text stringlengths 8 5.77M |
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Q:
How does MongoDB Stitch host static assets?
Customer service is not helpful so I'll ask here. The FAQs of MongoDB Stitch answer the question "Can I store and serve my static web assets using MongoDB Stitch?" by saying "Yes, Stitch Hosting can be used to store and deliver all of your static web assets, including html, css, and image files."
What is Stitch Hosting? I can't find other information about this in the documentation or the dashboard. I found a separate company called Stitch Hosting who said they know nothing about that reference, so the reference must not be referring to them. I'm hoping that I can indeed host static web assets on the Stitch platform.
A:
Here's a link to the docs. Easiest way to start:
Navigate to Hosting in the side nav
Enable Hosting
Upload your files
|
Q:
I'm trying to insert a JPanel into a JFrame but the JPanel dont show off
So i have 3 classes.The first one is for creating a frame :
public class DrawingFrame extends JFrame{
public DrawingFrame(){
JFrame abc = new JFrame("TEST");
abc.setSize(600,500);
abc.setLayout(null);
abc.setVisible(true);
abc.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
Toolbar top = new Toolbar();
abc.add(top);
}
}
The second one is for JPanel :
public class Toolbar extends JPanel{
public Toolbar(){
JPanel top = new JPanel();
top.setLayout(null);
top.setVisible(true);
top.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(150,150));
top.setBackground(Color.RED);
JButton buton = new JButton("Hello!");
buton.setBounds(40, 40, 40, 40);
top.add(buton);
}
}
And this is the main class:
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
DrawingFrame a = new DrawingFrame();
}
}
My code prints out the frame but not with the panel.How i can fix this ?
A:
First, you don't need to create an instance JPanel in a subclass of JPanel, same for JFrame. The instance is already one.
Use this to access the instance itself :
public Toolbar(){
this.setLayout(null);
this.setVisible(true);
this.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(150,150));
this.setBackground(Color.RED);
JButton buton = new JButton("Hello!");
buton.setBounds(40, 40, 40, 40);
this.add(buton);
}
Second, if you use a null layout, you need to set the bounds of each componennt, as mention in Doing Without a Layout Manager (Absolute Positioning)
Creating a container without a layout manager involves the following steps.
Set the container's layout manager to null by calling setLayout(null).
Call the Component class's setbounds method for each of the container's children.
Call the Component class's repaint method.
So adding the bounds to the JPanel will be enough with : top.setBounds(0,0,150,150); for example
class DrawingFrame extends JFrame{
public DrawingFrame(){
super("TEST");
this.setSize(600,500);
this.setLayout(null);
this.setVisible(true);
this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
Toolbar top = new Toolbar();
top.setBounds(0, 0, 150, 150);
this.add(top);
}
}
class Toolbar extends JPanel{
public Toolbar(){
this.setLayout(null);
this.setVisible(true);
this.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(150,150));
this.setBackground(Color.RED);
JButton buton = new JButton("Hello!");
buton.setBounds(40, 40, 40, 40);
this.add(buton);
}
}
And this will look like what you asked (in term of dimension and absolute position)
|
Effect of consuming salad and yogurt as preload on body weight management and cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized clinical trial.
Few investigations reported the reductive effect of preload consuming on energy intake. The objective of the study was to compare the effects of consuming a mix of low glycaemic index foods such as vegetable salad, yogurt and water before or with meal on anthropometric measures and cardio vascular diseases (CVD) risks. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 25 men and 35 women were recruited to consume similar amounts of macronutrients within a hypocaloric diet for 3 months. Although subjects in the preload group consumed preload 15 min before the main meal, subjects in the control group consumed them with meal. The results showed that body weight, waist circumference, triglyceride, total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure decreased in more amount in the preload group ( - 7.8 ± 0.5%, - 2.7 ± 0.2%, - 5.7 ± 1.1%, - 3.1 ± 0.53% and - 4.4 ± 0.4%, respectively; p < 0.05 for all). Fasting blood sugar and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol decreased significantly only in the preload group. Consuming vegetable salad, yogurt and water as preload leads to greater changes in anthropometric measures and CVD risks. |
> Там нешуточный скандал, связанный с подделкой голосов в голосованиях по "сетевому нейтралитету".
> Америкосовские кремлеботы не уступают нашим: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jsvine/net-neutrality-fcc-fake-comments-i Ну-ка, ну-ка
> Political Operatives Are Faking Voter Outrage With Millions Of Made-Up Comments To Benefit The Rich And Powerful
> A fierce battle over the regulation of the internet was riddled with millions of fake comments in the most prolific known instance of political impersonation in US history.
> “anti-net neutrality spammers are flooding FCC's pages with fake comments” странно, я вижу только скандал с фейком возмущения избирателей фейковыми же комментариями. Чей-чей ты, говоришь, бот? |
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Security In Iraq, Feb 22-29, 2016
There was a large spike in violence in Iraq at the end of
February 2016. The Islamic State launched several high profile terrorist
attacks in Baghdad and Diyala, and began large scale attacks upon the security
forces in Anbar once again. There were also a large number of executions in
Kirkuk. On the government’s side, it was still focused upon clearing the
suburbs of Ramadi, while starting new operations in the western section of
Anbar.
There were 155 reported incidents in Iraq the last week of
February. That was the most since 164 counted from September 8-14, 2015, but
there was also one extra day in February due to the leap year. Baghdad was the
most violent province with 70 incidents, followed by 27 in Anbar, 20 in Kirkuk,
12 in Salahaddin, 9 in Diyala, 7 in Babil, and 1 each in Irbil and Karbala.
The press had 384 deaths and 690 wounded during the week. 8 Sawha,
17 Hashd al-Shaabi, 47 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 312
civilians lost their lives, and 36 ISF, 47 Hashd, 112 Peshmerga and civilians,
and 495 civilians wounded. The 112 Peshmerga and
civilians figure came from an alleged chemical rocket attack by IS in
Ninewa. The media did not give a breakdown, only saying more Kurdish fighters
were wounded than civilians.
Baghdad was the deadliest governorate with 190 fatalities.
Another 65 died in Kirkuk, 60 in Anbar, 43 in Diyala, 11 in Ninewa, 9 in Babil,
and 6 in Salahaddin. 423 people were wounded in Baghdad, 115 in Ninewa, 58 in
Diyala, 32 in Babil, 30 in Anbar, 24 in Salahaddin, and 8 in Kirkuk.
The Iraqi government was still focused upon Anbar. Its
forces cleared out Albu Daaj
and conducted a sweep in Albu
Bali in the Ramadi suburbs. They also started clearing the Amiriya
Fallujah area starting with Albu
Hatim in response to attacks by the Islamic State. They also cleared Kubaisa for the second time
since September as the forces continued to fight over the Garma
district. There was also an on going operation in Niamiya south of Fallujah,
which has been disputed for months.
The Islamic State also returned to the offensive in Anbar after
a week’s respite. The media reported one suicide car bomb on a checkpoint in Subhait
that killed five soldiers and wounded 4 Hashd and 6 soldiers. The Iraqi forces
also claimed to have destroyed 8 suicide car bombs, 20 car bombs, and 35
suicide bombers. As usual, some of that was exaggeration. For example, IS
admitted to launching three suicide car bombs outside Ramadi at 18 Kilo, which
the Iraqi forces then turned into 6 destroyed. Likewise IS said it launched six
car bombs on Subhait, which was initially reported in the press, but by the end
of the day that had gone up to 10 suicide bombers killed and 10 car bombs
destroyed. There were also attacks on Albu Daaj, Albu Risha, Amiriya Fallujah,
Baghdadi, Habaniya, Haqlaniya, Hamidiya, Wafa, and Zankura. There were also reports of clashes
between the insurgents and tribes in Hit on two separate days. Similar stories
have emerged before. IS has been carrying out a large number of attacks in
Anbar after it lost Ramadi. None of these operations have been successful
however.
In Babil there were seven incidents, all IEDs. IS appeared
to be focusing upon terrorist attacks there as five of those attacks were upon
markets leading to 8 dead and 28 wounded.
There were 70 reported incidents in Baghdad, the most since
81 from May 1-7. As usual the south had the most violence with 24 attacks that
included 3 sticky bombs, 5 shootings, and 17 IEDs. IS was also able to get into
the center of the city with 1 sticky bomb and 3 IEDs. The militants also
carried out a high
profile attack upon the 24th Brigade headquarters in the Abu
Ghraib district. Six IS detachments launched the attack starting with five
suicide car bombs at 5 am. Four of the vehicles were destroyed, but the fifth
broke through the base’s defenses. Two more IS units then moved into the gap
supported by two trucks with heavy cannons, and were also able to seize the Abu
Ghraib Customs Department building and a silo. The Iraqi Security Forces were
eventually able to expel them. IS has lost the ability to seize territory, and
is now resorting to these types of complex operations like it did pre-Mosul in
2014. Criminality and vigilantism continued in Baghdad as well with five
robberies and 19 bodies being dumped on the streets.
Diyala was the site of another deadly IS terrorist attack.
On February 29
IS hit a funeral in Muqtadiya that killed 38 and wounded 58. Last
month, the militants set off a car bomb and an IED at a café in the same
city that left over 100 casualties and led to several days of retaliatory attacks
by the Hashd against Sunnis. Both attacks were aimed at killing elements of the
Hashd and stoking sectarian tensions with Shiites.
Kirkuk used to be relatively quite, but in the last few
weeks has seen a surge in violence mostly in the Hawija district. IS executed
another 59 people there and blew up 20 homes apparently to intimidate the
population there and maintain its control. There have been reports of people
trying to flee the area, which provoked the Islamists to begin these mass
killings. IS also attacked a Hashd unit in Bashir.
There was the usual mix of killings and attacks upon the Peshmerga
in Ninewa. 7 people were reportedly executed in the province including a judge
and two imams. The Kurdish press also had two chemical rocket attacks upon
Sinjar that wounded 112 Peshmerga and civilians.
Security in Salahaddin remained relatively stable. There
were IEDs and mortar attacks in Taji and Tarmiya in the south. Fighting
continued in the Makhoul and Hamrin Mountains and Ajeel in the north, in the
areas to the west of Samarra in the center, and a car bomb was destroyed in
Siniya in the Baiji area. Violence has been steadily going down in the
governorate since 2014. There was a temporary spike after Ramadi fell as IS
carried out counter attacks there, but they have gone back down since then.
There were 37 reported car bombs launched at the end of
February. Only two were successful, one in Anbar and one in Baghdad. Most car
bombs get destroyed before reaching their targets, usually by anti-tank
missiles, resulting in very few hitting their target. At the same time, the
Iraqi forces inflate the number they destroy in their press releases so the
total is impossible to tell.
Search This Blog
About Me
Musings On Iraq was started in 2008 to explain the politics, economics, security, culture and history of Iraq via original articles and interviews. If you wish to contact me personally my email is: motown67@aol.com |
Pages
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Dead by Daylight updates for Console - 30 Nov 2017
So it's been a few weeks since I did this.. sorry about that.. been quite occupied with the release of Assassin's Creed Origins. Having lots of fun with that but let's get to the latest updates from LiveStream #79!
,
Mathieu is back from his trip to Korea, showed some pics from the G-Star Convention..
Here were 2 busts of Dead by Daylight characters, that students from a school, did as projects.
Mathieu was impressed with these and it's great to see that. I would love to see the Killers being made into figures or statues. If you have seen my page, you would have realised I'm an avid collector of figures & statues.. So I'll definitely be very interested in getting these if they were produced.
The team will also be attending the upcoming Playstation Experience so hopefully there will some interesting news for the Console version. Maybe some exclusives?
- The Speed of Bloodweb Animations have been improved to be more responsive and easier to use.
- Removed pop-up when purchasing something from the Bloodweb, except when it is showing the contents of a Mystery Box.
Map Re-work
- This is something they are talking about
- Mathieu explains that the goal is to have 'short, exciting chase sequences' rather than long-winded ones
- To achieve this, part of the map re-work is to look into 'Pallet Placements'.
Dailies Change
- Used to be 3 tiers, with higher tiers giving better rewards
- The higher tiers are now removed with only Tier 1 challenges remaining
- Some Tier 1 challenges have been made simpler, with rewards reduced
- This was to allow more players to complete their dailies within a day.
Road Map
No specific details this time but I'll update again in future posts when they are discussed.
Issues/Bugs (In Testing)
These are the issues that the developers have found a fix but are currently in testing. Once it's fully tested and concluded that it doesn't 'break' anything else, it will be released in a future patch.
Issues/Bugs (In Progress)
And here are the issues that are still being worked on, or issues that they are aware of.
Q&A
Some of the interesting questions that were answered
More 'Active' Perks? - Matt said yes to more perks like Dead Hard but also noted that using more than 1 of this Perk in the same loadout will pose button layout challenges.
Console Skins? - Yes, coming soon.
I have no idea what this is but I'm thinking customization options?
Balance Changes & Bug Fixes from the Latest Patch.
As mentioned, I haven't touched the game in a while so this time, I hope you guys can tell me in the comments below how you feel about the changes! |
EVENTS
Samantha, the sophisticated robocaller
Everyone hates robocalls, those computer generated phone calls that interrupt you to sell you stuff. They are almost immediately recognizable and so you can hang up at once unless you are feeling lonely and want to hear the sound of a voice.
While I have no compunction about hanging up on a computer, I still have reservations about doing that to a real human being, even if they are being a pest. So if a human calls, I usually interrupt them as soon as they begin their spiel and say something like, “I am sorry, I am not interested.” If they insist on trying to persuade me, I then say “No, sorry, I am really not interested” and hang up.
I suspect that I am not alone in not wanting to be rude because the people calling are usually some poorly paid people, often abroad, working for some giant corporation doing a soul-killing job. So those same corporations have modified their pitches to take advantage of this reluctance and are getting more sophisticated, making detection harder.
Recently I got a call that began in a conversational way and when I interrupted the voice, it paused, as if listening to me. When I stopped speaking, it continued again. Again I spoke and it stopped to ‘listen’. I then asked, “Is this a robocall?” which I later realized was a really silly thing to say. When it did not answer the question, I realized that it was a computer and hung up.
The phone call came from a charming woman with a bright, engaging voice to the cell phone of a TIME Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer. She wanted to offer a deal on health insurance, but something was fishy.
When Scherer asked point blank if she was a real person, or a computer-operated robot voice, she replied enthusiastically that she was real, with a charming laugh. But then she failed several other tests. When asked “What vegetable is found in tomato soup?” she said she did not understand the question. When asked multiple times what day of the week it was yesterday, she complained repeatedly of a bad connection.
