € Facial and head massage Draining and stimulant massage that counteracts swelling and relaxes, by the hair and scalp with the use of essential oils made with acupressure that helps to eliminate the stress and stimulate blood circulation improving the vitality of the hair. Time: 25 min. Price: 35,00 € Partial massage A specific massage for the different areas of the body (legs or back) with specific attention to localised problematic areas. Time: 25 min. Price: 30,00 € Head and neck massage This treatment loosens up all the tensions of the daily life accumulated in the cervical area and cause headaches, migraines and neck rigidity. Ideal for people who spend a lot of time driving, sitting at a desk, or people with high level of professional responsibility. Time: 25 min. Price: 35,00 € Drainage massage This manual massage with its slow, rhythmic movements helps lymph to enter the lymphatic stations to prevent fluid build up in the tissues where toxins would otherwise thicken. Particularly recommended for oedema, water retention, cellulite and all problems where the immune system needs reinforcing. Time: 50 min. Price: 55,00 € Legs drainage massage It stimulates the blood circulation and helps to prevent water retention. Particularly recommended during pregnancy. Time: 25 min. Price: 35,00 € Sport massage Intense massage for the muscle bands. Before training it helps to obtain good results. After training it helps to find relax and eliminates the fatigue. Time: 50 min. Price: 58,00 € Connective tissue massage The technique of connective tissue massage interacts with the layers of subcutaneous tissue and muscle tissue: it's here that toxins and metabolic waste products build up which determine a change of adipose tissue and adipocytes (cellulite). It also has an analgesic action with respect to the tension and muscle spasms caused by stress which is constantly subject our body. What this technique allows is the dissolution of the tension and relaxation of muscle tissue, resulting in the release of toxins and improved the blood circulation and oxygen in the system. Time: 50 min. Price: 60,00 € Energetic massage with cupping An effective drainage technique with suction glass cups in combination with essential oils and natural active ingredients, which stimulate the metabolism and infuse new energy to the tissues. The body regains its energy balance and harmony in favour of aesthetics. Time: 50 min. Price: 60,00 € Relaxing massage with aromatic oils This massage rebalances the disharmony between body and mind through the aroma therapy (essential oils). It gives relax and peace sensation thanks to very soft movements. Time: 50 min. Price: 58,00 € Chocolate massage The chocolate aroma intoxicates the mind and body, maintains a sweet scent of cocoa and the skin becomes smooth. Chocolate stimulates the nervous system and has a positive effect on mental concentration and mental and physical readiness. Cocoa is rich in minerals and its applications range from remineralising treatments to draining treatments, its vitamins have moisturizing effects for all skin types, even sensitive. Time: 50 min. Price: 65,00 € Candle Massage It's the latest trendy massage, which permits you to enter the world of multi-sensory massage candles, giving a new light to your skin. Immerse yourself in the light, dive among the scents and colours, refreshes the skin. Let yourself be pampered by the pleasant sensation of drops of light and fluid vegetable oil that comes from your skin with a gentle warmth, relieves tensions and giving pleasure, tone and vigour to the body, thus freeing him from inhibitions and fatigue, reloading well-being and energy. This new men's line is the result of long studies and accurate researches. It contains specific products for the men's skin with its needs. This treatment has a triple action: it protects, cures and hydrates the skin donating to the face a young and a healthy look. Time: 60 min. Price: 60,00 € Facial mask and massage Specific facial massage with a high concentration of active natural principles: this treatment moisturizes the skin for a fresh sensation and complete well-being. Time: 30 min. Price: 30,00 € Thalasso facial treatment Ideal treatment both for women and for men. The ocean's algae have a lasting, deep-down moisturizing effect on the skin, giving minerals, vitamins and hydration. Time: 60 min. Price: 70,00 € Masque Modelant A clay mask which reactivates the blood circulation to favour the absorption of the product's nutritive substances. Time: 60 min. Price: 80,00 € Soin Profilift Treatment A natural lifting effect which guarantees immediate results . Ideal for reducing fine wrinkles, strengthen elasticity and to give brightness to the gray and asphyxiated skin. Tone up the facial muscles and gives a deep oxygenation to the skin. Time: 60 min. Price: 80,00 € Eyes Masque Modelant An energetic eye treatment to refresh and relax the skin around the eyes, soothing swelling and shadows. This modelling mask is a cutting-edge combination of marine algae and plant extracts with a revitalising, firming effect that eliminates all traces of tiredness and stress. Restore the brightness and splendour of your skin with exfoliating sea salts enriched with essential oils which remove the excess of dead cutaneous cells. As these delightful aromas revive your senses, your body skin will be gently polished becoming silky and smooth, ready to receive further treatments. Time: 20 min. Price: 35,00 € BIO hay peeling The hay peeling, enriched with pure pink salt crystals, deeply cleanses the skin, stimulates its regeneration imparting to the cutis a cleaner, clearer and brighter aspect. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Body masque modelant An effective anti-cellulite treatment: a stimulating and toning masque with minerals, which gives a pleasant heat while drying and dilates the pores making the active principles absorption easier. Time: 60 min. Price: 70,00 € Soin silhouette sculpant in 3 phases An involving sensorial experience based on natural and active extracts, effective on reactivating the blood circulation and stimulate a diuretic and detoxing action. Thalasso peeling, atomized seaweed wrapping up and eventually a draining massage for a treatment aimed to reduce adiposity and cellulite imperfection. Let the loving "nuvola bed" embrace and cuddle you: the dry floating tub favours a sort of emotional voyage recalling the sensations of the maternal womb. Lay down on a soft mattress filled in with warm water and wrap you with sheets imbued with the chosen pack. The slow movement of the maatress and its heat, the sensation of weightlessness and the colour-therapy, favours the absorption of the active principles contained by the sheets and the whole body and psychic sphere relaxation. Wrap with partial massage euro 60,00 Sea mud wrap This marine mud derives from brackish deposits dating back to about 2500 years ago, laid up underwater layers 5 to 20 metres thick. The delicate skin warming stimulates the micro-circulation. The sea mud prevent arthrosis and joints pain, above all it eases problems caused by muscular back tension. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Seaweeds wrap The seaweeds store up trace elements like iron, copper, zinc, iodine and vitamins which favour the cells changing and their oxygenation, as well as the disposal of fat in tissues. The skin acquires more elasticity and smoothness, improving the texture and visibly reducing the "orange peel" effect. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Hay wrap Conceived by the ancient rural tradition, rich in curative herbs with great relaxing and healing effects on the skin. After 20 minutes laid down on the hay, the tiredness and arthritic pains, vanish. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Cleopatra wrap The milk produced in local dairies and huts is useful for contracting the pores. The lactic acid is used as a natural preserver and highly concentrated, the effect is a light peeling. Lactose favours moistness, while the milk albumin gives more elasticity and relaxes the stressed skin. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Arnica and St. John's Wort wrap Two harmonious products, which grow on our mountains: arnica and st john's wort. A balsam for the soul and a lashing of new vitality for joints and tired muscles. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Swiss pine essence wrap Effective above all after a tiring training, it favours breathing and stimulates the immune system. The swiss pine oil has been known for centuries as a home remedy against muscular and joints pains. Time: 20 min. Price: 38,00 € Honey wrap Treatment indicated for dry and stressed skin, which finds immediate firmness and hydration. Sensory bath with prosecco flutes and fruit skewers. Water jets that massage all your body gently. Refreshing bubbles at a pleasant temperature that makes this treatment very enjoyable. We suggest you to follow the baths with a massage. Sea salts bath It stimulates epidermis' cell renewal and has a relaxing and detoxing effect. Time: 20 min. Price: 30,00 € Cleopatra bath For a soft and silky skin, Immerse yourself in a bath of milk and honey and you'll be fascinated. Time: 20 min. Price: 30,00 € Relaxing bath With essential oils of pine, lavender, sweet orange, sour orange and savory. A bath that produces a beneficial calming effect all over the body, thanks for its high content of essential oils, relieving tension and muscle tissue. Time: 20 min. Price: 30,00 € Regenerating bath With essential oils of thyme, lavender, rosemary, lemon, sage, eucalyptus, geranium and nutmeg. A mixture of eight precious essential oils that act synergistically to produce a regenerative, purifying and stimulating effect. After the bath the skin results firm and compact. Time: 20 min. Price: 30,00 € Draining bath With essential oils of pine, thyme, lemon and geranium. A bath that acts the removal of water from the subcutaneous tissue by promoting. Ideal accompaniment to treatments against cellulite water retention. An exclusive anti age treatment for hands and foot to give a visible effect thanks to its strong formula. This treatment provides to a soft peeling followed by specific masks and creams gently massaged. For a velvet and bright effect. | Mid | [
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Hereditary telangiectasia and multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas. Clinical deterioration during pregnancy. We describe the effect of pregnancy on a woman with multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. Pregnancy was terminated at 35 weeks' gestation because of severe hypoxemia. During the early postpartum period, the intrapulmonary shunt fraction enlarged, and hypoxemia worsened, necessitating emergency resection of the A-V fistula. Pregnancy may increase the intrapulmonary shunt fraction in patients with multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistula through its effect on plasma volume and produce life-threatening hypoxemia near term or in the early postpartum period. | High | [
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A natural language screening measure for motivation to change. Client motivation for change, a topic of high interest to addiction clinicians, is multidimensional and complex, and many different approaches to measurement have been tried. The current effort drew on psycholinguistic research on natural language that is used by clients to describe their own motivation. Seven addiction treatment sites participated in the development of a simple scale to measure client motivation. Twelve items were drafted to represent six potential dimensions of motivation for change that occur in natural discourse. The maximum self-rating of motivation (10 on a 0-10 scale) was the median score on all items, and 43% of respondents rated 10 on all 12 items - a substantial ceiling effect. From 1035 responses, three factors emerged representing importance, ability, and commitment - constructs that are also reflected in several theoretical models of motivation. A 3-item version of the scale, with one marker item for each of these constructs, accounted for 81% of variance in the full scale. The three items are: 1. It is important for me to . . . 2. I could . . . and 3. I am trying to . . . This offers a quick (1-minute) assessment of clients' self-reported motivation for change. | High | [
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Alexander Rodchenko, Oval Hanging Construction No.12 (1920) This seminal work by Rodchenko (1891-1956) is a key example of the Constructivist Movement. Dating from 1920, the sculpture is a demonstration of the ways in which artists such as Rodchenko sought to make themselves ‘useful’ in a post-Revolutionary Society. The birth of Soviet Russia brought about fundamental shifts in attitudes towards culture. There was a strong inclination to see both art and artists as part of the bourgeois society that the 1917 Revolution had swept aside. With works like this, Rodchenko and others took up the task of justifying their existence in the new society that they had played a part in bringing about. Alexander Rodchenko, 1935 A major part of this was to try and establish art as relating to some sort of practical purpose. Artists had to be useful members of society, no longer the peddlers of decorative fluff, but workers, with a role to play in perfecting the new nation. The choice of material for this sculpture can be characterised as almost ‘anti-art’, rather than being made of exclusive and expensive traditional materials, bronze or marble say, it is made from plywood, which was cheap and readily available. This sense of democratisation is carried through to the crafting of the object – it is deliberately simplified, and straightforward. The process of creation has been demystified, so that any viewer might be able to understand how the sculpture has been put together. Constructivist art was supposed to be educational, and we see this reflected in the methods of construction. This piece of sculpture actually went on tour, but not, as one might expect, to museums or galleries, but to factories, and other centres of industrial production, where it was used as an example of different ways of construction. To this end, the sculpture is designed so that it can be folded flat in on itself, making it highly portable, something that would have been particularly necessary given the relatively flimsy materials it is made from. Overall the sculpture thus gives a sense of bringing an egalitarian air to art. Moving away from both the ‘decorative’ bourgeois art of pre-Revolution, and the more obscure ideas of many early twentieth century avant-garde movements, it expresses a sense of purpose and clarity. Though one might argue that something is lost by this desire to demystify, to simplify, the sculpture, and its creator, seem to work with the idea that knowledge should not be hidden, but instead shared freely with all: the Communist approach expressed in art. It is new art, for a new society. | High | [
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Login E-mail Password: Expires: 07/09/19 Job Dates Open Now Pay $750 - $1000 per week Duties and responsibilities include: Serves as Master Electrician for all Ballet Hisp+aacute;nico productions Draft lighting plots / associated paperwork as required Prepare Ballet Hisp+aacute;nico lighting and other physical goods for travel; manage such equipment on tour Assists with all aspects of load in load out for all Ballet Hisp+aacute;nico productions (and BHdos as needed) Assist with technical rehearsals and performances for the School Assist in overseeing all dancer safety protocols Assist in provide for dancer injuries and other performance emergencies Observe and oversee all dancer safety protocols Provide the company with all backstage information Manage backstage environment for technical rehearsals and attend studio rehearsals prior to performance Prepare and provide for dancer injuries and other performance emergencies | Mid | [
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EOS EOS: CTO Dan Larimer Proposes to Scrap Constitution and Start Over Just a few short weeks after the long-awaited EOS launch, its Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Dan Larimer now wants to change its fundamental constitution and replace it with a new one. Dan Larimer, founder and CTO at EOS, is proposing the removal of the current constitution of the project and replacing it with a new one according to a conversation held on the EOSGov Telegram channel. “Am I correct in understanding you’re proposing removal of the entire current constitution, and replacing it with one that only refers to arbs being able to rule on code VS intent and code vulnerabilities / hacks like DAO?” one member of the group asked Larimer, who replied “Yes.” The news caught the attention of Dogecoin creator, Jackson Palmer, who wrote: What a surprise that just 2 weeks after launching, EOS is considering scrapping its entire ‘constitution’ and starting over. Why The Need for Such a Major Change? Arguments were made that the current constitution vests too much power at the hands of arbitrators. As it currently stands, it requires all smart contracts on the network to be “documented with a Ricardian Contract stating the intent of all parties and naming the Arbitration Forum that will resolve disputes arising from that contract.” In other words, arbitrators are capable of resolving disputes directly and the extent of their authority is not defined, which borders law-enforcement. Hence, the proposal is to change the entire constitution and only limit their authority towards ruling on issues stemming from differences between code and intent, and to handling code vulnerabilities and hacks. Twitter personality WhalePanda likened the Arbitration Forum proposal to the Ethereum Foundation albeit more centralized. $EOS is throwing out their entire constitution and is basically going to have a similar governance model like $ETH where the foundation bails out big losses/hacks/DAO-ish events… but more centralized. https://t.co/7IR3brXLmB — WhalePanda (@WhalePanda) June 27, 2018 It’s Not That Easy However, unless Larimer decides to overturn the highest law of the project on his own, essentially committing a legislative suicide, he’d have to follow the procedures set forth in the constitution itself. Failing to do so would not only be anti-constitutional, but would also confirm that the project is centralized. As there is no clause which handles a scenario of the kind, the closest we get is Article XIII of the constitution, which says: This Constitution and its subordinate documents shall not be amended except by a vote of the Token Holders with no less than 15% vote participation among tokens and no fewer than 10% more Yes than No votes, sustained for 30 continuous days within a 120 day period. Put simply, changing, any clause of the constitution, respectively replacing it with a new one, would require a quorum of 15% of token holders. Those who support Larimer’s proposition have to be 10% more than those who don’t, and they’d have to maintain this lead for 30 continuous days within a 120 day period. In other words, should his proposition be brought forward right now, the sooner this constitution can be replaced is 120 days after meeting the above conditions. If history is any indicator, this could be a lot easier said than done. It took EOS two weeks to get 15% of the votes for their Block Producers, and there are no additional conditions there, unlike the ones that have to be considered in a potential vote for a new constitution. EOS is currently trading at 00 Do you think EOS’ move to change its constitution will help the project get back on the right track? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below! Images courtesy of Shutterstock; Pixabay | Mid | [
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Eagles coach takes championship trophy on tour The Governor-General Roland Michener Trophy is experiencing a post-season like no other, escaping full hibernation for the first time in its 47-year history. As one of the National Capital Amateur Football Association’s oldest trophies, the large, silver-covered bowl on top of a three-tiered wood structure normally makes its annual, one-day appearance for the mosquito (ages 11-12) final during championship Sunday in early November. But for the remaining 364 days of the year, it’s stored out of public view in the home of the winning head coach, waiting for it’s next chilly November assignment. But not for this post-season. Jarred Desjardins, head coach of the undefeated, NCAFA mosquito champion Nepean Eagles, decided the players should enjoy the reward of their hard work for more than just a few moments during the on-field celebration. So Desjardins took it upon himself to taxi the trophy from player to player for one week at a time. He started the process last fall and will continue until mid summer so each of the 36 players can relive the excitement of the 2015 championship season. Thousands of championships have been won by teams in Ottawa in all kinds of sports over the decades, but it’s extremely rare for a coach to show this kind of commitment and dedication to give every player a value-added gridiron memory. “It’s quite novel to bring it (trophy) to each player. It’s one of our most impressive trophies,” said Steve Dean, the president of both NCAFA and the Eagles. “I give Jarred credit for giving it to the players for a week at a time.” Desjardins, 40, has put hundreds of extra kilometres on his vehicle and didn’t ask Dean for permission to shuttle the three-foot wide by two-foot high trophy from one wide-eyed player to the next. While many of the players live in the Nepean and Barrhaven regions, he also has had to venture farther out to Osgoode and Manotick. Each round-trip takes about an hour and he also often uses that as family time, travelling with his daughter Sophie, who likes to visit the players as well. “He told me what he was going to do with the trophy and I said: ‘That’s fantastic; it’s a great idea.’ It keeps the kids engaged. I applaud Jarred for his initiative,” Dean added. After the powerhouse Eagles had won eight straight regular-season games and three playoff games, scoring a total of 525 points for while allowing only 115 points against, including outscoring Myers Riders 52-26 in the final, Desjardins wanted to give his players an ultimate post-season treat. The former youth competitive AAA hockey player from Thunder Bay remembered what the NHL champions did. When a team wins the Stanley Cup, the club is allotted 100 days for players and personnel to bring home the iconic, silver award for a day of celebration with family and friends. Desjardins took that idea and put his own twist on it to remember his first major football championship as a nine-year coach and the first in mosquito for the 39-year-old Eagles’ organization, which was previously the Barrhaven Redskins and Nepean Redskins. “As great as it is to win it, they should experience having it and have their pictures taken with it. When they go to school, they can say: ‘I got the trophy at home,’” said Desjardins, who will sit down with each player and his family to talk about the past and upcoming season. “I tell them when you have it, enjoy it. Not everyone has the opportunity to win a championship. Take all the selfies you want with it. But don’t break it.” Offensive lineman Liam Matyas showed great respect for the trophy, keeping it at home during his time of glory. “I treated it like a trophy. I didn’t want to damage it. It seemed old,” he said, adding the trophy held a prominent position in the family’s dining room. “I always tell people we won the championship.” Unlike the Stanley Cup, which has travelled to war zones, been in parades and featured at family functions, Desjardins hasn’t heard of any off-beat adventures for the Governor-General Roland Michener Trophy. “Some players have put it in their bed to sleep with it and take selfie (photos) galore from all possible angles,” explained Desjardins, who is preparing to move up a level and be head coach for the peewee (ages 13-14) Eagles in 2016. “They make little shrines. The parents will clean it and put it on the table in the hall. When they (players) walk by it, they touch it or rub it … and can say ‘Wow, I did that; I was a part of (winning) that.’ I was trying to connect them to how they contributed to it.” By initiating this unselfish gesture, Desjardins is adding something special to the club’s football culture. “For me, it’s part of giving them that reward for their hard work. Congratulations. Your hard work did that.” Related This Week's Flyers Comments We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information. | Mid | [
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The era of Donald Trump unleashed an onslaught of candidates in the 2018 midterm elections who court hate and extremism. A number of candidates with open white supremacist, nativist, anti-LGBT or antigovernment ties won seats in the U.S. House and Senate last election. Matt Gaetz Florida | House Won with 67.1% Matt Gaetz was elected to his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He previously served in the Florida state House of Representatives. Gaetz invited Chuck Johnson, a white nationalist “Trump Troll,” to Trump’s State of the Union address in January 2018. Johnson is a Holocaust denier who developed WeSearchr, a payment platform for racist “alt-right” crowdfunding. Clay Higgins Louisiana | House Won with 55.7% Clay Higgins was elected to his second term in the U.S House of Representatives. In 2017, Higgins attended an event hosted by the antigovernment extremist group Oath Keepers whose founder Stewart Rhodes boasted of Higgins’ attendance, writing, “you will be among thousands of like-minded American patriots from many groups and many states, with some excellent speakers.” Kevin Cramer North Dakota | Senate Won with 55.4% Kevin Cramer, endorsed by the anti-LGBT hate group Public Advocate of the United States, filled out the group’s survey and received a 100 percent rating. The survey included questions like, “Should public schools be prevented from brainwashing elementary school children with the Homosexual Agenda?” Marsha Blackburn Tennessee | Senate Won with 55.7% Marsha Blackburn was elected to her first term in the U.S. Senate. Blackburn has received an award from the anti-Muslim hate group ACT for America. In 2017, she celebrated Trump’s inauguration with Iowa Rep. Steve King, who has well-documented sympathies with racist ideas. Josh Hawley Missouri | Senate Won with 51.5% Josh Hawley was elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate. Since 2017, Hawley has served as Missouri’s attorney general. While a professor at the University of Missouri, Hawley spoke at a leadership conference hosted by anti-LGBT hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Since 2013, Hawley and his wife have earned $8,700 from ADF. Greg Gianforte Montana | House Won with 50.9% Greg Gianforte is serving his first full term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was previously elected to the position in a 2017 special election to replace former Rep. Ryan Zinke. Gianforte’s family trust has given more than $1 million to anti-LGBT groups, including the hate group Family Research Council. Ted Cruz Texas | Senate Won with 50.9% Ted Cruz was elected to his second term in the U.S. Senate. During his failed 2016 campaign for the presidency, Cruz dog-whistled to the antigovernment extremist movement when he released an ad vowing to remove federal stewardship of all public lands in Nevada, the state where the Bundy family’s now-infamous Bunkerville standoff took place. Steve King Iowa | House Won with 50.4% Steve King was elected to his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. King is a white nationalist with ties to neo-Nazi movements and nativist groups. King has virulently pushed anti-immigrant rhetoric and has been a frequent participant in events hosted by the hate group Federation for American Immigration Reform. He displayed a Confederate flag on his desk. Mark Harris North Carolina | House Won with 49.4% Mark Harris was elected to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Harris is a member of Watchmen on the Wall, a program of the anti-LGBT hate group FRC. He has a history of fighting LGBT equality in his home state. His church gave $50,000 to the campaign against same-sex marriage in the state, and he has said being gay is a “choice.” Illustrations Ze Otavio | Low | [
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Panmure railway station, Auckland Panmure railway station is located on the North Island Main Trunk line in New Zealand. Eastern Line services of the Auckland railway network are the only regular services that stop at the station. The original Panmure Station opened on 16 November 1930, on a site to the south of the current station. The station was relocated to its current site in 2007. Panmure Station received a major upgrade and became a significant bus-rail interchange, as part of the AMETI project, during the 2012–2014 period. History The original station was constructed, along with five others, in 1929 on the route of the Westfield Deviation, which was being built to divert the Auckland–Westfield section of the North Island Main Trunk line (NIMT) via a flatter, faster eastern route to link up with the original NIMT tracks at Westfield Junction. The deviation was opened for traffic on 11 May 1930. Panmure Station opened on 16 November 1930, and was situated about 100m west of Ireland Road. A small station building was located in the middle of the station's island platform. At the time of opening, the area surrounding the station was predominantly rural. Access to the station was originally provided by two pedestrian bridges. A ramp from the northern end of the platform led to a bridge between Ireland Road and the western side of the station, from where a path provided access to the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway. From the southern end of the platform, a bridge provided access from the platform to a path which led to the Mount Wellington Highway. By the end of the 1950s the area surrounding the station had become substantially more developed. Ireland Place had become a residential street, and there was a mix of residential and light industrial development on Mount Wellington Highway. Several side-streets had been built between Mount Wellington Highway and the railway. Access from the northern bridge to Ireland Road had been removed, and ramps were added from the southern bridge to William Harvey Place (off Mount Wellington Highway) and Ireland Road. By the turn of the century, Panmure had grown substantially. The condition of the station, however, had deteriorated. The original station building had been replaced by a much smaller one, the northern footbridge had been removed, and the platform itself had begun to deteriorate. In addition, patronage was low (recorded as 83 boardings per day in 2003) and the station was not located close to the town centre. It was therefore decided to close the original Panmure Station and open a new station between Ellerslie-Panmure Highway and Mountain Road. The new station would be more modern, be closer to the town centre, and provide better connections with bus services. The station was opened in the first half of 2007. It has two side platforms, located below road level. Access is from Ellerslie-Panmure Highway, Mountain Road, and the carpark. A park and ride facility is located adjacent to the eastbound platform. The station's relocation had a significant effect on patronage with recorded daily boardings climbing from 268 in 2006 to 446 in 2007. In 2018, the station was the fifth busiest in Auckland, with 3,700 passenger boardings daily. Bus-train interchange In October 2011, work began on the AMETI project, with the replacement of the Mountain Road bridge, immediately north of the station. AMETI is a $1.5-billion initiative designed to reduce congestion and improve public transport in Auckland's eastern suburbs. In May 2012, construction of a pedestrian plaza over part of the platforms and an adjacent bus station with dedicated bus lanes began. The plaza and bus station were opened in January 2014. The new plaza provides access from the carpark and bus stop to both platforms via escalators and stairs. Services Transdev Auckland, on behalf of Auckland Transport, operates Eastern Line suburban services between Britomart and Manukau via Panmure. The basic weekday off-peak timetable is: 3 tph to Britomart 3 tph to Manukau Buses Panmure station is served by routes 70, 72C, 72M, 72X, 323, 352, 711, 712, 728, 729, 743, 744, 747 and 751. See also List of Auckland railway stations Public transport in Auckland References Category:Rail transport in Auckland Category:Railway stations in New Zealand Category:Railway stations opened in 1930 Category:Bus stations in New Zealand | Mid | [
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--- author: - 'S. Fratini, D. Feinberg and M. Grilli' date: 'Received: date / Revised version: date' title: 'Jahn-Teller, Charge and Magnetic Ordering in half-doped Manganese Oxides' --- [leer.eps]{} gsave 72 31 moveto 72 342 lineto 601 342 lineto 601 31 lineto 72 31 lineto showpage grestore Manganese perovskite oxides are currently the object of intense activity. Motivated initially by the colossal magnetoresistance phenomena, more recent studies have revealed an extremely rich phase diagram originating from the interplay of charge, lattice, orbital and magnetic degrees of freedom [@rev]. The general formula is A$_{1-x}$A$^\prime_{x}$MnO$_3$ where A is in general a trivalent rare earth element (La, Pr, Nd) and A$^\prime$ a divalent alcaline element (Sr, Ca). Substitutional doping allows to explore the full phase diagram, from $x = 0$ to $x = 1$. At the extremes, LaMnO$_3$ and CaMnO$_3$ are antiferromagnetic insulators. The former is a layered antiferromagnet, which can be explained thanks to the large Jahn-Teller couplings of the $e_g$ electrons of Mn$^{3+}$ ions [@us]. The latter shows a Néel ordering due to antiferromagnetic exchange of $t_{2g}$ electrons [@wollan]. With doping, the double-exchange phenomena originating from Hund’s coupling between $e_g$ and $t_{2g}$ electron spins can stabilize a metallic ferromagnetic phase [@Zen; @And; @DeGen]: Coherent band motion occurs for ferromagnetic ordering, while strong inelastic scattering takes place in the high temperature paramagnetic phase. Very large magnetoresistance is obtained when the applied magnetic field is able to align $t_{2g}$ spins, thereby favouring the metallic phase. Nevertheless, it has been pointed out that spin scattering alone is not sufficient to quantitatively explain the phenomenon. Millis [*et al.*]{} [@Millis] suggested that a large electron-lattice coupling is involved, with the formation of Jahn-Teller polarons in the insulating phase. Such large couplings are quite expected from the very large cooperative Jahn-Teller distortions existing in LaMnO$_3$. Those deformations indeed involve more than ten per cent variations of the $Mn-O$ bond lengths around all Mn$^{3+}$ ions. Local deformations have been indeed revealed in charge-disordered phases by X-ray and neutron spectroscopy, as well as optical measurements. They consist of Jahn-Teller deformations around Mn$^{3+}$ ions, and “breathing mode” deformations with shorter $Mn-O$ bonds around Mn$^{4+}$ ions. The role of these deformations becomes more stringent in the charge-ordered phases (CO) of doped manganites. These phases strongly compete with the ferromagnetic metallic (FM) one at sufficient doping. Besides the Coulomb interaction between electrons on Mn ions, electron-phonon interaction should play a prominent role in this phenomenon. This is exemplified by the nature of charge ordering at half-doping, for instance in La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$: While Mn$^{3+}$ and Mn$^{4+}$ ions alternate in two directions (say, a and b), in the other direction (which we here define as the c-axis), one finds rows of Mn$^{3+}$ or Mn$^{4+}$ ions. If CO were exclusively due to intersite Coulomb interaction, one would on the contrary expect a Wigner crystal ordering, alternated in all directions. This shows that cooperative lattice distortions are an essential ingredient to understand charge ordering [@yunoki]. Charge ordering at $x = 0.5$ is accompanied by CE-type antiferromagnetic order: In the ab directions, it involves ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic zigzag chains crossing each other. A qualitative explanation was given a long time ago by Goodenough [@Good], following the pioneering structural analysis of Wollan and Koehler [@wollan]: The cooperative Jahn-Teller distortions are accompanied by orbital ordering, and induce the magnetic structure. Moreover, away from half-doping, this CE structure appears as an elementary “brick” to build more complicated charge ordering patterns such as “stripes” [@mori]. It is thus especially robust and calls for a detailed explanation. A few models have been proposed to explain CE ordering, putting the emphasis either on intersite Coulomb interactions [@pandit], magnetism and orbital ordering [@solovyev; @jackeli]. Mizokawa et al. [@mizokawa], and Yunoki and coworkers [@yunoki] have underlined the prominent role of Jahn-Teller deformations. Let us first list and grossly estimate the various energy scales in the system. The on-site Hubbard repulsion $U$ and the atomic level difference between the $e_g$ orbitals of manganese and the $2p$ orbitals of the oxygen are of the order of several $eV$’s, and are larger than the total conduction bandwidth ($W \sim 3 eV$). The Hund coupling $J_H$ is of order $1 eV$, while the intersite Coulomb repulsion seems not to be larger than $0.5 eV$. The Jahn-Teller splitting in the insulating LaMnO$_3$ phase is comparable, as shown by spectroscopy and optical absorption measurements [@dessaushen; @Jung]. In terms of a local electron-phonon coupling, it is reasonable to think of energies of the order of $0.2-0.3 eV$, comparable to the intersite $e_g$ hopping integrals $t_0 \sim 0.1-0.4 eV$ depending on the d-orbitals involved. On the other hand, the magnetic couplings (which in a cubic lattice give rise to critical temperatures $T_c$ between $100K$ and $400K$) are in the range of a few $meV$. This holds as well for the superexchange (antiferromagnetic) couplings as, more surprisingly, for the (ferromagnetic) double-exchange ones. It has been shown by Zener [@Zen] that $T_c^{DE} \sim \alpha t_0$, [*e.g.*]{} is proportional to the total kinetic energy of the carriers. As will be shown below, $\alpha$ is quite small and the actual values of $T_c^{DE}$ can be easily explained with a realistic $t_0$, for instance within De Gennes’s mean-field picture [@DeGen]. This hierarchy of energy scales is completed by the one set by the external magnetic field needed to turn the FM phase into the CE (AFCO) phase: It ranges from a few Teslas to $20$ Teslas or more. In terms of energy scale per atom, this is very small, of the order of $0.4-4 meV$. It is thus consistent with the values of the magnetic exchange constants, but much smaller than all the other scales. This points towards an important conclusion: The stringent competition between the above phases require that their free energies be very close, in the range of a few $meV$ per atom. Owing to the much larger electron-phonon and Coulomb interactions, it is reasonable to suppose that they play a dominant role in stabilizing the low-temperature CE phase. The necessary conclusion is that CE and FM phases are (meta)stable minima of the free energy, separated by rather high barriers. This is consistent with the fact that the phase transitions (with temperature or magnetic field) between charge ordered and charge disordered phases are first-order, with strong hysteresis under magnetic field. Tendencies to phase separation between FM and CO phases have been demonstrated in La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$, Pr$_{0.7}$Sr$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ and other compositions. One should also notice that charge ordering is always strong when it exists. Fine tuning of the chemical composition between CO and FM low temperature phases [@tokura2] does not allow to stabilize “weak” charge ordering. This points towards strong interactions (electron-phonon or Coulomb) in the insulating phase, while they are screened in the metallic phase. This feature is overlooked by mean-field treatments, but can be recovered by taking into account exchange-correlation corrections to the intersite Coulomb repulsion, as shown by Sheng and Ting [@sheng]. Since the lattice distortions here also come from Coulomb interactions (between $Mn$ and $O$ ions), we propose here to generalize the screening idea to electron-phonon interactions and use for this purpose a phenomenological approach. Given the complexity of the overall Hamiltonian, here we restrict ourselves to a single-orbital model in two dimensions, which quantitatively reproduces the various phase diagrams and their tuning by subtle variations of the bandwidth. Our goals are i) obtaining, for realistic values of the parameters, FM, CE and paramagnetic phases; ii) exploring by small variations of those parameters the different kinds of phase diagrams, with temperature and magnetic field: Of the type of La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ (no charge ordering, FM-PM transition with increasing $T$); of the type of Nd$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ (CE-FM-PM transitions with $T$, CE-FM with $H$); of the type of Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ (CE-PMCO-PM transitions with $T$, CE-FM with $H$). iii) obtaining first-order transitions between CE and FM phases. Taking into account explicitly orbital ordering should not change qualitatively the results since it works in the same direction [@yunoki; @jackeli] but may lead to quantitative improvement. Model and approximations ======================== Hamiltonian ----------- According to the arguments given in the introduction, we assume an infinite repulsion ($U=\infty$) between electrons on the same lattice site, and an infinite Hund coupling ($J_H=\infty$) between the localized $t_{2g}$ spins and the itinerant $e_g$ spins. One can therefore consider spinless electrons, their spin degree of freedom being unequivocally defined by the direction of the local $t_{2g}$ spins $\vec{S}$. Furthermore, we consider in this work a two-dimensional plane of the structure, with a half-filled band made of a single $e_{g}$ orbital. The effective model Hamiltonian is then: $$\label{H} H= H_{DE}+H_{Coul}+H_{ph}+H_{SE}+H_{H}$$ with $$\begin{aligned} H_{DE}&=& - \sum_{<ij>} \tilde{t}_{ij} c^\dagger_{i} c_{j} \\ H_{Coul} &=& \sum_{<ij>} V (n_i-n) (n_j-n)\\ H_{ph}&=& \frac{1}{2} \sum_i [K_b Q_{bi}^2 +K_2 Q_{2i}^2 +K_s Q_{si}^2 ] \\ && \hspace{-1.5cm} -\sum_i g_2 Q_{2i} (n_i-n) + \sum_i g_b Q_{bi} (n_i-n) - L_s \sum_{<ij>} Q_{si} Q_{2j} \\ H_{SE}&=& \sum_{<ij>} [J_1-J_2 Q_s] \vec{S}_i\cdot \vec{S}_j \\ H_{H}&=& -g\mu_{b}\vec{H} \sum_{i}\vec{S}_i\end{aligned}$$ The first term $H_{DE}$ represents the double exchange hopping of electrons on a square lattice. Here $c^\dagger_{i}$, $c_{i}$ are respectively the creation and annihilation operators for spinless electrons from a single band, and $\tilde{t}_{ij}=t \cos (\theta_{ij}/2)$ is the transfer integral between neighboring Mn sites whose ionic spins $\mathbf{S}_i$ and $\mathbf{S}_j$ make an angle $\theta_{ij}$ [@DeGen]. The second term $H_{Coul}$ describes the Coulomb repulsion between nearest neighbors ($n_i=c^\dagger_i c_i$ and $n$ is the average electron density, which is equal to $1/2$ in the present case). The third term $H_{ph}$ is the elastic part, which includes the coupling of electrons to a Jahn-Teller (JT) mode $Q_2$ and of holes to a “breathing” mode $Q_b$ ($g_2$ and $g_b$ are the coupling strengths, $K_2$ and $K_b$ the spring constants). In the planar geometry considered here, the other Jahn-Teller mode $Q_1$ is not relevant. We have also introduced a shear mode $Q_s$, which is driven by $Q_2$. Such a shear deformation, which is experimentally observed at low temperatures, is essential to reconcile the alternating Mn$^{4+}$ breathing and Mn$^{3+}$ JT distortions wich develop in the ordered phases. A substantial shear deformation is indeed observed in La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ [@radaelli]. It results in some $Mn-O-Mn$ bonds being shorter and other larger (“zig-zag” chains, see Fig. 1). The term $H_{SE}$ represents the antiferromagnetic (AF) superexchange interaction $J_1$ between the ionic spins on neighboring sites, which are treated as classical. The additional term $J_2Q_s$ is a phenomenological implementation of the Goodenough rule: It can either enhance or reduce the AF coupling depending on the sign of the shear deformation, which accounts for the fact that longer (shorter) Mn-Mn bonds have a more (less) antiferromagnetic character [@Good]. The last term $H_{H}$ takes into account the external magnetic field. We shall study the Hamiltonian (\[H\]) in the mean-field approximation, describing the charge ordered (CO) phase as a charge density wave (CDW) with momentum $(\pi,\pi)$. Let us call $\bar{n}^A$ and $\bar{n}^B$ the average electron densities in the two resulting sublattices, which correspond respectively to the Mn$^{3+}$ and Mn$^{4+}$ ions. We shall further assume that the JT coupling is only active on A sites, while the breathing deformations arise on B sites. With these approximations, the terms in the Hamiltonian which depend explicitely on $(n_i-n)$ reduce to $$H_{MF}=-\Delta \sum_{i \in A or B} (n_i^A-n_i^B) + const$$ where the order parameter $\Delta$ is defined as $$\label{Delta} \Delta=2V(\bar{n}^A-\bar{n}^B) + (g_bQ_b+g_2Q_2)/2$$ and the chemical potential has been set to zero by adding a term $ \Delta\mu=-(g_2Q_2-g_bQ_b)/2 $ to recover particle-hole symmetry (with these notations, the choice $\bar{n}^A \ge \bar{n}^B$ corresponds to the $Q$’s being all positive). The magnetic part is also treated in mean-field, according to de Gennes’ procedure [@DeGen], using a gaussian distribution for the angle of the classical spins with respect to the mean field direction. We consider the following magnetic phases: Ferromagnetic (F), paramagnetic (P), Néel anti-ferromagnetic (NAF), and CE-type ordering, with ferromagnetic zig-zag chains, coupled anti-ferromagnetically (CE). The most general unit cell which allows to describe all these phases is is made of 8 nonequivalent Mn sites in a plane (Fig. 1). In each of these magnetic configurations, the total free energy is minimized with respect to the following parameters: i) the magnetization on non-equivalent magnetic sites, ii) the average electron density $\bar{n}^A$ on sublattice A ($\bar{n}^B$ being just $1-\bar{n}^A$) and iii) the lattice displacements. Phenomenological treatment of screening effects ----------------------------------------------- As mentioned in the Introduction, to have a realistic description of the phase diagram which includes both the metallic and charge ordered phases at half-filling, it is necessary to go beyond the simple mean-field approach described in the preceding section by including the effects of exchange and correlation. Such effects on the intersite Coulomb repulsion in the half-doping manganites have recently been analyzed within an RPA-like calculation [@sheng], which is known to be appropriate for interacting electron systems at metallic densities. Since a detailed study goes beyond the scope of this paper, we propose here a semi-phenomenological treatment of screening which allows a qualitative description of the transition between CO and metallic states, and which correctly reproduces the results of reference [@sheng]. The method is further generalized to describe the screening of the electron-lattice interactions. Actually, the latter are due to the Coulomb repulsion between $Mn$ and $O$ ions and are therefore also screened in the metallic phase. This screening should be weaker than that of $Mn-Mn$ interactions, since it involves $Mn-O$ rather than $Mn-Mn$ charge fluctuations, but it should be sizeable. The procedure will be carried out in two successive steps. The first step consists in writing a reasonable estimate for the exchange-correlation energy $E_{xc}$, which is defined as the correction to the ground-state energy beyond the Hartree mean-field result. In the second step, we shall define an effective hamiltonian $H_{xc}$ to be treated in the mean-field approximation, such that $$\label{Hav} \langle H_{xc} \rangle = E_{xc}$$ This results in a modification of the atomic energy levels $\pm \Delta$ (i.e. in a reduction of the CDW gap), and it yields a correction to the free energy which is precisely of the form $E_{xc}$. ### Exchange-correlation energy Let us start by analyzing the simple ferromagnetic case at $T=0$, where the electron hopping is not renormalized by the mechanism of double exchange. In the metallic phase, which corresponds to a vanishing order parameter $\Delta$, the leading correction comes from the exchange (Fock) terms. These terms are responsible for an increase of the carrier itinerancy, which can be viewed as a renormalization of the hopping parameter $t\rightarrow t+V\langle c^\dagger_ic_{i+\delta}\rangle $. Hence the kinetic energy is lowered by a quantity proportional to the interaction potential $V$, and one can write $E_{xc}= -a V$ (the parameter $a$ is related to the dielectric constant of the system). On the other hand, in the CO phase, i.e. at strong $\Delta$, the correlation energy corresponds to the interaction between density fluctuations on neighboring sites, each of them being proportional to $\delta n \sim t/\Delta$. Therefore, in this case the appropriate limiting formula is $E_{xc}\sim -V (t/\Delta)^2$. These results can be generalized to the screening of the electron-lattice interactions, by replacing $V\rightarrow g^2/K$ and by introducing the corresponding order parameter $\Delta$ as given by eq. (\[Delta\]). A smooth interpolation between the weak and strong coupling behaviors can be obtained by writing the following expression for the exchange-correlation energy: $$\label{Exc} E_{xc} = - \frac{aV+b(g_b^2/K_b+g_2^2/K_2)} {1+c \left( \frac{\Delta}{t}\right)^2}$$ where $a,b$ and $c$ are phenomenological parameters (the ratio $a/c=1.44$ can be deduced from ref. [@sheng] and $b/a=1/10$ is chosen according to the ionic distances). As was stated at the beginning of this section, this formula is only appropriate in the ferromagnetic case. It does not account for the fact that the mobility of the carriers taking part in the screening process is affected by the magnetic structure through the DE mechanism. We shall give here the arguments which allow a generalization of eq. (\[Exc\]) to the different kinds of magnetic orderings. In the free-electron limit ($\Delta\rightarrow 0$), where screening is due to coherent band motion, one expects the correlation energy to be reduced by a factor $\tilde{t}/t$, where $$\label{teff} \tilde{t}=t \langle \cos(\theta_{ij}/2) \rangle$$ is the effective DE hopping parameter averaged in all space directions (this gives respectively $1,8/9,1/2$ in the $F,P$, $CE$ phases). The situation is slightly more complicated in the charge ordered phases, because $E_{xc}$ comes from incoherent hopping of the carriers to neighboring sites. According to Hund’s rule, such processes will be allowed only between sites with parallel spins, which defines an effective number of neighbors $\tilde{z}\le z$. In the CE phase, for instance, the lattice can be divided into U (up) and D (down) sites, according to the spin direction. Since each site has 2 U and 2 D neighbors, a given electron can only hop to the 2 neighbors with the same spin direction, and consequently $\tilde{z}/z=1/2$. At finite temperatures, however, thermal fluctuations will reduce the absolute value of the local magnetization $m$. Accordingly, there will be a finite probability that a given U site has a $\downarrow$ spin, which is given by $n_U^{\downarrow}=(1-m_U)/2$ (an equivalent expression holds for D sites). The total probability for hopping away from a U site is therefore $$2 n_U^\uparrow n_U^\uparrow +2 n_U^\downarrow n_U^\downarrow + 2 n_U^\uparrow n_D^\uparrow +2 n_U^\downarrow n_D^\downarrow$$ where obviously $n_U^{\uparrow}=1-n_U^{\downarrow}$. By adding the contributions for hopping processes starting from both U and D sites and dividing by 2, we obtain $$\label{zeff} \tilde{z}=\frac{1}{2} \left[ 4+ (m_U+m_D)^2\right]$$ which correctly gives $\tilde{z}/z=1,1/2,1/2$ for the F,P,CE phases at $T=0$. Here the factors (\[teff\]) and (\[zeff\]) introduce a feedback on the itinerancy of the electrons in the case of an applied magnetic field, which tends to align the spins ferromagnetically. This effect is essential in reducing the critical $H$ for the CE-FM transition at low temperatures, as we shall see below. For each given magnetic configuration, instead of eq. (\[Exc\]), we shall use the following formula for the exchange-correlation energy: $$\tilde{E}_{xc} = - \frac{\left[\tilde{a}V+\tilde{b}(g_b^2/K_b+g_2^2/K_2)\right]} {1+\tilde{c} \left( \frac{\Delta}{t}\right)^2}$$ where the screening parameters $a,b,c$ have been modified according to $$\tilde a= a \frac{\tilde{t}}{t}, \hspace{1cm} \tilde{b}= b \frac{\tilde{t}}{t}, \hspace{1cm} \tilde{c}= c \frac{z}{\tilde{z}}\frac{\tilde{t}}{t}$$ We emphasize here that the terms in the numerator of Eq. (\[Exc\]) are rescaled by the $\tilde{t} /t$ factor since they arise from the coherent screening processes (mostly active when $\Delta \to 0$). On the other hand the local (incoherent) screening processes related to the term in the denominator of Eq. (\[Exc\]) are also rescaled by the effective number of accessible nearest neighbor sites. ### Mean-field potential from exchange and correlation We wish to define an effective hamiltonian $H_{xc}$ to be treated in the mean-field approximation such that the correction to the free energy is equal to $E_{xc}$. To this purpose, we replace $\Delta$ by an operator $\hat{\Delta}$ (e.g. the mean-field parameter $n^A$ is replaced by $\sum_{i \in A} n^A_i$), and linearize the resulting expression. This gives $$\begin{aligned} \label{Hexop} H_{xc}= B \tilde{c} \frac{V}{t}\frac{\Delta}{t} \sum_{i\in A or B} (n^A_i-n^B_i) + const\end{aligned}$$ where we have defined $$B= \left[\tilde{a}V+\tilde{b}(g_b^2/K_b+g_2^2/K_2)\right]/ \left[1+\tilde{c} \left( \frac{\Delta}{t}\right)^2\right]^2$$ The constant part in eq. (\[Hexop\]) is $$-B \left\lbrace 1+ \tilde{c} \frac{\Delta}{t^2} \left[ 6V(\bar{n}^A-\bar{n}^B) + (g_bQ_b+g_2Q_2)/2 \right] \right\rbrace$$ It is easy to verify that eq. (\[Hav\]) holds when $\bar{n}^A = \langle n^A \rangle$ and $\bar{n}^B = \langle n^B \rangle$. One notices that a dielectric constant can be deduced from the screening of the gap, by writing $$\Delta \rightarrow \Delta_{eff}=\Delta -B\tilde{c}\frac{V\Delta}{t^2}$$ which gives $$\varepsilon=\frac{\Delta}{\Delta_{eff}}=\frac{1}{1-c \frac{V}{t^2} \frac{\tilde{a}V+\tilde{b}(g_b^2/K_b+g_2^2/K_2)}{ 1+\tilde{c} \left( \frac{\Delta}{t}\right)^2}}$$ Results ======= The phase diagram: Existence of a CE phase ------------------------------------------ The Hamiltonian in Eq. (\[H\]) is formed by several competing terms, and the corresponding phase diagram contains several phases, each one dominating in some region of the parameter space. To make the analysis simpler, we choose to vary together those parameters having similar physical effects. In particular, the electron-phonon couplings generically reduce the electron mobility and, at mean-field level, tend to give rise to a staggered charge ordering, acting similarly to the n.n. electron-electron repulsion $V$. Therefore in varying $V$ we keep constant the ratio $V/(g^2/K)$. For the sake of simplicity, we also keep a fixed $J_2/J_1$ ratio, although it is not the only possible choice. Figure 2 reports typical phase diagrams at various temperatures as a function of the magnetic coupling $J = J_1 S^{2}/t$ with $J_{1} = J_{2}$ ($S = 3/2$) and of the repulsive e-e interaction $V=0.5(g^2/K)$. At low temperature (left panel) there is a metallic (i.e. without charge-ordering) ferromagnetic phase (FM) when the charge-ordering (CO) terms $V$ and $g^2/K$ are not too large. This FM phase is naturally suppressed by the increase of the antiferromagnetic (AF) superexchange coupling $J_1$. When the charge mobility is suppressed by the CO terms, one finds two distinct possible phases. At low values of the AF coupling the pure CO effects dominate and a ferromagnetic (F) CO phase occurs at sufficiently large values of $V$ (F-CO). The transition is first order, as found in Ref [@sheng], due to the exchange-correlation terms. On the other hand, by increasing the AF coupling, the CO ferromagnetism is destabilized and a CE phase takes place. This latter phase naturally realizes the best compromise between the electron mobility, favored by the ferromagnetic bonds, the CO, and the AF interactions increasing with $J_1$. The CE ordering arises due to competing lattice displacements. In particular a substantial shear mode is induced in the lattice to reconcile the (asymmetrical) JT deformations occurring in the Mn$^{3+}$ ions with the (centrosymmetric) breathing deformations around the Mn$^{4+}$ ions. The resulting lattice structure displays zig-zag chains formed by long bonds interlaced with zig-zag chains of short bonds. Then the peculiar CE magnetic structure naturally appears. In particular, according to Goodenough [@Good], orbital ordering makes the sign of the magnetic couplings to be correlated to the length of the bonds, with AF (F) magnetic couplings corresponding to short (long) bonds. Therefore, the lattice-driven chains with short bonds and with long bonds naturally translate into a lattice-driven CE magnetic structure. The temperature evolution is represented in the three panels of figure 2. By increasing $T$ the weak ferromagnetism surviving in the CO phase at small $J$ is rapidly suppressed in favor of a a CO paramagnetic phase. Also the CE region, being due to a delicate balance between CO, FM, and AF interactions, is reduced rather rapidly. The FM phase at small values of $J_1$ is instead based on the double-exchange mechanism, which is more robust and, upon increasing $T$, is only weakly “invaded” by the CO paramagnetic phase. One also observes that compounds with a low-temperature CE magnetic structure, but laying near the CE-FM phase boundary, can undergo a first-order CE-to-FM transition upon increasing the temperature. It is worth pointing out that, within our formal scheme, the CO paramagnetic phase is the only possible mean-field description of an insulating non-magnetic phase at moderate temperature values. The explored temperature range is indeed much too low to allow for a thermal disruption of the CO, which instead occurs at temperatures of the order of $V$. However, in strong coupling, one may speculate that a more refined description would allow for the disordering of the charge (possibly without spoiling the local lattice deformations around the charges) thus producing the disordered paramagnetic (and polaronic) phase which is observed in all manganites above a few hundreds of kelvins. Sensitive role of the electronic bandwidth ------------------------------------------ A key issue is the role of the kinetic energy in the competition between the different phases. An extended experimental analysis of the phase diagrams of the various manganites [@tokura; @tokura2] suggests that the electronic bandwidth, among other parameters such as lattice disorder, plays a primary role in determining the stability and the competition between the FM and the insulating phases. In our model we investigated this relevant point by varying the bare hopping amplitude in front of the double-exchange term in the Hamiltonian (\[H\]). We also assume that the same mechanism inducing the variation of the nearest neighbour hopping of the itinerant electrons in the $e_g$ orbitals is responsible for variations of the hopping of the $t_{2g}$ electrons as well. This affects the superexchange couplings $J_1$ and $J_2$, in particular $J_1$ is expected to arise from second-order hopping processes of the $t_{2g}$ electrons $J_1\propto t^2/U_{t_{2g}}$ (where $U_{t_{2g}}$ is some effective repulsion between electrons in the same doubly occupied $t_{2g}$ orbital). According to this assumption, when the hopping $t$ is increased without changing the intersite repulsion $V$ one moves downwards in the phase diagrams of Fig. 2, where the variable $V/t$ is reported on the $y$-axis. At the same time, however, the increasing $t$ produces an increase in the $x$-axis variable $J \propto t$. Therefore, by keeping all the Hamiltonian parameters fixed, but $t$ and $J_1=J_2$, one moves in the phase diagram along the dotted curves $V/t=A/J$ reported in Fig. 2. These curves correspond to similar physical systems, where the only nearest neighbour electronic hopping amplitudes have been varied. It immediately appears that systems which slightly differ by the electronic hopping amplitude can have different magnetic structures at low temperature (Fig. 2, left panel). In particular, by increasing $t$ a first-order transition can occur at low temperature from a CE to a FM phase. Furthermore, the temperature evolution of systems with different bandwidth but laying near a phase boundary can be different. This is made apparent in Fig. 3, where we report the temperature-magnetic field phase diagrams for three systems with different hopping (and therefore also different magnetic couplings $J_1$) laying on the same dotted curve $(V/t)=0.04/J$. The three phase diagrams correspond to systems with slightly different magnetic couplings (differing at most by ten percent). Nevertheless, already at zero magnetic field, the three systems display a completely different evolution in temperature. The more insulating (i.e., with smaller $t$) system having $J=0.037$ (so that $(V/t)=1.081$) never becomes metallic at zero field, but only undergoes a first-order transition from a low-temperature CE phase to a paramagnetic insulating phase at $T\simeq 0.032 t$ (left panel, see also Figs.4,5). In the more metallic system (center panel) having $J=0.038$ (and $V/t=1.053$), the CE phase disappears at a lower temperature $T\simeq 0.02 t$ and it is replaced by an intermediate FM phase. The ferromagnetic order and the metallicity is then destroyed at a higher temperature $T\simeq 0.032t$ where a paramagnetic CO phase takes place. We reiterate here that this latter phase is better to be intended as the mean-field representation of a disordered paramagnetic insulating phase. Finally, at even larger values of $J=0.04$, corresponding to $V/t=1$ the metallic phase is present already at low temperature and it survives up to a $T\simeq 0.05 t$. The relevant role of the kinetic energy in stabilizing the uniform metallic FM phase at the expenses of the CO phases and particularly of the one with CE magnetic order is made even more apparent in the presence of a magnetic field. This is particularly clear in the first panel of Fig. 3, where the FM phase, which would be absent at zero field becomes the most stable solution at large enough $H$. It is also worth mentioning that, due to the presence of screening, the metallic uniform solution is always a (local) minimum of the free energy. Therefore an (at least metastable) metallic solution is present even at zero field. The existence of a (local) minimum is a necessary condition for the occurrence of an hysteretic behavior at the transition. Of course the region of the hysteresis also depends on the height of the free energy barrier between the maxima, of domain walls and of other non-equilibrium properties. Nevertheless the region in T and H where two minima exist provides an (excess) estimate for the hysteresis region experimetally observed in half-doped Pr$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$, Nd$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$, (Nd$_{1-y}$Sm$_y$)$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ and Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ [@tokura; @tokura2]. Discussion ---------- The previous subsection illustrated the main results of the present work: i\) The CE phase does arise in the present one-orbital model and is crucially related to competition between the JT and breathing distortions involved in the charge-ordered state on $Mn^{3+}$ and $Mn^{4+}$ sites respectively. The shear lattice deformation results from this competition and couples to the magnetic degree of freedom, merely through orbital ordering. ii\) Exchange-correlation corrections are essential to stabilize a metallic ferromagnetic phase, due to substantial screening of both Coulomb and electron-lattice interactions. iii\) The kinetic energy is a most effective parameter in determining the relative stability of the various phases upon varying the temperature and the magnetic field. As far as point i) is concerned, in the present work we show that the CE phase not only arises from electronic mechanisms based on the presence of (at least) two orbitals per Mn site. The existence of a CE phase in a model [*without*]{} orbital degrees of freedom is quite remarkable. It is indeed repeatedly stated in the literature [@solovyev; @jackeli; @okamoto] that the CE phase is stabilized by the kinetic energy gain arising from the orbital ordering forming ferromagnetic chains. Our results are not in contrast with this viewpoint, but underline that the above purely electronic mechanism is not the only possible one, and that the coupling with lattice degrees of freedom can be of primary importance. In this regard our results are related to previous Hartree-Fock [@mizokawa] and quantum Monte-Carlo [@yunoki] calculations, where the JT deformations were claimed to be relevant for the occurrence of a CE phase. Our low-temperature phase diagrams are qualitatively similar to the one reported in Fig. 2(c) in Ref.[@yunoki] once the distinction between order and disorder in the orbital degrees of freedom is discarded [@notascalaAF]. Our contribution in this framework is to show that the lattice shear deformation is a relevant ingredient in its own even in the absence of cooperative mechanisms due to electronic or JT-induced orbital ordering. Regarding point iii) we notice that a systematic analysis of the role of the hopping is relevant for the general understanding of the manganites. In the real materials of the general form R$_{1-x}$A$_x$MnO$_3$ (where R and A are trivalent rare earth and divalent alkaline earth ions respectively) the bandwidth can be varied by changing the radius of the perovskite A site (where the R and A ions are located). Depending on the averaged ionic radius the bond angle of Mn-O-Mn deviates from 180$^0$ in the orthorombic lattice. The smaller the radius of the A site is, the larger is this angle, which reduces the Mn-O overlap and the effective Mn-Mn hopping. A systematic experimental analysis of this effect is reported in Ref. [@tokura2]. The results summarized in Fig. 3 allow for a unified qualitative description of different half-doped materials. In particular the most insulating behavior in Fig. 3(a) is consistent with the generic features of Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$. On the other hand, the center panel of Fig. 3 shows the same qualitative behavior of La$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$ or (Nd$_{1-y}$Sm$_y$)$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$. Finally the most metallic system in the right panel is a good qualitative description of La$_{0.5}$Sr$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$. Nevertheless, it has been pointed out [@note] that a rapid change in lattice constant $K$, rather than necessarily small changes of $t$, could be the clue for the very different behaviours of the systems (A,A$^\prime$)$_{0.5}$MnO$_3$. In our case this would correspond to an abrupt change along a vertical line in Figs. 2, and would enhance the first-order character of the transitions. A semi-quantitative agreement can even be reached. In fact, the pure double-exchange ferromagnetic critical temperature ($J/t = 0$) is, from our 2D mean-field calculation, $T_c\simeq 0.085t$. A 3D estimate enhances this value by a factor $3/2$ owing to the number of nearest neighbours, yielding $T_{c}^{DE} \simeq 0.13 t$. For an average value $t = 0.3 eV$ one gets a transition temperature $\simeq 450K$. It is reduced by the presence of the antiferromagnetic coupling, for instance in panel c of Figure 3, in zero field $T_{c} \simeq 0.05t$ thus $\simeq 270K$ in 3D, thus supporting De Gennes’ simple mean-field picture. Then one obtains in the center panel the value $T_{c}^{CE} \simeq 180K$, and in the left panel $T_{c}^{CE} \simeq 170K$. These values are reasonable, as compared with experimental ones, in particular one notices that $T_{c}^{CE}$ is strongly reduced compared to $T_{c}^{DE}$. This is due to the competition between the two order parameters (ferro and antiferro). Another way to understand it is to notice that in the CE phase the effective dimensionality is reduced by chain formation, together with charge localization this reduces the effective stength of double-exchange. On the other hand the effective antiferromagnetic exchange is close to that of stoechiometric CaMnO$_{3}$ with a $T_{c}$ of $120K$. We have also systematically investigated the role of the magnetic field in stabilizing the uniform FM phase. The typical energy differences involved in the first-order transitions are so small that accessible magnetic fields are sufficient to drive the transition from the insulating to the FM phases. Specifically, by taking a typical value of $t \simeq 0.3 eV$, one can see that $H/t = 0.015$ (where $H = g \mu_{b} S H$) roughly corresponds to ten Teslas. This value agrees well with the typical values experimentally used to investigate the (T,H) dependence of the low-temperature CE insulating phase and the intermediate-temperature uniform FM phase [@tokura; @tokura2]. Conclusion ========== Let us compare our approach with other models which have been proposed to describe the half-doping compounds. In our treatment, the main ingredient which is responsible for the CE-type magnetic ordering is the appearance of a shear deformation, with the consequent modification of the magnetic coupling along certain directions. In ref. [@yunoki], two different orbitals are retained for the $e_g$ electrons, but the shear deformation is absent. In their approach, the CE order arises because the orbitals prefer to have large overlaps along certain directions, thus favoring the kinetic energy along zig-zag chains where the spins are aligned ferromagnetically. In ref. [@jackeli], the electron-lattice interaction is absent, and it is again the anisotropic $e_g$ transfer amplitude of the two-orbital model which drives the CE state. In both cases, however, the AF coupling $J\sim 0.1 t$ necessary to achieve the CE state is one order of magnitude higher than what is estimated from experiments, signaling that there must be some additional effect contributing to the CE ordering. Finally, we reiterate that self-consistent screening is necessary to explain that phases with marked charge order come in very close competition with metallic phases. We believe that this is a crucial feature of doped manganites, that further models addressing coexistence and texturing of those phases at small scales must take into account. For reviews see : Colossal Magnetoresistance, Charge ordering, and Related Properties of Manganese Oxides, edited by C. N. R. Rao, B. Raveau (World Scientific, Singapore, 1998); M. Imada, A. Fujimori and Y. Tokura, Rev. Mod. Phys. 70, 1039 (1998); Colossal Magnetoresistance Oxides, ed. Y. Tokura, Gordon and Breach, Monographs in Cond. Matt. Science (1999). D. Feinberg, P. Germain, M. Grilli and G. Seibold, Phys. Rev. B [**57**]{}, 5583 (1998) ; M. Capone, D. Feinberg and M. Grilli, Eur. Phys. J. B[**17**]{}, 103 (2000). E. O. Wollan and W. C. Koehler, Phys. Rev. **100**, 545 (1955). C. Zener, Phys. Rev. **82**, 403 (1951). P. W. Anderson and H. 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Q: Android: column '_id' does not exist I am getting this error IllegalArgumentException: column '_id' does not exist When using a SimpleCursorAdapter to retrieve from my database, and the table does indeed have this _id column. Noticing this a common problem, I have tried to work around it given some of the solutions online but none of them work. This is my cursor query: SimpleCursorAdapter mAdapter = new SimpleCursorAdapter(this, R.layout.quoterow, myCursor, new String[]{"_id", "quote"}, new int[]{R.id.quote}); although I should mention the original did not include the _id column, I added this recently to try and solve the problem. Has anyone got any ideas that might help solve the problem? A: Your database doesn't have to have a column called '_id' but the SimpleCursorAdaptor does need to have one returned. You can do this with an alias. An example is that I have a table with columns... uid,name,number To query this for a SimpleCursorAdapter, I do this with a database rawQuery... SELECT uid as _id,name,number FROM MY_TABLE This works fine and supplies the necessary '_id' column to SimpleCursorAdapter. EDIT: As far as I understand it the _id field is used as a unique key to make sure the data the cursor handles can be handled correctly by adapters and adapterviews etc. Look at the data model in the docs for Content Providers. Using a unique key in 'databases' of whatever kind is pretty much universal practice, and as far as I can tell, the use of the column name '_id' (or '_ID') is simply a way of standardizing and simplifying things across databases, content providers, cursors, adapters etc etc In short, in order for these various components to work correctly, they need a data column with unique values but they must also 'know' what the name of that column is. They wouldn't 'know', so to speak, that my column name 'uid' is the one they need as opposed to my 'name' and 'number' columns. | High | [
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Q: Determining whether an operator is Hermitian The operator $F$ is defined by $F\psi(x)=\psi(x+a)+\psi(x-a) $, where $a$ is a nonzero constant. Determine whether or not $F$ is a Hermitian operator. If the condition for $F$ to be Hermitian is $(\psi|F\psi)=(F\psi|\psi)$, then $(\psi|F\psi)=\int\psi^*(\psi(x+a)+\psi(x-a))dx$ and $(F\psi|\psi)=\int(\psi^*(x+a)+\psi^*(x-a))\psi dx$ how can I show equality? A: By using linearity of the inner product and change of variables in the integral. $$ (F\psi \mid \phi) = (\psi_a + \psi_{-a}\mid\phi) = (\psi_a\mid\phi) +(\psi_{-a}\mid\phi) $$ Where the subscript in $\psi_a$ means translation by $a$. Change of variables ($x'=x+a$) in the integral implies $(\psi_a\mid\phi) = (\psi\mid\phi_{-a})$ and vice versa. $$ (\psi_a\mid\phi) +(\psi_{-a}\mid\phi) = (\psi\mid\phi_{-a})+(\psi\mid\phi_{a}) = (\psi\mid F\phi) $$ | High | [
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Ultrastructural recognition of cells with dendritic cell morphology in human aortic intima. Contacting interactions of Vascular Dendritic Cells in athero-resistant and athero-prone areas of the normal aorta. Analysis of serial ultrathin sections of the human aortic intima detected a new cell yet to be described in the literature. These cells, which we have designated Vascular Dendritic Cells, appeared in contact with each other and with other intimal cells. Vascular dendiritic cells are characterised by ultrastructural features similar to those of dendritic cells, including a well developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum and the presence of several processes which were 3-5 or more times in excess of the size of the cell body. In areas of the normal aorta resistant to atherosclerosis, vascular dendritic cells were mainly localised in the subendothelial layer where they contacted both endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. In areas of the normal aorta predisposed to atherosclerosis, vascular dendritic cells were distributed throughout the intima and the cellular interactions were altered with the vascular dendritic cells, developing multiple contacts with monocyte/macrophages and lymphocyte-like cells. Aortic areas predisposed to atherosclerosis showed the destruction of some vascular dendritic cell processes where they apposed endothelial cells. We speculate that vascular dendritic cells (VDCs) are a variety of dendritic cell and are involved in the maintenance of homeostasis in normal arterial intima. Vascular dendritic cells may be important in the development of atherosclerotic lesions, possibly through an immune mechanism. | High | [
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Category «Blogging» BlogSuccess.com is one of the most recent websites from Jack Humphrey, one of the internet’s leading blog gurus. Blog Success is a membership website that is currently being sold for $47 a month, though in the past membership fees have ranged anywhere from $39 a month to $197 a month. Blog Success is the updated version of Authority Site Center, which was Jack’s previous training program. Blog Success provides articles, training videos, webinars, tech support, and much more to help you make your blog as successful as possible. They also claim to have fantastic tech support for WordPress blogs, and all support is included in the monthly fee. | Mid | [
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Astronomers Have Photographed Sunspots In Detail And Have Revealed Hidden Details About The Star Astronomers discovered a wide hole in our Sun back in 2015. The giant sunspot that is nearly twice the diameter of the Earth has got some new details that astronomers have shared. New images of the sunspot have allowed astronomers to study the dark, twisted centre in a whole new light. This could be essential in understanding the mysterious physics that is the powerhouse behind the Sun. Never before seen detail of Sunspots It is not unusual for our star, the Sun, to have these sunspots. They are a common phenomenon that develops on the surface due to extreme concentration of a magnetic field in certain places. This in turn causes a cold patch on the surface of the star and hence the darker looking contorted image of a sunspot shows up. These cold patches can cause huge solar flares which send the Sun’s material blasting into space. There are many ways to understand this concept and we currently have a lot of telescopes with which we can watch these sunspots forming on the Sun at different wavelengths of light. But scientists have now used a different type of telescope to image these spots on radio wavelengths which has astonishingly revealed some spectacular detail. This was done using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile. “We’re accustomed to seeing how our Sun appears in visible light, but that can only tell us so much about the dynamic surface and energetic atmosphere of our nearest star,” said Tim Bastian, an astronomer with the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory. “To fully understand the Sun, we need to study it across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including the millimetre and submillimetre portion that ALMA can observe.” The ALMA telescope is used normally to detect radio waves from far away galaxies, but it was also designed in a special way that allows it to directly stare into the Sun without damaging anything. This means that it was able to look at those sunspots and detected radio wavelengths that no other telescope could. Analysis Indicates That In The Next 5 Billion Years The Sun Will Expand And Destroy All Life On Earth ALMA showed the sunspots in a whole new light The wavelengths picked up by ALMA were two, one at 1.25 millimeters (mm) and one at 3 millimeters (mm). Both of these wavelengths are used to make an analysis of the Sun’s chromosphere, which is an area just above the surface that we can see in visible light. The image taken at the 1.25mm range shows something strikingly different that the one taken at 3mm. The chromosphere layer in the 1.25mm image is much deeper than the 3mm one and the contrast of both images shows that the temperature of the chromosphere below a sunspot changes depending on how deep it gets. These two images show never before seen detail of the sunspot. You can view the 1.25mm radio wavelength image below. | High | [
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import { call, put, select, takeLatest, } from 'redux-saga/effects'; import thirdPartyServices from '../services/thirdparty'; import { handleRequestError, protectedJsonRequest } from '../helpers/api'; import { clientVersionRequest } from '../helpers/client'; import { history } from '../helpers/router'; import { getGfsTargetTimeBefore, getGfsTargetTimeAfter, fetchGfsForecast, } from '../helpers/gfs'; function* fetchClientVersion() { try { const version = yield call(clientVersionRequest); yield put({ type: 'APPLICATION_STATE_UPDATE', key: 'version', value: version }); } catch (err) { handleRequestError(err); } } function* fetchZoneHistory(action) { const { zoneId } = action.payload; try { const payload = yield call(protectedJsonRequest, `/v3/history?countryCode=${zoneId}`); yield put({ type: 'ZONE_HISTORY_FETCH_SUCCEEDED', zoneId, payload }); } catch (err) { yield put({ type: 'ZONE_HISTORY_FETCH_FAILED' }); handleRequestError(err); } } function* fetchGridData(action) { const { datetime } = action.payload; try { const payload = yield call(protectedJsonRequest, datetime ? `/v3/state?datetime=${datetime}` : '/v3/state'); yield put({ type: 'TRACK_EVENT', payload: { eventName: 'pageview' } }); yield put({ type: 'APPLICATION_STATE_UPDATE', key: 'callerLocation', value: payload.callerLocation }); yield put({ type: 'APPLICATION_STATE_UPDATE', key: 'callerZone', value: payload.callerZone }); yield put({ type: 'GRID_DATA_FETCH_SUCCEEDED', payload }); } catch (err) { yield put({ type: 'GRID_DATA_FETCH_FAILED' }); handleRequestError(err); } } function* fetchSolarData(action) { const { datetime } = action.payload || {}; try { const before = yield call(fetchGfsForecast, 'solar', getGfsTargetTimeBefore(datetime)); const after = yield call(fetchGfsForecast, 'solar', getGfsTargetTimeAfter(datetime)); yield put({ type: 'SOLAR_DATA_FETCH_SUCCEEDED', payload: { forecasts: [before, after] } }); } catch (err) { yield put({ type: 'SOLAR_DATA_FETCH_FAILED' }); handleRequestError(err); } } function* fetchWindData(action) { const { datetime } = action.payload || {}; try { const before = yield call(fetchGfsForecast, 'wind', getGfsTargetTimeBefore(datetime)); const after = yield call(fetchGfsForecast, 'wind', getGfsTargetTimeAfter(datetime)); yield put({ type: 'WIND_DATA_FETCH_SUCCEEDED', payload: { forecasts: [before, after] } }); } catch (err) { yield put({ type: 'WIND_DATA_FETCH_FAILED' }); handleRequestError(err); } } function* trackEvent(action) { const appState = yield select(state => state.application); const searchParams = new URLSearchParams(history.location.search); const { eventName, context = {} } = action.payload; yield call( [thirdPartyServices, thirdPartyServices.trackEvent], eventName, { // Pass whole of the application state ... ...appState, bundleVersion: appState.bundleHash, embeddedUri: appState.isEmbedded ? document.referrer : null, // ... together with the URL context ... currentPage: history.location.pathname.split('/')[1], selectedZoneName: history.location.pathname.split('/')[2], solarEnabled: searchParams.get('solar') === 'true', windEnabled: searchParams.get('wind') === 'true', // ... and whatever context is explicitly provided. ...context, }, ); } export default function* () { // Data fetching yield takeLatest('GRID_DATA_FETCH_REQUESTED', fetchGridData); yield takeLatest('WIND_DATA_FETCH_REQUESTED', fetchWindData); yield takeLatest('SOLAR_DATA_FETCH_REQUESTED', fetchSolarData); yield takeLatest('ZONE_HISTORY_FETCH_REQUESTED', fetchZoneHistory); yield takeLatest('CLIENT_VERSION_FETCH_REQUESTED', fetchClientVersion); // Analytics yield takeLatest('TRACK_EVENT', trackEvent); } | Mid | [
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Q: declaring local variables in c# expression trees bound to a block My problem here is that I cannot get local variables to blocks in c# expression trees (e.g. System.Linq.Expressions) to work without throwing an exception despite function argument variables working perfectly fine. By 'local variables' here, I don't mean closures. I mean variables that are specifically local to blocks in c# expression trees. Currently, I have a very bizarre case, where one expression tree works, and another throws the exception: An unhandled exception of type 'System.InvalidOperationException' occurred in System.Core.dll Additional information: variable 'num' of type 'System.Int32' referenced from scope '', but it is not defined The working code is compiled from: public static int Assign () { int num; int num2; num = 1; num2 = 2; return num + num2; } to the expression tree (debug view): .Lambda #Lambda1<System.Func`1[System.Int32]>() { .Block( System.Int32 $num, System.Int32 $num2) { 0; 0; $num = 1; $num2 = 2; .Return returnLabel { $num + $num2 }; .Label 0 .LabelTarget returnLabel: } } This works normally. However, when my compiler tries to compile this: public static int Assign () { int num = 1; int num2 = 2; return num + num2; } as: .Lambda #Lambda1<System.Func`1[System.Int32]>() { .Block( System.Int32 $num, System.Int32 $num2) { $num = 1; $num2 = 2; .Return returnLabel { $num + $num2 }; .Label 0 .LabelTarget returnLabel: } } This block expression throws the invalid operation exception - An unhandled exception of type 'System.InvalidOperationException' occurred in System.Core.dll Additional information: variable 'num' of type 'System.Int32' referenced from scope '', but it is not defined What's really confusing here is that the only difference is caused by the random {0} - System.Linq.Expressions.Expression.Constant(0) expression seemingly making the error go away (the reason these exist is Specifically, this problem doesn't appear for parameters defined in the lambda expression, for example, the compiler deals with: public static Crappier<int> FieldAssign(int i, Crap thing) { thing.field = i; return new Crappier<int>(); ; } fine outputting an expression tree: .Lambda #Lambda1<System.Func`3[System.Int32,Sulieman.Crap,Sulieman.Crappier`1[System.Int32]]>( System.Int32 $i, Sulieman.Crap $thing) { .Block() { $thing.field = $i; .Return returnLabel { .New Sulieman.Crappier`1[System.Int32]() }; .Label null .LabelTarget returnLabel: } } However, I specifically want variables that are bound to one block. The reason for this is that in the code: for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) { Console.WriteLine("hello"); } for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) { Console.WriteLine("world"); } This is valid c# code since although i is declared twice, it is declared to it's local scope. My compiler tries to account for this by compiling to: *.Lambda #Lambda1<System.Action>() { .Block() { .Block(System.Int32 $i) { $i = 0; .Loop .LabelTarget forContinueLabel: { .If ($i < 3) { .Block() { .Block() { .Call System.Console.WriteLine("hello") }; $i++ } } .Else { .Break forBreakLabel { } } } .LabelTarget forBreakLabel: }; .Block(System.Int32 $i) { $i = 0; .Loop .LabelTarget forContinueLabel: { .If ($i < 3) { .Block() { .Block() { .Call System.Console.WriteLine("world") }; $i++ } } .Else { .Break forBreakLabel { } } } .LabelTarget forBreakLabel: }; .Label 3 .LabelTarget returnLabel: } } Any suggestions on how to deal with this? I'm fairly certain I'm handling these local variables in totally the wrong way. A: Nevermind - this was a nasty bug where the assignment $num was referencing a different object but same name parameter expression which was different to the parameter expression in the block. Parameter Expressions with the same name are not necessarily the same parameter expressions! | Low | [
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Joseph Crowdy Major-General Joseph Porter Crowdy FRIPH (19 November 1923 – 28 June 2009) was a British soldier and military doctor, and Commandant of the Royal Army Medical College. He was an Honorary Physician to H. M. the Queen, 1981–1984. Background and education The son of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles R. Crowdy, by his marriage to Kate Porter, Joseph Porter Crowdy was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk (1933–1942), and the University of Edinburgh (1942–1947). He took the degrees of MB and BCh in 1947, a Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene in 1956, and finally in 1957 Diplomas in Public Health and in Industrial Health. Career Crowdy was a house surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital from 1947 to 1948, before joining the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1949. He served in North Africa (1952–1955), then in Singapore (1960–1962), and in 1963 was appointed as Head of Applied Physiology at the Army Personnel Research Establishment, where he remained until in 1973 he became Professor of Army Health at the Royal Army Medical College. He was next Senior Medical Officer, Land Forces Cyprus (1976–1978), then Director of Army Preventative (Medicine 1978–1981) before his final posting as Commandant of the Royal Army Medical College (1985–1988). Publications Editor, Royal Army Medical Corps Journal, 1978–1983 Family In 1948, Crowdy married Beryl Elisabeth Sapsford (died 1997); they had four daughters. Honours and appointments Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine, 1974 Member, Faculty of Occupational Medicine, 1981 Fellow, Royal Institute of Public Health, 1982 Honorary Physician to the Queen, 1981–1984 Companion of the Order of the Bath, 1984 References Joseph Porter Crowdy bio at Royal Army Medical Corps website Category:1923 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Category:British Army generals Category:21st-century British medical doctors Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:People educated at Gresham's School Category:Royal Army Medical Corps officers Category:Place of death missing Category:Fellows of the Faculty of Public Health | High | [
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Bitcoin Games Online Casino Releases “Bitcoin Billion” Slot Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, is among the contributors to online gambling revenues. It’s also one of the inspirations of software providers and online casinos when delivering cutting-edge and unique casino games. Joining the trend, Bitcoin Games announced their newly-released, Bitcoin slots game entitled “Bitcoin Billion”. The new slot game in town has several advantages to bettors who have access to Bitcoin games. Anyone can have fun while playing and hit the jackpot with luck on their side. Overview For new users, you can instantly view Bitcoin Billion’s rules, guidelines, and payment methods under free mode. You can also bet smaller amounts of Bitcoin in a short period of time. But if you want to gamble and have an opportunity to take a portion of the jackpot, register an account and make a deposit. You can see the fast login URL on top of Bitcoin Game’s homepage, and all you have to do is claim the account and make a deposit. Gameplay The structure of Bitcoin Billion’s slot machine is no different from user-friendly, standard Bitcoin slots. The big difference, however, is you can customize your player’s experience to improve the results and make you more comfortable in betting. The main symbols displayed on the game include piggy banks, bitcoin logs, safes, and other crypto-related images. These symbols appear on the screen once you’re ready to spin the reel. In standard gameplay, you can win when the symbols line up in the play area. But, you can also increase your odds and chances of winning by adjusting the number of winning lines when placing a higher amount of bet. If you land on “win any prize” after spinning the wheel, you can choose to keep the reward or risk everything to double the payout. Moreover, you can also try out the the “autoplay feature” if you wish to sit back and relax. To activate it, you must first choose an initial bet and decide the number of lines you would like to use. The feature will then allow you to keep spinning the reels until you manually halt it or when you ran out of funds. The maximum number of autoplay spins you can consume is 25. The Bitcoin Billion will return to manual mode after it reaches that number. To spice up the game emore, you can join the progressive jackpot and win the highest possible payout. Just like familiar Bitcoin jackpot games, Bitcoin Billion’s progressive jackpot increases every time someone plays without hitting the top prize. | Low | [