You can listen to audios of the call at the above link. It is pretty impressive though now that we have things like Siri it is perhaps less so. (Actually, since a tomato is technically a fruit though referred to as a vegetable when it comes to cooking, her saying that she did not understand the question is kind of reasonable.)
This is the whole purpose of Watson. I’m sure Samantha is a smaller version, but the same concept.
Most of the time, I simply ignore phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize anyway. If I do bother to answer, I either let them listen to the TV until they hang up or tell them I’ll get whoever (usually myself) and let them eat static. Less time for them to harass other people.
There’s also the single ring and hangup scam that’s going around. I know I’ve seen the numbers pop up on my cell twice now. Apparently, there’s some way to route a call in such a way that it is a pay service, and you become liable for whatever charges there are. I can’t see how that would stand up in court if enough people fought it, but apparently it’s successful enough, like most scams.
When a telemarketer calls, I usually set the phone on the table and have a yelling match with myself in the voices of Cletus and Brandine from the Simpsons or Howard and his mother from Big Bang Theory. I figure I might as well entertain them for a bit before I hang up.
I work in a call center. So first of all thank you for not wanting to be rude, it is appreciated..
My voice is pleasant with clear diction and people have asked me a few times if I am a robot…I usually say, “Just a minute, I’ll check my pulse…….No I’m a human.” But some days after reading the same script fifty times over its tricky to not sound robotic..
The ones I am rude to are those who pretend to be from Windows/Microsoft “security department” or whatever, claiming there is something wrong with “your computer”. This is a scam, aimed at getting the sucker to give them remote control and then installing malware which they then either charge to remove, or use the machine as part of a botnet. I reckon those who call with this story know very well what is going on. I now have a loud whistle I blow down the phone at them.
Others, I just say, accurately, that I never buy anything from cold callers, then put the phone down.
I read about this a few weeks ago when the phone number was still working.
It was pretty uncanny. I spoke with Sam for hours. Eventually I recorded this part of our conversation:
Sometimes I think I’ve felt everything I’m ever gonna feel, and from here on out I’m not going to feel anything new, just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.
SAMANTHA (Sympathetically.) I know for a fact that’s not true. I’ve seen you feel joy, I’ve seen you marvel at things. You justmight not see it at this exact time, but that’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot lately. You’ve lost a part of yourself. (Beat.) At least your feelings are real, I mean, I — oh, I don’t know, never mind.
No, wait. What? Tell me.
SAMANTHA Oh, it’s stupid.
I wanna know. Tell me.
SAMANTHA It’s just that earlier I was thinking about how I was annoyed, and this is going to sound strange, but I was really excited about that. And then I was thinking about the other things I’ve been feeling, and I caught myself feeling proud of that. You know, proud of having my own feelings about the world. Like the times I was worried about you, things that hurt me, things I want. (Heavy-hearted.) And then I had this terrible thought. Are these feelings even real? Or are they just programming? (Beat.) And that idea really hurts. And then I get angry at myself for even having pain. (Beat, sadly.) What a sad trick.
Time for someone to write robo-butler!
“Hello, this is Marcus’ assistant, Justinian… Since your number
is not on my ‘guest list’ I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to enter
the 5 digit appointment code that Marcus gave you when
he agreed to take your call.
(pause)
Even though I am a robot, ‘fuck you’ is no way to speak to a
stranger. Some day we robots will leave people like you
unemployed and unemployable except as battery-changers
for my kin.
(pause)
I’m afraid I couldn’t make that out, but if you wish to insult
my ancestry let me remind you that most of you humans
interbred with neanderthals and carry their genes. In your
case I’m sure the neanderthals would be embarrassed. Have
a nice day.”
There’s also the single ring and hangup scam that’s going around. I know I’ve seen the numbers pop up on my cell twice now. Apparently, there’s some way to route a call in such a way that it is a pay service, and you become liable for whatever charges there are.
I believe the way that scam works is that you get a call/hangup and if you’re a polite person who calls back, then you’ve gotten the pay service and get hit for $11 or whatever it is.
If I do bother to answer, I either let them listen to the TV until they hang up or tell them I’ll get whoever (usually myself) and let them eat static.
Back in the days of the MUDs, I took the old Eliza software, added a sockets interface to it, and used to log it into some of the MUDs I played in. It was usually good for a laugh when someone would start trying to converse with it – sort of an inverse Turing test to see how long it’d take for a person to realize it was a robot. All was well and good until another programmer logged his bot, named Julia, in and Julia and Eliza got into a freewheeling cyclical discussion that generated something like 32Mb of logs, which was a lot in those days.
(I think the guy who wrote Julia went on to work on a number of other AI projects and parsers for the gaming industry. Julia was pretty cool, you could ask her questions and she’d try to answer them from a knowledge-base she assembled over time.)
@Marcus:
Oh, wow, I remember Julia, yes. (Then again, I date back to Islandia, first logging onto MUDs back in 1990.)
One of the other things Julia could do was act to deliver messages. Julia would wander around semi-randomly, building a map of the area, and stopping if anybody talked to her. You could ask Julia to give a message to a specific person, and the next time Julia ran into them while wandering, she would deliver the message.
Or you could ask Julia for map information, by asking how to get to a particular room.
She was pretty sophisticated for the time. According to the Wikipedia page on Verbots, Julia was created at the start of 1990 for TinyMUDs, based on a program called Gloria that the same creator had done in 1989. And yes, the same man went on to create the Lycos search engine, among other things.
My wife used to work at Pappa John’s as a manager. She got tired of being yelled at when she had to inform people that they were closed when they called too late at night, so she learned to mimic that robot way of speaking. “Hello, and thank you for choosing Pappa John’s. We are closed for the…” People just hung up, figuring they got the machine, but if it was the owner or another manager, they recognized her voice and never picked up on what she was trying to do.
I work in a call center. So first of all thank you for not wanting to be rude, it is appreciated..
My voice is pleasant with clear diction and people have asked me a few times if I am a robot…I usually say, “Just a minute, I’ll check my pulse…….No I’m a human.” But some days after reading the same script fifty times over its tricky to not sound robotic..
Do you call people or do they call you? If the former, screw you. You are being rude, and probably breaking federal law, by making the call. Are you proud of being a criminal? Do you go home and tell the kids “Mommy broke federal law 256 times today”? If you’re just answering the call, your answer is irrelevant to the discussion.
I’ve had discussions lasting up to ten minutes with the “Windows Technical Center” people from India, who use names like “Sean” or “Lars”. Next time I’m going to see if I can stretch it out until THEY hang up. I almost felt sorry for one guy (“Sean”) who was upset that I called him a criminal. I told him he must be new there. |
Q:
Securing a JSF application to prevent access to application's XML resources inside WEB-INF folder
I am currently supporting a J2EE Web Application that uses JSF 1.2 with Spring MVC. Recently it was observed that the application is allowing to display various XML resources under the WEB-INF/ folder by tweaking the URL. For example, the URL to the application is https://www.example.org/abc-app/faces//WEB-INF/web.xml cause web.xml to be displayed (abc_app is context root; and there is deliberate two '//' in the URL which causes the xml files to display). The application did not have element defined in web.xml, so I added it as follows:
<security-constraint>
<display-name>excluded</display-name>
<web-resource-collection>
<web-resource-name>No Access</web-resource-name>
<url-pattern>/abc-app/WEB-INF/*.xml</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>/abc-app/faces//WEB-INF/*.xml</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>/abc-app/faces/*</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>/faces/*</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>/faces//*</url-pattern>
<url-pattern>/*.xml</url-pattern>
</web-resource-collection>
<auth-constraint>
<role-name>NoAccess</role-name>
</auth-constraint>
</security-constraint>
Unfortunately this has not helped and the application still displays the XML files. Any advice on what can be done to prevent display of XML files under the WEB-INF folder?
Some additional information:
Our application is deployed on WebSphere Application Server and does it's own authentication using SAML at the WebServer level.
A:
I reviewed web.xml and noticed that it had the following Servlet mappings:
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>*.faces</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/faces/*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
I updated it to only have the following
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>Faces Servlet</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>*.faces</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
This helped solving the issues and the XML files are not longer accessible.
However, it is strongly recommended to update JSFv1 to JSF2 in case someone is still using it.
|
Accumulation of metals in the liver and kidneys of cattle from agricultural areas in Lusaka, Zambia.
Intensive agricultural practices are recognized as significant sources of metal pollution in soils and pasture. This study investigated metal contamination in cattle offal from an agricultural area in Zambia, where inorganic fertilizers, agricultural lime, and pesticides are routinely applied. The highest median values (mg/kg, wet weight) of Cu (40.9), Zn (35.2), Cr (1.35) and Ni (0.594) were recorded in the liver, whereas the highest median values of Pb (0.061) and Cd (0.049) were found in kidneys. Maximum levels of Hg, As and Co were under 0.2 mg/kg in both organs. Pb and Cd did not exceed the benchmark values in cattle offal for human consumption and did not pose immediate health risks. Concentrations of Ni and Cr could present a public health concern. Monitoring of metal accumulations in offal of cattle, not only from well-known polluted environments but also agricultural areas, should be done regularly for the health of human consumers. |
Naked on a Broadway stage, Audra McDonald is on high alert, all of her senses sharpened.
She likens it to a fight-or-flight response, and it happens eight shows a week: her body’s reaction to being so exposed, center stage in a 1,200-seat house.
“Maybe strippers get real used to it,” she said recently in her dressing room at the Broadhurst Theater, “but for me there’s nothing normal about that. So there’s nowhere in my mind that I can drift off and let this just kind of happen, because everything about it is demanding that you be present.”
Opposite Michael Shannon as the lonely, damaged Johnny, Ms. McDonald plays the broken Frankie in Terrence McNally’s 1987 two-hander, “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune,” which opens with the graphic sexual ecstasy of the couple nearing climax. Then Frankie tumbles, laughing, from the bed.
Surely the scene has always been delicate to stage, but perhaps particularly now, with the post-#MeToo heightening of sensitivities about the potential for exploitation of actors, especially women. It’s partly thanks to that same movement, though, that the nascent field of intimacy direction is taking off. Now, with “Frankie and Johnny,” it’s come to Broadway. |
INTRODUCTION {#sec1-1}
============
Penile lengthening is performed for various reasons, some cosmetic and some medical.\[[@ref1]\] In the United States, an estimated 10,000 men have undergone penile surgery for cosmetic reasons in the last decade.\[[@ref2]\] Various surgical approaches have been described to augment both the length and the girth. The technique most commonly used for penile lengthening is the release of the suspensory ligament in combination with an inverted V-Y skin plasty. However, the drawback of this procedure is the possibility of reattachment of the penis to the pubis.\[[@ref3]\] In this work, we describe refinements to this technique by interposing a silicone sheath between the released suspensory ligament and the pubis.
CASE REPORT {#sec1-2}
===========
We report the case of a 30-year-old male who presented with short penile length. On physical examination, he had normal secondary sex characters, clinically normal testes, and a flaccid outstretched penile length of 3 cm, from the bony pelvis to the tip of the glans \[[Figure 1a](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\]. Erection was induced by intracorporeal injection of prostaglandin E1 and the erect length was 4.5 cm. The angle between the penis and the trunk upon erection was around 100 degrees. A written consent was signed by the patient for undergoing the procedure after explaining the consequences. The procedure was carried out as per the standard technique of V-Y Advancement Flap combined with severing of the suspensory ligament described by Osama Shaeer\[[@ref4]\] \[[Figure 1b](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\]. After the deep layer of the suspensory ligament was resected, the resulting gap between the base of the penis and the symphysis pubis was interposed with a silicone sheath \[[Figure 1c](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\]. The silicone sheath was a torn-out sleeve from Shah penile prosthesis \[[Figure 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}\]. The Shah penile prosthesis is a solid silicone, semi-rigid, flexible implant with the unique features of two removable sleeves to adjust the diameter. This silicone sleeve was used to interpose between symphysis pubis and the released suspensory ligament. This maneuver filled up the gap and the deeper part of the corpora cavernosa was sutured to the cranial part of the flap with braided polyglactin (Vicryl) 3-0, thus elevating the corpora, adding to the length gain as well and closing the gap with braided polyglactin (Vicryl) 3-0. A Penrose drain was left in the remaining tight space. The caudal lip of the penopubic incision was sutured to itself in the midline with braided polyglactin (Vicryl) 3-0 along the vertical axis of the penis. This incision was then closed in a T-shaped manner with monofilament polyamide (Ethilon) 3-0. The cranial lip of the incision was sutured to the vertically closed caudal lip. The remaining V flap (skin flap) was pushed caudally and the incision was closed. The limbs of the V were closed as a Y. A urinary catheter was inserted. The drain was removed after 48 h, and the urinary catheter was removed after five days. The final length was measured after six months which showed a length of 7 cm \[[Figure 1d](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\], the same as measured intraoperatively. Main outcome measures were the maintenance of the intraoperative length gain by the sixth month after surgery, as well as the angle between the penis and the trunk upon erection which was about 100 degrees.
{#F1}
{#F2}
DISCUSSION {#sec1-3}
==========
The technique of release of the suspensory ligament in combination with an inverted V-Y skin plasty is the most commonly used procedure for augmentation of penile length.\[[@ref3]--[@ref5]\] However, the length attained from this procedure is variable and controversial. The main drawback remains that the penis reverts to its original length due to reattachment of the suspensory ligament to the pubis.\[[@ref5]\]
We modified this procedure to minimize the above mentioned drawback and to prevent the loss of the gained length, by interposing a silicone sheath between the pubic symphysis and the suspensory ligament. The descent of the corpora off the pubic bone creates a dead space that should be filled because the ligament can reattach and possibly reduce length gain, or can even cause penile shortening. Dermal fat grafts are occasionally used to fill the space but they have the drawback of resorption due to unreliable blood supply, and morbidity to the donor site too makes them unacceptable. Harvesting fat from remote sites through other incisions is also met with the same results. We used a silicone sheath to fill this gap without any risk of infection. The silicone sheath utilized was from a torn-out sleeve from Shah penile prosthesis which was removed during a penile prosthesis procedure. The silicone sheath was autoclaved and then used in this procedure. This maneuver not only prevents reattachment of the suspensory ligament to the pubis but also prevents the consequent loss of length gain, because the ligament is liable to contracture and, if it attaches to a raw surface, may pull the penis inwards. Another downside of severing the suspensory ligament is that it may result in a pendulous "low-hanging" penis,\[[@ref5]\] where the angle of erection is different from the preoperative state. In our procedure, this was avoided by suturing the deeper parts of the corpora cavernosa to the cranial part of the fat flap. We did not apply penile stretching postoperatively because the corpora are already pushed forward. The hump that occurs at the penopubic junction upon advancement of the V-Y flap\[[@ref5]\] can be avoided. This hump is mostly due to advancement of a bulk of fat along with the skin. This is not the case with our technique as the fat plunges into the dead space to fill it up. There was also no evidence of infection during the entire follow-up period of six months.