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/* * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more * contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership. * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0 * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with * the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. */ package org.apache.jasper.el; import java.io.Externalizable; import java.io.IOException; import java.io.ObjectInput; import java.io.ObjectOutput; import jakarta.el.ELContext; import jakarta.el.ELException; import jakarta.el.PropertyNotFoundException; import jakarta.el.PropertyNotWritableException; import jakarta.el.ValueExpression; /** * Wrapper for providing context to ValueExpressions * * @author Jacob Hookom */ public final class JspValueExpression extends ValueExpression implements Externalizable { private ValueExpression target; private String mark; public JspValueExpression() { super(); } public JspValueExpression(String mark, ValueExpression target) { this.target = target; this.mark = mark; } @Override public Class<?> getExpectedType() { return this.target.getExpectedType(); } @Override public Class<?> getType(ELContext context) throws NullPointerException, PropertyNotFoundException, ELException { context.notifyBeforeEvaluation(getExpressionString()); try { Class<?> result = this.target.getType(context); context.notifyAfterEvaluation(getExpressionString()); return result; } catch (PropertyNotFoundException e) { if (e instanceof JspPropertyNotFoundException) throw e; throw new JspPropertyNotFoundException(this.mark, e); } catch (ELException e) { if (e instanceof JspELException) throw e; throw new JspELException(this.mark, e); } } @Override public boolean isReadOnly(ELContext context) throws NullPointerException, PropertyNotFoundException, ELException { context.notifyBeforeEvaluation(getExpressionString()); try { boolean result = this.target.isReadOnly(context); context.notifyAfterEvaluation(getExpressionString()); return result; } catch (PropertyNotFoundException e) { if (e instanceof JspPropertyNotFoundException) throw e; throw new JspPropertyNotFoundException(this.mark, e); } catch (ELException e) { if (e instanceof JspELException) throw e; throw new JspELException(this.mark, e); } } @Override public void setValue(ELContext context, Object value) throws NullPointerException, PropertyNotFoundException, PropertyNotWritableException, ELException { context.notifyBeforeEvaluation(getExpressionString()); try { this.target.setValue(context, value); context.notifyAfterEvaluation(getExpressionString()); } catch (PropertyNotWritableException e) { if (e instanceof JspPropertyNotWritableException) throw e; throw new JspPropertyNotWritableException(this.mark, e); } catch (PropertyNotFoundException e) { if (e instanceof JspPropertyNotFoundException) throw e; throw new JspPropertyNotFoundException(this.mark, e); } catch (ELException e) { if (e instanceof JspELException) throw e; throw new JspELException(this.mark, e); } } @Override public Object getValue(ELContext context) throws NullPointerException, PropertyNotFoundException, ELException { context.notifyBeforeEvaluation(getExpressionString()); try { Object result = this.target.getValue(context); context.notifyAfterEvaluation(getExpressionString()); return result; } catch (PropertyNotFoundException e) { if (e instanceof JspPropertyNotFoundException) throw e; throw new JspPropertyNotFoundException(this.mark, e); } catch (ELException e) { if (e instanceof JspELException) throw e; throw new JspELException(this.mark, e); } } @Override public boolean equals(Object obj) { return this.target.equals(obj); } @Override public int hashCode() { return this.target.hashCode(); } @Override public String getExpressionString() { return this.target.getExpressionString(); } @Override public boolean isLiteralText() { return this.target.isLiteralText(); } @Override public void writeExternal(ObjectOutput out) throws IOException { out.writeUTF(this.mark); out.writeObject(this.target); } @Override public void readExternal(ObjectInput in) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException { this.mark = in.readUTF(); this.target = (ValueExpression) in.readObject(); } } | Mid | [
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SPECIES PROFILE: DROSERA GRAOMOGOLENSIS 1/25/2018 A lovely specimen, full of dewy leaves! D. graomogolensis when grown under not as intense light - still very beautiful! D. graomogolensis has very short-lived flowers. They open only for a few hours and close shortly thereafter. D. graomogolensis has very short-lived flowers. They open only for a few hours and close shortly thereafter. 18" worth of root cuttings, cut off of 3 separate plants. There are over 30 new plants coming up! (not entirely visible in this photo) A young plant that was grown from a leaf cutting. My original graomogolensis plants, shortly after I purchased them. Oh, the nostalgia! Hello everybody! Dan here.To me, there are a number of characteristics that make a sundew visually appealing. From beautiful coloration to heavy dew production, many of these characteristics can be found ina South American species whose popularity in cultivation has increased dramatically these past few years.Also, let's get this out of the way: it's typicially pronounced "Gray-oh-moe-goal-en-sis."is endemic to the Minas Gerais state in Brazil; its name comes from Grão-Mogol, the municipality where the species was first discovered.Grão-Mogol is one of a number of locations wherecan be found. All of these locations occur in the campos rupestres habitat (Portuguese for "rocky fields"). This habitat occurs at high elevations (600 to 2,000m) and contains an abundance of shrubby, stunted vegetation. Winters are typically warm and somewhat dry, whereas summers are fairly hot.Having only been discovered in 1997,is not necessarily a recent discovery, but it isn't all that old either. If you're interested in reading the species description, you can find it here As with other cool-growing South Americandemonstrates superior growth with high light, cooler temperatures, and relatively high humidity (> 60% RH). Under these conditions, mature plants will retain dew on well over a dozen leaves at a time and develop striking red coloration. High light really is critical for good growth - without it, the plants will look green, drab, and depressing. The plants are not picky about media as long as it is acidic, water-retentive, and nutrient-free. Peat-based or Sphagnum mixes may work differently for you depending on your conditions but the plants should be able to grow well in both. If you are growing your plant in lower light conditions, I recommend adding more aggregates (perlite, sand, etc.); I have found thatcan be prone to root rot when grown in a dense media with lower light.is capable of growing roots upwards of 15" long. While short pots won't necessarily harm the plant, they will cause a buildup of coiled roots at the bottom and, in some cases, can lead to smaller plants. If you do decide to use shorter pots, I recommend not watering via the tray method. I recommend pots no shorter than 5" for mature plants. This species appreciates frequent feeding. As with almost all, do not apply any fertilizers to the roots.South Americanhave a reputation for being very picky. However, not only isone of the most beautiful South American species, but it is also one of the most adaptable! Make no mistake—the conditions described above will generally lead to the healthiest and best-looking plants. Adaptability merely means thathas a wider range of conditions that makes it happy. While most South Americans prefer temperatures in the mid 70s,has grown happily for me with 85 degree days. It doesn't even seem to mind! However, it is important to note that you should have a larger temperature drop at night to offset warm daytime temperatures; this plant is certainly tolerant, but it will not be okay with 85 degree temperatures constantly. In regards to humidity adaptability, I have always grown my plants with very high humidity, but I have heard of other growers that have successfully acclimated this plant to windowsill conditions. If you wish to attempt this, I recommend that you grow the plant successfully with high humidity first and then acclimate it very slowly to low humidity.is easily propagated vegetatively. I have found that one mature leaf cutting is capable of yielding upwards of six potential plants. In order to propagateby leaf cuttings, I snip off a newly grown, healthy leaf with dew on it (this is important) and float it in a petri dish with distilled water. It is important that the petri dish receives a lot of light but does not overheat. Alternatively, I have also placed leaf cuttings directly onto moist sphagnum and have had successful, albeit not as prolific, results. If your leaf cuttings was successful, you should being to see small nub-like plants emerge after several weeks. Allow the individual plants to grow small roots before separating them and planting them in media.Leaf cuttings certainly work well, but in terms of the sheer numbers of plants produced, I have had the best results from root cuttings. Whenever repotting my plants, I snip approximately half of their roots off. While you'd think that this would make them quite upset, they have never seemed to mind all that much. I then try to rinse as much media off of the freshly harvested roots as I can. Why? In my experience, more plants will sprout if the surface of the root is exposed to light. After washing off the media, I lay the roots across the surface of a long-fiber sphagnum mix (live sphagnum should also work fairly well, so long as it doesn't overgrow the roots). Sometimes I will pin down the root with strands of sphagnum—it is important that it has good contact with the sphagnum surface. Additionally, I highly recommend placing a bag around the entire pot in order to increase humidity. Once the plants have reached a decent size, I will cut the roots to separate them and then pot them individually. Make sure that you bag them, since they will have very undeveloped roots at this time.flowers but is supposedly not self-fertile. Since many of the plants in cultivation are the same clone, this makes it somewhat difficult to get seeds. However, I hypothesize that attempting manual self-pollination might lead to a small fertile seed yield; this was the case for me with a supposedly sterile clone of. Still,is easily propagated through vegetative means, so I don't think that its supposed infertility is all that big of a deal.is beautiful and, in comparison to other South American Drosera, not all that hard to grow! What's not to love? If you have recently purchased a plant, please note that it can take a few weeks to settle into its new conditions. Don't be worried if it doesn't look all that good at first! I hope this post has been helpful—there are some more photos below.Until next time,- Dan | Mid | [
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Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of chronic renal injury: physiological role of angiotensin II-induced oxidative stress in renal medulla. Renal medullary circulation has now been found to play a fundamental role in regulating long-term blood pressure control and fluid balance. Elevation of superoxide or reduction of nitric oxide (NO) in renal medulla decreases medullary blood flow and Na excretion, resulting in sustained hypertension. Angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced interaction of superoxide and NO was determined in thin tissue strips isolated from the renal outer medullary region of Sprague-Dawley rats using fluorescent microscopy techniques. Ang II can induce diffusion of NO, but not superoxide, from the medullary thick ascending limb (mTAL) to the surrounded vasa recta. However, when NO is reduced by the NO scavenger carboxy-PTIO, Ang II can induce superoxide diffusion from mTAL to vasa recta pericytes. Therefore, the physiological action of oxidative stress in renal medullary region is demonstrated as balance of superoxide and NO diffusion ("tubulo-vascular cross-talk"). These results explain how chronically hypoxic medulla can maintain blood flow. In other studies using chronically instrumented rats, we found that nearly 70% of Ang II-induced medullary renal injury was dependent on pressure determined by servo-control of renal perfusion pressure, whereas 30% of the injury was non-hemodynamic. We conclude that oxidative stress within the renal medulla can induce hypertension and also make the kidney functionally more vulnerable to the effects of Ang II. | High | [
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16.5
] |
A/N: Well, appears I'll have to make this clear so here it goes. MEGADIMENSION IS NOT HAPPENING IN THIS STORY! Seriously, this story was made in the beginning of June last year (or so forth after this is done…hopefully.) That was a few months AFTER the Japanese release and I didn't know about it at the time. This story is intended to tie in Victory, MK II and the first one and only those three. Hell, I've never seen Megadimension so I don't know what the hell it's about. And no. I'm not going to spend how many hours of a playthrough that goes into it and add more to the story. I intend to finish this, with what I have planned for it, and that's final. Besides, like Neptune said, this story is intended to be a somewhat fun story apart from the usual crossover stories I have. (you know the ones I'm talking about.) That and this story is almost three quarters done so it would be pointless to add some dramatic villain scheme and it wouldn't fit into the story. "Sighs." Damn that's a long Author's Note. Let's get the game started already. Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY and/or Hyperdimension Neptunia. They belong to their original creators. RWBY: Press Start Level Twenty Seven Game Over The roar of an engine coming from a boat could be heard in over the sea. As of now, Neptune and the rest of gang were making their way over to Leanbox. It was a journey Ruby and her team was extremely thankful for since they had to cross through the Gigo Main Entrance to get to said boat. They had to fight through several of the monsters that jumped them. Thankfully, they were able to avoid the A Class monster that resided in the area. So now, they were using this time to relax and recover their HP. All the while of finally telling Neptune and the rest of group what happened to them during the festival. Naturally, Neptune was ecstatic about it. "You're finally together after how many chapters of this story now? Well, not together as a whole team but two people individually. You know what I mean." Of course, they did and to be honest, they couldn't feel happier about it. Yang made it obvious in showing her affections by having her arm around Blake and grinning. "I have to say, I've never felt more alive." Her sister had to agree since she and Weiss were holding hands (much to the heiress' embarrassment.) "I know right? This is so much better than all the cookies in the world." Their respective girlfriends loved this as well. After so long of what they were going through, it was like nothing more than a distant memory. In fact, they felt better than ever and that much was obvious as it showed in their fighting against the monsters earlier. A team that was almost torn apart was made stronger than ever before. Of course, they weren't the only ones who reconciled. Noire and Plutia were finally together but decided to tell their friends a little later on. Right now, the Lastation CPU was just happy she was with the girl she secretly longed for. Now that everything was settled, of course, Neptune would ask the kind of question only she would think of. "So, now that the Whiterose and Bumblebee pairings are established, who's the neko and who's the tachi?" And cue the record scratch as the team was very confused by the question. Noire, on the other hand, blushed at the question. "Why the hell are you asking that all of a sudden?!" The other CPU shrugged. "Why not? Don't you want to know too Noire?" It was the last thing on the other girl's mind. "No, I do not!" Peashy was just confused by all of this. "Neptuna? What does that mean?" "Now now Peashy. It's something you don't need to know." Plutia stated. The team was still wondering about what Neptune asked before. "Just what are you going on about this time?" Weiss asked. Apparently, they didn't know the terms. "Well, if you don't know, no sense of telling you. Although in Yang's case, Blake is definitely the neko if you know what I'm saying." Somehow, the Faunus girl knew what Neptune was talking about. There was still the matter of the elephant present. "Well, if we can switch topics for a bit…" Weiss looked over Blanc who was reading a book to pass the time. "Why is she coming along with us?" Neptune smiled at the question. "Because why not? It'll be fun to have the old Victory team back together again for a nice reunion." Blanc wasn't as excited since she is going to her least favorite place that was ruled over by her least favorite CPU. "I'm not overly excited to see Thunder Tits again." Yang raised an eyebrow to that. "If you don't like Vert that much, then why come along anyway?" "Because I asked her to." Everyone turned to Plutia. "It would be so fun if Blanny could come with us." Blanc sighed as the CPU knew she couldn't say no to Plutia. "Why are we heading over to Leanbox by boat again anyway? We can just fly over there." She brought up a good point but there was a very good reason as to why they're traveling by boat. "Do you really want Sadie to appear and scare the living daylights out of Blake?" Everyone dreaded the thought of Iris Heart appearing. Blake especially. Even the name sent shivers down her spine. Noire did wonder about something about what the other girl said. "And why would Blake, in particular, be afraid of her?" "Because she's an adorable catgirl." Plutia answered. Now the other two CPUs were confused. "Catgirl?" Neptune thought to clear this up. "Yeah. Blake here is something called a Faunus from her world and she's your genuine catgirl. You should've seen her when she first saw Sadie. It took us a bit to find her and was up in a tree." A funny moment to her but to Blake, seeing Iris Heart for the first time was still a terrifying moment of her life. Even the thought of her still scared the Faunus girl Noire took a closer look at Blake and did see the resemblance. "Now that you've mentioned it, the gold eyes do kinda give it away. I'm guessing the bow is hiding the ears." Blanc saw it as well. "Well, it comes to catgirls; some features do stick out more than others. The golden eyes are a staple." Blake couldn't believe these girls deduced her that quickly. Then again, they were deities. Yang looked over the sea in thought. "So, when are we arriving in Leanbox? It's been a pretty long boat ride so far." Blanc flipped over another page in her book. "About another half hour." That was more than enough time for the blonde. She stretched out her arms and lied down with her head on Blake's lap. "Well, I'm going to take a little catnap. You don't mind right Blake?" Her new girlfriend smiled at the other girl. "Not at all." And with that, Yang closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of having Blake's lap as a pillow. Plutia had the same idea as she lied down with her head on Noire's lap. She sighed contently at the feeling. "This feels so good. Nighty night Noire." She quickly fell asleep. Noire couldn't help but be embarrassed by this but that didn't stop her from loving it inside her head. It did capture the attention of the other girls. Neptune in particular. "So, Noire. What's the deal with you and Plutie?" Noire didn't reply but she did see the jealously Blanc had. She, in return, gave the other CPU a smirk as if she was saying something along the lines of she'd won. Loading… After the hour and forty-five boat ride, the group had finally arrived at Leanbox and were walking through the streets. Team RWBY was…less then amazed by it. They were still impressed but not as much as the last three nations they've been in. "Well, it looks different than the Leanbox back in the previous world." Weiss stated. Yang wasn't as convinced. "I don't know. It looks the same to me. Just with fewer highways." Ruby still liked it though. "I think it's still cool." Blake looked around the nation a little closer. "So, how is this Leanbox different?" Neptune had to agree with the latter's opinion. "Beats me. It's Leanbox and still ruled over by Vert. Now that I think about it, being here with all of you traveling like this brings me back the first time we arrived here. Ah, good memories." Noire highly doubted what good memories counted toward the other CPU. "Yeah, nothing says good memories like Vert suddenly showing up out of nowhere, saying that she'll beat us all by taking our shares, and kinda kidnapped your sister." "That about sums up our encounter with her." Blanc stated. Something Noire mentioned earlier caught Weiss' attention. "Wait, this Vert actually kidnapped Nepgear?" Neptune thought she should clear that up. "Uh, not exactly. Let's just say Vert thinks that if a CPU is born in her nation, it means that she's her little sister. Of course, I took offense to that. Nepgear is my kid sister!" That explanation was clear as mud to the team. Noire thought to explain further. "Basically, when Nepgear arrived in our world, she wasn't CPU so Neptune had the idea of going to Vert to see if she had some CPU Memory Cores. She did and Nepgear did become a CPU but…Vert automatically declared that she was her sister since she became one in her nation." Yang already found a similarly between the two Verts. "Apparently, Vert really wants a sister." Blake was wondering something else about this world's Vert. "So, what was with the taking shares detail?" Neptune laughed when she remembered that failed fiasco. Apparently, it was something funny to her. "Vert thought she could take our shares by introducing bigger hardware to our nations. However, that failed miserably and there were a lot of complaints about them. She honestly thought she had us." Blanc explained. Judging from how they were reminiscing all of this, it must've been somewhat of a good memory for them. "And you're friends with her now?" Ruby asked. She got four different responses. "Yep/maybe/something like that/uh-huh." Noire thought to clarify a little more. "I mean, we're more like friendly rivals that can be civilized. We do still compete for shares." Neptune thought otherwise. "Whatever. You know that we're all friends despite what we had to go through in the third game." Noire wasn't going to deny that. "In any case, enough about the good old times. Let's get to Vert's place and drop by to say hello." Loading… The group managed to arrive at Vert's basilicom which didn't look all that different from the other ones. A very large looking mansion. Neptune slammed the door open. "Hey Vert! Guess who's here!" Her response was silence. Now the CPU was confused. "Vert? Olly olly oxen free!" She entered the building with the rest of the group following suit. Already Weiss noticed something off. "Why would anyone leave the front door unlocked?" "Depends on who's stupid enough to go breaking into the home of a CPU." Blanc brought up a good point. Peashy was looking around as well. "Bert!? Where are you!?" Yang laughed at the name Peashy yelled out. "Bert? Really?" Her sister thought differently. "I think it's cute she calls her that." Noire agreed to that. "Vert thinks the same. Speaking of her, where is she?" That was the millionnep question for all of them. The group soon made their way to Vert's bedroom and once again, Neptune slammed the door open. "Dramatic entrance!" Weiss should be doing this but she questioned the other girl's action. "What was the point of that?" Everyone looked inside the room and found that it was empty which was very unusual since Vert was equal to Neptune when it came to playing video games. There was also something else very unusual about the room. "It looks like she has the same taste as boys being a little close to each other like the other Vert." Blake stated. Noire crossed her arms and began to think. "I don't it. It's not like Vert to go up and disappear." Neptune had a few ideas. "There are three scenarios for something like this to happen. It's either A: She's out getting the latest video game. B: She was abducted by some evil cult. Or C: She's out questing." Weiss doubted one of the options. "One of those is definitely out." One of the other two seemed more plausible to Blanc. "It wouldn't surprise me if she was out buying a game but the quest makes sense as well. It isn't uncommon for a goddess to do quests every once in a while." It became obvious of what their next plan of action was. "Alright then troops! This is how it'll work. We'll split up into two groups. One to check out the game store and the other to the guild." For once in a very rare time, Neptune had the right idea. There was only one problem. "And who's going to be in what group?" Noire asked. That much was obvious. "Well, Ruby and her team could go to the game stores while we hit the guild. We're still part of a team FYI. We can just check what kind of quest Vert's doing." Again, very rare for Neptune to plan this out. Now if only she applied this to her CPU duties. Ruby walked up to her "In that case…" She handed the other girl her scroll. "If you do find out, contact us." Neptune gladly accepted it. "Hey thanks and no problem. We'll make contact ASAP." "One problem though." Everyone turned to Noire. "They don't know the layout of the nation nor do they know where the guild is." That was a slight problem for them. Fortunately, Neptune already thought of the solution. "Well, I guess one of us will just have to show them around. Noire, you're up for the job." And of course, Noire had a problem with the other CPU giving out the orders. "Why the hell do I have to do what you say?!" Loading… Neptune, Blanc, and Peashy made their way to the guild while Noire and Plutia showed team RWBY around Leanbox to find the missing CPU. It was a 50/50 shot so either party had a chance of finding out. Of course, there were a lot of game stores but they managed to minimize it to stores that are selling the most recent popular game. The first group finally arrived at the guild. Neptune couldn't help but feel nostalgic. "Ahh the guild. It's been a while since last came here." "That's because you barely do any work at all." Blanc commented. The other CPU decided to ignore that. "Whatever. Let's go inside." The group did just that. Once they were inside, Neptune walked up to the terminal and touched the screen. Two options appeared. "Welcome. Are you returning guild member or a new guild member?" Neptune chose the first option. "Please insert card for verification" This was the easy part. CPUs had special cards so Neptune pulled her out and placed it on the screen. At least it wasn't different than the guilds back in her world. "Welcome CPU Neptune. Are you returning from a quest or selecting one?" Of course, she chose the second option. "Please select a quest." Neptune scrolled through the quests. Ones that were highlighted meant that someone had already taken it up. For CPUs however, the quests they take up are highlighted in their own color so people could see which one they're doing. After some more scrolling, Neptune had finally found the quest Vert was on. She saw the quest Vert was on and the location of it. "Bingo! Looks like she's off questing somewhere. The Kobaba ruins? That's weird but hey." After getting what she wanted, Neptune chose to cancel. "Would you like to select a quest?" The CPU pressed no. "Thank you and come again." Now since that was done, she walked over to Blanc and Peashy. "So, did you find out where Vert is?" Neptune pulled out Ruby's scroll and started to text the other group. "Yep. Letting the others know. Now, let's go catch ourselves a Vert." Loading… After meeting up with the Ruby and the others, the group found themselves in the Kobaba ruins where Vert currently is. The location itself was more impressive than Leanbox. Out of all them, Blake was the most amazed. Yang liked it second to her Faunus girlfriend. "This place is so rad. I mean, look at it." While it did look pretty, they still had to be on guard. "Just remember to stick together. I've heard that some people who take up quests in this place get lost and never to return." Ruby was a little frightened by that. Weiss looked into that a little deeper. "Being lost in a place like this and with the monsters you have to constantly fight." Yang felt slightly uncomfortable with that. "Man, that's dark right there. I guess you can say it's even…Grimm?" Everyone groaned at the pun. Except for Neptune and Plutia. They just laughed. "Good one." Plutia giggled some more. "That was funny Yangy." Blake looked around the ruins a little more. "So, what is Vert doing here in the first place?" Neptune briefly saw the details of the quest Vert was currently on. "Just your usual monster hack and slash. No biggie." They walked a little further in the ruins until they heard a loud crash from up ahead. Once they approached the site, the group the saw dust kicked up and a shadow of a figure coughing. "Well, that felt rather unfortunate." The dust cleared up and they finally saw Vert in her HDD form. Peashy giggled happily as she ran over to the other CPU. "Bert!" Vert heard her voice and turned to Peashy while looking surprised. "Peashy? What are you doing here?" Peashy gave Vert a happy hug. "Hey there Vert!" The Leanbox CPU looked ahead to see a face she hadn't seen in a while. "Neptune? And everyone else too? What are you doing here?" Neptune smiled at her. "Here to see you duh. Of course, when we dropped by your basilicom, you weren't there. Kinda weird how you're taking up a quest all of a sudden." Vert was touched that they wanted to see her. "It's not strange at all. Can't a goddess help out her nation once in a while?" "What in the world!?" Everyone looked over to Weiss and the rest of the team. Like before, the heiress was appalled by Vert's HDD attire. "What is it with you and revealing outfits!? Your front is nearly exposed!" Yang had to be honest that she couldn't quite stop staring at Vert's breasts. Something Blake caught and elbowed her girlfriend. "Ow." Ruby just waved at her. "Uh, hi there. It's nice to meet you." Vert stared at the team in confusion. "I'm sorry. Who are all of you?" Neptune laughed nervously. "Oh right. Vert, this is Ruby and her team RWBY. Team RWBY, this is Vert, as you already know but the CPU of this world's Leanbox. You see Vert; they're a little out of town. By out of town, I mean they're from a different world and trying to get back to it." A quick summary but Vert understood it clearly. "I see. Well, I would say it's nice to meet all of you but this is no place for humans to be at the moment." Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?" Her answer came in the form a loud roar coming from where Vert crashed from. Naturally, everyone covered their ears. Once it stopped, they uncovered their ears but now had fear coming over them. "What…was that?" Yang asked in a scared voice. They felt the ground shake a few times while hearing thunderous footsteps and they were coming to them. Vert summoned her lance. "I must confess. While on the job, I'd stumbled across something very vile. In fact, that was the reason why I crashed through here in the first place." They felt another tremor and soon saw a very large figure approaching them. It was the biggest Ruby and her team had seen thus far. Once it came into full view, it roared again at them. Ruby was almost too scared to speak. "W-W-What is that?" The CPUs instantly knew that everyone was in trouble now. "No way. That's a…a…" "Class S monster. Sealed Disaster." Neptune finished what Noire started. Ruby and team heard that clearly but couldn't believe it. "Class…S?" The dragon growled at all of them. Yang took a step back. "I think that's a little out of our league." Neptune and the other CPUs ran up in front of them. "Girls, I believe you may want to step back a bit." She transformed into her HDD form. Blanc did the same. "Class S monsters are rare and are very powerful. They're not to be underestimated." Noire went into her HDD form. "Strong as you girls are, this is way over your heads." Plutia transformed as well. Much to Blake's displeasure. "All of you run off like the good little girls that you are. I would hate to see cute little Rosy and friends get caught in the crossfire." For once, the team was actually glad that Iris Heart was here. Lastly, Peashy went into her HDD and was ready to fight. "We'll beat up the bad dragon!" Well, there really wasn't anything Ruby and her team could do. "Right. Good luck." The team ran off away from what it looked like to be a difficult battle. If a monster like that was enough to worry even goddesses, it was an opponent not to be taken lightly ever. Once they were far enough as it is, all they could do now was watch. "So, you think they can take it on?" Yang hoped so. "Maybe. I know they're gods and everything but that monster looked like it could eat King Taijitus for breakfast, Death Stalkers for lunch and Nevermore for dinner." Everyone agreed to that. Out of all the monsters they've seen in this world, this was the strongest yet. The Sealed Disaster roared at the CPUs as it raised its claw at them. The monster slammed down its claw at the goddesses but the all scattered to the air to avoid the attack. The result of that was the ground shaking violently and strong winds. Ruby and her team felt the power behind the attack and took shelter behind two pillars. Two of them each behind each one. This was much more than what Weiss anticipated. "What…incredible power." Something about this bothered Neptune. "How did you even run into this in the first place Vert?" It was a somewhat embarrassing story for the Leanbox CPU. "Would you believe me that I encountered it by accident?" Blanc scoffed at that. "Seriously? This is one hell of an accident!" "We can argue about Vert's screw up later. Right now, let's deal with this first!" Noire argued. Plutia giggled menacingly. "My sweet Noire is correct. Let's teach this monster a painful lesson it won't ever forget." And everyone turned to her looking confused while Noire panicked a little. "My sweet Noire?" They all said at the same time. "Plutia!" Of all the times for that to slip out. However, embarrassment would have wait later as Noire saw the next attack from the Sealed Disaster coming right at her. She flew up to avoid the attack and was above the monster. Noire suddenly started to drop right to the head while a red aura covered her body. "Volcano Dive!" Her kick struck the top of the head and fire flare up from the attack with a resounding boom. The Lastation CPU jumped off only to see that her attack had little effect. "I knew it was going to take more than that." "Out of the way!" Noire looked over to Blanc who tossed up an orb of blue energy. As it came down, Blanc slammed it forward with her ax. "Gefahrlichtern!" The orb separated into countless lights heading right at the monster and struck it all over. Like Noire attack from before, it had little effect. "Damn." "Sylhet Spear!" Several lances of green light struck the monster from the side. Vert wasn't finished yet as she charged right at it. "Rainy Ratnapura!" She delivered countless attacks from her lance all over the front of the monster right before sending one final attack at the Sealed Disaster passing by it. She turned around as the monster did the same and roared at it. "Plutia!" Neptune flew right at the monster while it was distracted. Plutia followed the other CPU closely. "Victory Slash!" She slashed at the monster while passing it as it did a considerable amount of damage. Plutia wasn't too far behind with her attack. "Fighting Viper 2!" She stuck down at the monster with her sword and then up all while delivering electric damage. Peashy was up last and delivered a series of punches to the center that did push the monster back a little. She did a backflip while rising higher in the air before performing a drop kick right to it. "Hard Break Kick!" She kicked in the center of the chest and the monster roared as it fell down to the ground while Peashy laughed. "That was fun!" Of course, this being an S-Class monster, it was going to take more than that to bring it down. The monster already started to stand up and roared at the CPUs. Neptune couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess we're going for the second turn." Blanc raised her ax to her. "Good because I have a lot more to dish out." Vert was grateful for their help but there was still a small problem. "You do realize this is still my quest." Of course, they took that into account. "Look, if it'll make you feel any better, you can still take credit. Deal?" The other CPU smiled at the proposition. "That'll be fine." All of the CPUs charged at the Sealed Disaster at once and attacked it with everything they had. A little ways away from the battle, Ruby and her team continued to watch the battle. Already they could tell they were treating this monster differently than the ones from before. This monster was legitimately threat. The young leader couldn't take her eyes off the battle. "Oh wow. They're incredible." Plutia and Noire struck at the monster with their swords at once and then flew back to distance themselves away from it. "This thing has to be at half health right now." Her childhood friend only laughed at the challenge in front. "It does make things more exciting, don't you think?" The CPUs were going for another attack barrage until they saw the monster wrapped its arms around its body and its wings covering it as well. Neptune had a bad feeling about what it was planning. "Heads up. It's up to something." Blanc wasn't going to wait around. "Then let's attack it while we still can!" Everyone agreed to that. This was their chance and they were going to take it. However, the monster began to glow and that immediately spelled danger. Blake certainly sensed it. "We have to get away, now!" Her team thought the same and began to run away. The monster glowed brighter until it stopped gathering light. Just as the CPUs were near it, the Sealed Disaster bellowed as it opened up and unleashed a powerful explosion that enveloped them all. The attack didn't stop there as it obliterated everything all around in its path. Unfortunately, Ruby and her team were about to be caught in it as well. All of them screamed when the explosion reached them and separated from each other. Once it subsided, Ruby was in an intense amount of pain even with her aura at full power protecting herself from the explosion. She slowly opened her eyes to see the rest of her team in the state as her. The CPUs were in a similar state as they were embedded into some of the buildings of the ruins. Just when this situation couldn't be any worse, Ruby heard those same heavy footsteps coming towards them. The young leader looked back as painful as it was to see that the monster was coming over to them. Ruby struggled to stand up. "We have to…get away." She saw where her team was at the moment. Yang and Blake were lying on the ground together. Ruby must've figured that her sister grabbed the Faunus girl to protect her from the explosion. She searched for Weiss and found her but to the young leader's horror, the Sealed Disaster was approaching her first. The heiress started to stir as well and opened her eyes to see the monster closely moving in. Weiss struggled to stand up to get away from the monster but found little success. The monster towered over her and raised its claw. There was no way even her strongest glyph would be able to block the attack. She was in fear for her life. The monster started to swing at the heiress. It was only at that moment that time seemed to have stood still. It wasn't until she saw rose petals in front of her eyes. Next thing Weiss noticed as that she was thrown back. She saw that it was Ruby that pulled her away. Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and tried to block the attack herself but as the claw hit the weapon, it easily swatted the young leader to the side and sent her away crashing through several pillars. It took Weiss few seconds to register what just happened in front of her. For a moment, her heart stopped. "RUBY!" Yang started to come to and opened her eyes as she heard Weiss' cry. From the sound of it, she herself was worried. She sat up and looked around. Fear started to overcome as she couldn't find her younger sister anywhere. It was then she realized the horrible truth. "Ruby…no…" Blake opened her eyes to see her girlfriend with a look she hasn't seen from her before. As the monster was about to attack Weiss, something wrapped around its arm was pulled back. "How dare you…" The Sealed Disaster looked back to see a very pissed off Iris Heart. "I'll make you pay with your life!" Behind her were the other CPUs who shared her anger. For Neptune, however, she was also feeling guilt. "This is my fault. I should've known better. This falls into my hands." Blanc flicked her ax. "We'll pay this bastard back tenfold!" All of them charged at the monster. Loading… Away from the fight, Ruby lied against a pillar at the base. She was bleeding profusely from her head and she couldn't even move. Breathing even was hurting her. The young leader was in so much pain, she couldn't move. Her aura wasn't enough to protect her. She was barely conscious as is. Of course, the only thing going through her mind was Weiss. "Weiss…I hope…you're okay. I'm…sorry." One thing she couldn't believe was that this happened right after finally they were together. Her eyes began to feel heavy. "I'm…so tired. Maybe after a…little nap…I'll…get back…to…them…" She closed her eyes. Little did she know something small fell out from a crack in the pillar above and dropped into her mouth. Her body began to glow shortly after. Loading… Yang roared in anger as she tried to make her way over to the monster that swatted her sister. However, Blake was holding her from behind despite the other girl in her awakened semblance form. Something her blonde girlfriend didn't like. "Let me go! Let me go! I have to…I have to make that monster pay!" Blake understood how Yang felt but it was clear she wasn't thinking straight. "Yang, please! What are you going to do? Even goddesses are having a hard time with that monster." Her girlfriend was beyond listening to reason. "I don't care! That bastard hurt my sister! I have to…have to…" She stopped and began to cry as she exited out of her semblance. "Ruby…" Yang dropped to her knees while Blake still held her. The Faunus girl shared the same dreadful feeling her girlfriend was experiencing. Blake looked ahead to Weiss who must've been feeling the same way. She was right. Weiss was on her knees feeling the heaviest guilt she had felt. "It's my fault. It's my fault Ruby's gone. Damn it! If only…if only I moved away, she wouldn't have done that. You…stupid dolt. Why? Why did you have to do that? And to think…we've finally…we were finally…." She heard the monster roar and saw the CPUs continuing to fight the Sealed Disaster. Blanc screamed as she dropped her ax on the monster. "Getter Ravine!" The attack struck the top of the head with explosive force. The monster rebounded as it swiped at the Lowee CPU and struck her. Blanc spun mid-air for a short time before regaining her balance. She growled at the monster. "Bastard!" Noire went passed her as her sword began to glow in a rainbow color. "Torneaid Sword" She slashed at the monster downward. She flew away from the monster. "Damn it." "Cross Combo!" Neptune made a series of slashes at the monster one after another. After kicking it after the last attack. She held out her hand and four large swords appeared from behind her. "32-bit Mega Blade!" All four swords launched at once at the monster struck it one after another. She still wasn't finished. "Critical Edge!" The Sealed Disaster recovered fast enough and retaliated back at Neptune's attack. Both attacks hit each other but the monster overpowered her and sent her back. She stopped and growled at the monster. Neptune tried to give it another go. "Neptune." She stopped and turned to Vertand wasn't too pleased. "Vert-" "I know you must feel responsible but charging in recklessly isn't the way." She noticed the way how Neptune was acting after Ruby was swatted her. Even if Vert had a point, it was the only option Neptune had. "It's my fault, Vert. I brought them along in this. I'm responsible for what happened to Ruby. It all falls on me." Vert may not know the girl but judging how Neptune was feeling about this, she must've been an important friend to her. She looked over the rest of the girls. "As of now, their safety is first priority" Plutia was already on that. "Come now my darlings. This isn't the place for children such as yourselves." Usually, Blake would be scared shitless with Iris Heart being so near but concern for her girlfriend overcame that. She was carrying her away from the fight. Plutia looked over to the heiress who was looking at the fight in front of her. "Time to go now Weissy or do you want me to drag you through the dirt?" Weiss stood up after that. "What about Ruby?" Iris Heart narrowed her eyes. "Once the monster is dealt with, we'll search for her." The heiress gritted her teeth. "That's not good enough! I need to know if she's okay!" She grabbed her shoulders and shuddered. "She has to be…she has to be…" She felt a hand on her own and looked back to see Plutia standing right behind her. "Complaining about it won't do anything. If you wish to see your rose again, move." Weiss looked away. She couldn't stop worrying about Ruby. Iris Heart's patience was running out as she grabbed the heiress by the collar and dragged her. "Let's go." Weiss struggled to break free. "H-Hey! Let me go!" Plutia couldn't help but like this side of the other girl. "Oh, I'll let you go. Only to punish you for being a disrespectful brat that is." And Weiss stopped when she heard that. Over to the CPUs, they were still fighting against the Sealed Disaster. Peashy gave it another hit which sent the monster back a step and Vert followed suit. She thrust her lance at the Sealed Disaster. Neptune and Blanc were up next. "Let's go, Blanc!" The other CPU nodded. "Right!" They flew right at the monster. All of a sudden, countless energy shots were fired randomly from the sky at the Sealed Disaster and the two stopped. "What the hell was that!?" Plutia and everyone with her looked over wondering the same thing. After the shooting stopped, the monster was suddenly attacked by a streak of red light striking it all over. After hitting it from underneath the chin, a shot rang out at it hit the center. It was a sound Weiss knew all too well. "That shot. It can't be…" The light faded and everyone saw the figure from within. They couldn't take their eyes off the new arrival. "Who…is that?" Noire asked. As the figure landed, they saw what she looked like. Her attire the same of a CPU with red boots above her knees with black running along the top and detached sleeves as well. The same red and black features were the same as her main outfit with an opening that revealed her cleavage as her breasts were as large as Vert's. She had bright long red hair in a ponytail tied by a clip in the form a symbol Weiss recognized. Part of the hair in front covered her right eye. Four wings of light, two at each side were behind her back were red too and curved. In her hand was a scythe that looked similar to another scythe Weiss easily recognized except it looked more cybernetic. Her appearance, the color scheme, even the weapon. It was like the figure they were all looking was an older version of… "Ruby?" The figure looked over to Weiss and gasped. The heiress couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. The figure smiled at her. "Indeed I am." She spoke in a deeper more mature voice. "However…" She looked back at the Seal Disaster in front of her and summoned a second scythe into her other hand. "You may also wish to address me as…CPU Crimson Heart." A/N: I swear if the Sealed Disaster isn't what I think it is, the last quarter of this chapter just got very awkward for me. | Low | [
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The present invention relates to sterilisation apparatus. It is well known that ultraviolet radiation has sterilisation properties. Typically arc lamps are used to produce radiation of an appropriate wavelength. These lamps must be connected to special power supplies and the apparatus is therefore somewhat cumbersome in use. Furthermore, the lamps have a limited life and suffer from shadowing problems caused by their connecting cables and internal electrodes. In the sterilisation field, shadowing can result in parts of an article receiving an insufficient cumulative level of radiation to achieve effective sterilisation. It has recently been appreciated that an ultraviolet bulb which is energised by microwave radiation may provide a solution to at least some of the problems associated with arc lamps. U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,528 describes much of the research performed to date. This patent describes a nonconductive housing which supports one or more microwave energisable ultraviolet bulbs and which is adapted to be placed within the microwave cavity of a conventional microwave oven. An article to be sterilised is placed within the cavity either within or adjacent the housing. In all the described embodiments, the article to be sterilised is exposed to microwave radiation. The patent acknowledges that heating of the article by the microwaves occurs but comments that this is limited because sterilisation only takes 30 to 40 seconds, for example. However, in practice, the applicant has found this to be a significant problem, firstly because any heating of the article may be unacceptable as is the case with some contact lenses, for example, where heating causes distortion of the lens. Secondly, the length of sterilisation needed may be more than 40 seconds, and thirdly, heating of the article is not the only consideration; it is not possible, for example, to sterilise a conductive article using the arrangements described in the patent. Thus, the practical applications of the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,528 are limited. It is an object of the present invention to improve on the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,528 and in particular, to solve the problem of sterilisation of microwave sensitive articles using at least one microwave energised ultraviolet bulb. Accordingly, in a first aspect thereof, the invention provides a steriliser comprising an openable enclosure for surrounding one or more articles to be sterilised, the enclosure being arranged to attenuate microwave radiation such that in use, when the enclosure is irradiated with microwave energy, the microwave field energy throughout the interior of the enclosure is significantly less than that outside the enclosure, and the enclosure including a gas tight cavity containing a gaseous charge, the charge being chosen from the group of materials which emit ultraviolet radiation when irradiated with microwave radiation. Typically the gaseous charge is of mercury or a metal halide and the enclosure is substantially constructed of an ultraviolet transmissive material such as quartz which is sufficiently heat resistant, microwave transparent and ultraviolet transparent for the purposes of the present invention. By arranging for the enclosure to attenuate the microwave radiation whilst still allowing ultraviolet radiation to penetrate, the disadvantages of the prior art are avoided. The attenuation may be effected using only the gaseous charge which substantially transforms the incident microwave energy from the microwave to the ultraviolet spectrum by absorbing most of the microwave wavelength and retransmitting the energy in the ultraviolet spectrum. This results in an effective attenuation of microwave energy incident on the article in the enclosure. Alternatively, attenuators such as water (which convert the energy to heat) or electrically conductive elements (arranged to adjust the microwave field in accordance with conventional field theory) may be used. The object of the attenuation is to maximise exposure of the article to ultraviolet radiation at germicidal wavelengths (typically around 260 nm) whilst reducing the microwave energy field to a level insufficient to damage the article or in the case of conductive articles, insufficient to allow arcing and consequent damage to the microwave source. The preferred embodiment uses only the gaseous charge to attenuate the energy level of the microwave radiation within the enclosure since this results in the most efficient use of the microwave energy (since the energy is largely converted to ultraviolet radiation rather than heat). According to a second aspect of the invention, a method of sterilising an article comprises placing one or more of the articles into an enclosure, the enclosure including a gas tight cavity containing a gaseous charge, the charge being chosen from the group of materials which emit ultraviolet radiation when irradiated with microwave radiation, and irradiating the enclosure with microwave radiation, the enclosure being arranged such that the energy level of microwave radiation inside the enclosure is less than that outside and is insufficient significantly to damage the article and whereby the article is sterilised by irradiation with ultraviolet radiation. | Mid | [
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Tag Archives: Christmas Waking up on Christmas morning away from home for the first time in my life didn’t actually feel as awkward as you might have thought. As you get older Christmas starts to loose a little of its shine and growing up takes some of the childish excitement out of the day. Many reasons, including my Grandma passing away on Christmas day, have made me not the biggest fan of the holiday. I enjoy seeing family and watching everyone open their gifts but for me the worst part for the last few years has been those first few hours of the day when I wake up early as always yet there is no one about. Partners spending time with their parents, house mates returning home for a while and me alone in the house with nothing really to do. I don’t say this to try and get sympathy from anyone at all as I don’t wallow around the house and cry or anything, to me it is just another morning except I can’t do anything as the country has shut down. For the last few years I have always tried to take the edge of this by doing a big challenge on Christmas day that is just for me. A few years ago I challenged myself to complete at 10km trail run on Christmas day by myself around some fields and rivers near where I used to live. Last year I upped my game to “20k Xmas day”, this time taking an easier option and opting to complete the distance as a 15km bike ride and only a smaller 5km run. The point of it was though that it took my mind away from the mundane and let me do something I wanted to do just for me. No one else really new or cared what I was up to on those early Christmas mornings and that’s the way I liked it. To be honest if I had told most people they would have looked at my like I was a fool for even thinking such a thing but this was the way I liked it. The best bit was that last year on my ride at 8am I was heading down a steep hill by the lakeside and as I looked out onto the water I spotted another adventurer after my own heart. Out on the water was a woman on a stand-up paddle board wearing a wetsuit and a Santa hat. We spotted each other and waved and I knew that I had made the right choice in the way I was spending my Christmas morning. I don’t know why I have just rambled on so much and none of it is really relevant to the story of my road trip but I think it at least sets the scene and gives a little bit of understanding about what makes me tick early in the morning on days when most people want to be in bed. Anyway back to what actually happened this year on Christmas day. Waking up in a dorm room is something that I am used to now. I crept out of bed, got dressed and headed out towards lake Wanaka, all while trying not to wake any of my room-mates. With my first mission successful it was time to call home and rub it in that I live in the future and was spending the day in the sun and having a BBQ while everyone at home froze and pigged out on Turkey. My calls home were well received with most people still awake and having a cheeky Christmas Eve drink. I even managed to catch my brother out with some of my cousins so got to have a chat to all of them and take part in the merriment. Many positive comments were made about my newly shaved head that I was still getting to grips with myself so they were all appreciated. After a hearty English breakfast cooked up by the tag team of Craig and Dan we got our gear together for our Christmas morning hike. This year I had managed to rope in willing recruits to my usual days stupidity, however out here it seemed like the right thing to do anyway. While on the calls home I had already seen dozens of people walking, running or biking about, enjoying their Christmas morning in the best of ways. The attitude over here is a much more active one with everyone taking the idea of “lets get a head start on this Christmas fat I’m going to put on!” and so everyone is active. Our challenge for the day was to climb up Mount Iron to sit there and take in the view. We grabbed our stuff and headed out for the short walk to the hill. From afar it doesn’t look too big but as you get closer it does start to look like a much bigger challenge than people who were drinking tequila shots a few hours before really needed to be engaging in. It is by no means a mountain as the name might suggest but is a steep hill that takes about 30 mins to walk to the top. As we started to ascend we all had a mix of regret and relief. Regret that we had decided to hike up the hill that morning but relief that we hadn’t decided that we should take on the 6 hour round trip of Roy’s peak! Thirty agonising minutes later we sat at the top and looked out over the town below. The view made us quickly forget about our aches, pains and hangovers as we stared out over the lake below softly lapping against the snow capped mountains in the distance. Just when everyone thought the moment could get any better Craig and I surprised Merle with our pièce de résistance, 3 bottles of chilled fruit cider that I had hauled up the hill in my backpack. With bottles in hand we sat there in silence, drinking our drinks and taking in the amazing view of our surroundings. Sometimes nothing needs to be said between friends enjoying a moment and this was one of those times. ..Initially I was going to write all about Christmas day in a single post, however it seems like it might be a better idea to split things up a bit and save some for later. I know my writing can end up rather long winded and drawn out at times but you know what, I don’t care. It’s not my profession and I’m not paid to get it perfect (hence not spell checking enough or proofreading ever!). I write to have a record to look back on for the friends who shared the time with me and those who wished they could, so hopefully everyone just appreciates that for what it is. I hope everyone has a magical Christmas such as that in their lives. Simple yet spectacular. Yes, I am aware that this is a month late. No, I dont care because whoever wants to read it will read it anyway. Enjoy 🙂 Wow. That is all I can start this post with. When we were planning this road trip and thinking about what we could get up to we knew it was going to be something pretty special but that didn’t really prepare me for the amazing trip we have ended up on and the awesome things that I have seen on this trip. I know all of these posts have been a long time in the making, however I got straight back from the trip and got busy with life again and so it got put on the back burner. I am now on a whole new adventure having not yet published the one before so now is the time for me to get caught up and say what I wanted to say. Even if no one reads any of this I still need to get it all down as these are my memories and times to look back on that I otherwise might not remember to the best of my ability. If I was a smarter writer then I would have written a bit each day and chipped away at it but then again I am not a smart writer (or a smart man at times) so instead I have left it and am now trying to do it all at once. To at least make a start on it I am currently sat in a bar in Kaiteriteri at near the Abel Tasman national park, drinking a cider and looking out at the ocean. Craig is taking a dip in the sea while I use this rare time that I have brainpower and no hay-fever (YEY!) to at least get something down on “paper”. I suppose the best place to start is the beginning. At this point it is hard to even remember when that was. It has only been a week since we left home yet it seems like forever since I was last in Dunedin. The run up to Christmas was a pretty hectic one with lots of little extra jobs that needed attention at work, always with the worst possible timing. Luckily (or rather unluckily depending how you look at it) I was still in the area and able to deal with lots of the customer issues that happened. Craig had to work all the way up to Christmas Eve so even if I had wanted to run away sooner I would have just had to come back for him anyway so there wasn’t much point. Another friend, Merle, who I met in Thailand back in April has also come to New Zealand and didn’t have any plans so was joining us on our Christmas adventure, just for a little while but at least for a few days. She came and stayed with me the weekend before Christmas but then left to have a mini adventure in Queenstown and Milford Sound before we picked her up to get to Wanaka for Christmas. As soon as I got the message that Craig had finished work I hopped in the car, picked him up and day one of our Christmas adventure began. For once in our life we were actually prepared and Craig had all his stuff ready to throw in the car and start our long drive to Wanaka via Queenstown. To be perfectly honest the first part of the drive was a little underwhelming. We had finally broken free from work and were on our road trip… but it just didn’t feel like anything special yet. This was the same road we had driven down multiple times before and scenery we had already seen. Added to that was the fact that the radio stopped working and we didn’t have any CD’s. I probably should have mentioned before now that we were not actually in my usual car. My boss had let us take one of the other vehicles, a 4WD Mitsubishi Outlander, to go on our road trip. This made it much easier to fit everything into the back and proved later to be really useful when on the gravel tracks that New Zealand often calls “roads” so thanks for that Kevin if you’re reading this! Anyway, back to the adventure… About 2 hours into the drive we did start getting excited as it was at that point that we knew we were actually on our mission and not going home any time soon. To detour to Queenstown on our trip instead of going straight to Wanaka added about an hour to journey and Merle had said she was happy to get their herself but it was also kind of an excuse for us to go there and take in the view for a moment. An added bonus to this little impromptu trip was seeing another old friend from Thailand, the infamous Red. I met Red in Pai, the same place I met Merle, yet somehow they had The one and only Red. never met each other. Normally that wouldn’t seem like a big thing but anyone that has been to Pai knows that it is a pretty small place. I still cant get my head around them not knowing each other even though it seems like most of my time there I saw them all constantly. It was really good to see Red anyway even if we only had enough time to take a photo for posterity before continuing our mission for Christmas in Wanaka. Knowing Red like I do I expect that will have been one of his last memories before the rest of his Christmas turned into a blur of drinking and partying. The phrase “party like a rock star” was coined after this man. Wanaka was just how I remembered it except a hell of a lot warmer. Having spent 2 months there on and off over the last year it is a town I have a special place in my heart for as I know many other travellers do. Getting back there didn’t feel new or daunting, it just felt right which is all I could ever ask for, especially at Christmas. Step one after checking into our hostel was to go and find CB. He knew that I would be coming but I was pretty sure he would be at work so what better way to say hi than to go and get dinner and grab a beer, all while he worked. As predicted he was there propping up the bar when I arrived and his face lit up as only a happy CB can. It was awesome to see him after so long, even if we could only chat briefly while he served other customers around him. Craig and I grabbed food alone as Merle was still back at the hostel getting ready, which seemed to take an age. After a while we eventually got a message from her that her and another girl had set off to us but found a band playing at another bar and so wanted us all to go there. After a little persuasion we all headed to the local Irish bar to watch a cover band play and see many people get increasingly drunk as the night went on. In New Zealand all pubs have to close at midnight on Christmas Eve so there was a strict cut-off time as to when everyone had to go home. We all played it right down to the wire, drinking and enjoying the merriment before wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and heading back to our hostel to sleep, the start of my first every Christmas away from home. | Mid | [
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Megabots, the makers of the 12,000 pound Mark III robot suit, are about to fulfill the dreams of anime nerds everywhere, and validate the entire premise of Kickstarter while they’re at it. It’s been almost two years since the indie robot construction company gathered the funding needed to challenge Japanese robotics startup Suidobashi to a giant robot duel — but in August, after several delays, the fight will finally happen. | Mid | [
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Production of the baculovirus-expressed dengue virus glycoprotein NS1 can be improved dramatically with optimised regimes for fed-batch cultures and the addition of the insect moulting hormone, 20-Hydroxyecdysone. A perennial problem in recombinant protein expression is low yield of the product of interest. A strategy which has been shown to increase the production of baculovirus-expressed proteins is to utilise fed-batch cultures. One disadvantage of this approach is the time-consuming task of optimising the feeding strategy. Previously, a statistical optimisation routine was applied to develop a feeding strategy that increased the yield of beta-Galactosidase (beta-Gal) by 2.4-fold (Biotechnol. Bioeng. 59 (1998) 178). This involves the single addition of nutrient concentrates (amino acids, lipids, glucose and yeastolate ultrafiltrate) into Sf 9 cell cultures grown in SF 900II medium. In this study, it is demonstrated that this optimised fed-batch strategy developed for a high-yielding intracellular product beta-Gal could be applied successfully to a relatively low-yielding glycosylated and secreted product such as the dengue virus glycoprotein NS1. Optimised batch infections yielded 4 microg/ml of NS1 at a peak cell density of 4.2 x 10 (6) cells/ml. In contrast, optimised fed-batch infections exhibited a 3-fold improvement in yield, with 12 microg/ml of NS1 produced at a peak cell density of 11.3 x 10 (6) cells/ml. No further improvements in yield were recorded when the feed volumes were doubled and the peak cell density was increased to 23 x 10 (6) cells/ml, unless the cultures were stimulated by the addition of 4 microg/ml of 20-Hydroxyecdysone (an insect moulting hormone). In this case, the NS1 yield was increased to 20 microg/ml, which was nearly 5-fold higher than optimised batch cultures. | High | [
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Battleships: Nazi Bismark vs. U.S. Iowa-Class Despite the vast scope of the Second World War, the navies of the United States and Nazi Germany fought few, if any, direct surface engagements. By the time of America’s entry into the war the Royal Navy had already sunk or neutralized the lion’s share of Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, with only Hitler’s U-boats remaining a substantial German threat. But what if the UK’s Royal Navy hadn’t been as successful as it was, and the U.S. was forced to hunt down the German Navy’s major surface combatants? What if the Iowa-class fast battleships had been sortied into the Atlantic to square off against their counterparts, the Bismarck-class battleships? The Bismarck-class battleships were the largest surface ships built by Germany before and during the Second World War. Germany had been prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles [3] to build warships over 10,000 tons, but the Anglo-German Naval Treaty of 1935 implicitly allowed them—though the German Navy was not to exceed thirty five percent the size of the Royal Navy. With that restriction out of the way, Germany immediately began construction on the Bismarck-class battleships. Two ships, the Bismarck and Tirpitz, were planned. The ships were 821 feet long and displaced up to 50,000 tons fully loaded. Twelve high-pressure boilers powered three turbines, giving the ship a top speed of 30.1 knots. Three FuMo-23 search radars could detect surface targets at more than thirteen miles. The Bismarck class had eight fifteen-inch guns, each capable of hurling an armor piercing, capped round up to 21.75 miles. The 1,764-pound killer shell traveled at 2,960 feet per second out the bore, faster than the bullet of a high-powered rifle. At 11 miles, it could penetrate 16.5 inches of armor, or roughly to the horizon at sea level, although it could theoretically hit targets much further. Both battleships were heavily protected, with 12.5 inches of steel at the main belt, 8.7 inch armored bulkheads, and 14.1 inches of armor on the main gun turrets. The eight guns were installed in four turrets of two guns each. This spread the battleship’s main armament out among more protected turrets, increasing their survivability in a gunfight. Overall, the Bismarck class was an impressive combination of firepower, speed, and protection. The Iowa-class battleships were the most powerful battleships built for the U.S. Navy. Four ships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin were built. Each was approximately 861 feet long and weighed 52,000 tons. Eight water boilers connected to General Electric steam turbines propelled the battleships along at a speedy 32.5-knot maximum speed. Iowa had nine sixteen-inch guns. Each Mark 7 gun could launch a 2,700 pound armor piercing shell 11.36 miles to penetrate 20 inches of steel plate—and even farther to a lesser penetration. In addition to search radar, the Iowas had Mk 13 fire control radars [4], allowing them to engage targets at extreme ranges and at night. The Mk 13 had a theoretical range out to 45 miles, and could even spot where the Iowa’s errant rounds landed, making aiming corrections much easier. The Iowas too were heavily armored, with 12.1 inches at the main belt, 11.3-inch bulkheads, and an amazing 19.7 inches of armor on the main turrets. The ship’s vital combat information center and ammunition magazines were buried deep in their armored hulls. Now, on to the battle. It’s 1942, and the new American battleship Iowa has been rushed into service to hunt the Bismarck. Bismarck, her sister ship Tirpitz, and other large German combatants have made the Atlantic too dangerous to send convoys across, something the United Kingdom desperately needs. A fast battleship designed to operate alongside aircraft carriers, Iowa can cover a lot of ocean. Operating alone, she detects Bismarck—also operating alone. The duel is on. Despite the Bismarck’s well-trained crew, good design and powerful weapons, Iowa has one technological innovation the German battlewagon doesn’t: radar-directed main guns. Iowa can fire much more accurately at longer distance targets. This allows Iowa to “out-stick” the Bismarck, which must close to within visual range for its fire control systems and procedures to work effectively. While Bismarck would avoid a nighttime duel, Iowa would welcome it—and its 2.5-knot advantage in speed means it can force a night battle if it wants to, chasing Bismarck down before sunrise. Iowa’s combination of the Mk 13 fire control radar and Mk 7 shells means it can fire first, hit first, and hurt first. While Bismarck’s armor protection and distributed firepower could help ensure it lasts long enough above the waves to damage Iowa, it’s unlikely could save itself, damaging the American battleship enough to make it break off the attack. Iowa wins. The larger context of the battle—the U.S. Navy being forced to take on the German Navy—would have had serious repercussions for the Pacific theater. Germany was, after all, considered the primary threat, with Japan second and Italy third. A more powerful German Navy (or weaker Royal Navy) would have had second order consequences for the Pacific, delaying the Solomons campaign, including the invasion of Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Coral Sea, and even the Battle of Midway. U.S. Navy planners in the Pacific, still overestimating the value of battleships, could have been less daring in their absence and fought a holding action until late 1942 or 1943. Had things been different we might think of America’s initial war against the Axis as taking place in the Atlantic and not the Pacific, the Marines hitting the beach in Iceland and not Guadalcanal, and the cataclysmic battle between the battleships Bismarck and Iowa. Kyle Mizokami is a defense and national security writer based in San Francisco who has appeared in the Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and the Daily Beast. In 2009 he cofounded the defense and security blog Japan Security Watch. You can follow him on Twitter: @KyleMizokami [5]. This first appeared last year and is being reposted due to reader interest. | Mid | [
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Q: Interface with inner implementation - good or bad I am working on a project with many someInterface - someInterfaceImpl-pairs. Some days ago I got the idea (probably inspired by reading some objective c code) to include the default implementations as an inner class. Now some colleagues (all with much more java experience than me) saw this idea - feedback was between shocked and surprised ("this is working?"). I googled around a bit but didn't find much evidence of usefulness of this "pattern" (personal i like it): pdf-paper and a faq about code style What do you think - especially in those cases where an "default" implementation is tightly coupled to an interface. Update i just found this: Java Interface-Implementation Pair (see accepted answer) A: The whole point of interfaces is to separate the users from the implementation (default or not). You defeat this by including the implementation as an inner class. You don't really save any lines of code and you clutter the API. You end up having to do things to hide the inner class from the users of the interface like making it private or default scope which it might be better to avoid. Also, what if your default implementation needs to change but you have published the interface as part of an API. This is a bad idea in that it does not have a lot of benefit and is an anti-pattern. Finally, if you REALLY have a default implementation then maybe that should be a base class (rather than an interface) and other implementation extend the class and override behavior. I thought this post gives an interesting discussion of a similar question: Question | Mid | [
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Karma The law of karma is a special instance of the law of cause and effect, according to which all our actions of body, speech, and mind are causes and all our experiences are their effects. The law of karma explains why each individual has a unique mental disposition, a unique physical appearance, and unique experiences. These are the various effects of the countless actions that each individual has performed in the past. We cannot find any two people who have created exactly the same history of actions throughout their past lives, and so we cannot find two people with identical states of mind, identical experiences, and identical physical appearances. Each person has a different individual karma. Some people enjoy good health while others are constantly ill. Some people are very beautiful while others are very ugly. Some people have a happy disposition that is easily pleased while others have a sour disposition and are rarely delighted by anything. Some people easily understand the meaning of spiritual teachings while others find them difficult and obscure. Karma means ‘action’, and refers to the actions of our body, speech, and mind. Every action we perform leaves an imprint, or potentiality, on our very subtle mind, and each imprint eventually gives rise to its own effect. Our mind is like a field, and performing actions is like sowing seeds in that field. Virtuous actions sow seeds of future happiness, and non-virtuous actions sow seeds of future suffering. The seeds we have sown in the past remain dormant until the conditions necessary for their germination come together. In some cases this can be many lifetimes after the original action was performed. It is because of our karma or actions that we are born in this impure, contaminated world and experience so many difficulties and problems. Our actions are impure because our mind is contaminated by the inner poison of self-grasping. This is the fundamental reason why we experience suffering. Suffering is created by our own actions or karma – it is not given to us as a punishment. We suffer because we have accumulated many non-virtuous actions in our previous lives. The source of these non-virtuous actions are our own delusions such as anger, attachment, and self-grasping ignorance. Once we have purified our mind of self-grasping and all other delusions, all our actions will naturally be pure. As a result of our pure actions or pure karma, everything we experience will be pure. We shall abide in a pure world, with a pure body, enjoying pure enjoyments and surrounded by pure beings. There will no longer be the slightest trace of suffering, impurity, or problems. This is how to find true happiness from within our mind. | High | [
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Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York” has secured another European distribution deal, with Filmwelt/NFP picking up the film for theatrical release in Germany. Filmwelt/NFP is set to release the film this fall. News of the acquisition comes a few days after Variety reported that Lucky Red would be releasing the film in Italy on Oct. 3, leading to speculation that the pic could bow at the Venice Film Festival. The romantic comedy starring Timothee Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Selena Gomez, and Jude Law is being sold internationally by Allen’s own Gravier Productions and Glen Basner’s FilmNation Entertainment. Filmwelt/NFP confirmed to Variety that it would release the film in Germany, which was first reported by local news outlets. “Filmwelt/NFP is very pleased to be working with Woody Allen on ‘A Rainy Day in New York,’” Christoph Ott, Filmwelt/NFP’s head of distribution, told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “He is for us one of the outstanding directors of our time.” Ott also expressed delight at being “part of the family of international distributors that will release the film in Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Russia and Latin and South America.” Filmwelt/NFP also released Robert B. Weide’s 2011 documentary “Woody Allen: A Documentary.” Allen remains popular in Germany and other parts of Europe. Spain’s Mediapro, which co-financed and co-produced 2008’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and 2011’s “Midnight in Paris,” is set to produce the his next film. Javier Bardem, one of Spain’s biggest stars, has consistently expressed support for Allen, saying: “I would work with him tomorrow.” “A Rainy Day in New York” was originally part of a four-picture deal between Amazon and Allen. But the tech giant canceled the agreement last year after determining that the director’s comments over the sex-abuse allegations – which he denies – and the #MeToo campaign had sabotaged Amazon’s release of his 2017 drama “Wonder Wheel.” Allen has filed a $68 million lawsuit against the company. Allen and the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, in which he plays, are also seeing brisk ticket sales for their upcoming European tour in June, with concerts scheduled in Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid, in Spain; Brussels; Amsterdam; Munich, in Germany; and Florence and Milan, in Italy. | Mid | [
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Q: Finding a number greater than x in a range I have a problem which after some modifications reduces to "Finding the least index of number greater than x in a range[l, r] " For example: Suppose an array A = {1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 8, 4, 3, 7, 6, 2} And the query is "find least index of element in array A in range [2, 6] which is greater or equal to 5" Answer for the above query is 4(value for this index is 6)(Indices are 1 based) There are multiple queries, array is not sorted(consider that input is already in memory) Is there an algorithm in which query is possible in O(logN) where N is no. of elements in array A. A: There are actually a bunch of ways to support queries in O(log N) time after building a data structure that takes O(N) space. Easy to understand answer Make a binary tree with the elements of A as the leaves, ordered by index. In each internal node, record the maximum value of leaves in its subtree You need to be able to find the path to a node given its index. If necessary, record the index of the first leaf in each internal node. You can get away without this by building your tree with a convenient shape. Now, to find the least index >= L with a value >= X: Find the path in the tree to A[L] If A[L] < X, then go up the tree until you find a right uncle that contains a value >= X Go down the uncle tree to find the first leaf with value >=X. While descending, if the left child has a leaf >= X (check the stored max value), then go left. Otherwise go right. Super-Efficient Answer To make the above algorithm really efficient, you can encode the tree into an array, like we do for heaps. In this representation (using 1-based indexes), you have an array containing the maximum values for N-1 internal nodes, followed by the N leaves in order. Call that array H. Then the children of H[i] are at H[i*2] and H[i*2+1]. The parent of H[i] is at H[i>>1] In pseudocode, using 1-based indexes, we are given: A[] = input array, N = input array size We build H like this: H = new array with size N*2-1, indexed from 1 to N*2-1 for (int i=1; i<=N; ++i) H[i+N-1]=A[i]; for (int i=N-1; i>0; --i) H[i] = max(H[2*i],H[2*i+1]); Note that we create the children before the parents so that the children are there when we need to get the maximum of their values. Now, the query function: //get the index of the first element with val >= minval, index >= minindex, and index <= maxindex //returns -1 if there is no such element firstAtLeast(minval, minindex, maxindex) if (maxindex < minindex) return -1; node = minindex+N-1; //find minindex in the tree //go up and right until we find a subtree that has a value >= minval while(H[node] < minval) //if we are a right child of our parent, go up until //we have a right sibling while( (node&1) == 1 ) //node is odd node = node>>1; //same as floor(node/2); if (node <= 1) //we went up to the root //there is no such element return -1; //now node is a left child. try its right sibling ++node; //We found a subtree. get the first valid leaf while(node < N) //while it's an internal node node = 2*node; //left child of the node if (H[node] < minval) ++node; //left child not valid - move to right child //Found leaf. get index in A[i] and check against maxindex index = node-(N-1); return (index <= maxindex ? index : -1); This satisfies the requirement for queries in O(log N) time. It would be nice (and not too difficult) to exit early when you know there won't be an answer less than maxindex, but that would make the pseudocode a little less clear, so I'll leave it as an exercise A: O(logN) seams to be impossible. You need at least to read the input until the first element which is greater (this might be the last one or none at all). So in the worst case you need to read the whole input which means O(N). Improvements are only possible if there is some extra structure of your input like sorted than you could improve the algorithm to O(logN). If there are multible queries you still need O(logN). You can check for multible queries at once and also cache the results for the case that the same queries comes again. | Mid | [
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1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a speech recognition system and method and, more particularly, to a speech recognition system and method utilizing meta-information to improve accuracy of the system. 2. Description of Related Art Correctly recognizing and responding to spoken natural language phrases is very difficult for automated systems. There are multiple sources of uncertainty that can arise from variability in the inputs, namely, variability in the quality and pronunciation of the speech, variability in the acquisition and processing of the speech input, and variability in the phrasing (the words used and their order) of the input. Prior art automated speech recognition technology is capable of assessing a numerical quality metric to individual words and phrases that it is attempting to recognize, thereby, indicating how confident it is that it has successfully recognized these individual words and phrases. Typically, this numerical quality metric will be made available in the text output of the speech recognition technology to give an indication of the confidence of the recognition of each of the elements output. However, the problem of correctly understanding a spoken phrase extends beyond the problem of identifying just the spoken words. The number of ways that a request can be phrased by a user is virtually unbounded. Prior art automated speech recognition systems treat the uncertainty in speech and the uncertainty in phrasing with a single approach that attempts to compensate for both simultaneously, or they avoid the problem of phrasing uncertainty altogether by forcing the user to a highly constrained format for making requests. It is, therefore, desirable to overcome the above problems and others by providing a more accurate and efficient speech recognition system and method directed thereto. | Mid | [
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Heavenly Bodies: Incarnation, the Gaze, and Embodiment in Christian Theology Heavenly Bodies: Incarnation, the Gaze, and Embodiment in Christian Theology Synopsis Does Christianity scorn our bodies? Friedrich Nietzsche thought so -- and many others since him have thought the same. But, says Ola Sigurdson, Christianity understood properly in fact affirms human embodiment.Presenting his constructive contributions to theology in relation to both historical and contemporary conceptions of the body, Sigurdson begins by investigating the anthropological implications of the doctrine of the incarnation. He then delves into the concept of the gaze and discusses a specifically Christian "gaze of faith" that focuses on God embodied in Jesus. Finally, he brings everything together to present a contemporary Christian theology of embodiment.This profound engagement with the whole history of Christian life and thought not only elucidates the spectrum of Christian perspectives on the body but also models a way of thinking historically and systematically that other theologians will find stimulating and challenging. Excerpt In his posthumously published work The Anti- Christ, Friedrich Nietzsche argues that Christianity is nihilistic. Its nihilism consists in its denial of this world in favor of another and better world. With this, things such as desire, embodiment, even life itself come to be denied, become nothing in the eyes of the Christian church. We often hear echoes of Nietzsche’s critique in our time as well, if in a less sophisticated form. the Christian church is, at times, hostile to the body. This hostility is often linked to alleged “Platonic” influences. Paul has, as it were, entered into an alliance with Plato in the struggle against the body. in this context “Christianity,” “Platonism,” and “Gnosticism” are more often than not lumped together without accounting for the rather different conceptions of the body that characterize these different traditions. They are then dismissed without any real argument. If one looks a bit more closely at the matter, there is something odd in both Nietzsche’s criticism and its more superficial and popularized variants. To begin with, one may wonder (especially in the latter case) what lies behind the criticism of the Christian church’s contempt for the body when it is presented in an age that so clearly sees itself as body-affirming. Could this “the best defense is a good offense” strategy stem from a suspicion of the hollowness of our era’s own affirmation of the body? Perhaps it is only 1. Friedrich Nietzsche, The Anti- Christ, in The Anti- Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols, Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy, trans. Judith Norman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). Cf. also Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, Oxford World’s Classics, trans. Douglas Smith (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998). I am thereby not, however, claiming that this is all that Nietzsche has to say about either Christianity or nihilism. For a summary of the most recent research on Nietzsche and Christianity, see Jayne Svenungsson, Guds återkomst: En studie av gudsbegreppet inom postmodern filosofi, Logos/ Pathos 3 (Göteborg: Glänta, 2004), pp. 53–71. | High | [