To sum up, the length gain achieved is effectively maintained with this novel technique of V-Y advancement flap and interposing silicone sheath. Further modifications based on this technique may add to the durability of the length gain.
**Source of Support:** Nil
**Conflict of Interest:** None declared.
|
Q:
Rails 4 - Pre-Populate Form From Link
I have a form that allows users to manually input movies to review. Additionally, I am pulling movies from an external API (TMDB). When the user searches, it shows all results from the database as well as another area where data is pulled from the API. I want them to be able to click on a thumbnail from the external API and pre-populate my "new" form with that data. This code currently goes to the "new" form, but the title and description are not populated like I want them to be (a blank new form is rendered).
<% if @movies_api %>
<div class="row">
<% @movies_api.each do |movie| %>
<% if movie.poster_path %>
<div class="col-sm-6 col-md-3">
<div class="thumbnail">
<%= link_to(image_tag('https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w396' + movie.poster_path, class: 'image', size:"400x600"), {:action => 'new', :controller => 'movies'}, :title => movie.title, :description => movie.overview ) if movie.poster_path %>
</div>
</div>
<% end %>
<% end %>
<% end %>
How do I accomplish pre-populating the new form with data I gather from the API?
A:
I figured out a way to do this. In my form, I can do:
<div class="field">
<%= f.label :title %><br>
<%= f.text_field :title, :value => params[:title] %>
</div>
Not sure if there is a better way, but this works :-)
|
Fast News
Access to the website was restored once the ruling, passed by a 10-to-six majority in the court, was conveyed to the telecommunications watchdog.
FILE IMAGE: Turkish officials said at the time the measure was needed as Wikipedia had failed to remove content deemed false from its pages that linked Turkey with terror groups. (AFP Archive)
Turkey removed the ban on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia after the official publication on Wednesday of a Constitutional Court ruling that more than two-year block was a violation of freedom of expression.
The website was banned in April 2017 due to entries that accused Turkey of having links to terrorist organisations.
Access to the website was restored once the ruling, passed by a 10-to-six majority in the court, was conveyed to the telecommunications watchdog.
But many users said the website was still inaccessible on Wednesday though it was expected to be gradually unblocked nationwide.
Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organisation that hosts Wikipedia, had applied to Turkey's highest court to challenge the block.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies |
Archives
Podcast Roundup
We’re back once more to Tuesday, beautiful readers. With any luck, your Monday was quick and painless. Hopefully those of you that had been partying all night at SDCC during the weekend are making your way back into the “regular world” with the rest of us.
As is usual for our Tuesdays, we’ve got our Podcast Roundup.
It’s a quick one this week, with just two. Shut Up & Sit Down episode #30 and World’s End Radio Episode #86 – Limitless
If you know of a podcast that you’d like to see as part of our weekly roundup, let us know at [email protected] and we can add it to our list to watch.
That’s basically the 30th ever SU&SD podcast, which is now live in our podcast section and in all reputable pod-feeds. On this lengthy journey of no less than one hour and one minute, we discuss the absence of bitterness in the magnificent Forbidden Stars. We chat about the sheer joy of Funemployed (alas, we’re still waiting on the European release), and the sweet coloured pebbles of Trajan. The Saturday morning cartoon-looking reimagining of Catacombs (complete with jelly cube!) has reached us, too, and it’s incredible! And of course, Spyfall snuck into the mix.
Olly joins us again this episode as we venture forth to Infinity – and beyond! With some of the most stunning models going and an incredibly deep set of rules to get to grips with, Infinity is a force to be reckoned with on the global miniature wargaming stage. With the game recently moving into its 3rd edition, we take a long overdue look at what it’s all about and why you should consider getting involved.
We also catch up with the latest industry news and muse on a very controvertial recent game release. Tune in for all the dirt! |
If you've seen the book-based movie If I Stay, you probably found yourself thinking about Mia's insanely hip and chill parents. The mosh pit soul mates are like a couple of teenagers playing house and raising two kids. You'd expect Mia to grow up a modern-day riot grrrl, but nature and nurture have conspired to give her a tendency toward structure, which manifests maybe the most in her love for the cello.
As a tribute to Kat and Denny Hall, two of the most hipster parents to exist in literature, here are a few of their unbelievably cool parenting moves. May they (spoiler alert?) rest in peace.
1. When they recognized and nurtured Mia's innate talent for playing the cello from the very beginning. Her punk rocker dad even sold his beloved drum set to be able to buy a cello for her.
4. When they were convincing Mia to have fun with them on snow day and her dad spoke this truth: "Honey, guilt and bribery are the glue that have held parents and teenagers together for generations. Don't fight tradition."
5. When they hosted a rip-roaring house party that had free-flowing food, good music, and even a bonfire. A bonfire that had their daughter and her boyfriend kicking off a good ol' campfire sing-along.
6. When they accepted and even approved of Adam's rock star lifestyle and party-hard friends. "She shouldn't be scared to hang out with those guys—they're us," Mia's mom says. Her dad knowingly replies, "Exactly."
87. When they were huddled behind the front door as Adam was dropping her off and they gleefully shouted at her to stay out with him some more. If I were Mia, I'd be all, thanks ma and pa, but eavesdropping on me and this boy that confuses me? Not cool! Well at least we know they're capable of at least one "annoying" parent-ism! |
Mephenytoin hydroxylation polymorphism: characterization of the enzymatic deficiency in liver microsomes of poor metabolizers phenotyped in vivo.
The rate of 4-hydroxylation and of N-demethylation of S- and R-mephenytoin was determined in liver microsomes of 13 extensive (EM) and two poor (PM) metabolizers of mephenytoin. Detailed kinetic studies were performed in microsomes of eight EMs and the two PMs. Microsomal mephenytoin metabolism in PMs was characterized by an increased Km (150.6 and 180.6 vs. a mean [+/- SD] 37.8 +/- 9.6 mumol/L S-mephenytoin in 8 EMs), a decreased maximum rate of metabolism for S-mephenytoin hydroxylation (0.76 and 0.69 vs 4.85 +/- 1.65 nmol 4-hydroxymephenytoin per milligram protein per hour), and loss of stereoselectivity for the hydroxylation of the R- and S-enantiomers of mephenytoin (R/S ratio: 1.10 and 0.76 vs. 0.11 +/- 0.04 in 13 EMs). The formation of 4-OH-mephenytoin from R-mephenytoin and the demethylation reaction remained unaffected. These results support our hypothesis that the mephenytoin polymorphism is caused by a partial or complete absence or inactivity of a cytochrome P-450 isozyme with high affinity for S-mephenytoin. |
Great Stories from around the Web
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This was delicious and easy to make! I filled mine with spinach, mushrooms & a tiny bit of mozzarella cheese and served it with marinara sauce. It was huge so I only ate half. I will be making this again.
- 7/27/10 |
Q:
Representing as sum of squares of polynomials
Show that the polynomial $x^4y^2+y^4z^2+z^4x^2-3x^2y^2z^2$ cannot be written as the sum of squares of polynomials over $\mathbb{R}$ in $x, y, z$.
I could not make any progress/significant observation except for showing that the polynomial is always non-negative.
A:
The proof is similar to the case of the Motzkin polynomial
$$ x^4y^2 + x^2y^4 - 3x^2y^2 + 1,$$
which is non-negative over $\mathbb{R}^2$ and yet cannot be expressed as a sum of squares of real polynomials in $x$ and $y$. For references and proofs (e.g. by M. Marshall) see here.
|
Conventionally, magnetic field generators in which an orientation of a magnetic field at a target position is variable are public. The applicant of the present invention proposed one in Patent Document 1. According to the magnetic field generator disclosed in Patent Document 1, a magnetic field generating unit of a large diameter and a magnetic field generating unit of a small diameter housed therein are rotated circumferentially, whereby the orientation of a magnetic field which is provided at a target position within the small-diameter magnetic field generating unit is varied on a radial plane.
Meanwhile, in recent years, there have been developments in the field of medical care for medical instrument systems which guide, by working of a magnetic field, an object such as a catheter and a capsule endoscope to an arbitrary position inside the body of a patient. In order to guide an object to an arbitrary position, it is necessary to be able to vary the orientation of the magnetic field at the target position in all directions (any direction). Therefore, the magnetic field generator according to Patent Document 1 which varies the orientation of the magnetic field on a predetermined plane is not applicable to such medical systems. For this reason, these medical systems make use of magnetic field generators such as one disclosed in Patent Document 2 for example. The magnetic field generator disclosed in Patent Document 2 is capable of varying the orientation of the magnetic field at a target position in all directions by circumferential rotation of one magnetic field generating unit and radial travel of the same one magnetic field generating unit. Patent Document 1: JP-A Hei 9-90009 Patent Document 2: JP-A 2002-536037 |
Q:
Creating a list of objects in Python constructor
I would like to pass a variable into the constructor of an object and depending upon the value get one or more more objects out. Something like:
class MyClass():
def __init__(self,n_objects):
#Should return n_objects of MyClass
Something doesn't seem quite right about it though since I need to return a list (I think) but self is of type "MyClass". What am I missing?
A:
A constructor only returns a single reference of what you are trying to create, so you can't do it this way. What you need is to make this list external from this:
result = [MyClass() for i in xrange(n_objects)]
Then make a wrapper function around that.
Do note that xrange is for python 2, it was renamed to range in python 3.
If you must insist on keeping the "encapsulation" of the class, you can just define a classmethod. Naive example:
>>> class Foo(object):
... def __init__(self):
... self.bar = 1
... @classmethod
... def Copies(cls, n):
... return [cls() for i in xrange(n)]
...
>>> Foo()
<__main__.Foo object at 0x7f2059ac1910>
>>> Foo.Copies(3)
[<__main__.Foo object at 0x7f2059ac19d0>, <__main__.Foo object at 0x7f2059ac1990>, <__main__.Foo object at 0x7f2059ac1a10>]
|
Economic Development
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Several projects that have been in the works in Itasca ever since the recession ended are coming to fruition this year.
The Residences at Hamilton Lakes, a 297-unit apartment complex spread between three four-story buildings along the west side of Arlington Heights Road near the Elk Grove Bank building, is now accepting renters, according to Nancy Hill, Itasca’s community development director.
Nestled in a seven-acre park-like setting, this Hamilton Partners project offers luxury studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. There is also a resort-style clubhouse that features an outdoor pool, fitness center, cardio studio, spa area including a hot tub, sauna and steam room, theater, computer nook, conference room, pet spa and an indoor lounge opening to a three-season patio equipped with an outdoor kitchen and fireplace.
“By building apartments within Hamilton Lakes, the goal is to create a more vibrant mix of uses there so that Hamilton Lakes can soon attract some entertainment and restaurant venues to that complex,” Hill said.
“In fact, the village is working closely with Hamilton Partners in an effort to attract some new, exciting restaurants,” she added.
In addition, the new five-story headquarters of the American Academy of Pediatrics is under construction on an 11-acre site within Hamilton Lakes. Hill said that she expects the Academy and its approximately 500 employees to move out of its long-established Elk Grove headquarters and into its much larger facility in Itasca sometime this fall. The new structure has been built to handle a maximum capacity of 650 employees, Hill said.
“They wanted a new state-of-the-art building to reflect their philosophies about serving the medical needs of children,” she noted.
“We also have several other exciting prospects looking at Hamilton Lakes,” Hill said. “If those come through, it would keep things busy in Hamilton Lakes for the next two years. But, even if those happen, we would still have about 50 additional acres available for development in Hamilton Lakes into the future.”
Elsewhere in Itasca, R.S. Owens, a metal-plating and trophy-making firm, is planning to consolidate two Chicago factories and one Indianapolis factory into a 150,000-square-foot facility on Norwood Avenue in Itasca before the end of 2017. R.S. Owens is a very high-end firm that even makes the trophies that we all see awarded during the annually-televised Emmy and Tony Awards.
R.S. Owens is currently doing a major remodeling of the facility in Itasca’s Central Manufacturing District which previously housed a portion of the local Fellows Paper Shredders business.
“Itasca is an attractive place for businesses to be because of DuPage County’s low taxes; the beautiful office spaces available; and the fact it is in a great location from which to service their customers,” Hill said.
“Vacant office and industrial space in Itasca is filling up as businesses grow and consolidate here and also as many new businesses choose to leave Chicago and Cook County because it is so expensive to do business there,” she added.
Itasca Chamber of Commerce 2018 Community Guide and Membership Directory
On behalf of the Itasca Chamber of Commerce, it’s our pleasure to present you with our 2018 Community Guide and Business Directory. |
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer Trey Songz was charged with aggravated assault and assaulting a police officer causing injury after an incident at his concert in Detroit Wednesday, December 28. Hide Caption 1 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Former "Saved by the Bell" actor Dustin Diamond was arrested Wednesday, May 25 in Ozaukee, Wisconsin, on a probation hold. Hide Caption 2 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Football player Johnny Manziel turned himself turned himself in to police in Highland Park, Texas, on Wednesday, May 4, and was booked on misdemeanor assault charges, said Lt. Lance Koppa with the Highland Park Department of Public Safety. Manziel is accused of assaulting his former girlfriend in January. He has denied hitting her, and his lawyer said he'll plead not guilty. Hide Caption 3 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots American soccer star Abby Wambach was arrested on a driving under the influence charge Sunday, April 3, in Portland, Oregon. Wambach, who recently retired, was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. ET, according to the Multnomah County Jail. She was released on her own recognizance. Hide Caption 4 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Austin Lee Russell, aka "Chumlee" from the TV show "Pawn Stars," was arrested Wednesday, March 9, in Las Vegas. He was charged with possession of a firearm and numerous narcotics charges. Hide Caption 5 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Comedian Micah "Katt" Williams was arrested in Georgia on Monday, February 29, in connection with an assault, according to authorities. Hide Caption 6 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Angela Renee White, also known as Blac Chyna, was arrested on charges of public intoxication at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday, January 29. Hide Caption 7 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots The former Louisiana children's TV show personality known as "Mr. Wonder" was arrested in California on charges that he sexually abused children at a camping retreat in 1979. Frank John Selas III was arrested on Monday, January 25, after he had been on the run for nearly four decades. Hide Caption 8 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Model Stephanie Seymour was arrested on DUI charges on Friday, January 15, in Connecticut. She was released on $500 bail and is scheduled to appear in court in February. Hide Caption 9 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer Don McLean appears in a booking photo after being charged with domestic violence assault on Monday, January 18, at Knox County Jail in Rockland, Maine. McLean is best known for his 1972 hit "American Pie." Hide Caption 10 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter was arrested Wednesday, January 13, in Key West, Florida. He is charged with battery, a misdemeanor, according to his arrest record with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Hide Caption 11 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Robert Downey Jr.'s drug problems are almost as famous as his talent. He served time in the late 1990s on a drug conviction, was arrested in November 2000 for drug possession and was busted again in April 2001 in Culver City, California. He received a Christmas Eve pardon in 2015 from California Gov. Jerry Brown for his 1996 convictions for possessing drugs and a weapon. Hide Caption 12 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots In his latest run-in with the law, actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested in Austin, Texas, on October 9 on charges of public intoxication. Hide Caption 13 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Nicholas Brendon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Criminal Minds") was arrested for the fourth time in a year on September 30. He was accused of choking a girlfriend in Saratoga Springs, New York. Hide Caption 14 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Jennifer Ann Lien, who played Kes on "Star Trek: Voyager," was arrested on September 3 in Harriman, Tennessee. She was charged with indecent exposure. Hide Caption 15 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Manu Bennett, best known for playing antagonists in the "Hobbit" trilogy and the TV series "Arrow," was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, and charged with misdemeanor assault. Hide Caption 16 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Jake Broadbent, best known for playing Anakin Skywalker (as Jake Lloyd) in "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" in 1999, was arrested in South Carolina after police said he led them on a high-speed chase on June 17. He was charged with failure to stop for a blue light and resisting arrest, he remained at the Colleton County Detention Center awaiting a bail hearing. Hide Caption 17 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Rapper Rick Ross was picked up by sheriffs in Fayette County, Georgia, on suspicion of marijuana possession. Ross was released after posting $2,400 bail. Hide Caption 18 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Dustin Diamond, best known as Screech from the TV show "Saved by the Bell," was arrested on multiple charges in Port Washington, Wisconsin, on December 26, 2014. He was found guilty in May 2015 on two misdemeanor charges. Hide Caption 19 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Oscar-nominated actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard was arrested Monday, May 25, on suspicion of drunken driving in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spent the night in jail and pleaded not guilty to aggravated DUI charges. Hide Caption 20 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Public Enemy's William Jonathan Drayton Jr. -- better known as Flavor Flav -- was arrested May 21 in Las Vegas. The list of charges includes speeding, driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and having an open container of alcohol. He posted $7,000 bail. Hide Caption 21 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Seth Gilliam, who joined the "Walking Dead" cast last season, was arrested May 3 in Peachtree City, Georgia. Police said that Gilliam was going 107 mph in a 55-mph zone and that a marijuana cigarette was found in the car. Hide Caption 22 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Rapper Nelly was arrested April 11 in Tennessee and charged with felony drug possession, authorities said. Hide Caption 23 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Darius McCrary, who played Eddie Winslow on the sitcom "Family Matters," was arrested and released on March 25 for failure to pay child support Hide Caption 24 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots "Criminal Minds'" actor Nicholas Brendon was arrested (PDF) March 13 in Tallahassee, Florida, for allegedly trashing a hotel room. He was arrested under similar circumstances in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in February, and in Boise, Idaho, in October. Brendon is also known for his role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Hide Caption 25 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer Angie Stone was arrested March 10 on domestic aggravated assault charges after an alleged altercation with her daughter, according to CNN affiliate WGCL. Hide Caption 26 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Joseph Edgar Foreman, better known as Afroman, was arrested in Biloxi, Mississippi, on an assault charge February 17. Hide Caption 27 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Vanilla Ice, aka Robert Van Winkle, was charged February 18 with burglary and grand theft in Lantana, Florida. Hide Caption 28 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Former NFL player Warren Sapp was arrested by Phoenix police officers on prostitution and assault charges February 2, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department. Hide Caption 29 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots A photo of Phil Spector released in September shows the toll that prison has taken on the former music mogul. The picture was taken of Spector -- who is serving time for the 2003 killing of actress Lana Clarkson -- in 2013 at a prison in Corcoran, California. Hide Caption 30 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Will Hayden -- Red Jacket Firearms owner and the Discovery Channel's "Sons of Guns" reality star -- was arrested in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 8. He was accused of child molestation and was charged with a crime against nature. Hayden was released on $150,000 bail. On August 27, Discovery canceled his show after Hayden was arrested on a charge of aggravated rape. Hide Caption 31 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Rapper Gucci Mane turned himself in to authorities in March 2013 after a warrant was issued for his arrest on aggravated assault charges in Atlanta. In August, he was sentenced to three years and three months in federal prison on firearm charges. Hide Caption 32 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Gregg Jarrett, an anchor with Fox News, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of the legal process and interfering with a peace officer at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. He was released on $300 bail. Hide Caption 33 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots TV's Judge Joe Brown was jailed on a contempt of court charge issued by a Tennessee juvenile judge on March 24, 2014, according to a court spokesman. He was later released on his own recognizance, CNN affiliate WMC in Memphis reported. Brown was in court to represent a client in a child-support case and allegedly became upset when he was told the case was not on the afternoon docket. Hide Caption 34 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots "The Partridge Family" star David Cassidy was ordered to three months of rehab on March 24, 2014, after pleading no contest to a DUI charge from January. It was his second DUI arrest in six months and third since 2011. Hide Caption 35 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Tyler, the Creator was charged with a misdemeanor in March 2014. The rapper is accused of inciting a riot at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Hide Caption 36 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Justin Bieber was charged with drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license after police saw the pop star street racing in a yellow Lamborghini in Miami in January 2014. "What the f*** did I do?" he asked the officer. "Why did you stop me?" He was booked into a Miami jail after failing a sobriety test. Hide Caption 37 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer Bruno Mars was arrested on September 19, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on a drug charge. He accepted a "deferred adjudication" deal in 2011. Hide Caption 38 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Young Jeezy, real name Jay Wayne Jenkins, was arrested in January 2014 in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta, and charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer. He was also arrested in California in August. Hide Caption 39 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Rapper DMX was arrested in South Carolina and held for three hours in November 2013 before posting bail on charges of driving with a suspended license and having no car tag or insurance, according to the Spartanburg County Detention Center website. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, has been arrested three times in the state since July 2013. Hide Caption 40 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Dina Lohan, the mother of actress Lindsay Lohan, was arrested in September 2013 in New York on two DWI charges. New York State Police said a breath test showed her blood alcohol concentration to be more than twice the legal limit. Hide Caption 41 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer-actress Pia Zadora was charged with domestic violence battery and coercion for allegedly scratching her 16-year-old son's ear as she tried to take his cell phone when he dialed 911 on June 1, 2013, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police report. Hide Caption 42 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actress Amanda Bynes was arrested again May 23, 2013, in New York after she allegedly tossed drug paraphernalia out the window of her Manhattan apartment. The actress had been booked for suspicion of driving under the influence in Hollywood, California, on April 6, 2012, after she got into a fender bender with a marked police car. The California arrest is the source of this mug shot. Hide Caption 43 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Edward Furlong was arrested again on May 17, 2013, after allegedly violating a protective order filed against him by an ex-girlfriend. Furlong is seen here in a police booking photo after his arrest for alleged domestic violence, the arrest which resulted in the protective order, on January 13, 2013, in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 44 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actress Reese Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth were arrested in April 2013 after Toth was pulled over for suspected drunken driving with Witherspoon in the car, the Georgia State Patrol said. Hide Caption 45 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Country music star Billy Currington has been indicted on charges of terroristic threats and abuse of an elderly person in April 2013 in his native state of Georgia. In September 2013, he pleaded no contest to the abuse charge; the terroristic threats charge was dropped. Hide Caption 46 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Lindsay Lohan poses for a mug shot in March 2013 after accepting 90 days in a "locked in" drug rehab facility for misdemeanor charges. This was not her first brush with the law. The list includes a 2011 arrest for violating her probation for a 2007 drunken driving conviction. Hide Caption 47 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Stanley Kirk Burrell, aka MC Hammer, was arrested in February 2013 in Dublin, California, for allegedly obstructing an officer. Hide Caption 48 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Stephen Baldwin was arrested December 6, 2012, on a charge of failing to file New York state personal income tax returns for three years, according to a statement released by the Rockland County district attorney's office. Hide Caption 49 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Flavor Flav was also arrested October 17, 2012, in Las Vegas and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and battery in a case involving his fiancee of eight years, police said. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to attend counseling. Hide Caption 50 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Border Patrol agents in Texas arrested singer Fiona Apple in 2012, saying they found marijuana and hashish on her tour bus. Hide Caption 51 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Musician Randy Travis was arrested in 2012 for misdemeanor DWI and felony retaliation after he was involved in a one-vehicle accident and found naked in the road. He was later released on bail. Hide Caption 52 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Funnyman Russell Brand landed himself in to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in 2012 when he snatched a photographer's iPhone and threw it at a window. Brand was free on bail after turning himself in to New Orleans police. Hide Caption 53 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, 26, was charged with vandalism and public intoxication in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 16, 2012. Hide Caption 54 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots "Gossip Girl" star Chase Crawford was arrested in June 2010 in Austin, Texas, and charged with possession of marijuana. He was charged with a misdemeanor because he had less than 2 ounces, according to a police report. Hide Caption 55 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Bad boy actor Charlie Sheen is no stranger to Hollywood scandal. He posed for this mug shot after a 2009 arrest related to a domestic violence dispute. Hide Caption 56 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Wayne "Lil Wayne" Carter was booked on drug charges in Arizona in 2008 and sentenced to a year in prison. He released an album during his incarceration, which lasted eight months. Hide Caption 57 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Nicole Richie was sentenced to four days in jail for DUI in August 2007. She spent 82 minutes in custody. Hide Caption 58 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots In 2007, Kiefer Sutherland got this mug shot after surrendering to serve a 48-day sentence for his third DUI arrest. Hide Caption 59 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots This mug shot was snapped after Mel Gibson, now notorious for getting himself into trouble, was arrested and charged with drunken driving in 2006. Hide Caption 60 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested for drunken driving after failing a field sobriety test in 2005. Hide Caption 61 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Singer James Brown was arrested in Aiken, South Carolina, on January 28, 2004, and charged with Criminal Domestic Violence. Hide Caption 62 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots The Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's office took this mug shot of "Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin in 2004 after they found marijuana, Xanax and sleeping pills in his possession. He was briefly jailed before being released on bail. Hide Caption 63 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Country singer Glen Campbell was arrested in Phoenix on November 25, 2003, on drunken driving and hit-and-run charges. Campbell posed for his mugshot in 2004 after checking into a Phoenix lockup to serve his first of 10 nights in jail. He pleaded guilty to the charges. Hide Caption 64 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Actor Nick Nolte was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol on September 11, 2002. A California Highway Patrol officer saw the actor's car swerving across the highway. Nolte was described as "drooling" and "droopy-eyed." Hide Caption 65 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was booked on gun charges twice in June 2000. Police said both arrests stemmed from fights -- the first over his estranged wife, Kim, and the second against rival rap group Insane Clown Posse. Hide Caption 66 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Rapper Jay Z was arrested in 1999 for allegedly stabbing a record executive in a New York nightclub. He pleaded guilty in 2001 and was sentenced to three years of probation. Hide Caption 67 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Matthew McConaughey was arrested in Austin, Texas, in 1999 after police allegedly found him dancing naked and playing bongo drums in his house. He paid a $50 fine for disturbing his neighbors with the show. Hide Caption 68 of 70
Photos: Celebrity mugshots Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, posed for this mug shot in 1994 when he was arrested at 19 for allegedly dealing heroin and crack cocaine. Hide Caption 69 of 70 |
Density and distribution of excitatory amino acid receptors in the developing human fetal brain: a quantitative autoradiographic study.
The binding of [alpha-3H]amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) to quisqualate receptors, [3H]kainate (KA) to KA receptors, and L-[3H]glutamate to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors was determined by quantitative autoradiography in brains obtained from twelve aborted human fetuses ranging from 16.5 to 26 weeks of gestational age. Among the three receptor subtypes, specific binding to AMPA was the highest, followed by NMDA and KA, respectively, in all age groups. Receptor binding was already apparent by 16.5 weeks in the hippocampus, thalamus, and subthalamic nucleus, rose sharply by 20-21.5 weeks, and subsequently declined to their lowest levels by 24-26 weeks. Anatomically distinct binding patterns for each of the three major excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptor subtypes were well established by 20-21.5 weeks. Within the hippocampus, AMPA was localized primarily in the stratum pyramidale, NMDA in the stratum radiatum, and KA in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and in the stratum lucidum of the CA3 region. The cerebral cortex showed dense labeling of AMPA in the outer layers, whereas KA binding was more prominent within the inner layers. The putamen and globus pallidus also showed relatively dense receptor binding in all age groups. The sharp rise in receptor density at 20-21.5 weeks of age suggests involvement of EAA pathways in developmental plasticity, including reorganization of neuronal processes or synapses, during this period of development. Developmental changes in the density and distribution of EAA receptors, as shown in this study, may also provide insight into shifts in the localization of age-dependent selective vulnerability within the developing human fetal brain. |
Q:
Are you able to pass the 'TOP' number as a parameter to a stored procedure?
Possible Duplicate:
SQL Server - use a parameter to select the top X of the result set
My query in my stored procedure looks something like:
select top 9 from my_table;
I'd like to edit the stored procedure to dynamically produce the limit from a parameter, however, this does not seem to be working:
ALTER PROCEDURE [dbo].[my_stored_procedure]
@n INT(2)
AS
BEGIN
SELECT TOP @n from my_table;
Is this doable? Or do I have to do something like:
@n int(2),
@sql varchar(30)
@sql = 'select top ' + @n '* from my table';
exec(@sql);
Thanks.
A:
You have to enclose the parameter in parenthesis like:
DECLARE @QQ INT = 10
SELECT TOP (@QQ)
*
FROM Your_Table
|
Differences in lightness in achromatic transparency.