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+ (sqrt(112) + 0 + sqrt(112) + sqrt(112))**2 + sqrt(112))*-1. 20*sqrt(7) + 5050 Simplify -3 + ((-4 + sqrt(1331) + 0 + sqrt(1331) - sqrt(1331)) + -3)*-5. -55*sqrt(11) + 32 Simplify (sqrt(1053) - (3 + (sqrt(1053) + 1 - sqrt(1053)))**2 - (3*sqrt(1053) + -5)**2)*3. -28554 + 837*sqrt(13) Simplify -1*(2*sqrt(17)*-3 - -2*(sqrt(17) + -1)) - ((((sqrt(833) - sqrt(833)*2) + sqrt(833) - sqrt(833)) + 2)**2 - sqrt(833) - (-1*sqrt(833) + -3)**2). 7 + 81*sqrt(17) Simplify ((sqrt(528)/sqrt(176))/(sqrt(64)*1 + sqrt(64)))**2. 3/256 Simplify ((-1*sqrt(1134))/sqrt(7) - -4*(1 + sqrt(2) + -2 - sqrt(2)))**2. 72*sqrt(2) + 178 Simplify (3*sqrt(100)*-6)/(sqrt(405) + sqrt(405) + sqrt(405)*2 + sqrt(405) + sqrt(405)). -2*sqrt(5)/3 Simplify (-4*(sqrt(192) + sqrt(192) + -5))**2 - ((-1 + sqrt(192))*6)**2. -1984*sqrt(3) + 5740 Simplify 1*(5*-1*sqrt(228))/((-1*sqrt(144))/sqrt(12)). 5*sqrt(19) Simplify 6*(0 + 3 + -4 + (sqrt(68))**2). 402 Simplify 6*(5 + (sqrt(363) - (-4*(sqrt(363) + 1) - sqrt(363) - sqrt(363)) - (sqrt(363) + 1 + 3))**2). 78438 Simplify (sqrt(560)/sqrt(5) + (sqrt(63) - sqrt(7))*-3)**2 + 2 + 1. 31 Simplify (1*(sqrt(65) + (sqrt(65) - (-4*sqrt(65) - sqrt(65))*5)))/(sqrt(405)*-2*-2). 3*sqrt(13)/4 Simplify ((sqrt(264) + sqrt(264)*2)/sqrt(11) + sqrt(1536)*2)/(3*-2*sqrt(288)). -19*sqrt(3)/36 Simplify 1*(sqrt(108) + (-1*sqrt(108))**2) - (4 + -2*sqrt(108))**2. -340 + 102*sqrt(3) Simplify (sqrt(7) - (sqrt(7)*2*-5)**2 - (-4 + sqrt(7) + 5)) + -3. -704 Simplify -5*(-3 + (-2*(3*(sqrt(242) + 1) - (1 + sqrt(242))*-1))**2). -77745 - 7040*sqrt(2) Simplify (-5*sqrt(88)*-3)/(sqrt(56)/(sqrt(567) + sqrt(7))). 150*sqrt(11) Simplify (sqrt(96)/(1*sqrt(6)))/(sqrt(8)*2*-3) - (sqrt(16) + sqrt(96)/(sqrt(24)/sqrt(4)))/(sqrt(800) + (sqrt(800) + sqrt(800)*1 - sqrt(800)) + sqrt(800)). -7*sqrt(2)/30 Simplify (sqrt(3630)*-5 - sqrt(30))/(sqrt(30)/(sqrt(3) - (sqrt(27)/sqrt(9) - sqrt(3))))*3. -168*sqrt(3) Simplify (4 + 2*(1 + (sqrt(2299) + sqrt(19))*-4))**2. -1152*sqrt(19) + 175140 Simplify 3*((sqrt(306) + (3*1*sqrt(306) - sqrt(306) - sqrt(306)))/sqrt(6))/(sqrt(21)/(sqrt(7) + sqrt(7) + sqrt(21)/sqrt(3)*6 - sqrt(7))). 42*sqrt(17) Simplify ((-1*sqrt(891)*2 - 2*sqrt(891)*2) + -3 + -3)**2. 648*sqrt(11) + 32112 Simplify ((2*sqrt(72)*-1)/sqrt(6))/(sqrt(30)/(2*sqrt(80))). -16*sqrt(2) Simplify 2 + (-3*(sqrt(1300)*-1 + -4)*3*2)**2. 25920*sqrt(13) + 426386 Simplify -6*(1 + sqrt(1377)*-1 + sqrt(1377) - (sqrt(1377)*2*6 - sqrt(1377)))**2*-1. -1188*sqrt(17) + 999708 Simplify (-1*sqrt(4455))/(sqrt(55)/sqrt(275)). -45*sqrt(11) Simplify (-4*(-3*2*sqrt(1539) - (sqrt(1539) - ((sqrt(1539) - (-1 + sqrt(1539) + sqrt(1539) - sqrt(1539))) + -2))))**2. 2016*sqrt(19) + 1206592 Simplify (-1*sqrt(91)*-2 + sqrt(91) - sqrt(91) - sqrt(91)*2*1)/(-4*(sqrt(7) - (-6*sqrt(175) + sqrt(7)))). 0 Simplify -5*((6*(sqrt(2057) + 2) + 4*(-2 + sqrt(2057)))**2 + 4). -1028600 - 4400*sqrt(17) Simplify ((sqrt(125) + -1)*-3 - -6*sqrt(125)*-2)**2 + -1 + (3 + sqrt(125) + 1 + sqrt(125))**2. -370*sqrt(5) + 28649 Simplify (sqrt(33)/(sqrt(11) - sqrt(275)*-1))**2 + 3*1*sqrt(243). 1/12 + 27*sqrt(3) Simplify (-1*(sqrt(1008) + 0)*-5 + (sqrt(1008) + sqrt(1008) + 3 + 1*sqrt(1008) - (0 + 0 + sqrt(1008))))**2. 504*sqrt(7) + 49401 Simplify (sqrt(88) + (sqrt(88) + (sqrt(88) - (sqrt(88) + sqrt(88)*-2 + sqrt(88))))*-5)/(-2*(sqrt(128) + 2*sqrt(128))) + -2. -2 + 3*sqrt(11)/8 Simplify (sqrt(42)/sqrt(48) - sqrt(1134)*-1)/(4*(sqrt(2) - (sqrt(2) + sqrt(18)))*6). -37*sqrt(7)/288 Simplify (sqrt(30)/(sqrt(8)/sqrt(4) + sqrt(2)) + sqrt(45)/sqrt(3)*-1)/(sqrt(108) + (sqrt(108)*-2 - sqrt(108))*-4)*-1. sqrt(5)/156 Simplify (((sqrt(272) + -5)*-1 + -3)*2)**2. -64*sqrt(17) + 1104 Simplify ((0 + 4*6*-1*sqrt(605))*-2)**2. 1393920 Simplify (5*sqrt(245))**2*-6 - ((-6*sqrt(245) + 0)**2 + sqrt(245)). -45570 - 7*sqrt(5) Simplify (4*1*sqrt(77) - 1*sqrt(77)*1)/(sqrt(33)/(-1*sqrt(108))). -18*sqrt(7) Simplify (((sqrt(98) + 0 + sqrt(98))**2 - (sqrt(8)/sqrt(4)*5)**2) + ((sqrt(12)/sqrt(2) - sqrt(6))/sqrt(3))**2 + -5)*4. 1348 Simplify -5*(0 + -5*(3*sqrt(343))**2)*-4. -308700 Simplify ((sqrt(275) + sqrt(275) + -1 + 4 + sqrt(275) + sqrt(275) + -2)*5)**2. 1000*sqrt(11) + 110025 Simplify (sqrt(15)/(-2*sqrt(5)) + -4)**2 - (-2 + sqrt(15)/sqrt(5))*-5. 27/4 + 9*sqrt(3) Simplify 0 + 3 + ((-4*2*sqrt(21))/(sqrt(7) - (5*sqrt(7)*3 - sqrt(7))))**2. 699/169 Simplify ((sqrt(126) + -2*sqrt(126))/sqrt(2))/(sqrt(9) - sqrt(27)/sqrt(3)*1 - sqrt(9)). sqrt(7) Simplify ((-6*(sqrt(272)*-1 + sqrt(272))*1 + -1)*-4)**2. 16 Simplify -4 + (sqrt(768) - (sqrt(3) + (4 + sqrt(3))*6))**2. -432*sqrt(3) + 815 Simplify (sqrt(95)*1)/sqrt(5) + (1*sqrt(57))/sqrt(3) + sqrt(57)/(sqrt(12)*5 - sqrt(3)). 19*sqrt(19)/9 Simplify ((sqrt(16) - (sqrt(16) + -1*sqrt(1296) + sqrt(1296)) - -1*sqrt(1024))/((-3*sqrt(3200) + sqrt(3200))/sqrt(4)))**2. 8/25 Simplify -2*(sqrt(2057) - (1*sqrt(2057)*-2 + sqrt(2057)) - sqrt(2057) - (sqrt(2057) + -1 + -4)**2) + -4. -242*sqrt(17) + 4160 Simplify (-6*(((1*sqrt(147))/sqrt(7))/sqrt(3)*-2 + -1))**2. 144*sqrt(7) + 1044 Simplify 5*(4 + sqrt(500))**2 + sqrt(500) + 4*(3*sqrt(80) + sqrt(80)) + -1. 474*sqrt(5) + 2579 Simplify (-2 + ((sqrt(3500) - sqrt(3500)*-1)/(sqrt(125) + (sqrt(125) - (sqrt(125)*1 - sqrt(125)))))**2)*-3*-6. 468 Simplify (sqrt(114)*-3*-5)/((4*sqrt(48))/sqrt(8))*1. 15*sqrt(19)/4 Simplify (3 + (-1*(sqrt(500) + -3) - sqrt(500)*1*6) + 5)**2. -1540*sqrt(5) + 24621 Simplify (1*(4 + sqrt(68)*1 - (sqrt(68) + 3 + -2 + sqrt(68) - sqrt(68))) + 2)**2. 25 Simplify (-5 + (sqrt(2299) - (-1 + sqrt(2299))) + 5)**2 - (-2*sqrt(57)/sqrt(3) - sqrt(304)*-3). -10*sqrt(19) + 1 Simplify (-3 + -2*sqrt(637) - (2*sqrt(637) + -3)) + (5 + sqrt(637)*1 - ((sqrt(637) + -1 - sqrt(637)) + -2)). -21*sqrt(13) + 8 Simplify ((sqrt(408) + sqrt(408)*2)/sqrt(8) + sqrt(51) - 3*sqrt(459))/(-5*sqrt(432)). sqrt(17)/12 Simplify (-6*(3*sqrt(34) - sqrt(34)))/sqrt(2)*-5*5. 300*sqrt(17) Simplify (sqrt(440)/(sqrt(10)*-2)*6)/(3*sqrt(2916) - sqrt(36)). -sqrt(11)/26 Simplify (-5*(sqrt(95) - (sqrt(95) - (sqrt(95) + -2*sqrt(95))*-2)))/(-5*sqrt(45) + sqrt(45)*-1). 5*sqrt(19)/9 Simplify (sqrt(2) + 3*sqrt(8))**2 + sqrt(24)/(-2*sqrt(12)) - ((sqrt(2) + 1)*6 + sqrt(8)/sqrt(4)*2). -17*sqrt(2)/2 + 92 Simplify ((sqrt(8) - sqrt(32)/sqrt(4))**2 - sqrt(8)) + 0 + 3 + -5 + 3. -2*sqrt(2) + 1 Simplify ((sqrt(567) + 0 + -5 + -4)*5*6 + -2)**2. -146880*sqrt(7) + 584284 Simplify ((3*sqrt(75)/sqrt(5)*-3)/(-1*sqrt(147)*-3))**2. 45/49 Simplify ((4 + -1*sqrt(17) + sqrt(17) - (sqrt(153)*-1 - sqrt(153) - sqrt(17))) + sqrt(204)/(-3*sqrt(12)*-4))**2. 170*sqrt(17)/3 + 125129/144 Simplify (sqrt(1216)*-2 + sqrt(19))*-4 + (sqrt(19) + (-2*sqrt(1539))**2 - (-3 + sqrt(171))). 58*sqrt(19) + 6159 Simplify (sqrt(18)/((3*sqrt(36))/sqrt(6)) + 1*sqrt(363) + sqrt(48)*1)**2. 2116/3 Simplify -2 + 3*(4 + sqrt(112))**2*4. 384*sqrt(7) + 1534 Simplify (sqrt(176)*2*5)/(sqrt(44)/sqrt(275)). 100*sqrt(11) Simplify 5 + ((sqrt(1088) + sqrt(1088) + 1 + -1)**2 - ((sqrt(1088)*-1 + sqrt(1088) + sqrt(1088))*-5)**2) + -2. -22845 Simplify (2 + (3*sqrt(77)*-6)/(sqrt(7) - 3*(sqrt(7) + sqrt(7)*4 + sqrt(7) + sqrt(7))) + 4)**2. 54*sqrt(11)/5 + 4491/100 Simplify (2*(sqrt(350)*-2)/sqrt(7))/(2*sqrt(60)/sqrt(6)*5). -2*sqrt(5)/5 Simplify ((1*sqrt(2) + -5 + 4 + -2*sqrt(2) + -4 + -4)*-3)**2. 162*sqrt(2) + 747 Simplify (-3*(sqrt(90)/(sqrt(45)/sqrt(5)))/(sqrt(162) - -1*sqrt(162)))**2. 5/36 Simplify (-1 + sqrt(833) + 0)**2 + sqrt(833) + 1*(sqrt(1700)*2)**2. -7*sqrt(17) + 7634 Simplify 5 + (sqrt(68) - (sqrt(68)*1 + sqrt(68))*-5)/sqrt(4)*5. 5 + 55*sqrt(17) Simplify (-4*(sqrt(3) + sqrt(9)/sqrt(3))**2 + 6*(sqrt(3) + 0)**2 + 1 + (sqrt(432)*-1)**2)*6. 2418 Simplify 5 + (sqrt(1700) - (0 + sqrt(1700))**2*3) + (sqrt(1700) + 1)*-6 + 2 + sqrt(1700) + sqrt(1700) + 1 + (-3*(sqrt(1700) - (0 + sqrt(1700))))**2. -5098 - 30*sqrt(17) Simplify ((-6*sqrt(32) - sqrt(128)*1) + 6*sqrt(128)*3 + -5)**2. -1120*sqrt(2) + 25113 Simplify sqrt(200)*2 + 0 + ((-2*sqrt(12))/sqrt(6) + 0)**2. 8 + 20*sqrt(2) Simplify (sqrt(88) + -2*-2*sqrt(88) + 2*-1*sqrt(88))/((sqrt(72)*-1 - sqrt(72) - sqrt(72))*-2). sqrt(11)/6 Simplify -3*(sqrt(198)/(sqrt(11)*-1))/(sqrt(600)*-1). -3*sqrt(3)/10 Simplify (-2 + (sqrt(637) - (-1*sqrt(637) + 1)) + sqrt(637) + -3)**2 + 0. -252*sqrt(13) + 5769 Simplify (4*(((sqrt(110) + (sqrt(110) - sqrt(110)*1) + sqrt(110) + sqrt(110))*3 - sqrt(110))*1)/ | Low | [
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var usage = require('../'); console.log(usage.get('# some custom markdown from string')); console.log(usage.get('./usage.md')); | Low | [
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/* * Copyright (c) 2018-2020 The Forge Interactive Inc. * * This file is part of The-Forge * (see https://github.com/ConfettiFX/The-Forge). * * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one * or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file * distributed with this work for additional information * regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance * with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, * software distributed under the License is distributed on an * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY * KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the * specific language governing permissions and limitations * under the License. */ #define QUADS_ARRAY_REGS 192 cbuffer PackedAtlasQuads_CB : register(b0, UPDATE_FREQ_PER_FRAME) { float4 mQuadsData[QUADS_ARRAY_REGS]; }; struct AtlasQuads { float4 mPosData; float4 mMiscData; float4 mTexCoordData; }; struct VSOutput { float4 Position : SV_Position; float2 UV : TEXCOORD0; float4 MiscData : TEXCOORD1; }; float2 ScaleOffset(float2 a, float4 p) { return a * p.xy + p.zw; } VSOutput main( uint vertexID : SV_VertexID ) { VSOutput result; const uint verticesPerQuad = 6; uint quadID = vertexID / verticesPerQuad; uint quadVertexID = vertexID - quadID * verticesPerQuad; float2 pos = float2(-1.0,1.0 ); if( quadVertexID == 1 ) pos = float2(-1.0, -1.0 ); if( quadVertexID == 2 ) pos = float2( 1.0,-1.0 ); if( quadVertexID == 3 ) pos = float2( 1.0,-1.0 ); if( quadVertexID == 4 ) pos = float2(1.0, 1.0 ); if( quadVertexID == 5 ) pos = float2( -1.0, 1.0 ); const uint registersPerQuad = 3; float4 quadData[ registersPerQuad ]; for(int i = 0; i < registersPerQuad; ++i) { quadData[i] = mQuadsData[quadID * registersPerQuad + i]; } AtlasQuads atlasQuad = (AtlasQuads) quadData; result.Position = float4(ScaleOffset(pos, atlasQuad.mPosData), 0.0, 1.0); result.MiscData = atlasQuad.mMiscData; result.UV = ScaleOffset(float2(0.5, -0.5) * pos + 0.5, atlasQuad.mTexCoordData); return result; } | Mid | [
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import * as fs from 'fs'; import { all as merge } from 'deepmerge'; import { Options, CompletedOptions, DataDumpOptions, } from './interfaces/Options'; import { DumpReturn } from './interfaces/DumpReturn'; import { getTables } from './getTables'; import { getSchemaDump } from './getSchemaDump'; import { getTriggerDump } from './getTriggerDump'; import { getDataDump } from './getDataDump'; import { compressFile } from './compressFile'; import { DB } from './DB'; import { ERRORS } from './Errors'; import { HEADER_VARIABLES, FOOTER_VARIABLES } from './sessionVariables'; const defaultOptions: Options = { connection: { host: 'localhost', port: 3306, user: '', password: '', database: '', charset: 'UTF8_GENERAL_CI', ssl: null, }, dump: { tables: [], excludeTables: false, schema: { format: true, autoIncrement: true, engine: true, table: { ifNotExist: true, dropIfExist: false, charset: true, }, view: { createOrReplace: true, algorithm: false, definer: false, sqlSecurity: false, }, }, data: { format: true, verbose: true, lockTables: false, includeViewData: false, where: {}, returnFromFunction: false, maxRowsPerInsertStatement: 1, }, trigger: { delimiter: ';;', dropIfExist: true, definer: false, }, }, dumpToFile: null, }; function assert(condition: unknown, message: string): void { if (!condition) { throw new Error(message); } } // eslint-disable-next-line complexity, import/no-default-export export default async function main(inputOptions: Options): Promise<DumpReturn> { let connection; try { // assert the given options have all the required properties assert(inputOptions.connection, ERRORS.MISSING_CONNECTION_CONFIG); assert(inputOptions.connection.host, ERRORS.MISSING_CONNECTION_HOST); assert( inputOptions.connection.database, ERRORS.MISSING_CONNECTION_DATABASE, ); assert(inputOptions.connection.user, ERRORS.MISSING_CONNECTION_USER); // note that you can have empty string passwords, hence the type assertion assert( typeof inputOptions.connection.password === 'string', ERRORS.MISSING_CONNECTION_PASSWORD, ); const options = merge([ defaultOptions, inputOptions, ]) as CompletedOptions; // if not dumping to file and not otherwise configured, set returnFromFunction to true. if (!options.dumpToFile) { const hasValue = inputOptions.dump && inputOptions.dump.data && inputOptions.dump.data.returnFromFunction !== undefined; if (options.dump.data && !hasValue) { (options.dump .data as DataDumpOptions).returnFromFunction = true; } } // make sure the port is a number options.connection.port = parseInt(`${options.connection.port}`, 10); // write to the destination file (i.e. clear it) if (options.dumpToFile) { fs.writeFileSync(options.dumpToFile, ''); } // write the initial headers if (options.dumpToFile) { fs.appendFileSync(options.dumpToFile, `${HEADER_VARIABLES}\n`); } connection = await DB.connect( merge([options.connection, { multipleStatements: true }]), ); // list the tables const res: DumpReturn = { dump: { schema: null, data: null, trigger: null, }, tables: await getTables( connection, options.connection.database, options.dump.tables, options.dump.excludeTables, ), }; // dump the schema if requested if (options.dump.schema !== false) { const tables = res.tables; res.tables = await getSchemaDump( connection, options.dump.schema, tables, ); res.dump.schema = res.tables .map(t => t.schema) .filter(t => t) .join('\n') .trim(); } // write the schema to the file if (options.dumpToFile && res.dump.schema) { fs.appendFileSync(options.dumpToFile, `${res.dump.schema}\n\n`); } // dump the triggers if requested if (options.dump.trigger !== false) { const tables = res.tables; res.tables = await getTriggerDump( connection, options.connection.database, options.dump.trigger, tables, ); res.dump.trigger = res.tables .map(t => t.triggers.join('\n')) .filter(t => t) .join('\n') .trim(); } // data dump uses its own connection so kill ours await connection.end(); // dump data if requested if (options.dump.data !== false) { // don't even try to run the data dump const tables = res.tables; res.tables = await getDataDump( options.connection, options.dump.data, tables, options.dumpToFile, ); res.dump.data = res.tables .map(t => t.data) .filter(t => t) .join('\n') .trim(); } // write the triggers to the file if (options.dumpToFile && res.dump.trigger) { fs.appendFileSync(options.dumpToFile, `${res.dump.trigger}\n\n`); } // reset all of the variables if (options.dumpToFile) { fs.appendFileSync(options.dumpToFile, FOOTER_VARIABLES); } // compress output file if (options.dumpToFile && options.compressFile) { await compressFile(options.dumpToFile); } return res; } finally { DB.cleanup(); } } // a hacky way to make the package work with both require and ES modules // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any (main as any).default = main; | Mid | [
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188 Ill. App.3d 533 (1989) 544 N.E.2d 1032 MOHAMMAD ALTAF, Plaintiff, v. HANOVER SQUARE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION NO. 1 et al., Defendants (Hanover Square Condominium Association No. 1 et al., Third-Party Plaintiffs-Appellants; Economy Preferred Insurance Company, Third-Party Defendant-Appellee). No. 1-88-2871. Illinois Appellate Court First District (3rd Division). Opinion filed September 6, 1989. *534 *535 Stuart D. Gordon, of Moss & Bloomberg, Ltd., of Bolingbrook, for appellants. Orner & Wasserman, Ltd., of Chicago (Esther Joy Schwartz, of counsel), for appellee. Judgment affirmed. PRESIDING JUSTICE FREEMAN delivered the opinion of the court: Third-party plaintiffs appeal from the trial court's grant of a motion for summary judgment in favor of third-party defendant, Economy Preferred Insurance Company (Economy Preferred), and the denial of the third-party plaintiffs' cross-motion for summary judgment. The third-party complaint sought a declaratory judgment regarding whether Economy Preferred had a duty to defend third-party plaintiffs, Hanover Square Condominium Association No. 1 and five members of its board of directors, and whether Economy Preferred had a duty to indemnify the third-party plaintiffs, regarding an underlying property damage action. For the reasons stated below, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court. The record indicates that the underlying suit was brought by Mohammad Altaf, a condominium unit owner, against the third-party plaintiffs, the condominium association and members of the association's board of directors. Altaf's complaint seeks recovery for property damage to his unit resulting from a fire which began in an adjacent unit. At the time of the occurrence, Economy Preferred provided liability insurance to the condominium association under "Special Multi-Peril Policy No. SP-08865." In addition, Economy Preferred provided errors and omissions coverage to the board members under a directors and officers liability supplement endorsement to the policy. In count I of the underlying complaint, plaintiff cites section 12 of the Condominium Property Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 30, par. 312), which sets forth the authority of the board of managers to obtain insurance for the property against loss or damage by fire or other hazards. Plaintiff asserts that the condominium association and board of *536 directors had a duty to obtain insurance which would fully insure replacement costs; process with diligence any claims declared under the policy; and oversee the insurance company's response to claims made under the insurance policy. Plaintiff alleges that defendants breached an implied contract by failing to assist him in having his premises restored as required by statute. Count II of the complaint, also entitled "Breach of Contract," cites the bylaws of the condominium association and an enabling declaration filed with the Cook County recorder of deeds. The enabling declaration provides, among other things, that the association or manager will obtain and continue in effect blanket insurance, comprehensive public liability insurance, and other liability insurance it deems desirable. The bylaws state, among other things, that the association or board of directors are responsible for providing for the maintenance and repair of the common elements. Plaintiff alleges that defendants failed to assist him in processing his claim with defendants' insurance company and that defendants' insurance company failed to replace furnishings and clothing and other things, and delayed the repair work being performed on plaintiff's unit. Count III, entitled "Negligence," alleges that defendants failed in their duties to provide an insurance company "which processed and completed all insurance claims" and to see that all claims filed with the insurance company were processed quickly and diligently. Plaintiff also alleges that defendants failed to replace damaged property with like property or compensation. Plaintiff alleges that defendants failed also in their implied duties inherent in their positions as board members. A fourth count, also entitled "Negligence," eventually was dismissed on plaintiff's motion. Defense of the underlying suit was tendered to Economy Preferred, which declined coverage and denied owing a duty to defend the association or the board members regarding the allegations of the underlying suit. Defendants/third-party plaintiffs then filed their third-party complaint. Cross-motions for summary judgment were filed, briefed and argued. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Economy Preferred, finding that it had no duty to defend or indemnify the third-party plaintiffs. The record indicates that the special multiperil insurance policy issued by Economy Preferred provided general liability coverage for the association's common areas. The additional directors and officers liability supplement endorsement excluded coverage under exclusion "E," which excludes claims that are: "E. Based on or attributable to any Wrongful Act in procuring, *537 effecting and maintaining insurance, or with respect to amount, form, conditions or provisions of such insurance." The endorsement defines "Wrongful Act" as the following: "A. `Wrongful Act' means any negligent act, any error, omission or breach of duty of Directors or Officers of the Named Insured while acting in their capacity as such." After the defense was tendered to Economy Preferred, Economy Preferred sent a letter to counsel for the association and Board members, indicating that it had no contractual duty to defend or indemnify the defendants. Further, Economy Preferred indicated that coverage was provided only for damages "caused by an occurrence," defined in the policy as "an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, which results in bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the insured." Economy Preferred asserted that the allegations of the complaint were not based upon an "occurrence." In addition, Economy Preferred indicated that coverage is not provided under the directors and officers endorsement, since paragraph "E" negates coverage for the claims asserted in the complaint. The third-party complaint which defendants then filed was drawn in four counts. Count I cites policy language, which provides that Economy Preferred would: "Defend any civil suit against the insured or any of them, alleging a Wrongful Act which is covered under the terms of this supplement, even if such suit is groundless, false or fraudulent." Third-party plaintiffs allege that Economy Preferred's refusal to appear on behalf of the association and board members is contrary to the terms of the policy in that Economy Preferred has a contractual duty to defend. Count II of the third-party complaint seeks indemnification for legal fees and costs incurred in the suit and for any judgment which might be entered against third-party plaintiffs in the underlying action. Count III seeks indemnification from Economy Preferred in the event that plaintiff recovers on his complaint against third-party plaintiffs. Count IV of the third-party complaint eventually was dismissed. In its order the trial court found and declared that: (1) Economy preferred had no duty to defend the third-party plaintiffs regarding the underlying complaint; (2) Economy Preferred had no duty to indemnify the third-party plaintiffs under the policy regarding any claimed losses by plaintiff arising from the fire; and (3) Economy Preferred *538 is not obligated to pay any fees or costs incurred by the third-party plaintiffs in defending the suit. Third-party plaintiffs then appealed. At oral argument of this appeal, this court raised the issue of jurisdiction, since the notice of appeal contained a file stamp date which was outside of the 30-day filing period set forth in Supreme Court Rule 303(a)(1). (107 Ill.2d R. 303(a)(1).) The final order granting summary judgment in favor of Economy Preferred and denying the appellants' cross-motion for summary judgment was entered on August 17, 1988. The order contained the required language under Supreme Court Rule 304(a) (107 Ill.2d R. 304(a)) that the order was appealable. The notice of appeal was received and stamped by the clerk's office on September 19, 1988, a Monday, which constitutes the 31st day after the final order was entered. See Ill. Rev. Stat. 1987, ch. 1, par. 1012. 1 Third-party plaintiffs filed a supplemental brief, citing the recent Illinois Supreme Court case of Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport Authority v. Department of Revenue (1989), 126 Ill.2d 326, 533 N.E.2d 1072, which held that notices of appeal mailed within the 30-day period and received thereafter are timely filed. (Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport Authority, 126 Ill.2d at 340.) Appellants also submitted an affidavit of Stuart D. Gordon, a former attorney of third-party plaintiffs, who stated that he mailed the notice of appeal to the clerk of the circuit court on September 13, 1988. That date is within the 30-day filing period. (107 Ill.2d R. 303(a)(1).) The record indicates that Gordon mailed copies of the notice of appeal to counsel for the other parties on September 13, 1988. We find that under Harrisburg-Raleigh Airport Authority, and based upon the affidavit of Gordon and the record previously prepared on appeal, the notice of appeal was timely filed. This court therefore has jurisdiction to consider this appeal. Third-party plaintiffs initially contend on appeal that Economy Preferred had a duty to defend pursuant to its agreement under the policy. They argue that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of Economy Preferred to the extent it relied on Economy Preferred's argument that plaintiff's claimed losses were not covered since the claims failed to arise from an "occurrence" as defined by the policy. Further, they contend that the policy language providing coverage for claims arising out of a "wrongful act" applies to the plaintiff's claims. In addition, third-party plaintiffs argue that even if coverage for claims is limited to those arising out of an "occurrence," the fire which damaged plaintiff's property constitutes such an "occurrence," and therefore coverage has been provided. *539 Economy Preferred responds that initially, in its letter refusing to defend third-party plaintiffs and in its original motion for summary judgment, it asserted that plaintiff's claims were not covered because the claims did not arise from an "occurrence" as defined under the policy. Subsequently, however, in its response to the cross-motion for summary judgment and at the hearing before the trial court, Economy Preferred abandoned this argument. Further, Economy Preferred asserts that this argument was not a factor in the court's granting of summary judgment in favor of Economy Preferred. 2 We note that third-party plaintiffs, the appellants in this matter, failed to include in the record on appeal a copy of the transcript of proceedings from the hearing on the cross-motions for summary judgment. An appellant has the burden to present a sufficiently complete record of the proceedings at trial to support a claim of error. Supreme Court Rule 321 (107 Ill.2d R. 321) provides, in pertinent part: "The record on appeal shall consist of the judgment appealed from, the notice of appeal, and the entire original common law trial court record * * *. The trial court record includes any report of proceedings prepared in accordance with Rule 323 and every other document filed and judgment and order entered in the cause." In the instant case there was no report of proceedings filed. Nor is there a bystander's report which is authorized under Rule 323(c) (107 Ill.2d R. 323(c)). Further, appellants failed to file an agreed statement of facts in lieu of a report of proceedings pursuant to Rule 323(d) (107 Ill.2d R. 323(d)). 3 In the absence of a complete record on appeal, and upon a claim of error, it will be presumed that the order entered by the trial court was in conformity with law and had a sufficient factual basis. (Foutch v. O'Bryant (1984), 99 Ill.2d 389, 459 N.E.2d 958.) Any doubts which may arise from the incompleteness of the record will be resolved against the appellant. (Foutch, 99 Ill.2d at 392.) In the absence of a report of proceeding, particularly when the judgment order states that the court is fully advised in the premises, a reviewing court "will indulge in every reasonable presumption favorable to judgment, order or ruling from which an appeal is taken" (In re Pyles (1978), 56 Ill. App.3d 955, 957, 372 N.E.2d 1139, 1141) and must presume that the evidence heard by the trial court was sufficient to support the judgment absent any contrary indications in the record (In re Marriage of Macaluso (1982), 110 Ill. App.3d 838, 846, 443 N.E.2d 1). *540 4 Since the written order of the trial court fails to indicate that the court relied on the initial argument of Economy Preferred that the "occurrence" language of the policy did not provide coverage for plaintiff's claims, we may presume that the trial court did not rely on this argument in reaching its decision. The absence of the transcript of proceedings allows us to indulge in this presumption, particularly in view of the representation by Economy Preferred that it abandoned that argument before the trial court. Further, as discussed below, even if it is arguable that the fire which caused the property damage to plaintiff in the underlying action may be considered an "occurrence" under the policy, we find that the exclusionary language of endorsement "E" excludes plaintiff's claims from coverage. Third-party plaintiffs next contend that some of the plaintiff's claims in the underlying complaint do not fall within the "wrongful act" policy exclusion. They cite, from count I, allegations that the directors failed to obtain insurance which would "process with diligence any claims declared under said policy" and which would "oversee the insurance company's response to claims made under the insurance policy." Further, count I alleges that the board members failed to assist plaintiff in having his premises restored as required by the Condominium Property Act. From count II, third-party plaintiffs cite the allegation that defendants failed to assist plaintiff in the processing of his claim with defendants' insurance company. Finally, count III alleges that defendants had a duty to see that all claims filed with the insurance company were processed diligently and that defendants failed to compel completion of plaintiff's unit. Third-party plaintiffs contend that the cited allegations do not relate to the defendants' failure to procure, effect or maintain insurance. Rather, they contend that the allegations relate to defendants' purported failure to assist plaintiff in his claim, their failure to push Economy Preferred to act with dispatch, and their failure to monitor Economy Preferred's adjustment of the claim. Therefore, these allegations fall outside of the policy exclusion. 5 An insurance company's obligation to represent its insured depends on the allegations of the complaint and the provisions of the insurance policy. (Tuell v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. (1985), 132 Ill. App.3d 449, 477 N.E.2d 70.) An insurer has a duty to defend an action brought against the insured if the complaint alleges facts within, or potentially within, coverage. (Tuell, 132 Ill. App.3d at 452, citing Thornton v. Paul (1978), 74 Ill.2d 132, 144, 384 N.E.2d 335.) The duty to defend applies where the complaint alleges several causes of action or theories of recovery against an insured, even if only one *541 or some of them are within policy coverage. (Maryland Casualty Co. v. Peppers (1976), 64 Ill.2d 187, 194, 355 N.E.2d 24.) The complaint must be liberally construed and all doubts resolved in favor of the insured. Maryland Casualty Co. v. Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. (1984), 126 Ill. App.3d 150, 446 N.E.2d 1091. 6 The cited allegations set forth a failure to provide diligent and efficient processing and monitoring of claims. We find that these allegations, when read in the context of the complaint as a whole and in the context of each count of the complaint, relate to "procuring, effecting and maintaining" insurance. Therefore, the allegations come within the exclusionary language of exclusion "E" of the policy endorsement. Accordingly, Economy Preferred did not have a duty to defend third-party plaintiffs against the claims alleged in the underlying complaint. Third-party plaintiffs cite case law for the proposition that the exclusionary language of an insurance policy must be strictly construed against the insurer. (Herrera v. Benefit Trust Life Insurance Co. (1984), 126 Ill. App.3d 355, 466 N.E.2d 1172.) Further, they cite the rule that if a policy provision is ambiguous, the ambiguity must be construed in favor of the insured. (Simioni v. Continental Insurance Cos. (1985), 135 Ill. App.3d 916, 482 N.E.2d 434.) Third-party plaintiffs assert that there is no ambiguity in exclusion "E" and that the language clearly does not exclude the claims made by plaintiff. We agree that the exclusionary language is not ambiguous. We find, however, that the allegations of the complaint fail to set forth facts which bring the plaintiff's claims outside of exclusion "E." See Menke v. Country Mutual Insurance Co. (1980), 78 Ill.2d 420, 401 N.E.2d 539. Third-party plaintiffs also contend that since plaintiff's claims are arguably within coverage, Economy Preferred had an absolute duty to defend and third-party plaintiffs were entitled to summary judgment in their favor. Third-party plaintiffs assert that even if Economy Preferred believed that it had a valid defense of exclusionary coverage, Economy Preferred had three options: (1) to secure a declaratory judgment while defending under a reservation of rights; (2) to defend under a reservation of rights and seek a declaratory judgment in a subsequent suit; or (3) to defend without a reservation of rights. We need not address, however, the issue of Economy Preferred's alleged absolute duty to defend, under a reservation of rights or otherwise, since we have found that the exclusionary language of the policy shows that Economy Preferred had no duty to defend. Finally, third-party plaintiffs contend that Economy Preferred is *542 required to indemnify them for any damages awarded to plaintiff for damages resulting from conduct not excluded from coverage by the policy. Economy Preferred responds that the issue of indemnification has been raised prematurely and is not yet ripe for determination by this court. 7 The court in Maryland Casualty Co. v. Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. (1984), 126 Ill. App.3d 150, 466 N.E.2d 1091, stated that a declaratory judgment action to determine an insurer's duty to indemnify its insured, brought prior to a determination of the insured's liability, is premature since the question to be determined is not then ripe for adjudication. In view of our finding that the exclusionary language of the policy shows that Economy Preferred owes no duty to defend third-party plaintiffs, we must also find that Economy Preferred cannot be liable to indemnify third-party plaintiffs regarding the underlying litigation. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court properly determined that Economy Preferred had no duty to indemnify. For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Cook County is affirmed. Judgment affirmed. WHITE and CERDA, JJ., concur. | Low | [
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Please fill out the formto place an order for your quarterly delivery of The Celebrity Report Magazine in hardcopy print. If using the Celebrity Report Magazine Subscription form (PDF), please fill out the form completely and clearly, and mail this along with your money order to:: Editorial and Advertising Office PO Box 166 New York, NY 10028-0166 If you have any subscription issues or concerns, please click here to contact the CRM Subscription department or simply call 347.538.1935. plus $1.25Shipping & Handling SUBSCRIPTION FORM E-mail Address Name Address Town/City Postcode CAPTCHA Savings based on $4.99 coverprice. Above rates good in US only. Canadian and foreign rates available upon request. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. | Mid | [
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package org.freeplane.api; import java.util.List; /** * Contains dependencies (precedent or descendent node or attributes) * calculated by {@link DependencyLookup} */ public class Dependencies { public enum Element{NODE} private final List<Element> elements; private final List<Integer> attributes; public Dependencies(List<Element> elements, List<Integer> attributes) { super(); this.elements = elements; this.attributes = attributes; } /** * Returns a list of related {@link Element}s */ public List<Element> getElements() { return elements; } /** * Returns a list of related attribute indices */ public List<Integer> getAttributes() { return attributes; } @Override public String toString() { return "[" + elements + "," + attributes + "]"; } } | Mid | [
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Bedroom Look Ideas November 2 2017, Bedroom Look Ideas is one of best design ideas of the years. The Bedroom Look Ideas has been created with briliant ideas, beautiful combined colors and follow trend of modern home architecture, so the Bedroom Look Ideas will give you the real of home designs and interior decorating characteristic . more over The Bedroom Look Ideas has viewed by 37 Visitor. Bedroom Look Ideas Bedroom Look Ideas is one of best design architecture of the years, this design has been built from brilliant ideas combined with a selection of elegant colors and beautiful architecture designs, would be something amazing if you apply design at your home. Bedroom Look Ideas just one of the many reference that we have, you can find other reference such as Apartment, Architecture, Bathroom, Bedroom, Furniture, Interior and etc. Bedroom Look Ideas images are posted/uploaded by writingfortheweb.co obtained from sources that are highly skilled in the field of design of houses and furniture. so you don't have to worry about with writingfortheweb.co give this information simply upload a photo or image only. And this was the one who made the writingfortheweb.co differ from other website. You can also find other references for the design of your home about Decorating here. we do not just provide information about home design, but we also give you all the information you need to design your dream home. By giving the reference about the design of a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen design, we also provide examples of furniture design that makes your home more better. Here we will continue to provide updated information on Bedroom Look Ideas so you can get the design on the like. and here's a list of fantastic images or photos from the Bedroom Look Ideas as part of a collection artmous a gallery of great ideas and useful. This Bedroom Look Ideas picture is in category Bedroom that can use for individual and noncommercial purpose because All trademarks referenced here in are the properties of their respective owners. You can browse other picture of Bedroom Look Ideas in our galleries below. If you want to see other picture, you can browse our other category. Having problem with Bedroom Look Ideas picture copyright? you can read our DMCA page in here and contact us at here with give us any detail info that you are an owner for Bedroom Look Ideas picture. Bedroom Look Ideas. | Mid | [
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Q: Cannot install mpi4py on CentOS 7 I have CentOS 7 and I have installed mpicc (it works and compiles for openmpi in C). I also have python 2.7.5 and just installed pip. I'm running this command and get the following errors: sudo pip install mpi4py Collecting mpi4py Using cached mpi4py-2.0.0.tar.gz Installing > collected packages: mpi4py Running setup.py install for mpi4py ... > error > Complete output from command /usr/bin/python2 -u -c "import setuptools, > tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-build-x5jD4O/mpi4py/setup.py';exec(compile(getattr(tokenize, > 'open', open)(__file__).read().replace('\r\n', '\n'), __file__, > 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-mpMoZO-record/install-record.txt > --single-version-externally-managed --compile: > running install > running build > running build_src > running build_py > creating build > creating build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7 > creating build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py > copying src/__main__.py -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py > copying src/__init__.py -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py > creating build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include > creating build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/mpi4py.MPI.h -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/mpi4py.MPI_api.h -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/mpi4py.h -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/__init__.pxd -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/libmpi.pxd -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/MPI.pxd -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/__init__.pyx -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/mpi.pxi -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/include/mpi4py/mpi4py.i -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/include/mpi4py > copying src/MPI.pxd -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py > copying src/libmpi.pxd -> build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py > running build_clib > MPI configuration: [mpi] from 'mpi.cfg' > checking for library 'lmpe' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -llmpe -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -llmpe > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > building 'mpe' dylib library > creating build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7 > creating build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src > creating build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c src/lib-pmpi/mpe.c -o build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/mpe.o > creating build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/lib-pmpi > gcc -pthread -shared -Wl,-z,relro build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/mpe.o -o > build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/lib-pmpi/libmpe.so > checking for library 'vt-mpi' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt-mpi -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt-mpi > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > checking for library 'vt.mpi' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt.mpi -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt.mpi > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > building 'vt' dylib library > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c src/lib-pmpi/vt.c -o build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt.o > gcc -pthread -shared -Wl,-z,relro build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt.o -o > build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/lib-pmpi/libvt.so > checking for library 'vt-mpi' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt-mpi -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt-mpi > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > checking for library 'vt.mpi' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt.mpi -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt.mpi > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > building 'vt-mpi' dylib library > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c src/lib-pmpi/vt-mpi.c -o build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt-mpi.o > gcc -pthread -shared -Wl,-z,relro build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt-mpi.o -o > build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/lib-pmpi/libvt-mpi.so > checking for library 'vt-hyb' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt-hyb -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt-hyb > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > checking for library 'vt.ompi' ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > gcc -pthread _configtest.o -lvt.ompi -o _configtest > /bin/ld: cannot find -lvt.ompi > collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > building 'vt-hyb' dylib library > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -c src/lib-pmpi/vt-hyb.c -o build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt-hyb.o > gcc -pthread -shared -Wl,-z,relro build/temp.linux-x86_64-2.7/src/lib-pmpi/vt-hyb.o -o > build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.7/mpi4py/lib-pmpi/libvt-hyb.so > running build_ext > MPI configuration: [mpi] from 'mpi.cfg' > checking for MPI compile and link ... > gcc -pthread -fno-strict-aliasing -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -DNDEBUG -O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -fPIC -fwrapv -fPIC -I/usr/include/python2.7 -c _configtest.c -o _configtest.o > _configtest.c:2:17: fatal error: mpi.h: No such file or directory > #include <mpi.h> > ^ > compilation terminated. > failure. > removing: _configtest.c _configtest.o > error: Cannot compile MPI programs. Check your configuration!!! I tried every solution I found so far and none seemed to work, has anyone any idea about this problem, please? Thank you A: Run into the same issue and solved with: yum install openmpi-devel export CC=/usr/lib64/openmpi/bin/mpicc pip install mpi4py | Low | [
0.536945812807881,
27.25,
23.5
] |
The invention relates to precision surface measurement, including techniques to measure surface characteristics of precision optical components unbiased by a measurement system. The need to determine the errors in a part (e.g., an optical component, such as a lens or mirror), unbiased by errors in a measurement system, is a long-standing problem. One general approach is to measure multiple objects in different combinations and then to determine the contributions from each object individually, such as in the 3-Flat test. The 3-Flat test has a variety of limitations; one of the most significant is the need for three, nominally identical parts to test. The second general approach is to perform a measurement of the surface of a “test part” in a measurement system, and then to displace or “shear” the test part relative to the measurement system. Differencing the two measurements cancels the contribution (bias) of the measurement system and leaves one with an approximation of the derivative of the surface in the same direction as the shear motion. An estimate of the surface of the part under test unbiased by the measurement system error may be derived from the difference data. Within the family of shearing methods, there are two general approaches that have been used: lateral shear and rotational shear. Lateral shear in two orthogonal directions results in an estimate of the gradient of the part under test; however, the use of lateral shear alone can be sensitive to drift resulting in errors proportional to the array size in the estimate of the test part. Rotational shearing methods have been widely reported and have been shown to be robust for the determination of the rotationally varying surface errors; however, rotational shearing methods alone do not typically allow one to determine the rotationally invariant errors (e.g., mean radial profile) of the test part and instrument separately from one another. | High | [