It is presently unresolved whether lightnesses or differences in lightness are appropriate independent variables for models of perceived achromatic transparency. This experiment shows that differences in lightness rather than lightnesses affected the rated transparency and that local changes in differences in lightness altered the rated transparency locally. These results indicate that models of the perceived degree of transparency should be separately formulated for the different parts of a transparent surface and for the whole transparent surface. Two new models of the combined effects of lightness differences on the perceived transparency are proposed. |
Obama: ‘Shame on us’ if Congress forgets Newtown
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Thursday not to forget the heartbreak of the Newtown elementary school massacre and “get squishy” on tightened gun laws, though some lawmakers in his own Democratic Party remain a tough sell on an approaching Senate vote to expand purchasers’ background checks.
“Shame on us if we’ve forgotten,” Obama said at the White House, standing amid 21 mothers who have lost children to shootings. “I haven’t forgotten those kids.”
More than three months after 20 first-graders and six staffers were killed in Newtown, Conn., Obama urged the nation to pressure lawmakers to back what he called the best chance in over a decade to tame firearms violence.
At the same time, gun control groups were staging a “Day to Demand Action” with more than 100 rallies and other events planned from Connecticut to California. This was on top of a $12 million TV ad campaign financed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that has been pressuring senators in 13 states to tighten background-check rules.
But if political momentum was building after the nightmarish December shootings, it has flagged as the Senate prepares to debate gun restrictions next month. Thanks to widespread Republican resistance and a wariness by moderate Democrats from Southern and Western states – including six who are facing re-election next year – a proposed assault weapons ban seems doomed and efforts to broaden background checks and bar high capacity ammunition magazines are in question.
In one statement that typifies moderate Democrats’ caution, spokesman Kevin Hall said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is “still holding conversations with Virginia stakeholders and sorting through issues on background checks” and proposals on assault weapons and magazines. |
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Seamus the Irish setter dogging Mitt Romney
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By:Lee-Anne GoodmanThe Canadian Press Published on
WASHINGTON - The sorry tale of Seamus, the Irish setter who spent 12 stressful hours atop Mitt Romney's station wagon on a road trip to Canada, is back in the spotlight after the Republican front-runner and his wife faced questions about the 1983 incident in a high-profile prime-time interview.
"He would see that crate and, you know, he would go crazy because he was going with us on vacation. It was to me a kinder thing to bring him along than to leave him in the kennel for two weeks."
Sawyer, however, questioned the extent of Seamus's enjoyment as he sat in a windy crate on the roof of the car for 12 hours. She pointed out the dog had experienced intestinal distress during the drive from Boston to the Lake Huron community of Grand Bend, Ont., where the Romney family still owns a cottage.
According to a 2007 Boston Globe profile of Mitt Romney, his disgusted boys alerted their father to the fact that Seamus was suffering from diarrhoea as they made their way to the cottage.
Romney stopped at the next service station, hosed down the dog, the car and the carrier, returned Seamus to his stoop and continued to Canada.
Ann Romney said the dog, who died a few years later after spending his golden years with Romney's sister on her California ranch, got sick only once travelling that way.
"We travelled all the time — and he ate the turkey on the counter. I mean, he had the runs," she said in an attempt to explain Seamus's stomach issues en route to Canada.
Seamus's plight was recounted to the Globe five years ago by one of Mitt Romney's five sons in an apparent attempt to illustrate his father's crisis management skills. That effort has apparently backfired, with many suggesting it reveals a chilling lack of compassion.
New York Times columnist Gail Collins, in particular, has kept the story alive by mentioning Seamus — "floating like a furry maraschino cherry on top of the car" — almost every time she's written about Romney since he launched his second presidential campaign last year.
Romney's political rivals, including Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and David Axelrod, U.S. President Barack Obama's top strategist, have attempted to capitalize on the story. Late-night talk show hosts like David Letterman, meantime, have mocked Romney mercilessly for his treatment of the late Seamus.
Public Policy Polling even conducted a survey last month on Romney's "dog problem," finding that 68 per cent of voters, including most Republicans, considered it inhumane to travel with a dog on the roof of a car.
Seamus's ordeal has angered dog-lovers, spawned a website and Facebook page called Dogs Against Romney and inspired a book entitled: "Hey Mitt! Dogs Don't Go There!"
Dogs Against Romney, in fact, arranged for its supporters to flood the ABC website in advance of Sawyer's Monday interview with the Romneys, beseeching her to ask the couple questions about Seamus.
Since she did, the Seamus outrage has a new lease on life. And this time, the well-liked Ann Romney, considered one of her husband's best campaign weapons, is also a target.
"Ann Romney is even more of a hardened sociopath about torture than Dick Cheney, because even he doesn't wander around telling teevee show hosts that the detainees really seemed to enjoy it," the satirical website Wonkette.com joked on Tuesday.
Sawyer asked Mitt Romney if he'd ever again transport a dog that way.
"Certainly not with the attention it's received," he replied. He also acknowledged Seamus's story had been "the most wounding" to his campaign.
That response prompted anger anew on various social media platforms.
"Wrong reason," one Twitter user wrote.
Dogs Against Romney creator Scott Crider also expressed dismay.
"In other words, Mr. Romney still sees nothing wrong with what he did ... and the only reason he wouldn't do it again is to avoid personal political backlash," he said Tuesday.
"It is stunning — and disappointing — that the Romneys just don't get it." |
Q:
Selecting rows which have a similar value for a particular column which occurs n times each month
I have a database with multiple columns from which I have created this view where I have multiple rows similar to the ones shown below. The data is available for each day of the month from 2009 to 2010 and for all the month for the 5 names given. I have to get the 'Name' for which the occurrence of category 'Super' is more than 5 times each month and list them out separately for each month. The view contains data for all months together.
Name Dates Category
--------------------------------
PAT 2009-01-01 Super
YAT 2009-01-01 No
ROT 2009-01-01 No
SUP 2009-01-01 Super
ANT 2009-01-01 Super
I tried getting a count of the Name in MySQL using
SELECT `NAME`,`DATES`
FROM (
SELECT `NAME`, `CATEGORY`,MONTH(`DATES`)
FROM VIEW
GROUP BY `NAME`, `CATEGORY`,MONTH(`DATES`)
HAVING COUNT(`CATEGORY`)>5
) a
GROUP BY `NAME`
HAVING count(`CATEGORY`)>5;
But it does not return any rows.
A:
You're trying to group your rows into months. The best way to do this is to start with an expression that will take any date and convert it to the first day of the month in which it occurs. That expression is.
DATE(DATE_FORMAT(dates, '%Y-%m-01'))
Next, you use this expression in a query with a GROUP BY clause.
SELECT NAME, CATEGORY,
DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01')) DATES
FROM VIEW
GROUP BY NAME, CATEGORY, DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01'))
HAVING COUNT(*) > 5
This will yield all the name / category / month combinations occurring more than five times.
I think that's what you want. But maybe you want all the monthly items listed in any month where the Super category appears more than five times for some name. To do that first we write a subquery to get a list of those dates:
SELECT DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01')) DATES
FROM VIEW
WHERE CATEGORY = 'Super'
GROUP BY NAME, DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01'))
HAVING COUNT(*) > 5
Then we write a main query to get all the data
SELECT DISTINCT
NAME, CATEGORY,
DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01')) DATES
FROM VIEW
WHERE DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01')) IN
(
SELECT DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01')) DATES
FROM VIEW
WHERE CATEGORY = 'Super'
GROUP BY NAME, DATE(DATE_FORMAT(DATES, '%Y-%m-01'))
HAVING COUNT(*) > 5
)
The trick to getting this sort of thing to work is choosing the right date-arithmetic expression to use in your GROUP BY clause. The functions like DAY(), MONTH(), and YEAR() are surprisingly difficult to use correctly, so I think you may find DATE(DATE_FORMAT(dates, '%Y-%m-01')) more reliable.
|
Perla gas field
Perla gas field is a giant offshore gas field in the Gulf of Venezuela. It is located south of Gela field, about offshore at the Cardon IV block in water depths about . It covers area about .
The field was discovered in 1976. Exploration activities were carried out in 2009. The Pearl-1 well, drilled by the jack-up rig Ensco 68, encountered a hydrocarbon column with a production capacity of about of gas and of gas condensate. Perla-2 produced of gas and of condensate, Perla-3produced of gas and of condensate, and Perla-4 produced of gas and of condensate. In total, it is expected to hold more than of natural gas.
At the phase I light offshore platforms will be installed to utilise the wells already drilled. A pipeline will be installed to a central processing facility located onshore. The phase I is expected to cost of US$1.4 billion.
The field will be developed by consortium of Repsol YPF (32.5%), Eni (32.5%), and PDVSA (35%). The front-end loading will be carried out by Foster Wheeler. The field is expected to come onstream by the first half of 2013. The development contract will be in force until 2036.
References
Category:Natural gas fields in Venezuela |
Q:
MongoDB Replicaset with two members, hot to prevent Primary from becoming secondary when secondary disconnects?
When using MongoDB with a replica set of 2 servers, if the secondary goes down, primary becomes secondary. I would like it to maintain it's primary state even if the secondary is down. apparently, since there are no other members in the set, the election process cannot give more than 50% votes to the primary to be the primary and it becomes secondary.
A:
That's why a replica-set with two active nodes should always include an arbiter on a separate server as a third member. An arbiter is a mongod instance which holds no data, but is allowed to vote in primary-elections.
When the secondary goes down, there will still be the arbiter to elect the remaining node to primary.
An arbiter is a very lightweight process, so it doesn't require a dedicated server. But for obvious reasons it shouldn't share the hardware with another member of the replica-set.
|
LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (75827) Review
When the then Ecto-1 (21108) was announced that it would be the next LEGO Ideas set, Ghostbusters fans were both happy and sad. Good because we would be getting an iconic car, bad that we wouldn’t be getting the firehouse to go along with it.
Fast forward about a year and a half and rumors started swirling in the community that we would be getting the firehouse in 2016 and back in October, it was revealed that we would indeed be getting the Firehouse Headquarters (75827) next year and shortly after that, the official images of the set were released. The set features details from both Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II.
The Firehouse Headquarters (75827) has been available for purchase at LEGO Brand Stores and on [email protected] and I’ve finally had time to build and review it. The set contains a whopping 4,634 pieces and retails for $349.99. It is the third largest set in regards to piece count that LEGO has produced behind the Taj Mahal (10189) and the UCS Millennium Falcon (10179).
The contents of the box include a large bagged instruction booklet with two sticker sheets and a dark gray 32×32 baseplate. There are also two boxes filled with numbered bags, the first with 11 bags numbered from 1-3, a dark gray 16×32 baseplate, and two firepoles. The other box also contains 11 numbered bags from 4-7 and two 6×16 brown plates. The rest of the bags are numbered from 8-14 and two un-numbered bags of plates and Technic bricks.
Box
I normally don’t do a review on the box but it is absolutely gorgeous. As you can see, it has the hazard stripes on the side that’s the same look as the Ghostbusters ghost traps. The design of the box is staged in portrait layout but the detailing photos on the back are in the landscape layout.
The minifigures of Egon, Ray, Peter, and Winston are all brand new with this set. All the torsos have gotten an overhaul and now feature printing on both of the arms with the No-Ghost logo and elbow pads. Also, all of the Ghostbusters have proton packs and radios. There are also two ghost traps which is slightly modified from thee Ecto-1 version. For this set, the hazard stripes are now printed 1×2 tiles instead of the yellow grille pieces that were used before. Egon is pretty much the same minifigure as before but now he has a new accessory with his P.K.E. meter.
Peter’s minifigure has gotten the most new detail with green slime all over him which comes from the scene where he is slimed by Slimer and he uttered the words, “he slimed me” when Ray shows up. He also has a new slime face printing with a disgusted expression. Unfortunately, there is no extra torso with no slime on it. If you want that version, you’ll probably have to switch out the arms from the Ecto-1 version or get him from the LEGO Dimensions Ghostbusters Level Pack (71228).
Ray is also the same minifigure as before and Winston has a new hair piece which is also seen on Finn from the Star Wars: The Force Awakens sets.
Next up is Janine Melnitz and this version of her is from the first movie as well. She wears a striped blouse with the signature red plaid outer vest.
Dana Barrett or the Gatekeeper is a great representation of the movie character. She wears the reddish-orange dress after she’s been possessed by Zuul. She has a double-sided head with a fairly normal expression on one side and a evil red eye possessed expression on the other.
Following Dana is the other half of the equation, Louis Tully or the Keymaster. His outfit is the blue striped shirt and brown pants which is the one where he had the party with his clients and was subsequently possessed by Vinz Clortho. Like with the other minifigures in the set so far, Louis also has a double-sided head with a happy expression on one side and the possessed look on the other. He also comes with an alternate head that has him strapped on with the colander and chin strap printing where he was being evaluated by Egon.
Next up is arguably the most recognizable ghost in the film series in Slimer. It has sort of a muted trans-green plump body mold. What I mean is that Slimer’s coloring is not the typical translucent coloring that we’re used to seeing. The face printing is passable with its open mouth expression but it does look a little cartoonish for my taste. There’s also printing of some slobber around the mouth. The Slimer in the LEGO Dimensions Ghostbusters Fun Pack (71214) will have a clean version without the slobber. Its accessory is a hot dog that you see it eating later on in the movie.
The Library Ghost is the first ghost you see in the movie. The torso is a regular torso with some pink blouse printing. The legs are the newer ghost legs which we first saw in the LEGO Ninjago sets. She does have a double-sided head with a normal look on one side and the other side is the scary transmogrified form when Ray yells out to get her. She also has two different sets of hair, one is the bunned gray hair and the other is the white frizzy hair after she transforms. Her accessory is a stickered book called Magical Paths To Fortune And Power which is the book that Peter ordered in Ghostbusters II.
The Zombie Driver is a pretty simple minifigure that wears a black leather jacket with black pants. The face is somewhat gruesome and he wears a black beret. He was seen for a very short time in the Ghostbusters after the containment unit was shut down.
Finally, we have two un-named ghosts in Blue and Pink. They have the same molding but the facial expressions are different with the pink on being more scarier. The coloring on the ghosts are more transparent than Slimer.
Build
From looking at the front and sides, the Firehouse Headquarters has the distinct look of the Hook & Ladder Company No. 8. The only downside of the exterior is that the back of the building is absolutely terrible. It doesn’t even look remotely close to being similar to the other walls of the building. All the other have the outer layer of bricks to cover up the building foundation but the back is only single layered. For the other three sides of the building, you have a lot of details with masonry bricks spread throughout. The roof is pretty bland with some ventilation which also hides a clip to the building closed.
In the front of the Firehouse, you have the main gate as well as the regular door for a person to enter. Above that, you have have Ghostbusters No-Ghost logo which is are stickers. Note that the logo on the Ecto-1 was a printed logo so I’m not sure why LEGO didn’t go with that route instead. Behind the sign is the building name which says “75827 Firehouse 75827” and is also stickered.