0.6776232616940581,
33.5,
15.9375
] |
Firefox version 52 ESR Win XP OS. Silverlight plug-in stopped working just yesterday on Netflix and my Win XP Pro OS. I have uninstalled the older version and downloaded … (read more) Firefox version 52 ESR Win XP OS. Silverlight plug-in stopped working just yesterday on Netflix and my Win XP Pro OS. I have uninstalled the older version and downloaded the correct version I need 5.1.4.1.2 and it is installed but still doesn't work with Netflix. I cannot find in the registry Netflix and Silverlight permission to run the plug in. This is a problem and needs to be fixed. I don't have the money or means to upgrade my OS at this time. I have no tv either. I have been in contact with Microsoft and Netflix and they determined that the problem lies with Mozilla. I cannot use any other browser as Chrome does not work with Netflix and Win XP either due to unable to update WidevineCdm on XP. Yesterday I've got a report from one company about Firefox update being blocked by their firewall. Once it's on, the update fails. Turning it off fixes the update problem… (read more) Yesterday I've got a report from one company about Firefox update being blocked by their firewall. Once it's on, the update fails. Turning it off fixes the update problem, but also open their network, which is not desired. I advised to whitelist domains mentioned in article https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Setting_up_an_update_server (aus2.mozilla.org and download.mozilla.org), but seems it did not help. Firefox update still failed with "Update failed" message. So what servers Firefox needs access to during the update process so they can whitelist them? EDIT: Just to add, before whitelisting the mentioned domain, Firefox won't be able to even find the update. Now the update if found, but fails when downloading. I'm using FireFox on ubuntu lts 16.04 as a kiosk making use of a very handy add-on. The system was looked down to prevent anyone for browsing anything but localhost. No… (read more) I'm using FireFox on ubuntu lts 16.04 as a kiosk making use of a very handy add-on. The system was looked down to prevent anyone for browsing anything but localhost. Now anyone can jump on my kiosk and browse / download anything they want. It is no way more secure than what it was. Even after using the about:config options the updates still update!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will find a more appropriate browser option for the kiosk but for now I'd really like a way to stop the update short of shutting everything down. Firefox hangs when I open a new tab or new webpage. It's really annoying! Everytime I do the automatic updates this shit happens. I used to go to one of the articles wher… (read more) Firefox hangs when I open a new tab or new webpage. It's really annoying! Everytime I do the automatic updates this shit happens. I used to go to one of the articles where it gave me instructions on how to reset my preferences, but that thread has since been modified, it now says to delete my pref.js, but that doesn't fix the issue anymore. So i'm resorting to actually making a god damn account and asking why this shit keeps happening. I uninstalled Firefox and re-installed aswell, but it saved some of my data which I kinda need (bookmarks). That doesn't help. I know that resetting my preferences back to default every update used to fix it, but I forget how now. Thanks... Can someone just tell me how to fix it so I can update without having to do all this shit again. I have only one extension and that is adblockerplus. Not likely the cause as it does this aswell without. I have been happy with FF v43 until I decided to update to v50. It installed but would not launch, saying "mozglue.dll" was missing. I found on Google that some other us… (read more) I have been happy with FF v43 until I decided to update to v50. It installed but would not launch, saying "mozglue.dll" was missing. I found on Google that some other users had the same problem, with some advice that AVG might be the problem. I found the mozglue.dll was in fact in Program Files - and repeated uninstalls and reinstalls of FF v50 with AVG also uninstalled made no difference. I (mistakenly) found that reusing my original install file of v43 then produced the same result - until I discovered that FF was updating my v43 to v47 within seconds of launching. I finally beat FF automatic updating to get to the Option "do not update," so I have a working, albeit old version of Firefox. Any advice would be welcome - while I fiddle with various workarounds of annoying warnings about my FF being out of date and its knock-on affect on add-ons etc. PS: I am very happily (and stubbornly) Windows XP Professional 64-bit sp2, but I suggest it's not my operating system at fault because other sufferers use a variety of OS. Thanks, Kevin in the UK Running Firefox 63.0.3 (64-bit) on Windows 10 ver 1803, I click on "Restart to update Firefox" and get "Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments… (read more) Running Firefox 63.0.3 (64-bit) on Windows 10 ver 1803, I click on "Restart to update Firefox" and get "Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments." But when it does start, nothing has changed: I am still running 63.0.3 and it still says "Restart to update Firefox." I have been round this loop a half dozen times. What next? When I started Firefox, it said that was "installing updates..."; an hour and a half later, it was still installing (I have never had this happen before). I closed the p… (read more) When I started Firefox, it said that was "installing updates..."; an hour and a half later, it was still installing (I have never had this happen before). I closed the program and shut down the computer, then restarted. When I tried to restart Firefox, I got "unable to load XPCOM". So, I uninstalled my Firefox and attempted a download; only took me a dozen or so times, as it kept getting interrupted at the very end. Finally got to a site where I was able to download it, but when I attempted to install it, I got a little box that said "0% extracting" and nothing happened. An hour later, the little box STILL says "0% extracting" and nothing has happened. I cannot seem to get Firefox to install, and I'm ready to take a hammer to the computer. How do I fix this? Appreciate all help offered. Thank you! I upgraded firefox and now have 3 critically issues. 1. Does not display most pages correctly see screenshot attached. Had to go on Chrome just to get in support. 2. Tell… (read more) I upgraded firefox and now have 3 critically issues. 1. Does not display most pages correctly see screenshot attached. Had to go on Chrome just to get in support. 2. Tells me every site I visit is unsecure once I say I will take the risk site is just text like screenshot 3. I no longer have firebug which I need immediately. Please help! If you could send me the old version of firefox for MAC OS 10.10 that should work for now! I am currently using Firefox version 42. I noticed that a new version 43 is available and wanted to update my Firefox. Traditionally i would simply navigate to the "About… (read more) I am currently using Firefox version 42. I noticed that a new version 43 is available and wanted to update my Firefox. Traditionally i would simply navigate to the "About Mozilla Firefox" window, where Firefox automatically checks for a new version, downloads it and lets me install the update with a single click. However, when I open the About-window Firefox checks for a new version but insists my browser is up to date. I recognize the obious work-around of installing the new version manually. This issue has however plagued me since several versions ago. I always hoped it would work itself out after enough updates, but since it still persists today I wanted to seek the collective help of the Mozilla community. My system is Windows 10 (the error was also present during Windows 8.1) and I also use Thunderbird which updates itself just fine. I have been using Firefox on my Vista PC with no problem until I ran the update from 52.7.2 to 52.7.3 . Now I cannot start Firefox and I get the message - could not load … (read more) I have been using Firefox on my Vista PC with no problem until I ran the update from 52.7.2 to 52.7.3 . Now I cannot start Firefox and I get the message - could not load XPCOM . I have down loaded 52.7.3esr ready to install but I am unable to uninstall 52.7.2 even if I use the helper.exe file. Please note I am sending this on a W8.1 computer, not the one that is giving me the problem. | Low | [
0.49302325581395307,
26.5,
27.25
] |
Glucose-Sensitive CFTR Suppresses Glucagon Secretion by Potentiating KATP Channels in Pancreatic Islet α Cells. The secretion of glucagon by islet α cells is normally suppressed by high blood glucose, but this suppressibility is impaired in patients with diabetes or cystic fibrosis (CF), a disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a cyclic adenosine monophosphate-activated Cl- channel. However, precisely how glucose regulates glucagon release remains controversial. Here we report that elevated glucagon secretion, together with increased glucose-induced membrane depolarization and Ca2+ response, is found in CFTR mutant (DF508) mice/islets compared with the wild-type. Overexpression of CFTR in AlphaTC1-9 cells results in membrane hyperpolarization and reduced glucagon release, which can be reversed by CFTR inhibition. CFTR is found to potentiate the adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel because membrane depolarization and whole-cell currents sensitive to KATP blockers are significantly greater in wild-type/CFTR-overexpressed α cells compared with that in DF508/non-overexpressed cells. KATP knockdown also reverses the suppressive effect of CFTR overexpression on glucagon secretion. The results reveal that by potentiating KATP channels, CFTR acts as a glucose-sensing negative regulator of glucagon secretion in α cells, a defect of which may contribute to glucose intolerance in CF and other types of diabetes. | High | [
0.656836461126005,
30.625,
16
] |
quarta-feira, 2 de setembro de 2015 Hungary: First and last stop in the EU for hundreds of refugees By Admin 18:00 Hundreds of refugees are preparing to spend another night in Keleti station, in Budapest. Since Tuesday morning, that the Hungarian police prevents access of displaced people, mostly Syrians, installation, after having allowed hundreds to embark for Germany, on Monday.The refugees, who have been able to buy tickets to Munich, protesting against conflicting decisions of the Hungarian authorities.The Hungarian Parliament should discuss this Wednesday a reform of immigration law that provides for, inter alia, the mobilization of the army to stem the flow of refugees.A Syrian refugee claims, "we are here waiting for the departure of the train, we don't want anything else, just the train leave, can't understand why the police prevents us from embarking.On the other end of the line, in Munich, the refugees continue to arrive the dropper, after a stopover in Vienna. About 3,000 people have been admitted to the town in the last 12:0 am, most coming from only two convoys of refugees who left Budapest Monday.The Germany had recognized the possibility of having to accommodate about 800 thousand of migrants this year. | Mid | [
0.570815450643776,
33.25,
25
] |
Q: SQL composite key syntax I am trying to create a composite key for MYSQL, but i dont know how to, ive tried the following; CREATE TABLE order_line( order_id int NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, car_id int NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT, PRIMARY KEY (order_id, car_id)); ALTER TABLE order_line ADD CONSTRAINT order_line_FK FOREIGN KEY (order_id) REFERENCES orders (order_id); ALTER TABLE order_line ADD CONSTRAINT order_line_FK2 FOREIGN KEY (car_id) REFERENCES car (car_id); A: Okay, i was able to do it like; CREATE TABLE order_line ( order_id int NOT NULL, car_id int NOT NULL); ALTER TABLE order_line ADD CONSTRAINT order_line_PK PRIMARY KEY (order_id, car_id); ALTER TABLE order_line ADD CONSTRAINT order_line_FK FOREIGN KEY (order_id) REFERENCES orders (order_id); ALTER TABLE order_line ADD CONSTRAINT order_line_FK2 FOREIGN KEY (car_id) REFERENCES car (car_id); | Mid | [
0.6170731707317071,
31.625,
19.625
] |
{ "name": "GEOSwift", "version": "0.5.1", "summary": "The Swift Geographic Engine.", "description": "Easily handle a geographical object model (points, linestrings, polygons etc.) and related topographical operations (intersections, overlapping etc.).\nA type-safe, MIT-licensed Swift interface to the OSGeo's GEOS library routines, nicely integrated with MapKit and Quicklook.", "homepage": "https://github.com/andreacremaschi/GEOSwift", "license": { "type": "MIT", "file": "LICENSE" }, "authors": { "Andrea Cremaschi": "[email protected]" }, "social_media_url": "http://twitter.com/andreacremaschi", "platforms": { "ios": "8.0" }, "source": { "git": "https://github.com/andreacremaschi/GEOSwift.git", "tag": "0.5.1" }, "default_subspecs": "Core", "pushed_with_swift_version": "3.0", "subspecs": [ { "name": "Core", "source_files": "GEOSwift/*", "dependencies": { "geos": [ "3.5.0" ] } }, { "name": "MapboxGL", "source_files": "GEOSwift/MapboxGL", "dependencies": { "GEOSwift/Core": [ ], "Mapbox-iOS-SDK": [ ] } } ] } | High | [
0.6733524355300861,
29.375,
14.25
] |
1998 Brabantse Pijl The 1998 Brabantse Pijl was the 38th edition of the Brabantse Pijl cycle race and was held on 29 March 1998. The race started and finished in Alsemberg. The race was won by Johan Museeuw. General classification References 1998 Brabantse Pijl | Low | [
0.488517745302713,
29.25,
30.625
] |
Archives Bong Gone Too Soon I’m not a binge watcher, like some people. I like shows as much as anyone, but I like being able to drag something out. I’d rather have a bit of a good chocolate bar today, a little more tomorrow, and finish it off later. That said, I’ll also have about three different bars going on at any one time… hence I’m still fat. ANYHOO. That in mind, I’ve recently finished Strong Girl Bong Soon. It’s a South Korean show on Netflix, and I loved it. Some people don’t, I don’t care to hear your opinion, why? Because that’s the reason they make more than one TV show. You like what you like, I’ll like what I like. If you want to talk about your favorite shows, you blog about it; maybe I’ll read it. ANYWAY. I like it, I even bought the wife the character’s signature sweat shirt (cause capes are so last century dah’ling) I think it’s a more realistic depiction about how a person with super powers would react. They would still be a person, with fears, love life, hungers, pains, etc… It’s only 16 episodes long, and even though they set it up to have potential sequels, I seriously doubt that will happen. It’s a lovely, self contained thing. If you like rom-coms, with some action, and a dash of super heroics, it’s fun— and I’m gonna miss the excite of every new episode. The main character wants to be a game developer, and she creates this hero. But I love the main actress Park Bo-young , who is really good in the role. She’s cute, funny, with great reaction shots. You end up cheering for her, and wanting her to kick some serious arse. She’s also in an older show called Oh My Ghost (also on Netflix as Oh My Ghostess). I’m a couple of episodes in, and I like it, but Bong Soon still rules. Don’t forget! The SkywardKickstarter is still going on! If you, or someone you know, can help out, please check out the site… | Mid | [
0.539877300613496,
33,
28.125
] |
Quick Overview More Views Details What it is: The missing link in anti-aging technology: lifts, tones and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. What it's used for: NuFace is a skin care revolution. Utilizing a mild electrical micro-current, NuFace helps relax and firm facial muscles, bringing a soft, youthful appearance to the face. Plus, it's the first and only over-the-counter, hand-held microcurrent treatment approved for cosmetic use by the FDA. As we age, our muscles learn to behave in certain patterns and respond to familiar actions. This leads to unhealthy muscle tension, which in turn is a major cause of wrinkles. NuFace delivers a gentle pulse to the muscles, easing tensions within the cells, restoring the natural balance and tone within the skin, and improving circulation for overall greater skin health. NuFace's safe, painless currents are ideal for daily use on the face and neck. It features an adjustable output for customized treatments and compatibility with all skin and treatment types. | Mid | [
0.5695931477516061,
33.25,
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Hey guys.. So I'm working on a throttle management system for ebikes and I had a math questions for you fellas. Okay so imagine you have an input we will call this X. X is a value from 750-4095 Right now currently the X value is taken and Y is output... Currently Y is from 750-4095 Y=X WHAT I WANT TO DO: I want to take in X (750-4095) and output Y from 750-4095 But I want to add functions to the output.. For example I want exponential rise and exponential decay... I realize it's as simple as using a function like Y=X^2 But that doesn't exactly do the trick.. I want my start value and end value to still be the same 750-4095... For eg. I want the input to go from 750 to 1500 without making much of a change in the output say 750 -1000.. But then as the input goes from 1500-3000 have the output go from 1000-3000 with both input and output topping out at 4095 I hope this is clear.. I really should know the answer to this simple problem but I'm blanking out here. | High | [
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We get into a long list of national news issues including the wall along the southern border, President Trump, immigration policy and the federal government shutdown. We spent time discussing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pay-Go, the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All and much more. The border wall is political theater. Trump is playing his base. The $5 billion spending plan is 1/1000th of the federal budget but only covers approximately 200 miles of the nearly 2000 miles of the southern border. The purpose of this issue is to divide the nation, fire up his base and serve as a distraction to far larger problems facing the Trump Administration. How do we solve this problem? America was founded on the basis of Inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The wall represents the opposite of these rights. The wall is the opposite of freedom, by definition. The wall is a symbol of the failure of America’s immigration policy. The solution is to expand legal immigration. I explain this in more detail in this podcast as well as get into issues with the government shutdown, how the government shutdown is not a shutdown, national parks, hypocrisy by both Republicans and Democrats, the Washington Monument Syndrome, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her objection to Pay-Go, immorality of adding more debt, her proposal for a 70% top marginal tax rate, Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All, Republicans falling into trap of mocking AOC, GOP failure to engage in a battle of ideas on moral grounds, the importance of wedge issues and the similarities of the two parties. | Mid | [
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Church & State Sticker Shock Georgia School District Drops Evolution Disclaimer Fight, As Creationist Forces Lose Another Round In The War Over Science Education Jeffrey Selman never intended to be such a public proponent of the separation of church and state, even though he has always considered himself an advocate for that long-cherished American principle. But when the suburban Atlanta computer programmer learned that his son’s public school district planned to place stickers questioning evolution in science textbooks, his circumstances were swiftly altered. The Cobb County school system is the second largest public school district in Georgia, but in 2002, the board of education surrendered to a religious pressure campaign and announced its plan to warn students that evolution is “a theory, not a fact” and that it should be “critically considered.” Up until that point, Selman told Church & State, it had felt as if he had been “sleepwalking through a democracy.” He had assumed that it was “a done deal” that religion could not be taught in the science curriculum and that public schools could not take actions to undermine the teaching of evolution for religious reasons. After reading about the school board’s move in a local newspaper, Selman placed a call to the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. He also made appearances before the school board, urging its members to reverse their decision. Selman said his pleas to the board were shunned, and it soon became apparent that litigation was the only alternative. When the Georgia ACLU called to ask if he was interested in being a plaintiff, he readily agreed. “I said, yeah, go for it,” recalled Selman. Other Cobb County parents later joined the Selman v. Cobb County School Board lawsuit. Selman’s very public foray into activism on behalf of church-state separation – the case drew national and international media attention – ended with a victory last December, when Cobb County school officials entered a broad-based agreement promising to abide by constitutional mandates. The Dec. 19 settlement states that Cobb County school officials are barred “from restoring to the science textbooks of students in the Cobb County schools any stickers, labels, stamps, inscriptions, or other warnings or disclaimers bearing language substantially similar to that used on the sticker that is the subject of this action.” Moreover, it prohibits school officials from taking any other actions that would “prevent or hinder the teaching of evolution in the School District.” Selman, who during the course of litigation also was elected president of the Georgia chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, lauded the school board. “The settlement brings to an end a long battle to keep our science classes free of political or religious agendas,” he said. “I am very pleased that the Cobb school board has dropped its defense of the anti-evolution policy.” The settlement, which was brought about with substantial legal help from Americans United, is another big setback for Religious Right activists who are waging war on public schools. They have long sought to force the teaching of creationism or its latest variant, “intelligent design,” in science classes. The federal courts have repeatedly rejected that crusade, ruling that the teaching of religion in public schools is unconstitutional. In the most recent ruling in December 2005, a federal judge invalidated the Dover, Pa., school district’s attempt to teach intelligent design. To circumvent the courts, some Religious Right forces are trying a new maneuver, urging public schools to question the validity of evolution without publicly putting forward a religious alternative to the scientific concept. The Discovery Institute, one of the nation’s leading proponents of intelligent design, weighed in heavily on the side of the Georgia anti-evolution stickers, saying that a final decision in the case would “be at least as important, if not more important, than the Dover school district case last year.” Casey Luskin, a Discovery Institute attorney, said in a May 25, 2006, statement that he hoped the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals would rule that the disclaimers are constitutional and create precedent for the states covered by the 11th Circuit – Georgia, Alabama and Florida. “Eventually it’s likely that a decision will be handed down from this federal appellate court governing legal decisions in multiple states,” Luskin said. The Cobb County sticker was a perfect example of the Discovery Institute’s latest gambit. It read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origins of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.” The Cobb County school officials’ decision to settle the case squelched the hopes of Religious Right activists and rendered the Discovery Institute speechless. Although the group’s Web site includes several press releases about the four-year Georgia battle, it has yet to issue a statement about the controversy’s abrupt conclusion. Although the Discovery Institute tried to pretend that its interests were purely scientific, the push for the evolution disclaimer was clearly religious in character. Marjorie Rogers, a Cobb County parent with a staunch literal belief in the Bible’s creation story, led the crusade. With the help of her friends and her church, she launched a petition drive urging the school board to adopt the anti-evolution stickers. Rogers, according to court documentation, was incensed that textbooks only covered evolution, and she repeatedly condemned the books for not examining creationism. In a 2005 interview with The Washington Post, Rogers said evolution, which the vast majority of the world’s scientists describe as the cornerstone of biology, offends her and is actually a religion. She complained that evolution belittles humans. After Rogers triumphed and the stickers were placed in the Cobb County science textbooks in 2002, Selman and other parents sued, charging that the board was promoting religion in violation of the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper concurred, concluding in 2005 that the stickers have “already sent a message that the school board agrees with the beliefs of Christian fundamentalists and creationists.” He held that the disclaimer “misleads students regarding the significance and value of evolution in the scientific community for the benefit of religious alternatives.” Cooper’s ruling was in line with federal court precedent, including decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1968, the Supreme Court invalidated an Arkansas statute that prohibited public schools from teaching evolution. In Epperson v. Arkansas, the justices found that lawmakers created the state law with the sole motivation of appeasing the “fundamentalist sectarian conviction” of a lot of their constituents. Following Epperson, creationist groups tried a different tactic. The Louisiana legislature passed a so-called “balanced treatment” law that required the public schools to teach “creation science” whenever they taught evolution. In 1987, the Supreme Court struck down the measure. In Edwards v. Aguillard, the justices concluded that the lawmakers did not have a secular purpose. The high court also held that the Louisiana law “advances a religious doctrine by requiring either the banishment of the theory of evolution from public school classrooms or the presentation of a religious viewpoint that rejects evolution in its entirety.” After Judge Cooper’s ruling, the Cobb County school district paid students and teachers $10 an hour to scrape the stickers from textbooks. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, $14,243 was spent on the project. The school board, however, also continued to defend the stickers and filed an appeal. Last spring, a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit refused to rule on the constitutionality of the disclaimers and sent the case back to Cooper for further consideration. The panel complained that documentation was insufficient for it to decide whether to reverse or sustain Cooper’s decision. Following the 11th Circuit action, the ACLU of Georgia reached out to Americans United for help with the legal battle. Americans United, along with the Pennsylvania ACLU and the Philadelphia law firm of Pepper Hamilton, had represented Dover, Pa., parents in their successful legal challenge to intelligent design. Before the case could go back into the courtroom, however, the Cobb County board of education decided to enter the settlement and end the lawsuit. Friends of the First Amendment were pleased. “Students should be taught sound science, and the curriculum should not be altered at the behest of aggressive religious groups,” said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn. “Cobb County school officials have taken the right step to ensure that their students receive a quality education.” It appears that changes in the make-up of the school board and weariness over the controversy played into the decision to reach an agreement. According to press accounts, Cobb County board members had decided that they no longer wanted to spend public funds on the fight and endure the glare of media attention. The new chairwoman of the Cobb County education board said members decided to settle the controversy to avoid a prolonged legal battle. “We faced the distraction and expense of starting all over with more legal actions and another trial,” board chairwoman Teresa Plenge told the Associated Press. “With this agreement, it is done and we now have a clean slate for the new year.” Some commentators found the attention damaging to the north metro Atlanta district that serves a diverse population of more than 106,000 students. Maureen Downey, an editorial board writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote that the controversy was expensive and that “it was also embarrassing, turning the prestigious school system into a punch line.” In a Dec. 20 article, the newspaper noted that the disclaimers were “the subject of jokes on blogs and e-mails, including one that linked to a Web site offering alternative stickers. One read: ‘This textbook contains material on gravity. Gravity is a theory, not a fact, regarding a force that cannot be seen….’” Moreover, as the newspaper reported, the Cobb County board of education had undergone some unusual turnover. The board had rarely seen change, but the 2006 elections saw the departure of three board members who were proponents of the disclaimers. They were replaced by individuals who publicly campaigned on ending the legal fight. Indeed, one of the new board members, John Crooks, a Baptist minister, lauded the settlement, telling the press, “Moving on to more important educational matters is essential.” Kathie Johnstone, the board’s chairwoman during the adoption of the stickers, didn’t even make it to the general election. She lost overwhelmingly to a Republican challenger in the summer GOP primary. Cobb school officials and attorneys also may have realized that they faced an increasingly daunting challenge. Richard Katskee, Americans United’s assistant legal director and its primary attorney in the Dover, Pa., case, had quickly started rounding up some of the same expert witnesses from the Dover case to help in the Cobb County dispute. These included Kenneth Miller, a biology professor at Brown University, Brian Alters, a professor of science education at McGill University, and Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education. Americans United’s Katskee was pleased with the settlement and said the school district would now be in the position to “focus squarely on providing a sound education to Cobb County students.” Mike King, a member of the editorial board for The Journal-Constitution, wrote in a Dec. 21 column that the Cobb school board had finally come to its senses. “Truth is,” King wrote, “there never has been widespread support within the county to change the way human biology should be taught. It has always been the work of a handful of anti-evolution zealots who would be better off home-schooling their children.” Two of the parents who pushed the Cobb board to adopt the stickers lashed out at the settlement. Rogers told the Journal-Constitution that she was disappointed and that without the evolution disclaimer stickers, “the textbooks are inaccurate and biased and unconstitutional.” Larry Taylor, who has three children in the Cobb schools, said “terrorist organizations like the ACLU” are “hijacking our country’s educational system by imposing their own secular agenda on the rest of us.” Religious Right leaders also are bitter. On his Dec. 21 “700 Club,” television preacher Pat Robertson launched into a tirade. “Evolution is a theory – not a fact,” Robertson claimed. “Who knows what happened 500 million or a billion years ago? Who knows? Who can say for certain? “You know none of us were there,” he continued. “These are all speculations and they’re based on incomplete science. So to say it is a fact is bad science. [Cobb County school officials] should have fought. We would have fought beside them. I think it’s time the good people stand up and fight for what they believe in. “And this business of evolution is based essentially on atheism – that there was no God and that higher life emerged from primordial ooze…that paramecium and protozoa are our ancestors. That’s nonsense. Why should schools say, well, we will never question that? Of course, they should question that.” Selman, however, scoffed at the notion that the legal action against the evolution disclaimers was any kind of plot to force religious believers to abandon their faith. Indeed, he noted that his understanding of evolution has not caused him to renounce his Jewish faith. “Simply learning about evolution does not mean that you have to give up your religious beliefs,” he said. Selman added that he always hoped to avoid litigation. He urged the Cobb board of education on a number of occasions to reverse its decision on the stickers. “I was just trying to do what is right,” he said, “and the board’s refusal to abandon the sticker left us no recourse.” | Low | [
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Academy of Climate Change Education and Research The Academy of Climate Change Education and Research (ACCER) is an institution established by Kerala Agricultural University in 2010 to study about climate change under the faculty of agriculture. The campus is situated at Vellanikara, Thrissur, Kerala, India, and has a five-year course on M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation. History When the course was inaugurated on 6 September 2010, the first batch had their initial classes at College of Fisheries (CoF) Panangad, Ernakulam. After CoF was delinked from the KAU to Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies in 2010, the students were temporarily transferred to a building located at KAU's main campus in Vellanikara, alongside the NH-47, with GSLHV Prasad Rao as the first special officer. The students remained there till 2015, almost a five-year gap, during which the college grew to its full potential of five batches. The new college building was inaugurated by Oommen Chandy, then Chief Minister of Kerala on 28 September 2015 Courses offered B.Sc-M.Sc (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation References Category:Colleges in Thrissur Category:Climate change | High | [
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Gregory Korte USA TODAY WASHINGTON — President Obama has approved more than $3 billion for a new-and-improved Air Force One — but the White House emphasized Monday that Obama's successor will be the first president to fly it. In fact, with an expected delivery date of 2023, it could be the successor to Obama's successor. "Let me say it this way: The president doesn’t need a new plane right now. But in eight or nine years, whoever that president is, they'll need a new plane," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. "The president will be the first one to tell you that the plane he has right now serves him quite well." Earnest was responding to a New York Times story about the project, which features some eye-popping technology: The Air Force selected Boeing as the maker of the next plane earlier this year. The 747-8 that will serve as the frame is 250 feet long with a range of nearly 7,800 miles and 66,500 pounds of engine thrust. Once modified, it will be capable of midair refueling, hardened against the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion and almost certainly equipped with defenses to deflect heat-seeking missiles. Actually, Air Force One isn't a plane, but a call sign for whatever plane the president flies in. Two planes currently have that primary duty — both now 25 years old — although smaller planes are sometimes used when the president take short flights or flies into smaller airports. | Mid | [
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Need a Private Student Loan? Explore Discover Student Loans There is a buzz on the inter webs concerning discover student loans. The cost of college is rising across the nation, and for many college-bound students, a student loan is the only way to achieve a higher education. Sure, some students work and pay their own way through school or rely on financial help from parents. But for many college students, this simply isn’t an option. Federal student loans are often a college student’s first choice. There are federal loans for practically everyone, and because these loans do not require a credit check, they are easier to obtain than other types of loans. But unfortunately, there are limits to how much federal aid a student can borrow each year. Some students have higher educational expenses, and after exhausting federal resources they often bridge the gap with private student loans. These are loans offered by private banks and credit unions, and not the federal government. About Discover Student Loans There are several choices for private lending, and when comparing your student loan options, you may not immediately think of Discover. This bank, however, isn’t just a credit card company. Discover offers a host of financial products from home loans to online savings accounts, and if you need funding to complete an undergraduate or graduate degree program, multiple options are available to you. The types of loans offered by Discover Student Loans includes: Undergraduate Student Loans Health Professionals Loans Law Loans MBA Loans Residency Loans Bar Exam Loans Graduate School Loans Features of Discover Student Loans Private student loans vary by bank or credit union. To determine whether Discover Student Loans are right for you, familiarize yourself with the features and terms of these loans. 1. Annual Loan Limits. Student loans offered by the U.S. Department of Education may not cover the entire cost of attendance at a college or university. Discover Student Loans, however, can cover up to 100% of tuition, books and other college-related expenses, minus other financial aid (federal loans, grants, scholarships, etc.) 3. Repayment Terms. For an undergraduate degree, the standard repayment term is 15 years and repayment doesn’t begin until six months after graduation or until enrollment drops to less than half-time. With graduate degrees, the standard repayment term is 20 years and repayment doesn’t begin until nine months after graduation or until enrollment drops to less than half time. Although in-school payments are not required, interest does accrue while in school. Students can make interest payments at anytime to reduce the final costs of their loan. 4. Credit Check. Unlike federal student loans, which do not require a credit check or cosigner, private student loans are based on creditworthiness. Approval for an undergraduate or graduate student loan with Discover Bank requires a satisfactory credit check. Students who cannot qualify for a loan based on their own credit history can add a cosigner to their loan application. This can include a parent or another person with a good credit history. The cosigner acts as a joint applicant and agrees to repay the student loan if the primary borrower defaults. 5. Payment Options. Discover offers several options to ensure the timely arrival of payments. Students can sign up for online banking and submit payments via the website, or mail in or submit a payment over the phone. Borrowers who set up automated monthly payments receive a 0.25% interest rate reduction. Managing your Discover Student Loans Discover Student Loans feature grace periods between six and nine months, which allows time for you to find a job and prepare for student loan repayment. Timely payments are a must, as your account activity is reported to the credit bureaus each month. Defaulting on your loan can damage your credit score, as well as your cosigner’s credit score, if applicable. For this reason, it is important that you carefully manage your loan. There are several practical ways to manage Discover Student Loans. Sign up for online banking and you can access your account from your home computer or mobile device. This is the simplest way to keep up with your due date, payments and balance. You can also monitor your student loan with the help of third-party resources such as SALT. Available at no charge, this multichannel educational program provides college students and alums with tools and resources to take control of their personal finances and manage student loan debt. Once a SALT member, you can track all your federal and private loans in one place, plus compare repayment options. How to Get Started If you’re looking for a private student loan with a fixed rate, zero fees and other attractive benefits, apply for a Discover Student Loan. To complete an application online, visit discover.com/student-loans, or call 1-877-728-3030. A student loan specialist is ready to answer any questions and assist you with finding the right private student loan. | High | [