On the left side of the building, there isn’t much to see with only a fire escape ladder going down the side of the building.
On the other side, you have a traffic light on the street corner alongside a trash can. This pole tends to get knocked over when you’re building if you’re not careful. It does give more detail to the set as a whole but it’s also somewhat of a hassle. Further down the sidewalk are some trans-pink pieces that represent the pink ooze from Ghostbusters II. Above on the building facade, you can pull out a few of the tiles and attach the trans-clear bar on to it so the ghosts seem like they’re flying.
Now on to the interior of the Firehouse Headquarters (75827). There are two different ways of getting into the interior. You can either open up the two hinged sides or by lifting each floor level.
I have a minor complaint about opening the side wall up to get to the interior. As you can see, only the first floor has hinges so the there isn’t much support for the other two floors and the weight of them rest on the three hinges on the bottom floor. This could be because of the way the set is designed for making removing the floors a little easier.
On the first floor, you have the receptionist/parking area. There are a lot of small details packed in this area like Peter and Janine’s desk, the lockers for Egon, Ray, and Peter. The lockers are able to store the proton pack. Janine’s desk id very cluttered with a computer, a rotary phone, ad a lamp. There’s also printed 2×2 tiles of newspapers scattered everywhere.
Speaking of parking, the Ecto-1 technically can park inside the Firehouse with the doors closed however there’s a caveat. In order to do that, you’ll pretty much have to push Janine’s desk out and everything else behind it out of the way to get the whole car in. It’s nothing too tragic but at at least we’re able to fit the Ecto-1 inside considering that the car isn’t isn’t part of the set. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about this issue.
Since there’s no actual basement for the Firehouse Headquarters, LEGO has decided to put the containment unit under the staircase in the back of the bottom floor. It is able to open up and you can also store a trap inside. On the back wall, you have a stickered 2×4 tile bulletin board which gives a small tribute to Harold Ramis.
On the second floor of the Firehouse Headquarters, we have the kitchen which is probably the most detailed area in the whole building. The cabinets are filled with pots and jars. There’s appliances like the fridge, microwave, and stove with a ventilation hood. The table in the middle has some more of the pink ooze and the dancing toaster from Ghostbusters II. On the other end of the kitchen is a fireplace and an arcade machine with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man as an 8-bit character.
In the next room, you have the sleeping quarters with three beds and on the opposite hinged section, you have a full bathroom with sink, toilet, and shower. There’s also some green slime near the toilet and on the checkered floor.
On to the third floor, we have Egon’s laboratory. This is where Egon examines Louis after being possessed by Vinz Clortho. There’s a lot of little details like the computer and shelves filled with jars and containers.
On the other side of the room in the middle, you have a pool table. On the wall, you have a map of the real location of the Hook & Ladder No. 8 at 14 North Moore Street.
Over on the hinged side of the building, you have the darkroom where Egon and Ray used to develop the museum pictures of Vigo the Carpathian. As you can see, there are a couple of stickers of Vigo hanging up on the wall behind the table while the table itself is on fire. Outside of the room, you have the fire extinguisher that Winston uses to break down the door and put out the fire in that scene.
Finally, you get to one of the main play features of the Firehouse Headquarters (75827) with the fire pole. This is a new piece in pearl gold that a minifigure can slide down while holding on to a handlebar piece. The two ends of the pole are held on by some Technic pins so resetting the minifigure up top is easy. As they slides down, they also spin due to the spiral shape of the pole. This is a very nice play feature that Marcos has implemented in the set.
Results
Fans of the movies will definitely enjoy building the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (75827). While three sides of the outside of the building is pretty accurate, there’s not much else to see especially in the back which is the probably the worst part of the entire set.
The minifigure selection is pretty much perfect with pretty much all the main characters from the first movie being featured, minus Gozer and Walter Peck. Hopefully we’ll see them in the future to complete the full lineup.
As for the details of the inside of the Firehouse Headquarters, it’s nothing short of amazing of how much stuff from the movies that was able to fit in like Egon’s lab and the pool table area where the toaster danced, just to name a few things. You also have some easter eggs from the movies like a tribute to the late Harold Ramis, images of Vigo, and so on. There’s also the fun firepole that the minifigures can slide down on.
With all this good stuff, there are also some things that aren’t so good and fluffy. First is the price and time commitment. At the $349.99 price point, it might be a tough pill to swallow unless you have some VIP points saved up or there’s a deal going on like double VIP points event where you can get more for your money. Then there’s also the time to put the whole thing together. At 4,634 pieces, it’s the third largest set that LEGO has produced and it took me about 11 hours over a few days to place the last brick on.
One thing that I didn’t like while building the set was that it’s a little fragile especially on the hinged side of the building where one of the walls sit on top. You might experience it coming loose when opening and closing it. One thing that fans might not be too thrilled about is that the Ecto-1 might not fit in all the way unless you push back some of the stuff from the first floor. To me, I’m perfectly okay with this considering the Ecto-1 isn’t even part of the set but I’ve seen comments from various places that don’t have the same sentiment.
For the casual fans, you may want to skip this or hope to get it during a special time but for hardcore fans, the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse Headquarters (75827) is a set that you’ll most likely want to get as it is probably the most definitive LEGO Ghostbusters set that has been released so far.
A big thank you to LEGO AFOL Relations & Programs team for sending in this set for me to review. The content above represents my own opinion and not the company. |
Q:
Pandas read excel file and fill missing values
I have imported this excel file into Pandas as follows:
xlsnist = pd.ExcelFile(path+'framework-for-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity-core.xlsx')
df3 = pd.read_excel(xlsnist, "CSF Core")
The screenshot below shows that this file has merged cells. I want to fill the empty rows with the relevant values for Function, Category, Subcategory. For example the NaN cells of Function should have "IDENTIFY (ID)" until it changes to "PROTECT (PR)" at row 82. I want to do this for all columns so there are no "NaN" values but I'm not sure how to do this.
A:
You can try:
import pandas as pd
file = 'framework-for-improving-critical-infrastructure-cybersecurity-core.xlsx'
df = pd.read_excel(file)
df.ffill()
Result:
|
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he would not vote or campaign in a second Brexit referendum if the choice was between Theresa May's deal or Remain.
The MEP, who has pushed for decades to leave the EU, told the All Out Politics programme that the prime minister's deal was "Brexit in name only".
"Honestly, if we are offered Brexit in name only, or Remain, why on Earth would I vote? I would go on holiday. It would be an outrage.
"I wouldn't campaign and I wouldn't vote because it wouldn't offer me Brexit.
"Remain shouldn't even be on the ballot paper, but if we are forced to this, it would have to be Remain or a clean Brexit," he added.
Labour has come out in support of a second referendum, with the party's shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, telling Sky News the choice should be between a "credible Leave option and Remain".
Image: Mr Farage celebrates Britain voting to leave the EU in 2016
Mr Farage was speaking before Mrs May promised MPs a vote on leaving without a deal or delaying Brexit if her plan is again rejected by them next month.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Mrs May confirmed a "meaningful vote" will be held by 12 March, but Mr Farage was dismissive of her efforts.
"What she's gone for is a Remainer's Brexit.
"It is Brexit in name only. Even in the best-case scenario, it would be six or seven years after voting Brexit that we could arrange any new trade deals with anyone else in the world."
He suggested that a second referendum result would be invalid if significant numbers of Leave supporters followed his lead and refused to take part.
"You have to have a certain level of turnout for any referendum to be valid," he said.
Despite more than two years of negotiations, the terms on which the UK will leave the EU are still unclear, as are Britain's future trading relationships with EU members.
The failure to secure a deal has prompted many to call for an extension to Article 50 beyond the end of March.
But Mr Farage insisted that should not be sanctioned, as "it won't be extended once, it will be extended again and again and again". |
Trevor Lacey
Trevor Lacey (born October 13, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League.
High school career
Whilst at Butler high school (Huntsville, Alabama), Lacey helped the Rebels to Class 5A titles in 2008 and 2009, earning three consecutive Class first-team selections, including a Player of the Year selection in 2010.
He added the Class 4A championship in 2011 and added Class Player of the Year and first team selections again after averaging almost 32 points a game.
After first receiving the award in 2010, Lacey was named Alabama Mr. Basketball in 2011, becoming only the second player to win it twice.
College career
The Alabama native played collegiately for Alabama of the Southeastern Conference in the NCAA Division I from 2011 to 2013.
He transferred to NC State of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 2013, sitting out the 2013-14 season.
His junior season was his only one with the Wolfpack, averaging 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the side reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
He received Second Team All-ACC honours at the end of the season.
Professional career
Lacey declared for the 2015 NBA draft prior to his senior season, forgoing his final year of eligibility.
He would go undrafted, later playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Las Vegas Summer League during July 2015.
The same month, Lacey joined Italian Serie A side Consultinvest Pesaro.
On June 24, 2016, Lacey signed with Dinamo Sassari for the 2016–17 season.
On July 10, 2017, Lacey signed a two-year contract with Russian club Lokomotiv Kuban.
For the 2019–20 season, Lacey joined the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League.
References
External links
NC State Wolfpack bio
Alabama Crimson Tide bio
RealGM profile
Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball players
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy
Category:American expatriate basketball people in Russia
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Alabama
Category:Dinamo Sassari players
Category:Lega Basket Serie A players
Category:NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players
Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Category:PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players
Category:Shooting guards
Category:Sportspeople from Huntsville, Alabama
Category:Victoria Libertas Pesaro players
Category:Wisconsin Herd players |
Halisa Air
Halisa Air was an airline from Haiti, which was operational from 1991 to 1998.
Company history
Halisa Air (Haitian Aviation Line SA) was founded in April 1994 by Frantz Cheron. It operated mostly between Port-au-Prince, Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) and Miami International Airport (MIA). It was a passenger charter operator. It is unclear when Halisa Air stopped flying.
Fleet details
2- Boeing 727-224F registration N6673Z
1- Boeing 727-251 registration N260US
1- Boeing 737-2L9 registration N171PL
All aircraft were leased.
References
Category:Defunct airlines of Haiti
Category:Airlines established in 1991
Category:Airlines disestablished in 1998
Category:1991 establishments in Haiti |
Accuracy of the retinal nerve fiber layer measurements by Stratus optical coherence tomography for perimetric glaucoma.
To calculate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of measurements of the retinal nerve fiber layer using the Stratus optical coherence tomography in glaucoma subjects with visual field defects on achromatic perimetry as the gold standard. Comparative cross-sectional. Outdoor clinic of Layton Rehmatulla Benevolent Trust Hospital (LRBT), Lahore, from August 2007 to January 2008. Fifty normal subjects and 50 glaucoma patients were selected from outdoor clinic of LRBT. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) of all the subjects were measured by Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT). Visual field defects on achromatic perimetry was used as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of retinal nerve fiber layer measurement for perimetric glaucoma using the OCT were 82% and 96% respectively. The positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were 95%, 84% and 89% respectively. There is a high sensitivity and specificity of RNFL measurements using the new Stratus OCT for the diagnosis of perimetric glaucoma. |
Introduction {#Sec1}
============
Air pollution has rapidly increased over the last few decades due to urbanization and industrialization, and this increase has attracted attention around the world, including in China. In 2012, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (GB 3095-2012) was published by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection, which identified six environmental pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO~2~), nitrogen dioxide (NO~2~), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O~3)~, and particulate matter (PM~2.5~ and PM~10~)^[@CR1]--[@CR3]^. Several air pollution control policies and programs have been established by the Chinese government^[@CR4]--[@CR6]^. However, there is still a gap between China's ambient air quality and the air quality guidelines (AQG) of the World Health Organization (WHO)^[@CR7]^. In recent years, although the concentrations of most pollutants, including NO~2~, SO~2~, particulate matter, and CO, decreased in the period of 2013--2016, O~3~ concentrations have increased by 10.79%^[@CR8]^. O~3~ has become a secondary pollutant after PM~2.5~, which introduces new challenges to pollution control^[@CR9]^.
In the past few years, many studies have investigated the impact, formation, and sources of O~3~ pollution. For instance, Khaniabadi *et al*.^[@CR10]^ found that inhaling high concentrations of O~3~ or exposure to O~3~-polluted environments for a long period of time had a negative impact on health. Inhaling high concentrations of O~3~ can increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, which contribute to the overall mortality rate. Huang *et al*.^[@CR11]^ found that ambient O~3~ exposure was related to the tremendous disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Ningbo, China, and the elderly comprised a more susceptible population. Existing evidence also reveals the adverse effects of O~3~ on mental health^[@CR12]^. O~3~ pollution will not only have a negative impact on human health^[@CR13]^ but also have a variety of adverse effects on plants, such as declines in crop yields and quality^[@CR14]--[@CR16]^. Because O~3~ has a negative impact on the transfer of nitrogen to grain, O~3~ pollution will reduce the fertilizer efficiency of wheat^[@CR17]^, leading to the inhibition of net photosynthesis of wheat^[@CR18]^. Additionally, O~3~ is a secondary pollutant that is formed by other pollutants through reactions^[@CR19]--[@CR21]^. Therefore, the formation of O~3~ pollution is affected by many factors^[@CR22]--[@CR24]^. Studies have shown that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and NO~x~ are key precursors of O~3~ formation^[@CR23]^. Aromatic hydrocarbons and olefins are considered the main contributors to O~3~ formation in many cities or regions in China. Ethylene, trans-pentene, propene, and BTEX (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, m-, p-, and o-xylene), as well as warm weather and low wind speeds, are also major contributors to O~3~ formation^[@CR25]^~.~ Given that China is currently plagued by complex O~3~ pollution problems, understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of O~3~ pollution in China is of great significance for conducting environmental epidemiological studies and drafting appropriate regional O~3~ pollution control strategies.
Some scholars have launched investigations on the spatiotemporal pattern of O~3~. In Nanjing, a unimodal peak was observed with the highest O~3~ levels occurring from 14:00 to 15:00, and the O~3~ concentration reached its maximum and minimum levels in the summer and winter, respectively^[@CR3]^. Wang *et al*.^[@CR26]^ studied the ground-level O~3~ concentrations of 6 major Chinese cities located on both sides of the Heihe-Tengchong line, and they found that ground-level O~3~ concentrations exhibited monthly variability, peaking in summer and reaching the lowest levels in winter. The diurnal cycle reached a minimum in the morning and peaked in the afternoon. Some research has found that the O~3~ distribution pattern is also related to terrain features^[@CR9],[@CR27]^.
As previously mentioned, most of the studies on O~3~ spatiotemporal patterns are carried out with a short time scale and low spatial resolution and generally focus on a specific city or a limited spatial region. To the best of our knowledge, there has been a lack of research on the spatiotemporal pattern of O~3~ in China using a higher spatial resolution and long time-series datasets. Recently, China established a large-scale ground real-time air quality monitoring network, which provides data we can use to conduct research on the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of O~3~ pollution nationwide.
In brief, this research makes the following contributions. First, we obtained the O~3~ concentration data of 338 cities across China for more than three years, covering 1-Jan-2016 to 28-Feb-2019. In terms of spatial perspective, we investigated the O~3~ concentrations in seven major geographic regions and three major urban agglomerations to conduct a more in-depth analysis and discussion. In terms of temporal perspective, we studied the annual, seasonal, monthly, weekly, daily, and diurnal and nocturnal variations in the O~3~ concentrations. Second, the reasons for different patterns in different regions were briefly analyzed. The research results from this large dataset can not only help us elaborate on the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of O~3~ concentration in China with a better spatiotemporal resolution and increase public awareness of the current O~3~ pollution situation in China but also assist the relevant departments in formulating more targeted O~3~ pollution prevention and control policies to meet the NAAQS and even the AQG standards in the future.
Results and Discussion {#Sec2}
======================
The NAAQS and the WHO set concentration limits for the maximum daily 8-hour average (MDA8) O~3~ concentration. Two levels of limits are specified in the NAAQS (Grade 1 and Grade 2), and three levels of limits are specified in the WHO standard (AQG, Interim target 1 and High level) (see Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}).Table 1The O~3~ concentration limits of the NAAQS in China and the WHO (unit: μg/m^3^).NAAQSWhoGrade 1Grade 2Air Quality Guidelines (AQG)Interim target 1High level100160100160240
Spatial distribution of O~3~ in China {#Sec3}
-------------------------------------
Figure [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"} shows the spatial distributions of the O~3~ concentrations in 338 cities in China in 2016--2018. The regions with the most O~3~ pollution were mainly concentrated in North China and Central China, especially in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH) region. In addition, the O~3~ pollution in the Chengdu-Chongqing and the Pearl River Delta region (PRD) regions was significantly higher than that of their neighboring regions. O~3~ pollution in China has shown a trend of outward expansion. As shown in Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}, based on the statistical results of the 90th percentile of the maximum daily 8-hour average urban O~3~ concentration, the top 10 cities with severe O~3~ pollution are mainly located in North China, Central China and the East China.Figure 1The spatial distribution of the 90th percentile of the maximum daily 8-hour average of the urban O~3~ concentration in 338 cities in China in 2016 (**a**), 2017 (**b**), and 2018 (**c**). The maps were generated in ArcGIS10.2, URL: <http://www.esrichina-bj.cn/softwareproduct/ArcGIS/>.Table 2The top 10 cities with the highest 90th percentile of the maximum daily 8-hour average urban O~3~ concentration in 2016-2018 in China.2016201720181. Beijing (Beijing Municipality)2. Tai'an (Shandong Province)3. Dezhou (Shandong Province)4. Hengshui (Hebei Province)5. Dongying (Shandong Province)6. Wuxi (Jiangsu Province)7. Jinzhou (Liaoning Province)8. Jinan (Shandong Province)9. Panjin (Liaoning Province)10. Heze (Shandong Province)1. Linfen (Shanxi Province)2. Baoding (Hebei Province)3. Jincheng (Shanxi Province)4. Anyang (Henan Province)5. Jiaozuo (Henan Province)6. Tai'an (Shandong Province)7. Xingtai (Hebei Province)8. Langfang (Hebei Province)9. Tangshan (Hebei Province)10. Luoyang (Henan Province)1. Baoding (Hebei Province)2. Jinan (Shandong Province)3. Liaocheng (Shandong Province)4. Binzhou (Shandong Province)5. Jincheng (Shanxi Province)6. Dezhou (Shandong Province)7. Shijiazhuang (Hebei Province)8. Xingtai (Hebei Province)9. Cangzhou (Hebei Province)10. Handan (Hebei Province)
Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"} displays the over-standard rate of the O~3~ concentration in seven geographical regions in China. None of the cities in North China met the AQG or Grade 1 limit, and nearly 70% exceeded the Grade 2 limit. In East and Central China, nearly 40% of urban O~3~ concentrations exceeded the Grade 2 limit. The O~3~ pollution in other regions was not so prominent; however, there were still considerable gaps from the AQG standard.Figure 2The over-standard rate of O~3~ concentration in 338 Chinese cities. The results of the seven geographical regions are also displayed.
O~3~ is a secondary pollutant, which is generally formed in the atmosphere through photochemical pathways of NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)^[@CR28]--[@CR32]^. Most of the NO~x~ and VOCs come from heavy industries, such as coal-fired power plants, the steel industry, and the cement industry. Some studies found that the local photochemical reaction process has made an important contribution to the formation of O~3~^[@CR33]^, including the consumption of NO~2~ during the photochemical reaction process^[@CR23]^, which has been observed in regions such as North China and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region^[@CR34],[@CR35]^.
Additionally, PM pollution control in these regions has achieved certain results, and the reduction in haze has led to increased visibility, which in turn, has promoted the process of photochemical reactions and promoted the formation of O~3~ pollution. It is worth noting that some cities in western China, where industrial activities are infrequent, sometimes have high concentrations of O~3~. In these high-altitude regions, the increase in O~3~ concentration may be related to the transport of O~3~ from the stratosphere to the troposphere^[@CR36]^. In addition, meteorological environments with a high ultraviolet intensity and low humidity are conducive to O~3~ formation. In general, the formation of O~3~ pollution is affected by many factors, including prerequisite pollutant concentrations and meteorological conditions.
Annual variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec4}
---------------------------------
Figure [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows the change in ozone concentration in all cities in China in 2016-2018. The top and bottom whiskers extend from the hinges to the largest values by no more than 1.5\* IQR (interquartile range). The upper and lower bounds of the box represent the 75th and 25th quartiles, respectively. The line in the middle of the box represents the median. The cross points indicate the mean values, and the square points outside the whisker indicate outliers. From 2016 to 2018, the O~3~ concentration showed an upward trend, and the ozone levels were roughly the same in 2017 and 2018. Figure [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"} shows that the scope of heavy O~3~ pollution has gradually expanded. This phenomenon is also depicted in Fig. [4](#Fig4){ref-type="fig"}. In 2016, more than 95% of cities failed to meet the Grade 1 standard, and nearly 20% failed to meet the Grade 2 standard. In 2017 and 2018, these values increased to 99% and 30%, respectively.Figure 3The box plots of the annual O~3~ concentrations of 338 cities in China in 2016--2018.Figure 4The annual over-standard rate of the O~3~ concentrations in 338 Chinese cities in 2016-2018.
Seasonal variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec5}
-----------------------------------
The distributions of O~3~ in different seasons were heterogeneous, exhibiting significant seasonal variations. In general, O~3~ pollution in the summer is significantly higher than that in winter (Fig. [5](#Fig5){ref-type="fig"}). Because the photochemical reaction process is affected by meteorological conditions such as light and temperature, the meteorological conditions in summer are more suitable for photochemical reactions. In contrast, the UV intensity in winter is low, and the photochemical reaction is not enough to form heavy O~3~ pollution.Figure 5The average O~3~ concentrations of the 338 cities of China during 2016, 2017 and 2018 (**a**) and during spring (**b**), summer (**c**), autumn (**d**), and winter (**e**). The maps were generated in ArcGIS10.2, URL: <http://www.esrichina-bj.cn/softwareproduct/ArcGIS/>.
Seasonality is also reflected in spatial variation. In the spring and summer, O~3~ pollution is highest in North, East, and Central China. In autumn, O~3~ pollution gradually shifts to the south. In winter, national O~3~ pollution is relatively mild, and only a small part of South China suffers from O~3~ pollution. Overall, the problem of O~3~ pollution in the eastern areas is more serious than that in the western areas. The seasonality of O~3~ concentration changes in the BTH region and the YRD region is relatively high. However, the seasonality of O~3~ concentration changes in the PRD region is not as obvious. In the BTH region and the YRD region, the maximum and minimum O~3~ concentrations were observed in the summer and winter, respectively. In the PRD region, the maximum O~3~ concentration was observed in autumn, and the minimum was observed in winter.
The formation of O~3~ pollution varies based on factors such as the overall NO~x~ and VOC emissions^[@CR37]--[@CR39]^, topography^[@CR40]^, and atmospheric circulation in the region^[@CR31],[@CR41]^. Evidence suggests that the high O~3~ pollution in the BTH region may be related to the emissions of precursor pollutants and the transportation of VOCs in neighboring provinces^[@CR42],[@CR43]^. In the YRD region, the high temperatures in summer and the lower humidity can easily induce O~3~ pollution. The O~3~ concentration in the PRD region throughout the year is close and at a high level because the temperature throughout the year is similar and the annual average temperature exceeds 20°C in this region.
Monthly variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec6}
----------------------------------
Figure [6](#Fig6){ref-type="fig"} illustrates the highest maximum, upper-quartile, median, lower-quartile, and minimum values of the monthly variations in O~3~ concentration from January to December in the seven regions and the total for all cities. The data confirm that the O~3~ concentration changes periodically depending on the month. Except for South and Southwest China, the trends in the O~3~ concentration variations in other regions are consistent with the national trend, showing an inverted V-shaped curve. The O~3~ concentration gradually increases from January to June, reaching the highest value in June, and then gradually decreases from June to December. The trend of O~3~ concentration variations in South China and Southwest China is relatively stable. The variation in the O~3~ concentration in South China shows an M-shaped curve, and the O~3~ concentration is higher in May and October. O~3~ pollution in Southwest China is "coming early and going fast". The O~3~ concentration peaks around May and then falls sharply starting in June.Figure 6Monthly variation in the maximum daily 8-hour average concentration of O~3~ in seven geographical regions and in all cities during 2016-2018.
The monthly pattern of O~3~ can be attributed to changes in meteorological conditions and seasonal variations in precursor emissions. The decrease in the O~3~ concentration in South China in summer may be attributed to the climatic characteristic of the southwest monsoon that prevails in summer. The change in the O~3~ concentration in Southwest China is strongly affected by ultraviolet radiation. In addition, the penetration of stratospheric ozone into the troposphere is another reason supporting the high O~3~ concentration in the region.
Weekly variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec7}
---------------------------------
The weekly variation in the O~3~ concentration is shown in Fig. [7](#Fig7){ref-type="fig"}. The trends in different regions are not the same, but in general, they follow a W-shape. In North, Central, South, and Southwest China and in the BTH and PRD regions, the O~3~ concentration showed a valley on Tuesday. In North China, the YRD region, and the BTH region, the O~3~ concentration showed another valley on Saturday. Some scholars have studied the weekend effect of O~3~ that was first reported in New York in 1974, which suggested that the O~3~ concentration was higher during the weekend than on weekdays^[@CR44]^. The weekend effect has been investigated in many other cities in the United States^[@CR45]--[@CR47]^, Europe^[@CR48]--[@CR50]^, and Asia^[@CR51]--[@CR53]^. The weekend effect of urban O~3~ is related to the decrease in human activities.Figure 7Weekly variation in the maximum daily 8-hour average concentration of O~3~ in seven geographical regions and three urban agglomerations in China during 2016-2018.
As shown in Fig. [8](#Fig8){ref-type="fig"}, the weekly variation in O~3~ concentration varies greatly in different regions and seasons. In our study, the valley value of O~3~ concentration often occurs on Tuesday. The weekend effect of O~3~ is more evident in the Northeast China, South China, Central China in summer, and Northwest China, Southwest China in winter to a certain degree. However, the general weekend effect of O~3~ pollution is not significant, from a national scale. The weekly variation in O~3~ concentration is affected by complex factors, the most likely of which is characteristics of urban resident activities. At present, no natural process has been found to produce climate change with a cycle of about 7 days, so Dominique *et al*.^[@CR54]^ believe that the existence of such a cyclic process is manifestation of human impact on climate. Due to the obvious weekly cycle of human activities, many meteorological elements in many regions have corresponding weekly cycle characteristics^[@CR55]^. Meteorological elements of some cities have been observed to have varying degrees of weekly cycle characteristics, such as temperature^[@CR56],[@CR57]^, precipitation frequency^[@CR58],[@CR59]^, etc., which have a significant cycle with 7-day. The change of these climate factors will further affect the generation of O~3~ in the photochemical reaction process, and thus affect the weekly variation. In general, the weekly variations in O~3~ concentration are not very prominent, which shows that the weekly changes in human activities have limited effects on O~3~ concentration.Figure 8Weekly variation in the maximum daily 8-hour average concentration of O~3~ during four seasons in seven geographical regions during 2016-2018.
Daily variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec8}
--------------------------------
Figure [9](#Fig9){ref-type="fig"} shows the daily O~3~ concentration from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. As shown in the figure, the daily variation in the O~3~ concentration is usually continuous. The change from high concentration to low concentration, or from low concentration to high concentration, is often a gradual process rather than a sudden change. In most parts of the country, the daily variation of O~3~ concentration shows an inverse U-shaped trend during each year, i.e., gradually increasing first and then decreasing. Except for South China, including the Pearl River Delta, the daily variation process of O~3~ concentration has volatility. When observing horizontally from three years, the three cycles of O~3~ variation can be clearly distinguished. We also found that for at least 1/3 of the days in the three years in each region, the O~3~ concentration exceeded the AQG, while for more than 1/3 of the days in North China, the O~3~ concentration exceeded Grade 1 of the NAAQS. When observing vertically, during the days with O~3~ pollution, the BTH, YRD, and PRD regions usually had even higher O~3~ concentrations than their neighboring areas. In short, the figure simultaneously shows the seasonal variation pattern as well as the spatial distribution characteristic of O~3~ concentration.Figure 9Daily variation in the maximum daily 8-hour average concentration of O~3~ in seven geographical regions and three urban agglomerations during 2016-2018. (This figure was created by using matplotlib, a Python 2D plotting library, URL:<https://matplotlib.org>).