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#include "playerInfo.h" #include "gameGlobalInfo.h" #include "spaceObjects/playerSpaceship.h" #include "tacticalScreen.h" #include "preferenceManager.h" #include "screenComponents/combatManeuver.h" #include "screenComponents/radarView.h" #include "screenComponents/impulseControls.h" #include "screenComponents/warpControls.h" #include "screenComponents/jumpControls.h" #include "screenComponents/dockingButton.h" #include "screenComponents/alertOverlay.h" #include "screenComponents/customShipFunctions.h" #include "screenComponents/missileTubeControls.h" #include "screenComponents/aimLock.h" #include "screenComponents/shieldsEnableButton.h" #include "screenComponents/beamFrequencySelector.h" #include "screenComponents/beamTargetSelector.h" #include "screenComponents/powerDamageIndicator.h" #include "gui/gui2_keyvaluedisplay.h" #include "gui/gui2_label.h" #include "gui/gui2_rotationdial.h" TacticalScreen::TacticalScreen(GuiContainer* owner) : GuiOverlay(owner, "TACTICAL_SCREEN", colorConfig.background) { // Render the radar shadow and background decorations. background_gradient = new GuiOverlay(this, "BACKGROUND_GRADIENT", sf::Color::White); background_gradient->setTextureCenter("gui/BackgroundGradientSingle"); background_crosses = new GuiOverlay(this, "BACKGROUND_CROSSES", sf::Color::White); background_crosses->setTextureTiled("gui/BackgroundCrosses"); // Render the alert level color overlay. (new AlertLevelOverlay(this)); // Short-range tactical radar with a 5U range. radar = new GuiRadarView(this, "TACTICAL_RADAR", &targets); radar->setPosition(0, 0, ACenter)->setSize(GuiElement::GuiSizeMatchHeight, 750); radar->setRangeIndicatorStepSize(1000.0)->shortRange()->enableGhostDots()->enableWaypoints()->enableCallsigns()->enableHeadingIndicators()->setStyle(GuiRadarView::Circular); // Control targeting and piloting with radar interactions. radar->setCallbacks( [this](sf::Vector2f position) { targets.setToClosestTo(position, 250, TargetsContainer::Targetable); if (my_spaceship && targets.get()) my_spaceship->commandSetTarget(targets.get()); else if (my_spaceship) my_spaceship->commandTargetRotation(sf::vector2ToAngle(position - my_spaceship->getPosition())); }, [this](sf::Vector2f position) { if (my_spaceship) my_spaceship->commandTargetRotation(sf::vector2ToAngle(position - my_spaceship->getPosition())); }, [this](sf::Vector2f position) { if (my_spaceship) my_spaceship->commandTargetRotation(sf::vector2ToAngle(position - my_spaceship->getPosition())); } ); radar->setAutoRotating(PreferencesManager::get("tactical_radar_lock","0")=="1"); // Ship statistics in the top left corner. energy_display = new GuiKeyValueDisplay(this, "ENERGY_DISPLAY", 0.45, tr("Energy"), ""); energy_display->setIcon("gui/icons/energy")->setTextSize(20)->setPosition(20, 100, ATopLeft)->setSize(240, 40); heading_display = new GuiKeyValueDisplay(this, "HEADING_DISPLAY", 0.45, tr("Heading"), ""); heading_display->setIcon("gui/icons/heading")->setTextSize(20)->setPosition(20, 140, ATopLeft)->setSize(240, 40); velocity_display = new GuiKeyValueDisplay(this, "VELOCITY_DISPLAY", 0.45, tr("Speed"), ""); velocity_display->setIcon("gui/icons/speed")->setTextSize(20)->setPosition(20, 180, ATopLeft)->setSize(240, 40); shields_display = new GuiKeyValueDisplay(this, "SHIELDS_DISPLAY", 0.45, tr("Shields"), ""); shields_display->setIcon("gui/icons/shields")->setTextSize(20)->setPosition(20, 220, ATopLeft)->setSize(240, 40); // Weapon tube loading controls in the bottom left corner. tube_controls = new GuiMissileTubeControls(this, "MISSILE_TUBES"); tube_controls->setPosition(20, -20, ABottomLeft); radar->enableTargetProjections(tube_controls); // Beam controls beneath the radar. if (gameGlobalInfo->use_beam_shield_frequencies || gameGlobalInfo->use_system_damage) { GuiElement* beam_info_box = new GuiElement(this, "BEAM_INFO_BOX"); beam_info_box->setPosition(0, -20, ABottomCenter)->setSize(500, 50); (new GuiLabel(beam_info_box, "BEAM_INFO_LABEL", tr("Beams"), 30))->addBackground()->setPosition(0, 0, ABottomLeft)->setSize(80, 50); (new GuiBeamFrequencySelector(beam_info_box, "BEAM_FREQUENCY_SELECTOR"))->setPosition(80, 0, ABottomLeft)->setSize(132, 50); (new GuiPowerDamageIndicator(beam_info_box, "", SYS_BeamWeapons, ACenterLeft))->setPosition(0, 0, ABottomLeft)->setSize(212, 50); (new GuiBeamTargetSelector(beam_info_box, "BEAM_TARGET_SELECTOR"))->setPosition(0, 0, ABottomRight)->setSize(288, 50); } // Weapon tube locking, and manual aiming controls. missile_aim = new AimLock(this, "MISSILE_AIM", radar, -90, 360 - 90, 0, [this](float value){ tube_controls->setMissileTargetAngle(value); }); missile_aim->hide()->setPosition(0, 0, ACenter)->setSize(GuiElement::GuiSizeMatchHeight, 800); lock_aim = new AimLockButton(this, "LOCK_AIM", tube_controls, missile_aim); lock_aim->setPosition(250, 20, ATopCenter)->setSize(110, 50); // Combat maneuver and propulsion controls in the bottom right corner. (new GuiCombatManeuver(this, "COMBAT_MANEUVER"))->setPosition(-20, -390, ABottomRight)->setSize(200, 150); GuiAutoLayout* engine_layout = new GuiAutoLayout(this, "ENGINE_LAYOUT", GuiAutoLayout::LayoutHorizontalRightToLeft); engine_layout->setPosition(-20, -80, ABottomRight)->setSize(GuiElement::GuiSizeMax, 300); (new GuiImpulseControls(engine_layout, "IMPULSE"))->setSize(100, GuiElement::GuiSizeMax); warp_controls = (new GuiWarpControls(engine_layout, "WARP"))->setSize(100, GuiElement::GuiSizeMax); jump_controls = (new GuiJumpControls(engine_layout, "JUMP"))->setSize(100, GuiElement::GuiSizeMax); (new GuiDockingButton(this, "DOCKING"))->setPosition(-20, -20, ABottomRight)->setSize(280, 50); (new GuiCustomShipFunctions(this, tacticalOfficer, ""))->setPosition(-20, 120, ATopRight)->setSize(250, GuiElement::GuiSizeMax); } void TacticalScreen::onDraw(sf::RenderTarget& window) { if (my_spaceship) { energy_display->setValue(string(int(my_spaceship->energy_level))); heading_display->setValue(string(fmodf(my_spaceship->getRotation() + 360.0 + 360.0 - 270.0, 360.0), 1)); float velocity = sf::length(my_spaceship->getVelocity()) / 1000 * 60; velocity_display->setValue(tr("{value} {unit}/min").format({{"value", string(velocity, 1)}, {"unit", DISTANCE_UNIT_1K}})); warp_controls->setVisible(my_spaceship->has_warp_drive); jump_controls->setVisible(my_spaceship->has_jump_drive); shields_display->setValue(string(my_spaceship->getShieldPercentage(0)) + "% " + string(my_spaceship->getShieldPercentage(1)) + "%"); targets.set(my_spaceship->getTarget()); } GuiOverlay::onDraw(window); } bool TacticalScreen::onJoystickAxis(const AxisAction& axisAction){ if(my_spaceship){ if (axisAction.category == "HELMS"){ if (axisAction.action == "IMPULSE"){ my_spaceship->commandImpulse(axisAction.value); return true; } else if (axisAction.action == "ROTATE"){ my_spaceship->commandTurnSpeed(axisAction.value); return true; } else if (axisAction.action == "STRAFE"){ my_spaceship->commandCombatManeuverStrafe(axisAction.value); return true; } else if (axisAction.action == "BOOST"){ my_spaceship->commandCombatManeuverBoost(axisAction.value); return true; } } } return false; } void TacticalScreen::onHotkey(const HotkeyResult& key) { if (key.category == "HELMS" && my_spaceship) { if (key.hotkey == "TURN_LEFT") my_spaceship->commandTargetRotation(my_spaceship->getRotation() - 5.0f); else if (key.hotkey == "TURN_RIGHT") my_spaceship->commandTargetRotation(my_spaceship->getRotation() + 5.0f); } if (key.category == "WEAPONS" && my_spaceship) { if (key.hotkey == "NEXT_ENEMY_TARGET") { bool current_found = false; foreach(SpaceObject, obj, space_object_list) { if (obj == targets.get()) { current_found = true; continue; } if (current_found && sf::length(obj->getPosition() - my_spaceship->getPosition()) < my_spaceship->getShortRangeRadarRange() && my_spaceship->isEnemy(obj) && my_spaceship->getScannedStateFor(obj) >= SS_FriendOrFoeIdentified && obj->canBeTargetedBy(my_spaceship)) { targets.set(obj); my_spaceship->commandSetTarget(targets.get()); return; } } foreach(SpaceObject, obj, space_object_list) { if (obj == targets.get()) { continue; } if (my_spaceship->isEnemy(obj) && sf::length(obj->getPosition() - my_spaceship->getPosition()) < my_spaceship->getShortRangeRadarRange() && my_spaceship->getScannedStateFor(obj) >= SS_FriendOrFoeIdentified && obj->canBeTargetedBy(my_spaceship)) { targets.set(obj); my_spaceship->commandSetTarget(targets.get()); return; } } } if (key.hotkey == "NEXT_TARGET") { bool current_found = false; foreach(SpaceObject, obj, space_object_list) { if (obj == targets.get()) { current_found = true; continue; } if (obj == my_spaceship) continue; if (current_found && sf::length(obj->getPosition() - my_spaceship->getPosition()) < my_spaceship->getShortRangeRadarRange() && obj->canBeTargetedBy(my_spaceship)) { targets.set(obj); my_spaceship->commandSetTarget(targets.get()); return; } } foreach(SpaceObject, obj, space_object_list) { if (obj == targets.get() || obj == my_spaceship) continue; if (sf::length(obj->getPosition() - my_spaceship->getPosition()) < my_spaceship->getShortRangeRadarRange() && obj->canBeTargetedBy(my_spaceship)) { targets.set(obj); my_spaceship->commandSetTarget(targets.get()); return; } } } if (key.hotkey == "AIM_MISSILE_LEFT") { missile_aim->setValue(missile_aim->getValue() - 5.0f); tube_controls->setMissileTargetAngle(missile_aim->getValue()); } if (key.hotkey == "AIM_MISSILE_RIGHT") { missile_aim->setValue(missile_aim->getValue() + 5.0f); tube_controls->setMissileTargetAngle(missile_aim->getValue()); } } } | Mid | [
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#include "THSICE_OPTIONS.h" C !ROUTINE: THSICE_IMPL_TEMP C !INTERFACE: SUBROUTINE THSICE_IMPL_TEMP( I netSW, sFlx, O dTsurf, I bi, bj, myTime, myIter, myThid) C *==========================================================* C | S/R THSICE_IMPL_TEMP C | o Calculate sea-ice and surface temp. implicitly C *==========================================================* C | o return surface fluxes for atmosphere boundary layer C | physics (and therefore called within atmospheric physics) C *==========================================================* C !USES: IMPLICIT NONE C === Global variables === #include "SIZE.h" #include "EEPARAMS.h" #include "PARAMS.h" #include "FFIELDS.h" #include "THSICE_SIZE.h" #include "THSICE_PARAMS.h" #include "THSICE_VARS.h" INTEGER siLo, siHi, sjLo, sjHi PARAMETER ( siLo = 1-OLx , siHi = sNx+OLx ) PARAMETER ( sjLo = 1-OLy , sjHi = sNy+OLy ) C !INPUT/OUTPUT PARAMETERS: C === Routine arguments === C netSW :: net Short Wave surf. flux (+=down) [W/m2] C sFlx :: surf. heat flux (+=down) except SW, function of surf. temp Ts: C 0: Flx(Ts=0) ; 1: Flx(Ts=Ts^n) ; 2: d.Flx/dTs(Ts=Ts^n) C dTsurf :: surf. temp adjusment: Ts^n+1 - Ts^n C bi,bj :: Tile index C myIter :: iteration counter for this thread C myTime :: time counter for this thread C myThid :: thread number for this instance of the routine. _RL netSW (sNx,sNy) _RL sFlx (sNx,sNy,0:2) _RL dTsurf (sNx,sNy) INTEGER bi,bj _RL myTime INTEGER myIter INTEGER myThid #ifdef ALLOW_THSICE C !LOCAL VARIABLES: C === Local variables === C tFrzOce :: sea-water freezing temperature [oC] (function of S) C dTsrf :: surf. temp adjusment: Ts^n+1 - Ts^n INTEGER i,j INTEGER iMin, iMax INTEGER jMin, jMax _RL tFrzOce(1-OLx:sNx+OLx,1-OLy:sNy+OLy) c _RL dTsrf (1-OLx:sNx+OLx,1-OLy:sNy+OLy) LOGICAL dBugFlag C- define grid-point location where to print debugging values #include "THSICE_DEBUG.h" 1010 FORMAT(A,1P4E14.6) C---+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7-|--+----| iMin = 1 iMax = sNx jMin = 1 jMax = sNy dBugFlag = debugLevel.GE.debLevC C---+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7-|--+----| C part.1 : ice-covered fraction ; C Solve for surface and ice temperature (implicitly) ; compute surf. fluxes C------- DO j = jMin, jMax DO i = iMin, iMax icFlxSW(i,j,bi,bj) = netSW(i,j) IF (iceMask(i,j,bi,bj).GT.0. _d 0) THEN tFrzOce(i,j) = -mu_Tf*sOceMxL(i,j,bi,bj) #ifdef ALLOW_DBUG_THSICE IF ( dBug(i,j,bi,bj) ) THEN WRITE(6,'(A,2I4,2I2)') 'ThSI_IMPL_T: i,j=',i,j,bi,bj WRITE(6,1010) 'ThSI_IMPL_T:-0- iceMask,hIc,hSn,Tsf=', & iceMask(i,j,bi,bj), iceHeight(i,j,bi,bj), & snowHeight(i,j,bi,bj), Tsrf(i,j,bi,bj) WRITE(6,1010) 'ThSI_IMPL_T:-0- Tice(1,2),Qice(1,2)=', & Tice1(i,j,bi,bj), Tice2(i,j,bi,bj), & Qice1(i,j,bi,bj), Qice2(i,j,bi,bj) ENDIF #endif ENDIF ENDDO ENDDO CALL THSICE_SOLVE4TEMP( I bi, bj, I iMin,iMax, jMin,jMax, dBugFlag, .FALSE.,.FALSE., I iceMask(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), iceHeight(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), I snowHeight(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), tFrzOce, sFlx, U icFlxSW(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), Tsrf(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), U Qice1(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), Qice2(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), O Tice1(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), Tice2(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), dTsurf, O sHeating(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), flxCndBt(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), O icFlxAtm(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), icFrwAtm(siLo,sjLo,bi,bj), I myTime, myIter, myThid ) C---+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7-|--+----| #endif /* ALLOW_THSICE */ RETURN END | Mid | [
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/** Good tutorial: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=673259 */ #include <algorithm> #include <fstream> #include <iostream> #include <set> #include <vector> #include <boost/config.hpp> //-lboost_graph #include <boost/graph/graph_traits.hpp> #include <boost/graph/adjacency_list.hpp> #include <boost/graph/dijkstra_shortest_paths.hpp> #include <boost/property_map/property_map.hpp> int main() { /* #Graph The following class hierarchy exists: BidirectionalGraph -------- Incience ---------+ | Adjacency --------+ | VertexAndEdgeList ----+---- VertexList -------+---- Graph | | +---- EdgeList ---------+ | AdjacenyMatrix ---+ */ { /* #properties Properties are values associated to edges and vertices. */ { /* There are a few predefined properties which you should use whenever possible as they are already used in many algorithms, but you can also define your own properties. Predefined properties include: - `edge_weight_t`. Used for most algorithms that have a single value associated to each edge such as Dijikstra. - `vertex_name_t` */ { typedef boost::property<boost::vertex_name_t, std::string> VertexProperties; typedef boost::property<boost::edge_weight_t, int> EdgeProperties; } /* Multiple properties can be specified either by: - using a custom class as the property type. TODO is there any limitation to this? - chaining multile properties */ { } /* The absense of a property is speficied by boost::no_property. */ { typedef boost::no_property VertexProperties; } } typedef boost::property<boost::vertex_name_t, std::string> VertexProperties; typedef boost::property<boost::edge_weight_t, int> EdgeProperties; typedef boost::adjacency_list< // Data structure to represent the out edges for each vertex. // Possibilities: // // #vecS selects std::vector. // #listS selects std::list. // #slistS selects std::slist. // #setS selects std::set. // #multisetS selects std::multiset. // #hash_setS selects std::hash_set. // // `S` standas for Selector. boost::vecS, // Data structure to represent the vertex set. boost::vecS, // Directed type. // #bidirectionalS: directed graph with access to in and out edges // #directedS: directed graph with access only to out-edges // #undirectedS: undirected graph boost::bidirectionalS, // Optional. VertexProperties, // Optional. EdgeProperties > Graph; //typedef boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_iterator VertexIter; //typedef boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor Vertex; //typedef boost::property_map<Graph, boost::vertex_index_t>::type IndexMap; // Fix number of vertices, and add one edge at a time. int num_vertices = 3; Graph g(num_vertices); boost::add_edge(0, 1, g); boost::add_edge(1, 2, g); // Fix number of vertices, and add one edge array. { int num_vertices = 3; typedef std::pair<int, int> Edge; std::vector<Edge> edges{ {0, 1}, {1, 2}, }; Graph g(edges.data(), edges.data() + edges.size(), num_vertices); } // It is also possible to add vertices with #add_vertex. //#vertices { // Number of vertices. boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertices_size_type num_vertices = boost::num_vertices(g); assert(num_vertices == 3u); //#vertices() Returns a begin() end() vertex iterator pair so we know where to stop. { typedef std::vector<boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor> Vertices; Vertices vertices; vertices.reserve(num_vertices); //IndexMap auto index = boost::get(boost::vertex_index, g); //std::pair<vertex_iter, vertex_iter> vp for (auto vp = boost::vertices(g); vp.first != vp.second; ++vp.first) { // Vertex auto v = *vp.first; vertices.push_back(index[v]); } assert((vertices == Vertices{0, 1, 2})); } // The iterator is a ranom access iterator. { auto index = boost::get(boost::vertex_index, g); auto it = boost::vertices(g).first; assert(index[it[2]] == 2); assert(index[it[1]] == 1); } } //#edges { // It seems that only AdjencyMatrix has a method to get an edge given two vertices: //edge(u, v, g) } } //#source is also a global function: <http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16114616/why-is-boost-graph-librarys-source-a-global-function> //#dijikstra std::cout << "#dijkstra" << std::endl; { typedef boost::adjacency_list< boost::listS, boost::vecS, boost::directedS, boost::no_property, boost::property<boost::edge_weight_t, int> > Graph; typedef boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor vertex_descriptor; typedef boost::graph_traits<Graph>::edge_descriptor edge_descriptor; typedef std::pair<int, int> Edge; // Model inputs. const int num_nodes = 5; const int sorce = 0; std::vector<Edge> edges{ {0, 2}, {1, 1}, {1, 3}, {1, 4}, {2, 1}, {2, 3}, {3, 4}, {4, 0}, {4, 1} }; std::vector<int> weights{ 1, 2, 1, 2, 7, 3, 1, 1, 1 }; // Solve. Graph g(edges.data(), edges.data() + edges.size(), weights.data(), num_nodes); std::vector<vertex_descriptor> p(num_vertices(g)); std::vector<int> d(num_vertices(g)); vertex_descriptor s = vertex(sorce, g); dijkstra_shortest_paths(g, s, predecessor_map(boost::make_iterator_property_map( p.begin(), boost::get(boost::vertex_index, g) )).distance_map(boost::make_iterator_property_map( d.begin(), boost::get(boost::vertex_index, g) )) ); // Print solution to stdout. std::cout << "node | distance from source | parent" << std::endl; boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_iterator vi, vend; for (boost::tie(vi, vend) = vertices(g); vi != vend; ++vi) std::cout << *vi << " " << d[*vi] << " " << p[*vi] << std::endl; std::cout <<std::endl; // Generate a .dot graph file with shortest path highlighted. // To PNG with: dot -Tpng -o outfile.png input.dot boost::property_map<Graph, boost::edge_weight_t>::type weightmap = boost::get(boost::edge_weight, g); std::ofstream dot_file("dijkstra.dot"); dot_file << "digraph D {\n" << " rankdir=LR\n" << " size=\"4,3\"\n" << " ratio=\"fill\"\n" << " edge[style=\"bold\"]\n" << " node[shape=\"circle\"]\n"; boost::graph_traits <Graph>::edge_iterator ei, ei_end; for (std::tie(ei, ei_end) = boost::edges(g); ei != ei_end; ++ei) { edge_descriptor e = *ei; boost::graph_traits<Graph>::vertex_descriptor u = boost::source(e, g), v = boost::target(e, g); dot_file << u << " -> " << v << "[label=\"" << boost::get(weightmap, e) << "\""; if (p[v] == u) dot_file << ", color=\"black\""; else dot_file << ", color=\"grey\""; dot_file << "]"; } dot_file << "}"; // Construct forward path to a destination. int dest = 4; int cur = dest; std::vector<int> path; path.push_back(cur); while(cur != sorce) { cur = p[cur]; path.push_back(cur); } std::reverse(path.begin(), path.end()); // Print. std::cout << "Path to node " << std::to_string(dest) << ":" << std::endl; for(auto& node : path) { std::cout << node << std::endl; } } } | Mid | [
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The identification of prognostic and predictive biomarkers is a key research area in medicine. These biomarkers aim to contribute to personalize medicine. Ultimately, in personalized medicine treatment will be tailored towards each patient\'s specific disease and genetics to optimize treatment outcome and minimize side effects. In cancer research large efforts are made to screen for biological entities like gene mutations and transcription-based biomarkers for this purpose, however the identified markers are most of the time not accurate enough for clinical use. Recently we have shown that confounding factors play an important role in the limited performance of such (bio)markers \[[@R1]\]. Mutations in the RAS gene, a gene frequently mutated in lung cancer, were not prognostic \[[@R2]\], however they largely influenced accuracy of transcription-based biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer. Taking RAS mutations to define patient subgroups and define transcription-based biomarkers for these specific patient subgroups resulted in an increase in prognostic power. While screening for prognostic or predictive markers it will thus be key to be aware of and correct for potential confounders. Therefore to create clinically useful biomarkers it will be detrimental to define clinically relevant patient subgroups rather than generalize across patients. This general principle might apply to a broad range of other variables and studies. For example, one can imagine different biomarkers being optimal in older *vs*. younger patients, in men *vs*. women and especially based on a broad range of other tumour genetic information. To this last point, large studies such as those initiated by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) will provide a wealth of data to exploit these findings. These studies can be used to define clinically-relevant patient subgroups based on genetic heterogeneity, rather than investigating single entities. For example, one can imagine systematic studies to identify genes that, while not themselves prognostic, confound the accuracy of other prognostic markers. Or, indeed, confound the accuracy of other biomarkers entirely: diagnostic or predictive markers, or markers for monitoring disease progress could all follow this general template. To perform such analyses, it will be critical to rigorously assess the information content of different classes of biomarkers in different clinical situations. For example, we established interplay between RAS mutation and expression of a set of 14 genes; a gene expression-based classifier could be used to predict RAS mutation status. A large number of random gene sets were used to show this RAS predictor had optimal performance. Further large permutation studies, testing millions of random gene sets for their prognostic power, established that predicting prognosis for patients with RAS mutations should be done with different gene sets than for patients without RAS mutations. Testing large sets of random gene sets also provides valuable information for performance of transcriptome-based biomarkers. Comparing performance of the biomarker against the performance distribution of the random gene sets will immediately show whether these perform better than random and are worthwhile proceeding with \[[@R3], [@R4]\]. Taken together, these data point at a sea-change in the development of biomarkers. Rather than simply focusing on finding the best "signature" to predict a specific clinical event \[[@R5], [@R6]\], we will look to further sub-stratify patient populations into subtypes that can be accurately prognosed. Indeed, while these subtypes themselves may not be inherently informative, they may provide the structure or framework upon which more accurate biomarkers can be developed. We can foresee the adoption of information content methods like those described above to try to identify proactively specific genomic events that mark groups of patients with coherently predictable clinical outcome. | High | [
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/* * Copyright (C) 2014 Freddie (Musenkishi) Lust-Hed * * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. * You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. */ package com.musenkishi.wally.dataprovider; import android.app.DownloadManager; import android.content.Context; import android.net.Uri; import android.os.Environment; import com.musenkishi.wally.dataprovider.models.DataProviderError; import com.musenkishi.wally.dataprovider.models.SaveImageRequest; import com.musenkishi.wally.dataprovider.util.Parser; import com.musenkishi.wally.models.ExceptionReporter; import com.musenkishi.wally.models.Filter; import com.musenkishi.wally.models.Image; import com.musenkishi.wally.models.ImagePage; import com.musenkishi.wally.models.filters.FilterGroupsStructure; import java.io.File; import java.util.ArrayList; import static com.musenkishi.wally.dataprovider.NetworkDataProvider.OnDataReceivedListener; /** * <strong>No threading shall take place here.</strong> * Use this class to get and set data. * Created by Musenkishi on 2014-02-28. */ public class DataProvider { private static final String TAG = "DataProvider"; private SharedPreferencesDataProvider sharedPreferencesDataProvider; private DownloadManager downloadManager; private Parser parser; public interface OnImagesReceivedListener { abstract void onImagesReceived(ArrayList<Image> images); abstract void onError(DataProviderError dataProviderError); } public interface OnPageReceivedListener { abstract void onPageReceived(ImagePage imagePage); abstract void onError(DataProviderError dataProviderError); } public DataProvider(Context context, ExceptionReporter.OnReportListener onReportListener) { sharedPreferencesDataProvider = new SharedPreferencesDataProvider(context); parser = new Parser(onReportListener); downloadManager = (DownloadManager) context.getSystemService(Context.DOWNLOAD_SERVICE); } public SharedPreferencesDataProvider getSharedPreferencesDataProviderInstance(){ return sharedPreferencesDataProvider; } public DownloadManager getDownloadManager() { return downloadManager; } public void getImages(String path, String query, String color, int index, FilterGroupsStructure filterGroupsStructure, final OnImagesReceivedListener onImagesReceivedListener) { new NetworkDataProvider().getData(path, query, color, index, filterGroupsStructure, new OnDataReceivedListener() { @Override public void onData(String data, String url) { ArrayList<Image> images = parser.parseImages(data); if (onImagesReceivedListener != null) { onImagesReceivedListener.onImagesReceived(images); } } @Override public void onError(DataProviderError dataProviderError) { if (onImagesReceivedListener != null) { onImagesReceivedListener.onError(dataProviderError); } } }); } public ArrayList<Image> getImagesSync(String path, int index, FilterGroupsStructure filterGroupsStructure){ String data = new NetworkDataProvider().getDataSync(path, index, filterGroupsStructure); if (data != null) { return parser.parseImages(data); } else { return null; } } /** */ public void getImages(String path, int index, FilterGroupsStructure filterGroupsStructure, final OnImagesReceivedListener onImagesReceivedListener) { new NetworkDataProvider().getData(path, index, filterGroupsStructure, new OnDataReceivedListener() { @Override public void onData(String data, String url) { ArrayList<Image> images = parser.parseImages(data); if (onImagesReceivedListener != null) { if (!images.isEmpty()){ onImagesReceivedListener.onImagesReceived(images); } else { DataProviderError noImagesError = new DataProviderError(DataProviderError.Type.LOCAL, 204, "No images"); onImagesReceivedListener.onError(noImagesError); } } } @Override public void onError(DataProviderError dataProviderError) { if (onImagesReceivedListener != null) { onImagesReceivedListener.onError(dataProviderError); } } }); } public ImagePage getPageDataSync(String imagePageUrl){ String data = new NetworkDataProvider().getDataSync(imagePageUrl); return parser.parseImagePage(data, imagePageUrl); } public void getPageData(String imagePageUrl, final OnPageReceivedListener onPageReceivedListener) { new NetworkDataProvider().getData(imagePageUrl, new OnDataReceivedListener() { @Override public void onData(String data, String url) { ImagePage imagePage = parser.parseImagePage(data, url); if (onPageReceivedListener != null) { onPageReceivedListener.onPageReceived(imagePage); } } @Override public void onError(DataProviderError error) { if (onPageReceivedListener != null) { onPageReceivedListener.onError(error); } } }); } public void setTimeSpan(String tag, Filter<String, String> timespan){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setTimespan(tag, timespan); } public Filter<String, String> getTimespan(String tag){ return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getTimespan(tag); } public void setBoards(String tag, String paramValue){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setBoards(tag, paramValue); } public String getBoards(String tag) { return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getBoards(tag); } public void setPurity(String tag, String paramValue){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setPurity(tag, paramValue); } public String getPurity(String tag) { return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getPurity(tag); } public void setAspectRatio(String tag, Filter<String, String> aspectRatio){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setAspectRatio(tag, aspectRatio); } public Filter<String, String> getAspectRatio(String tag) { return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getAspectRatio(tag); } public void setResolutionOption(String tag, String paramValue){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setResolutionOption(tag, paramValue); } public String getResolutionOption(String tag) { return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getResolutionOption(tag); } public void setResolution(String tag, Filter<String, String> resolution){ sharedPreferencesDataProvider.setResolution(tag, resolution); } public Filter<String, String> getResolution(String tag) { return sharedPreferencesDataProvider.getResolution(tag); } public SaveImageRequest downloadImageIfNeeded(Uri path, String filename, String notificationTitle){ FileManager fileManager = new FileManager(); if (fileManager.fileExists(filename)){ File file = fileManager.getFile(filename); Uri fileUri = Uri.fromFile(file); return new SaveImageRequest(fileUri); } else { String type = ".png"; //fallback to ".png" if (path.toString().lastIndexOf(".") != -1) { //-1 means there are no punctuations in the path type = path.toString().substring(path.toString().lastIndexOf(".")); } DownloadManager.Request request = new DownloadManager.Request(path); request.setTitle(notificationTitle); request.setVisibleInDownloadsUi(false); request.setNotificationVisibility(DownloadManager.Request.VISIBILITY_VISIBLE); request.allowScanningByMediaScanner(); request.setDestinationInExternalPublicDir(Environment.DIRECTORY_PICTURES, "/Wally/" + filename + type); return new SaveImageRequest(downloadManager.enqueue(request)); } } public Uri getFilePath(String filename) { FileManager fileManager = new FileManager(); if (fileManager.fileExists(filename)) { File file = fileManager.getFile(filename); Uri fileUri = Uri.fromFile(file); return fileUri; } return null; } } | Mid | [
0.55011135857461,
30.875,
25.25
] |
Rating Summary This is an action-adventure game in which players primarily assume the role of Batman as he battles several villains spreading chaos across Gotham City. Players traverse a variety of locations around Gotham while battling thugs, examining crime scenes, and occasionally rescuing hostages. Players engage in melee-style combat using punches, kicks, and gadgets (e.g., batarangs, explosives). Enemies cry out in pain when struck, and some takedowns are highlighted by brief slow-motion effects and loud impact sounds. Some sequences allow players to use tank-like vehicles with machine gun turrets and rockets to shoot enemies; a vehicle's wheels are also used to torture an enemy in one sequence. Cutscenes depict characters getting shot (on and off camera) while restrained or unarmed. Large bloodstains/pools of blood appear in crime scenes and in the aftermath of violent acts; one room depicts a person torturing a character on a bloody operating table. During the course of the game, players can shoot unarmed characters and a hostage. Neon signs in a red-light district read “live nude girls” and “XXX.” The words “b*tch,” “gobsh*te,” and “a*s” appear in the dialogue. | Low | [
0.49565217391304306,
28.5,
29
] |
461 F.2d 265 172 U.S.P.Q. 385 ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant,v.SOLO CUP COMPANY, Inc., Defendant-Appellee. No. 18960. United States Court of AppealsSeventh Circuit. Jan. 26, 1972.Rehearing Denied March 24, 1972.Certiorari Denied June 12, 1972.See 92 S.Ct. 2441. James P. Hume, Granger Cook, Jr., Hume, Clement, Hume & Lee, Ltd., Chicago, Ill., Richard R. Trexler, Robert W. Beart, Michael Kovac, Chicago, Ill., of counsel, for plaintiff-appellant. John F. Flannery, Francis A. Even, Fitch, Even, Tabin & Luedeka, Chicago, Ill., for defendant-appellee. Before DUFFY and HASTINGS, Senior Circuit Judges, and SPRECHER, Circuit Judge. DUFFY, Senior Circuit Judge. 1 In this suit, plaintiff, Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (ITW), charges defendant, Solo Cup (Solo), with infringement of ITW's Edwards' Patents Nos. 3,139,213 ('213) and 3,091,360 ('360). Both patents at issue relate to the design and manufacture of nestable, expandable thin-wall plastic containers of unitary construction, whose usual use is in applications which require dependable automatic dispensing of such containers, singly and in an upright position. 2 The '213 patent discloses and claims a thin-walled plastic container including a side wall, a bottom, a rim and a continuous Z-shaped stacking facility located in the side wall below the rim. 3 The '360 patent discloses and claims a similar thin-walled plastic container but with an interrupted stacking facility located in the side wall below the rim. 4 These two patents have been before us on previous occasions. The District Court found the '213 patent to be valid and infringed in Illinois Tool Works, Inc. v. Continental Can Company, 273 F.Supp. 94 (N.D.Ill.1967). We affirmed, 397 F.2d 517 (7 Cir., 1968). 5 The patents ('213 and '360) were before us in Illinois Tool Works, Inc. v. Sweetheart Plastics, Inc., 436 F.2d 1180 (7 Cir., 1971). The District Court, in the Sweetheart decision, determined that each of the patents was valid and infringed. (306 F.Supp. 364). We affirmed (436 F.2d 1180). 6 In 436 F.2d, at page 1182, we pointed out that the '213 patent had been challenged in a previous infringement suit in which, after full consideration of both anticipation and obviousness defenses raised therein, the District Court held the patent valid, and we affirmed in 397 F.2d 517 (7 Cir., 1968). We stated: "We again hold that the '213 patent is valid, unanticipated and nonobvious." (436 F.2d 1180, 1182). We further held ". . . The Edwards '360 patent was not anticipated by any of the inventions cited by defendant here or in the district court." (436 F.2d 1180). 7 With reference to the defense of obviousness, we stated: "Application of the foregoing method convinces us that the '360 patent is valid and nonobvious from the state of the prior art." (346 F.2d 1180, 1183). 8 We also said: "As is apparent from the descriptions of the asserted prior art which follow, none of these items sufficiently approximates the '360 invention to satisfy the narrow anticipation defense. Moreover, none of them, independently or in combination, renders the invention obvious." (436 F.2d 1180, 1183). 9 As to infringement, we said: "We agree with the district court that 'the accused . . . devices embody each of the elements specified in the patent."' (436 F.2d 1180, 1187). We then affirmed the District Court in all respects. 10 In the instant case, on January 23, 1970, Solo filed a motion in the District Court seeking partial summary judgment as to Claims 1, 2 and 3 of the '360 patent, on the ground that these claims were invalid for obviousness. The District Court, 317 F.Supp. 1169, denied Solo's motion for summary judgment but decided that the '213 cups delivered to Automatic Canteen in April 1958 and resold for public use in April and May 1958 constituted prior art to be considered on the trial on the question of validity of the '360 patent. 11 The District Court adopted Solo's interpretation of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a) and held the sale to and the use of the '213 cups by Automatic Canteen rendered Edwards' own invention "known or used by others" within the meaning of Section 102(a), therefore available as prior art against the '360 cups. 12 The District Court then granted ITW's alternative motion to certify the "prior art" issue. ITW then petitioned this Court for leave to file this appeal and we granted that petition. 13 The important issue to be decided here is whether the District Court was in error in holding that one's own invention once disclosed to the public is "prior art" against the same inventor's later related invention on which an application was filed less than one year from such public disclosure. 14 We must also consider whether public knowledge, sale and use by others of the '213 plastic cups is "prior art" against the '360 patent even though the '360 patent was filed within one year of such public knowledge, sale and use and the inventive subject matter common to both the '213 and '360 inventions was developed by Edwards prior to the public knowledge and use of the '213 patent. 15 On November 29, 1957, ITW filed a patent application describing several species of thin-walled plastic nestable containers having a continuous Z-shaped stacking facility. 16 In December 1957, ITW submitted samples of plastic drinking cups to Automatic Canteen Company. In the same month, Automatic Canteen placed an order for one million of these cups. By April 1958, 50,000 of these cups had been delivered to Automatic Canteen and were, presumably, placed in vending machines used by the public in April and May 1958. 17 In June 1958, Edwards developed a thin-walled plastic cup having an interrupted side-wall Z-shaped stacking facility. 18 On October 29, 1958, ITW filed a continuation-in-part application comprising all of the subject matter of the original application plus drawings and claims directed to plastic containers having different forms of interrupted side-wall Z-shaped stacking facilities. 19 The original application was intentionally abandoned on November 10, 1958 after the filing of the continuation-in-part application. Thereafter, in response to the Patent Office's requirement for restriction of May 1, 1959, ITW filed a divisional application claiming the container species embodying the continuous Z-shaped stacking facility. The divisional application eventually matured into the '213 patent in suit. 20 The continuation-in-part application retained claims embodying the interrupted Z-shaped stacking facility and eventually matured into the '360 patent. 21 The District Court placed primary reliance on a court decision not cited by either party. This was a decision by the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (C.C.P.A.). Application of Jaeger, 241 F.2d 723, 44 C.C.P.A. 767 (1957). We think that Court overlooked a fact which sharply distinguishes that case from the one at bar. 22 In the Jaeger case, the earlier prior art patent of one of the co-inventors had been issued more than two years prior to the filing of the application in question. Therefore, there was a statutory bar under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b). In that case, the subject application was not filed within one year of the publication or issue date of the earlier patent. The broad language used by the Court in Jaeger must be limited to a case where the prior art reference is a statutory bar under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b). 23 The District Court, in the case at bar, quoted from an unsubstantiated statement by the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals in Jaeger, supra, in arriving at its opinion in the case at bar: 24 ". . . (t)he law makes no distinction between prior art of an applicant's own making and the prior art of others." 25 Upon closer examination, this statement appeared first in Dix-Seal Corporation v. New Haven Trap Rock Company, 236 F.Supp. 914 (D.C.Conn., 1964), where the Jaeger Court used this reasoning without including the determinative sentence preceding it. At page 920, the Dix-Seal Court said: 26 "Once the year in which to prepare and file his application has passed, the employment of a standard of patentability less stringent against the first inventor than against . . . others would seem to impair, if not defeat congressional policy. There should be no distinction between prior art of the inventor's own making and that of others." 27 Therefore, the reliance of the District Court on Jaeger as applicable to the case at bar seems misplaced. 28 In the appeal before our Court, ITW alleges the District Court erred in its ruling on the statutory interpretation of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a). The District Court reasoned in its memorandum opinion of June 24, 1970, that to give the statute the construction ITW desires would provide the inventor of two similar devices a "preferential exemption" from the prior art statutes as to the later invention. We believe the District Court erred in its interpretation of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a). 29 ITW has urged upon appeal that 35 U. S.C. Sec. 102(a) pertains only to the originality or novelty of an application for a patent and the subject matter covered under said application; that a patent issue only to the first and original inventor of the subject matter. The District Court rejected ITW's argument that the language of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a) must be read to mean "invented by others" as well as "known or used by others", as not persuasive. 30 The Supreme Court in Alexander Milburn Co. v. Davis-Bournonville Co., 270 U.S. 390, 46 S.Ct. 324, 70 L.Ed. 651 (1926) contemplated the Congressional intent of R.S. 4886 which preceded 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a). In Milburn, supra, one Whitford's patent was invalidated on the premise that one Clifford's patent containing a full description of the Whitford claim earlier than any date of invention claimed by Whitford, was evidence that Whitford was not the first inventor. The statutory basis of that decision was that Whitford's invention was not patentable because "known or used by others in this country, before his invention." The "others" in the Milburn, supra, case was Clifford, an inventor unrelated and unknown to Whitford. 31 The pertinent part in the Milburn case with respect to the case before us is the evidence his invention was known to others before he claimed to have made his invention. "What he had invented lacked novelty, to put it one way, or he was not the first inventor, to put it another." Application of Land, 368 F.2d 866, 877, 54 C.C.P.A. 806 (1966) (emphasis supplied). 32 In Ex parte Lemieux, 1957 C.D. 47, 115 U.S.P.Q. 148, the Board of Patent Appeals cited the appeal of Ex parte Powell and Davis, 37 U.S.P.Q. 285 (Bd. App.1938) where it was held in a well drafted opinion that an applicant's own British specification, published a few weeks before the filing of his patent application, was not prior art and concluded that subsequent legislation had not altered that rule, that the reference (the applicant's own published specification) asserted to show prior art must disclose the work of someone other than the applicant. (Notice there existed no statutory bar under Section 102(b), because the published specification was within one year of the application). 33 The Court of Customs and Patent Appeals in Application of Facius, 408 F.2d 1396 (1969) discussed how a reference may be "overcome" if the reference is not a statutory bar under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b). The Court, in Facius, supra, discussed two cases where references for anticipation rejections under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(e) were deemed to have been "overcome", In re Blout, 333 F.2d 928, 52 C. C.P.A. 751 (1964) and In re Mathews, 408 F.2d 1393 (Cust. & Pat.App., 1969). The Court, in Facius, supra, reasoning how a reference available as prior art can be and was overcome in the two related cases, said at pages 1405-1406: 34 "Moreover, appellants further showed that they themselves had made the inventions10 upon which the relevant disclosures in the patents had been based. This is a significant fact, If all the appellants had done was to bring the invention of another to the attention of the patentees, then that disclosure in the patent would have been the invention of another and still available as prior art. . . . 35 In the case before us, ITW urges that the '213 cups sold to Automatic Canteen should not be considered prior art against the '360 patent because the subject matter of that sale was Edwards' own invention. The '213 cups were not the invention of another available as a reference under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a). It has been established that Edwards did apply and did receive a patent for the '213 cups. Edwards was the first inventor of the subject matter, a fact not in dispute. Therefore, we feel Solo's contention that the sale of the '213 cups constituted prior art because the "invention was known or used by others in this country . . ., before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent" under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a), is without merit. 36 Pertinent is the Court's statement in Facius, supra, at page 1406: 37 "But certainly one's own invention, whatever the form of disclosure to the public, may not be prior art against oneself, absent a statutory bar." 38 Obviously, the statutory bar referred to above pertains to the one-year period during which Congress has allowed an inventor to perfect, develop and apply for a patent pursuant to 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b). 39 We are of the opinion that Section 102(a) dictates that Edwards had to be the first and original inventor of the '360 invention and absent a reference patent or prior invention by another, the requirements of Section 102(a) have been satisfied. As indicated in Application of Land, supra, and in the opinion of the Court of Patent Appeals, Ex parte Powell and Davis, supra, we are convinced that ITW has overcome any possible reference under Section 102(a) by showing Edwards was the first and original inventor of the subject matter of the '360 patent. Congress indicated by its language in Section 102(a) that the subject matter must have been "invented by others" as well as "known or used by others." 40 Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution provides that Congress has been granted the power ". . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Congress, in the Patent Act of 1952, has interpreted the "limited Time(s)" to extend for a period of one year during which an inventor is permitted to prepare and submit an application for a patentable advance in technology and still be protected by the patent laws. 41 Section 102(b) concerns the action an inventor must follow once he has developed a novel and original invention (these qualifications are considered in Section 102(a) rendering it imperative that the inventor claiming under the Act be the first inventor of the claimed subject matter, as well as the subject matter being in itself a novel and original advance, Application of Land, 368 F.2d 866 (1966)). Section 102(b) imposes the time limitation of one year on the inventor which limitation is recognized by Congress as implied in the Constitution that an inventor act with deliberate speed in filing his patent application, or his rights to a legal monopoly will be statutorily barred. Dix-Seal, supra. 42 Undoubtedly, a majority of inventions are made in stages. Modifications and improvements of the original idea are common. If the ruling of the District Court is allowed to stand, it would be natural for an inventor to withhold any disclosure to the public until the innovative development is completed. We feel any such delays in disclosure of prospective inventions would seem contrary to the purpose of the patent laws to have new inventions promptly before the public. 43 The balancing process between the encouragement of technological advancement by the granting of legal monopolies and permitting a one-year grace period for application, and the interest of the public in having new advances readily accessible, has been considered by Congress in Section 102(b). The policy to expedite free public use and public disclosure by inventors was the overriding consideration of Congress in passing Section 102(b), which expressly bars an inventor who does not file an application within one year after his invention has been in public use. 44 Once in public use, that invention becomes prior art and as to all later discoveries in that field, anyone else must show some "patentable" change to obtain the legal monopoly. Once the year in which to prepare and file this application has passed, the employment of a standard of patentability less stringent against the first inventor than against these others would seem to impair, if not defeat, congressional policy. Dix-Seal, supra. However, in the instant case, the one year period had clearly not passed. 45 This Court has long recognized a patentee's right to carry the date of his invention behind the date of an apparent reference or patent and thus eliminate that reference or patent from consideration. Moline Plow Co. v. Rock Island Plow Co., 212 F. 727, 731 (7 Cir. 1914); Pleatmaster, Inc. v. J. L. Golding Mfg. Co., 240 F.2d 894, 898 (7 Cir., 1957). 46 Of course, if the "reference" has an effective date more than one year before the application date of the claims under consideration, the statutory bar of 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b) prevents the applicant even though he be the original inventor, from obtaining the patent. 47 In the case before us, the evidence is uncontroverted with respect to the time of filing the applications and the public use of the '213 cup. On November 29, 1957, Edwards filed a patent application which eventually matured into the '213 patent. In April 1958, the knowledge and use of the continuous ring cups by the general public was realized through the sale of cups to Automatic Canteen. On October 29, 1958, eleven months after the initial application, Edwards filed a continuation-in-part application comprising all the claims of the original application plus the additional description and claims which matured into the '360 patent. 48 We think the District Court was in error in concluding that the public knowledge and use and offer for sale and the sale of the '213 cups in December 1957 and April-May 1958 constitutes "prior art" against the '360 patent. 49 We hold that the District Court erroneously interpreted "knowledge of use by others" in 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(a) to mean the knowledge and use of Edwards' own invention. 50 We also hold that the District Court's reliance on In re Jaeger was misplaced as that case involves a statutory bar under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 102(b) which does not exist in the instant case. 51 Furthermore, there is a well established line of decisions in the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals to the effect one's own invention, whatever the form of the disclosure to the public may be, cannot be a prior art against oneself, absent a statutory bar. 52 The order of the District Court here in issue is reversed and the cause is remanded to the District Court for further proceedings not inconsistent with our decision herein. 53 Reversed and remanded. 10 Appellants having shown that they originated the inventions disclosed in the reference, lack of novelty and/or obviousness was immaterial to overcome the references." | Mid | [
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59 Ill. App.3d 904 (1978) 375 N.E.2d 914 FRANK J. HAHN, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. NORFOLK AND WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY, Defendant-Appellant. No. 77-196. Illinois Appellate Court Fifth District. Opinion filed April 17, 1978. *905 Thomas W. Alvey, Jr., of Pope and Driemeyer, of Belleville, for appellant. Charles W. Chapman, of Chapman & Chapman, of Granite City, for appellee. Judgment affirmed. Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE J. MORAN delivered the opinion of the court: Defendant Norfolk and Western Railway Company appeals from a judgment of the circuit court of Madison County entered on a jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff Frank Hahn for personal injuries sustained while an employee of defendant. Plaintiff brought this negligence action pursuant to the Federal Employers' Liability Act (45 U.S.C. § 51 et seq.). On May 11, 1973, plaintiff, a railroad car inspector in the defendant's employ, reported to work at the Luther Yard in St. Louis for his usual 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. Customarily two inspectors and two airmen were assigned to this shift; however, due to cut-backs, etc., only one other worker, an airman, reported to work that night. Among the prescribed duties of the plaintiff was the inspection of all arriving railroad cars to ascertain that all plug doors were closed. There was abundant evidence that a plug door is much heavier than a regular box car door, weighing from 500 to 1000 pounds. These doors are situated on rollers and tightly seal the compartment when closed. The normal procedure was for the two inspectors to walk along opposite sides of the stationary cars inspecting for various abnormalities, including open plug doors. Upon finding an open door, the inspector was instructed to first attempt to close it himself. Because of the size and weight of the doors this was a difficult task. Should the inspector be unable to close the door *906 without help, the co-inspector would cross over the track to assist. Plaintiff testified that while one worker held the lock open with one hand and pushed with the other, the second worker would push with both hands. Occasionally, a fork-lift was required to provide the sufficient strength to close a plug door. Prior to proceeding to the yard on the night in question, plaintiff remarked to the foreman that only he and Virgil Hensley, an airman, had reported for work on the third shift. Plaintiff requested additional help from the second shift foreman who acknowledged that the general foreman was aware of the situation but nevertheless instructed the plaintiff to conduct his usual inspection and Hensley to "work air." Equipped with a lantern, a metal scratching hook, and a two-way radio, plaintiff set out on his inspection tour of the yard. At approximately 1:40 a.m. plaintiff discovered an open plug door. After his first attempt to close the door failed, plaintiff placed the scratching hook at one end of the car to hold the lock open and pulled at the door from the center of the car. When this method also proved unsuccessful, plaintiff secured a piece of wood to keep the lock open and pushed the door three times. With the third push the door closed but the ballast rolled under plaintiff's feet causing him to tumble headfirst on the ground. Since plaintiff immediately experienced considerable pain in his neck and back, he notified the foreman in charge of locomotives who arranged to have plaintiff transported to the hospital. Upon examination at the hospital emergency room, plaintiff was given pain pills and instructed to remain at home for a few days. After consulting his family physician for the gradually worsening pain in his back and neck, plaintiff was finally referred to a neurosurgeon in 1975. Shortly thereafter, two successful operations known as facet rhizotomies were performed on the lumbar and cervical regions of plaintiff's spine. On this evidence the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $115,000. The defendant contends that the trial court erred in several respects. First it contends that it was error for the court to have directed a verdict at the conclusion of all the evidence in favor of the plaintiff on the issue of contributory negligence. While we agree that such matters are usually for the jury to determine, there are instances when the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the defendant, still overwhelmingly favors the plaintiff that no contrary verdict could ever stand. (Thatch v. Missouri Pacific R.R. Co., 47 Ill. App.3d 980, 362 N.E.2d 1064; Pedrick v. Peoria & Eastern R.R. Co., 37 Ill.2d 494, 229 N.E.2d 504.) We believe this is such a case. While there was considerable evidence adduced at trial that the defendant had expended 6.5 million dollars in reconditioning the Luther Yard facility, including the installation of the new ballast along the tracks, *907 there was a total lack of evidence that plaintiff had in any manner contributed to his own injury. Defendant's reliance on Thatch v. Missouri Pacific is misplaced. There we held that under facts quite dissimilar to this case defendant had established a submissible issue as to plaintiff's contributory negligence. The plaintiff in Thatch testified that while walking on a concrete platform he was aware of a forklift moving closer to pass him but nevertheless failed to move over far enough to avoid being struck by the machine. There is no evidence in this case that had plaintiff Hahn acted differently he would not have fallen on the rock. In Dixon v. Penn Central Co., 481 F.2d 833 (6th Cir.1973), the court held that the trial court had erred in submitting the issue of contributory negligence to the jury in an FELA action where there was no evidence that had the plaintiff properly gripped a lever on the machine he would not have been injured. 1 The complaint in this case alleged that the defendant was negligent, inter alia, in failing to furnish plaintiff with a reasonably safe place to work and in failing to furnish plaintiff with adequate assistance with which to do his work. Plaintiff testified that while performing his assigned task of closing the open plug door under the conditions provided that night, i.e., without the assistance of another inspector, he was injured. There was considerable testimony as to the inferior footing afforded by the 3/4" rock used in plaintiff's work area, vis-a-vis the small "pea gravel" used in the area where the switchmen work. Finally, there was evidence that defendant had previously received other complaints concerning the dangerous propensity of the rock in this particular area. Defendant, on the other hand, produced no evidence that plaintiff had been inattentive or otherwise negligent in actually pushing the plug door. Its only assertion of contributory negligence was that plaintiff should have radioed Hensley for assistance. However without some evidence that had plaintiff requested assistance Hensley would have been required to respond, we think the defendant failed to present a submissible issue for the jury on contributory negligence. In fact, there is no reason he would have called for assistance as he could not have been charged with knowledge that the 3/4" rock would "roll" as he was attempting to close the door. In fact, it would appear that no assistance was needed as the door did close. The defendant next contends that the trial court erred in excluding certain evidence relating to a prior work related injury to plaintiff's back for which plaintiff was compensated by the defendant railroad. In its answer, defendant interposed as an affirmative defense that plaintiff's injuries were not caused in whole or in part by the alleged negligent acts set forth in the complaint. In 1966 plaintiff suffered an injury to his back which caused him to be absent from his work for 12 to 14 months. At that time plaintiff consulted Dr. Deyton, since deceased, and his associate Dr. *908 Schaerer, who treated plaintiff in 1975 and whose deposition was read into evidence at trial. In 1967 Dr. Schaerer conducted a discogram and myelogram on plaintiff, both with negative results. Plaintiff recovered and returned to work in 1967. From 1968 until 1973 when this accident occurred, plaintiff missed no work, and consulted no doctors concerning his back. Plaintiff made a pretrial motion in limine to exclude evidence of the prior injury as well as the subsequent claim and its settlement. The trial court denied plaintiff's motion insofar as it related to the prior injury; however, it later ruled that evidence concerning the claim and settlement arising out of that incident would be excluded. 2 We consider first defendant's allegations concerning Dr. Deyton's report. Defendant argues that since Dr. Schaerer, the treating physician, kept Dr. Deyton's report in his file, the findings contained in the report are admissible. In our opinion the trial court properly excluded Dr. Schaerer's testimony concerning this report since there was no evidence that Dr. Schaerer had relied upon Deyton's report in diagnosing or treating the plaintiff. Furthermore, Dr. Schaerer stated that the injury in 1966 was a "one time affair which cleared up." Under these circumstances, the court correctly excluded that portion of Dr. Schaerer's testimony concerning the Deyton report. At trial defendant was allowed great latitude in examining plaintiff relative to his prior injuries. Defendant now argues, however, that the medical report of Dr. Deyton should have been admitted into evidence. We disagree. Our review of the record in this case leaves us with a serious doubt that the report was properly authenticated. Moreover, the report was clearly hearsay and as defendant has failed to bring it within one of the exceptions to the hearsay rule, the report was properly held to be inadmissible. 3, 4 Defendant also offered evidence of another doctor's findings concerning plaintiff's injuries of 1966. It seems that a Dr. Lansche had examined the plaintiff prior to his return to work in 1967. Once again defendant sought to introduce a medical report (Lansche's) through the testimony of another doctor, Dr. Wagner, who expressly denied that he relied upon the report. In addition, Dr. Wagner, who testified on defendant's behalf at trial, was merely an examining physician and as such could only testify as to objective symptoms. (Powers v. Browning, 2 Ill. App.2d 479, 119 N.E.2d 795.) Furthermore, in this instance, there is no indication that Dr. Lansche was unavailable to testify at trial. Thus, we feel the evidence was properly excluded. 5 Defendant further contends that it was error to exclude evidence of the plaintiff's prior claim and settlement. We fail to understand how evidence that plaintiff had been compensated by defendant for a prior *909 injury could be relevant to any of the issues of this case. Defendant has cited no cases and we have found none in support of its position that evidence of plaintiff's claim and settlement is admissible under the circumstances. Nor has defendant explained how the admission of the release into evidence would tend to resolve any of the underlying issues of the case. The burden was on the defendant to show a connection with the prior injury. (Scheck v. Evanston Cab Co., 93 Ill. App.2d 220, 236 N.E.2d 258.) The jury was instructed that if it found that the plaintiff's injuries were not caused in whole or in part by the allegations set forth in the complaint, then it should render a verdict in favor of the defendant. Although the defendant was afforded great latitude in examining plaintiff and plaintiff's witnesses concerning the 1966 injury, it was unable to causally link the two injuries. We find no error in the exclusion of any of the above-mentioned evidence. Defendant next contends that the court erred in refusing to strike that portion of Dr. Schaerer's testimony relating to what the witness termed a thoracic outlet syndrome or chronic back pain. During the evidentiary deposition, plaintiff's counsel questioned the doctor concerning his evaluation of any residual disability. The doctor responded that seven months after the rhizotomies plaintiff experienced an episode of pain in his left shoulder which radiated into three fingers on the left hand. The witness explained that this condition is known as a thoracic outlet syndrome and that it is precipitated by reaching overhead. Defense counsel made no objection to this continuous line of questioning. Finally, the following colloquy occurred between Dr. Schaerer and plaintiff's counsel: "Q: Do you have an opinion, first, as to whether or not he [plaintiff Hahn] will continue to have that type of difficulty in performing certain activities, Dr. Schaerer, again to a reasonable degree of medical certainty? MR. ALVEY: Well, I'm going to object to that question unless it is specified what condition you are talking about. I think there's been about three or four different conditions. Would you clarify what conditions you're talking about? Q: I'm talking about the after effects of the facet conditions that Dr. Schaerer treated him for. MR. ALVEY: All right." 6 Although we agree with defendant that a causal connection between the May 1973 accident and the thoracic outlet syndrome had not been clearly demonstrated, we believe that defendant waived this error in failing to make an objection at the time of the deposition. Supreme Court Rule 211(c)(1) provides that objections to the admission of testimony which might have been corrected if made during the taking of the *910 deposition are waived by a failure to present them at that time. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 110A, par. 211(c)(1); Bireline v. Espenscheid, 15 Ill. App.3d 368, 304 N.E.2d 508; Moore v. Jewel Tea Co., 46 Ill.2d 288, 263 N.E.2d 103.) Defendant may not acquiesce in allowing the uncertainty of a causal connection between plaintiff's accident and the thoracic outlet syndrome to persist and later seek to take advantage of that uncertainty. In this instance, had the defendant made a proper objection further questions could have been asked to obviate any ambiguity concerning the causal connection. 7, 8 Finally, defendant contends that certain remarks made by plaintiff's counsel during closing argument were especially prejudicial to the defendant. The objectionable comment concerned the potentially negative effect the instant suit might have upon plaintiff's continued employment by the defendant railroad. Counsel stated: "And you can take all of these things into account, what he told you, the manner he told you, and the fact he worked and has worked, and he's worked for the railroad for twenty years and hopefully he is going to be able to work for another twenty, but we don't know what's going to happen when this * * * we don't know what happens to Frank Hahn when the case is over. He goes out of here tonight after you reach your verdict and bring your verdict in, and he goes back to work hopefully with no consequences from the railroad." Defense counsel's objection to this remark was promptly sustained by the court. In addition, the jury was reminded on several occasions that argument of counsel did not constitute evidence and finally IPI Civil No. 1.01 was given instructing the jury to disregard testimony to which an objection had been sustained. There is no doubt that counsel's argument was wholly improper. Yet not all errors occurring at trial require reversal by an appellate court. Here the error was immediately cured by the court in sustaining defendant's objection and by instructing the jury in the language of IPI Civil No. 1.01. Defendant argues that the prejudicial effect of the statement was not rendered harmless as shown by the excessive verdict. We are unable to say that the amount awarded by the jury in this case is excessive in light of the nature and permanency of the plaintiff's injuries as explained by Dr. Schaerer. In short, the error in this case is insufficient to justify reversal of this cause. Accordingly we affirm the judgment of the circuit court of St. Clair County. Affirmed. KARNS, J., concurs. EBERSPACHER, P.J., dissents without opinion. | Mid | [
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It appears the administration at Reddit is taking a page out of Monika’s book. The fervent Doki Doki Literature Club — or DDLC — community is striking back at the site’s administration after the banning of a prominent fan artist. However, under that hardened image is a fandom concerned about the future of its most bustling gathering place. For those entirely unaware of DDLC, the game is a free visual novel that made its rounds during September 2017. Bending the rules of what a visual novel is, it is truly one someone should experience for themselves — if you haven’t played it yet, I highly recommend it. Meanwhile those who have played it have likely been bewitched by developer Team Salvato’s lovable characters. Despite being a small Steam game in a very niche genre, the DDLC subreddit has well over 111 thousand subscribers, with a steady flow of content focusing around the four principle characters of the game: Monika, Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki. While the community has been content sitting in their own meta corner of Reddit, everything changed when the admins attacked banned a popular artist in the anime community, Holofan, which was allegedly a breach of Reddit policies. Within a popular anime community, Holofan posted a PG picture of Kaguya Shinomiya from manga Kaguya-sama: Love is War in a two-piece swimsuit. The post was removed and Holofan was banned from Reddit for the image. This is a recent rule change for Reddit admins, specifically cracking down on “suggestive content involving minors or someone who appears to be a minor.” This is a fairly widespread net and, as you can imagine, dependant on the personal tastes of the admin viewing the content. Though this doesn’t directly speak to the DDLC fandom, there are more than a few reasons why the team there is worried. In fact, worried enough that they needed to do an all-hands on deck mod alert: It’s worth noting that this isn’t simply targeting lewd images that approach Rule 34. Those have their own dedicated subreddit and are already banned in the DDLC community that is deliberately SFW. Instead, moderaters are concerned this puts broader PG artwork in jeopardy. Simply put, the DDLC fandom (like many anime, gaming, etc. communities) thrives on artwork and content creation. However, given that the game is, by all means, a romance title with high-school aged girls (albeit canonically 18+), Reddit’s new policy of deplatforming fan art can mean a ban at any time — especially for the select few that are heavily Team Natsuki, who is comparatively smol and less endowed than the other characters. On the surface, the fanbase is taking the censorship in stride, lobbing jokes at the uneven policies of admins: However, that isn’t to say that there isn’t an air of worry surrounding the situation. Many are concerned not only about their future contribution to the DDLC community, as well as the status of their accounts given their previous submissions: What has caused the new enforcement policy from the Reddit admins? Whose to say. Many within the DDLC community point to the abundance of hate-instigating communities or groups that are a collection of video of people dying. Though perhaps the recent Chinese investment in the company by Tencent speaks to the warmer embrace of censorship and puritanical values. Certainly other gaming companies have had to make similar concessions. If not that, it might just be the slowly spreading creep of deplatforming facing tech companies. The move is fairly reminiscent of Valve’s latest acts to pull any game that they consider “child exploitation.” Or, similarly, how Sony America is allegedly censoring games and “enforcing puritanism” in demanding the removal of game modes to fit global standards. Obviously Reddit can make the rules of their own community — including prohibiting artwork that they find offensive. While it is disheartening, more concerning to everyone within the community is the lack of communication and slapdashed approach, especially when it concerns the future of the aging fandom. Hopefully these questions and concerns are addressed soon, given that protest communities and Change.org petitions are rallying against it. As mentioned above, Doki Doki Literature Club! is available now for free on PC. If you haven’t played it yet and are interested, don’t look at anything online — just go ahead and download DDLC. | Mid | [
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You may recall that sometime last month, an anonymous actress filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com subsidiary IMDb for posting her true age and legal name on her profile. The plaintiff, identified only as Jane Doe, charged that the site had damaged her career by revealing information she’d been careful to hide lest casting directors reject her for being too old. Now the movie site has responded, and as you might expect, they aren’t happy. IMDb has filed a motion to dismiss the case, blasting the actress as “selfish” and the case as “frivolous.” Ironically, the site — which the plaintiff has accused of fraud, among other things — argues in its statement that the actress herself is attempting to perpetuate fraud. More details after the jump. As the frequent targets of damaging rumors, Hollywood actors sue for defamation all the time. But apparently, there are cases in which the truth can be every bit as harmful — and possibly illegal — as a juicy lie. An actress identified only as “Jane Doe” is suing Amazon.com subsidiary IMDb for posting her true age and legal name, on the basis that the website obtained the information through unlawful means and that the subsequent exposure has been damaging to her career. More details after the jump. If you’re the kind of person who constantly exhausts your friends and family by spouting fun facts any time a movie comes up in conversation — and if you’re reading this site, there’s a decent chance you are — IMDb’s got a new product just for you. The movie reference website has just launched a free game for iPhone and iPod Touch that asks players to answer trivia questions about films, television, and celebrities from the past several decades. More details after the jump. Many people sincerely hate the new layout for the Internet Movie Database. We understand. It certainly takes some getting used to. One perfect addition, however, is on their page for This is Spinal Tap. Referencing the famous quote from the film, the possible rating doesn’t only go up to 10 like every other film. It goes to 11. Which is one louder. Very cool stuff, IMDB. The Wrap is reporting that the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is embroiled in a controversy over whether or not to list ages in its database. Several influential Hollywood guilds, led by the Writers Guild of America, West, are trying to get members the right to remove their birth dates from IMDB. IMDB, though, isn’t too keen on the idea.Read More » It’s always seemed strange to me that such a useful website like IMDB can be so completely clueless when it comes to mobile devices. IMDB has no mobile viewing option, so smartphone users need to navigate through the large version of the site to perform a simple search. Couple that with the fact that they’ve ignored mobile applications for so long, and it’s almost as if they think mobile computing is just a passing fad. That is, until now. IMDB has finally released a free iPhone app (download it from the App Store) that offers quick access to their search engine, as well as a few other nifty mobile features. Not content with merely serving as a loving womb for caffeinated movie bloggers, the Amazon subsidiary, IMDb, is now offering 6,000 movies and TV episodes for free steaming a la Hulu. The site will also serve up the season premieres of NBC shows like 30 Rock, Chuck, and Lipstick Jungle before they air on TV. As of this minute, the selection is limited, but “new movies/favorites” offered include Master and Commander, Liar Liar and—as if I needed to tell ya— FX/2. Old and new TV shows include BSG, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Heroes, Miami Vice, Silver Spoons, 90210: The ‘Good’ One, and The Facts of Life. What, no Night Gallery? There are 100 independant shorts available as well. The presentation is lacking in a “here you go, free decent movies, eat up” way, but I’m guessing this is temporary. Either way, the future has arrived again and Moonstruck doesn’t cost a dime. Here’s the press release I used for this post, also on the house. The /Filmcast: After Dark is a recording of what happens right after The /Filmcast is over, when the kids have gone to bed and the guys feel free to speak whatever is on their minds. In other words, it’s the leftover and disorganized ramblings, mindfarts, and brain diarrhea from The /Filmcast, all in one convenient audio file. In this episode, David, Peter, Devindra, and Adam debate the evils of Brett Ratner, praise Rick Moranis, and imagine a third Batman film starring Clock King and Calendar Man. | Low | [
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/* Copyright (c) 2008, Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Code licensed under the BSD License: http://developer.yahoo.net/yui/license.txt version: 2.6.0 */ /** * Utilities for cookie management * @namespace YAHOO.util * @module cookie */ YAHOO.namespace("util"); /** * Cookie utility. * @class Cookie * @static */ YAHOO.util.Cookie = { //------------------------------------------------------------------------- // Private Methods //------------------------------------------------------------------------- /** * Creates a cookie string that can be assigned into document.cookie. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie. * @param {String} value The value of the cookie. * @param {encodeValue} encodeValue True to encode the value, false to leave as-is. * @param {Object} options (Optional) Options for the cookie. * @return {String} The formatted cookie string. * @method _createCookieString * @private * @static */ _createCookieString : function (name /*:String*/, value /*:Variant*/, encodeValue /*:Boolean*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { //shortcut var lang = YAHOO.lang; var text /*:String*/ = encodeURIComponent(name) + "=" + (encodeValue ? encodeURIComponent(value) : value); if (lang.isObject(options)){ //expiration date if (options.expires instanceof Date){ text += "; expires=" + options.expires.toGMTString(); } //path if (lang.isString(options.path) && options.path != ""){ text += "; path=" + options.path; } //domain if (lang.isString(options.domain) && options.domain != ""){ text += "; domain=" + options.domain; } //secure if (options.secure === true){ text += "; secure"; } } return text; }, /** * Formats a cookie value for an object containing multiple values. * @param {Object} hash An object of key-value pairs to create a string for. * @return {String} A string suitable for use as a cookie value. * @method _createCookieHash * @private * @static */ _createCookieHashString : function (hash /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { //shortcuts var lang = YAHOO.lang; if (!lang.isObject(hash)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie._createCookieHashString(): Argument must be an object."); } var text /*:Array*/ = new Array(); for (var key in hash){ if (lang.hasOwnProperty(hash, key) && !lang.isFunction(hash[key]) && !lang.isUndefined(hash[key])){ text.push(encodeURIComponent(key) + "=" + encodeURIComponent(String(hash[key]))); } } return text.join("&"); }, /** * Parses a cookie hash string into an object. * @param {String} text The cookie hash string to parse. The string should already be URL-decoded. * @return {Object} An object containing entries for each cookie value. * @method _parseCookieHash * @private * @static */ _parseCookieHash : function (text /*:String*/) /*:Object*/ { var hashParts /*:Array*/ = text.split("&"), hashPart /*:Array*/ = null, hash /*:Object*/ = new Object(); if (text.length > 0){ for (var i=0, len=hashParts.length; i < len; i++){ hashPart = hashParts[i].split("="); hash[decodeURIComponent(hashPart[0])] = decodeURIComponent(hashPart[1]); } } return hash; }, /** * Parses a cookie string into an object representing all accessible cookies. * @param {String} text The cookie string to parse. * @param {Boolean} decode (Optional) Indicates if the cookie values should be decoded or not. Default is true. * @return {Object} An object containing entries for each accessible cookie. * @method _parseCookieString * @private * @static */ _parseCookieString : function (text /*:String*/, decode /*:Boolean*/) /*:Object*/ { var cookies /*:Object*/ = new Object(); if (YAHOO.lang.isString(text) && text.length > 0) { var decodeValue = (decode === false ? function(s){return s;} : decodeURIComponent); if (/[^=]+=[^=;]?(?:; [^=]+=[^=]?)?/.test(text)){ var cookieParts /*:Array*/ = text.split(/;\s/g); var cookieName /*:String*/ = null; var cookieValue /*:String*/ = null; var cookieNameValue /*:Array*/ = null; for (var i=0, len=cookieParts.length; i < len; i++){ //check for normally-formatted cookie (name-value) cookieNameValue = cookieParts[i].match(/([^=]+)=/i); if (cookieNameValue instanceof Array){ cookieName = decodeURIComponent(cookieNameValue[1]); cookieValue = decodeValue(cookieParts[i].substring(cookieNameValue[1].length+1)); } else { //means the cookie does not have an "=", so treat it as a boolean flag cookieName = decodeURIComponent(cookieParts[i]); cookieValue = cookieName; } cookies[cookieName] = cookieValue; } } } return cookies; }, //------------------------------------------------------------------------- // Public Methods //------------------------------------------------------------------------- /** * Returns the cookie value for the given name. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to retrieve. * @param {Function} converter (Optional) A function to run on the value before returning * it. The function is not used if the cookie doesn't exist. * @return {Variant} If no converter is specified, returns a string or null if * the cookie doesn't exist. If the converter is specified, returns the value * returned from the converter or null if the cookie doesn't exist. * @method get * @static */ get : function (name /*:String*/, converter /*:Function*/) /*:Variant*/{ var lang = YAHOO.lang; var cookies /*:Object*/ = this._parseCookieString(document.cookie); if (!lang.isString(name) || name === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.get(): Cookie name must be a non-empty string."); } if (lang.isUndefined(cookies[name])) { return null; } if (!lang.isFunction(converter)){ return cookies[name]; } else { return converter(cookies[name]); } }, /** * Returns the value of a subcookie. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to retrieve. * @param {String} subName The name of the subcookie to retrieve. * @param {Function} converter (Optional) A function to run on the value before returning * it. The function is not used if the cookie doesn't exist. * @return {Variant} If the cookie doesn't exist, null is returned. If the subcookie * doesn't exist, null if also returned. If no converter is specified and the * subcookie exists, a string is returned. If a converter is specified and the * subcookie exists, the value returned from the converter is returned. * @method getSub * @static */ getSub : function (name /*:String*/, subName /*:String*/, converter /*:Function*/) /*:Variant*/ { var lang = YAHOO.lang; var hash /*:Variant*/ = this.getSubs(name); if (hash !== null) { if (!lang.isString(subName) || subName === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.getSub(): Subcookie name must be a non-empty string."); } if (lang.isUndefined(hash[subName])){ return null; } if (!lang.isFunction(converter)){ return hash[subName]; } else { return converter(hash[subName]); } } else { return null; } }, /** * Returns an object containing name-value pairs stored in the cookie with the given name. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to retrieve. * @return {Object} An object of name-value pairs if the cookie with the given name * exists, null if it does not. * @method getHash * @static */ getSubs : function (name /*:String*/) /*:Object*/ { //check cookie name if (!YAHOO.lang.isString(name) || name === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.getSubs(): Cookie name must be a non-empty string."); } var cookies = this._parseCookieString(document.cookie, false); if (YAHOO.lang.isString(cookies[name])){ return this._parseCookieHash(cookies[name]); } return null; }, /** * Removes a cookie from the machine by setting its expiration date to * sometime in the past. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to remove. * @param {Object} options (Optional) An object containing one or more * cookie options: path (a string), domain (a string), * and secure (true/false). The expires option will be overwritten * by the method. * @return {String} The created cookie string. * @method remove * @static */ remove : function (name /*:String*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { //check cookie name if (!YAHOO.lang.isString(name) || name === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.remove(): Cookie name must be a non-empty string."); } //set options options = options || {}; options.expires = new Date(0); //set cookie return this.set(name, "", options); }, /** * Removes a sub cookie with a given name. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie in which the subcookie exists. * @param {String} subName The name of the subcookie to remove. * @param {Object} options (Optional) An object containing one or more * cookie options: path (a string), domain (a string), expires (a Date object), * and secure (true/false). This must be the same settings as the original * subcookie. * @return {String} The created cookie string. * @method removeSub * @static */ removeSub : function(name /*:String*/, subName /*:String*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { //check cookie name if (!YAHOO.lang.isString(name) || name === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.removeSub(): Cookie name must be a non-empty string."); } //check subcookie name if (!YAHOO.lang.isString(subName) || subName === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.removeSub(): Subcookie name must be a non-empty string."); } //get all subcookies for this cookie var subs = this.getSubs(name); //delete the indicated subcookie if (YAHOO.lang.isObject(subs) && YAHOO.lang.hasOwnProperty(subs, subName)){ delete subs[subName]; //reset the cookie return this.setSubs(name, subs, options); } else { return ""; } }, /** * Sets a cookie with a given name and value. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to set. * @param {Variant} value The value to set for the cookie. * @param {Object} options (Optional) An object containing one or more * cookie options: path (a string), domain (a string), expires (a Date object), * and secure (true/false). * @return {String} The created cookie string. * @method set * @static */ set : function (name /*:String*/, value /*:Variant*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { var lang = YAHOO.lang; if (!lang.isString(name)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.set(): Cookie name must be a string."); } if (lang.isUndefined(value)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.set(): Value cannot be undefined."); } var text /*:String*/ = this._createCookieString(name, value, true, options); document.cookie = text; return text; }, /** * Sets a sub cookie with a given name to a particular value. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to set. * @param {String} subName The name of the subcookie to set. * @param {Variant} value The value to set. * @param {Object} options (Optional) An object containing one or more * cookie options: path (a string), domain (a string), expires (a Date object), * and secure (true/false). * @return {String} The created cookie string. * @method setSub * @static */ setSub : function (name /*:String*/, subName /*:String*/, value /*:Variant*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { var lang = YAHOO.lang; if (!lang.isString(name) || name === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.setSub(): Cookie name must be a non-empty string."); } if (!lang.isString(subName) || subName === ""){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.setSub(): Subcookie name must be a non-empty string."); } if (lang.isUndefined(value)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.setSub(): Subcookie value cannot be undefined."); } var hash /*:Object*/ = this.getSubs(name); if (!lang.isObject(hash)){ hash = new Object(); } hash[subName] = value; return this.setSubs(name, hash, options); }, /** * Sets a cookie with a given name to contain a hash of name-value pairs. * @param {String} name The name of the cookie to set. * @param {Object} value An object containing name-value pairs. * @param {Object} options (Optional) An object containing one or more * cookie options: path (a string), domain (a string), expires (a Date object), * and secure (true/false). * @return {String} The created cookie string. * @method setSubs * @static */ setSubs : function (name /*:String*/, value /*:Object*/, options /*:Object*/) /*:String*/ { var lang = YAHOO.lang; if (!lang.isString(name)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.setSubs(): Cookie name must be a string."); } if (!lang.isObject(value)){ throw new TypeError("Cookie.setSubs(): Cookie value must be an object."); } var text /*:String*/ = this._createCookieString(name, this._createCookieHashString(value), false, options); document.cookie = text; return text; } }; YAHOO.register("cookie", YAHOO.util.Cookie, {version: "2.6.0", build: "1321"}); | Mid | [
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25.75
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#!/usr/bin/env python """ (c) Immunity, Inc. 2004-2007 U{Immunity Inc.<http://www.immunityinc.com>} """ import immlib import getopt from libheap import * from immlib import LogBpHook import libdatatype DESC = "Analize a Specific Chunk at a specific moment" def usage(imm): imm.log("!chunkanalyzehook -a ADDRESS < exp >", focus=1) imm.log(" ADDRESS of the place where you want to set a hook") imm.log(" < exp > expression to calculate the chunk address") imm.log("ex: !chunkanalyzehook -a 0x1006868 EDI - 4") FunctionsType = [ "+", "-", "*", "/", "&", "^"] # Hook and Dump some Chunks based on the Expression class HookAndInform(LogBpHook): Functions = { "+": lambda a,b: a+b, "-": lambda a,b: a-b, "*": lambda a,b: a*c, "/": lambda a,b: a/c, "&": lambda a,b: a&c, "^": lambda a,b: a^c } def __init__(self, exp, discover = False, nchunks = 3, heap = 0): LogBpHook.__init__(self) self.Expression = exp self.discover = discover self.nchunks = nchunks self.heap = heap def run(self, regs): imm = immlib.Debugger() accumulator = 0 second = 0 func = '+' # Calculate the Chunk Address based on the Expression for value in self.Expression: if value in self.Functions.keys(): func = value else: if type(value) == type(0): second = value elif regs.has_key(value.upper()): second = regs[ value.upper() ] elif value[0]=='[' and value[-1] ==']' and regs.has_key(value[1:-1].upper()): second = imm.readLong( regs[ value[1:-1].upper()] ) else: self.unHook() accumulator = self.Functions[func]( accumulator, second) imm.log("> Hit Hook 0x%08x, checking chunk: 0x%08x" % (self.address, accumulator), address = accumulator) imm.log("=" * 47) pheap = PHeap( imm, self.heap ) plookaddr = 0 if self.heap: plookaddr = pheap.Lookaddr hlook = None if plookaddr: hlook = PHeapLookaside( imm, plookaddr ) dt = None if self.discover: dt = libdatatype.DataTypes(imm) pheap = PHeap( imm ) for chk in pheap.getChunks( accumulator, self.nchunks ): if chk.size < 0x7F and hlook: l = hlook[ chk.size ] if not l.isEmpty(): if chk.addr+8 in l.getList(): imm.log("- LOOKASIDE -") chk.printchunk(uselog = imm.log, dt = dt) imm.log("=-" * 0x23 + "=") def main(args): imm = immlib.Debugger() if not args: usage(imm) return "Wrong Arguments (Check usage on the Log Window)" try: opts, argo = getopt.getopt(args, "h:n:a:d") except getopt.GetoptError: return "Wrong Arguments (Check usage on the Log Window)" address = None expression = argo discover = False nchunks = 3 heap = 0 for o,a in opts: if o == '-a': try: address = int( a, 16 ) except ValueError: usage(imm) return "Wrong Address (%s) % " % a elif o == '-d': discover = True elif o == '-n': nchunks = int( a, 16 ) elif o == '-h': heap = int( a, 16 ) imm.log("Expression: %s" % argo) if not address and not expression: usage( imm ) return "Wrong usage (Check usage on the Log Window)" accumulator = 0 func = '+' regs = {'EIP': 0L, 'ESP': 0L, 'EDI': 0L, 'EAX': 0L, 'EBP': 0L, 'EDX': 0L, 'EBX': 0L, 'ESI': 0L, 'ECX': 0L} # normalizing and checking the expression for ndx in range(0, len(expression) ): value = expression[ndx] if value not in FunctionsType: if value.upper() in regs.keys(): expression[ndx] = value.upper() elif value[0]=='[' and value[-1] ==']' and regs.has_key(value[1:-1].upper()): expression[ndx] = value.upper() else: try: value = int(value, 16) expression[ndx] = value except ValueError: imm.log("Wrong Argument: %s" % value) return "Wrong Argument, Hook not setted" imm.log("Hooking on expression: '%s'" % str(expression) ) hook = HookAndInform( expression, discover, nchunks = nchunks, heap = heap ) hook.add("hook_inform_0x%08x" % address, address) return "Hooked on 0x%08x" % address | Low | [
0.5011709601873531,
26.75,
26.625
] |
voice broadcasting software Instantly connect with customers who do not have internet access. sip2dial automated voice technology helps you reach out in multiple languages.To know more connect with us at www.sip2dial.com or call us at +1 631-686-8462 today. | Low | [
0.5010526315789471,
29.75,
29.625
] |
Reproductive performance of thoroughbred mares in sweden. During 1997-2001, a total of 430 Thoroughbred mares were mated by one of the two Thoroughbred stallions on a well-managed stud farm in the central part of Sweden. On arrival, a thorough gynaecological examination of all mares was performed. An early pregnancy examination was performed on days 14 and 15 after ovulation. The overall conception rates for the two stallions were 92.2 and 88.8%, and the corresponding live foal rates were 82.6 and 75.2%, respectively. The mean number of served oestrous cycles was 1.60 per mare per conception and 1.86 per live foal. The first and second cycle conception rates are reported for different age groups, mare categories and month of mating. The age of the mares had a significant influence on the live foal rate, being lower for mares >13 years of age. Resorption and abortion occurred in higher percentages among mares >8 years of age. The highest embryonic death occurred among mares with a history of being barren, or with having resorbed or aborted foetuses during the previous season. The month of mating had no significant influence on the first cycle conception rate or the second cycle conception rate. The frequency of twinning was 10.5% and the results of manual crushing of one of the conceptuses was successful in 88.9% of all cases, according to the ultrasound scanning 2 days later. | High | [
0.6635514018691581,
35.5,
18
] |
Keep in mind that the Fantom 29 frames were designed for a 100mm travel fork; a rigid fork might not have the same axle-to-crown length and you could end up with a very steep head tube angle and a very twitchy bike. As AZ.MTNS linked, bikeisland.com sells many Motobecane frames very inexpensively and with free shipping. | Mid | [
0.5759637188208611,
31.75,
23.375
] |
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