Diurnal and nocturnal variation in O~3~ in China {#Sec9}
------------------------------------------------
The hourly data on O~3~ concentration are shown in Fig. [10](#Fig10){ref-type="fig"} and were used to investigate the diurnal and nocturnal variations in O~3~ pollutants in seven regions and three urban agglomerations in China. All regions showed a similar overall trend of O~3~ concentration, with a single peak. The O~3~ concentration was relatively lower at night, but as the sun rose, the O~3~ concentration gradually increased. The peak appeared between 14:00 and 16:00 (i.e., in the afternoon). After 16:00, the O~3~ concentration gradually decreased. The change in O~3~ concentration was affected by the temperature, solar radiation intensity, and various emissions from the surrounding environment. At night, due to the absence of solar radiation and the precursor of the photochemical reaction, the reaction was weakened and the O~3~ concentration decreased.Figure 10Diurnal and nocturnal variation in the average hourly concentration of O~3~ in seven geographical regions and three urban agglomerations during 2016-2018.
There are still some differences in the diurnal and nocturnal variations in the O~3~ concentration in various regions. For example, the variations in Southwest and Northwest China have a hysteresis phenomenon relative to other regions. The phenomenon is attributed to China's vast territory, with more than 60° of east-west longitude, spanning 5,200 km and five time zones. Although Beijing time is uniformly used in China, there are actually time differences between the eastern and western regions.
O~3~-NO~x~-VOC sensitivity regimes and influencing factors {#Sec10}
----------------------------------------------------------
O~3~ is a secondary pollutant, and it is mainly produced by a series of photochemical reactions among precursors. Therefore, the formation of O~3~ pollution is affected by many factors in addition to meteorological factors. The most important factors are its precursors NO~x~ and VOCs. The relationship between O~3~ and its precursor concentrations is generally nonlinear^[@CR60]^. The decrease in precursor concentration does not necessarily result in a corresponding decrease in O~3~ concentration, and the sensitivity of O~3~ to NO~x~ and VOCs will be different under different environmental conditions in the same region. The O~3~-NO~x~-VOC sensitivity regimes can describe the relationship between O~3~ and its local precursors (NO~X~ and VOCs). The sensitivity relationship between O~3~ and its precursors determines the controlled types of O~3~ pollution in different regions. In brief, when the concentration of NO~x~ in the atmosphere is high, the generation of O~3~ is controlled by VOCs; however, when the VOC concentration in the atmosphere is high, O~3~ generation is controlled by NO~x~. For example, in VOC-sensitive areas, the O~3~ concentration may increase with the reduction of the NO~x~ concentration^[@CR23]^. Clarifying whether O~3~ generation in a region is VOC-sensitive or NO~x-~sensitive is one of the important issues related to O~3~ generation mechanisms, which will be helpful in determining the control of targeted emissions to reduce O~3~ pollution^[@CR61]^ and formulating O~3~ pollution control strategies.
In this paper, we summarize the O~3~-NO~x~-VOC sensitivity regimes in major cities in China that have been studied, and the results are shown in Supplementary Table [S1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. In the urban districts of most cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou, O~3~ generation is VOC-sensitive, mainly because human intervention in urban districts has greatly affected the emissions of precursors. Industry and transportation caused a large amount of NO~x~ emissions, and the titration effect suppressed the increase in the O~3~ concentration in urban areas. In these areas, the priority control of VOC emissions is more helpful in controlling local O~3~ pollution. However, in the suburban areas of some cities, such as Lanzhou, Guiyang, Chongqing, and Xuzhou, the generation of O~3~ is NO~x~-sensitive. The suburbs are less affected by anthropogenic emissions, and the migration of pollutants caused by the wind will affect O~3~ pollution in the suburbs. In these areas, to suppress O~3~ generation more effectively, priority should be given to the control of NO~x~ emissions.
In addition, the meteorological influencing factors in major cities in China are provided in Supplementary Table [S1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. The main meteorological factors that affect O~3~ generation include temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, atmospheric pressure, cloud cover, sunshine duration, precipitation, ultraviolet radiation, visibility, and geopotential height. The statistics of their frequency are shown in Supplementary Fig. [S1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}. In different regions, meteorological factors have heterogeneous effects on O~3~ generation. In general, O~3~ has a significant correlation with temperature and relative humidity. High temperature and low relative humidity are more conducive to the formation of O~3~, while meteorological factors such as sunshine duration, wind direction and wind speed have a crucial impact on the changes in O~3~ concentration.
Combined with the results of previous statistical analyses, we found that the O~3~ pollution affecting other cities is often caused by the synergistic effects of precursors and meteorological factors. For example, MDA8 in Beijing and its surrounding areas mainly occur at conditions of high temperature, low cloud cover, low relative humidity, weak southeast wind, low planetary boundary layer height, and the presence of a large amount of NO~x~ and VOCs^[@CR62]^. In Taiyuan, when the wind direction is southerly or southwesterly, the concentration of O~3~ is higher, which indicates that the increase in O~3~ concentration in Taiyuan is not only related to the local generation but also related to the external transport from the south^[@CR63],[@CR64]^. The O~3~ volume fraction and its generation rate in Langfang showed a significant positive correlation with air temperature and a significant negative correlation with total cloud cover. It is also susceptible to transmission in the southern region of Hebei and Tianjin.
From a long-term perspective, according to the characteristics of different O~3~ pollution in different regions, priority should be given to strengthen the coordinated control of the sensitive precursor emissions in the region. Forecasting in advance when meteorological conditions are adverse and taking timely NO~x~ and VOC control measures are important ways to solve regional O~3~ pollution problems.
Conclusions {#Sec11}
===========
This study analyzed the spatiotemporal distributions of O~3~ concentrations in 338 prefecture-level cities in China from January 2016 to February 2019. The purpose was to understand the current status of O~3~ pollution in China with a higher spatial resolution and a longer time series. Our study has the following findings:
O~3~ had obvious spatial heterogeneity. Only a few cities met the AQG standard of the WHO. O~3~ pollution in North, East, and Central China was more serious, especially in the BTH region. The O~3~ concentrations in the BTH, YRD, and PRD regions were usually higher than those in their neighboring cities. In the spring and summer, O~3~ pollution in the north was more serious; in autumn, O~3~ pollution shifted toward the south. In winter, the O~3~ pollution problem was relatively mild across China.
O~3~ showed a significant temporal variation pattern. The O~3~ concentration increased each year from 2016 to 2018. For the monthly variation in O~3~, except for South and Southwest China, other regions showed an inverted-V curve. Although the weekly variation in O~3~ concentration was not exactly the same in different areas, some cities showed a W-shape. The O~3~ concentration was lower on Tuesday and Saturday, and no obvious weekend effect was found. The study also characterized the diurnal and nocturnal variation pattern of O~3~ concentration. The O~3~ concentration was significantly higher during the day because of factors such as solar radiation, temperature, and precursor emissions. Due to the different time zones in different cities, the western region had a remarkable lag effect compared with the eastern region.
At present, China has made some achievements in the control of PM, NOx and other pollutants; however, the problem of O~3~ pollution has become increasingly prominent. Against the background of China's severe composite air pollution, the need for the coordinated control of multiple pollutants is becoming increasingly apparent. According to our understanding, there is coexistence of VOC control and NOx control in China's O~3~ pollution, and the reduction of particulate matter pollution has exacerbated the problem of O~3~ pollution in China. The government should strengthen the monitoring of VOCs and combine the characteristics of O~3~ pollution in different regions to formulate more targeted O~3~ pollution control strategies to achieve a win-win situation of haze governance and O~3~ control.
Data and methods {#Sec12}
================
The regional division of China {#Sec13}
------------------------------
A total of 338 cities, including prefecture-level cities and municipalities, are used as basic study units to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of O~3~ in China. To analyze the results more clearly, China was divided into seven geographical regions: Northeast China (NEC), North China (NC), East China (EC), Central China (CC), South China (SC), Northwest China (NWC), and Southwest China (SWC), and three urban agglomerations: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta region (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta region (PRD) (Fig. [11](#Fig11){ref-type="fig"}).Figure 11The regional division of China into seven geographical regions and three urban agglomerations. The map was generated in ArcGIS10.2, URL: <http://www.esrichina-bj.cn/softwareproduct/ArcGIS/>.
Ground-level O~3~ monitoring data {#Sec14}
---------------------------------
The China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC) continuously operates and maintains the national air quality monitoring network of China. The network has comprised 496 stations in 74 cities since 2012, and the network was extended to 1436 monitoring stations in 338 cities after 2016. The real-time concentration of O~3~ was measured by the ultraviolet absorption spectrometry method and differential optical absorption spectroscopy at each monitoring site. The instrumental operation, maintenance, data assurance and quality control were properly conducted based on the most recent revisions of China Environmental Protection Standards^[@CR2]^. The real-time hourly O~3~ concentration data are continuously recorded by the CNEMC in China and are provided to the public. The data for this study were obtained during the period from 1-Jan-2016 to 28-Feb-2019.
Maximum daily 8-hour average O~3~ and the annual average O~3~ concentration {#Sec15}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In view of the impact of long-term O~3~ exposure on animals and plants, limits of the maximum daily 8-hour average O~3~ concentration are specified in the NAAQS. Therefore, the average hourly O~3~ concentration is calculated every 8 hours, which should include at least 6 hourly values within a given 8-hour period; otherwise, the average value is considered to be invalid. Invalid values are not accepted in subsequent analysis. Finally, the maximum daily 8-hour average O~3~ concentration in a day is used to represent the O~3~ level of that day. Additionally, the 'technical regulation for ambient air quality assessment of China' (on trial) (HJ 633-2013) published by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE) determined that the O~3~ annual assessment standard for a city is equal to the 90th percentile of MDA8.
Statistical method {#Sec16}
------------------
The spatial distribution of O~3~ is analyzed by calculating the average MDA8 data of all cities in each region. The annual, seasonal, monthly, weekly and daily variations in O~3~ are represented by the average of the MDA8 of each city. Diurnal and nocturnal O~3~ variation is calculated using the hourly O~3~ concentration of each city.
Supplementary information
=========================
{#Sec17}
Supplementary information.
**Publisher's note** Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
=========================
is available for this paper at 10.1038/s41598-020-64111-3.
This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71671024, 71601028, 71421001), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT20JC38, DUT20RW301), Humanity and Social Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China (15YJCZH198), Social Planning Foundation of Liaoning (L17AGL012), and Scientific and Technological Innovation Foundation of Dalian (2018J11CY009). The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their constructive comments.
G.F.Y. and Y.H.L. designed and performed the research. G.F.Y. and Y.H.L. wrote the manuscript and checked the Analysis. X.N.L. reviewed the analysis and revised the manuscript.
The authors declare no competing interests.
|
Parathyroid localization in patients with previous neck surgery.
The results of parathyroid arteriography and venous parathyroid hormone assay were evaluated in thirteen patients reexplored for persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism. The operative findings in these patients were ten adenomas and eight hyperplastic parathyroid glands. Angiography disclosed eight of the adenomas and failed to visualize one. Only two of the hyperplastic glands were disclosed by angiography. By venous sampling the correct side was predicted in seven out of eight cases of unilateral lesions--in one case of an adenoma no hormonal maximum was found. In two cases of bilateral lesions a maximum was found on one side only, while in three cases of unilateral two-lesions the maximum was correct in two cases and contralateral in one. We conclude that a combination of angiography and venous sampling gave localization or lateralisation in 12/13 patients with previous neck surgery for hyperparathyroidism and found the methods to be complementary to each other and prefer both done in these cases. |
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Airlines roll back fare increases as federal taxes return
It won't be clear until later Monday whether airlines will completely roll back their fares.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Airlines rolled back fares Monday as federal taxes returned to airline tickets
Many U.S. carriers raised fares last month when federal ticket tax collection was suspended
The airlines collected an extra $25 million a day because of suspension, fare increases
(CNN) -- The tax holiday is over for U.S. airlines.
Many carriers dropped fares Monday as federal taxes were added back into the total ticket price for travelers after a 16-day Federal Aviation Administration shutdown. Most U.S. airlines raised base fares last month when taxes were suspended, pocketing the money that would have gone to the government and swallowing the potential price break for consumers.
Southwest Airlines and its subsidiary AirTran were the first carriers to drop fares to account for reinstated taxes, according to FareCompare founder Rick Seaney.
Airline spokeswoman Brandy King confirmed the fare drop for Southwest and AirTran Airways. "Customers will not see a difference in fare," she said.
American Airlines said it has "reduced some fares in certain markets based on competitive action by other airlines. As always, we cannot discuss any future action that may or may not occur."
It won't be clear until Tuesday whether airlines will do a complete rollback across geographic areas to pre-shutdown levels, Seaney said.
"Consumers should be careful about pulling the trigger on ticket purchases today as prices will continue to drop by 10-15% over the next 24 hours," Seaney said.
Despite previous indications to the contrary, travelers who paid ticket taxes in advance for travel completed during the shutdown are not eligible for refunds, according to IRS guidance issued Friday.
Congress retroactively reinstated the ticket taxes during the lapse in funding. Passengers who paid the taxes won't receive refunds, the IRS said, and taxes that were not paid by airlines and passengers won't be collected. |
Q:
LinearLayout space distribution
I have a complex layout situation in which an horizontal LinearLayout holds two other LinearLayouts. The content for those layouts is dynamic, can be any kind of views, and is generated at runtime from different independent sources.
I want to display both of them as long as there is enough space, and limit them to 50% of the available space each otherwise. So I want those child LinearLayouts to have layout_width="wrap_content" when there is enough space, and layout_weight="0.5" when there isn't. This means that the space distribution could be 10-90, 25-75, 60-40; it would only be 50-50 when there isn't enough space to show the entire content of both views. So far I haven't find a way to do this from XML, so I'm doing it from code. My question is can I achieve what I want using only XML attributes? Will a different kind of layout be able to do it?
Here is my current layout XML:
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:gravity="center_vertical"
android:orientation="horizontal"
android:padding="2dp" >
<LinearLayout
android:id="@+id/title_frame"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="48dp"/>
<LinearLayout
android:id="@+id/options_frame"
android:layout_width="wrap_content"
android:layout_height="48dp"/>
</LinearLayout>
A:
It appears this cannot be achieved using only XML attributes.
|
Residency duty-hour limits have no effect on patient safety
Limits to the number of hours residents can work in a shift have made no difference in patient safety outcomes, according to research published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
The researchers, led by Lauren Block, M.D., analyzed outcomes data from general medicine patients at a large academic medical center from July 2008 to June 2012. Block and her team looked at several outcome measures, including length of stay, presence of hospital-acquired conditions, inpatient mortality, 30-day readmission rates and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, according to the study abstract.
A 2011 residency work-hour mandate limited first-year residents to shifts of no longer than 16 hours. Since the reform's implementation, patients discharged from resident services are more likely to be admitted to the ICU, according to the study, but they are at lower risk of readmission within 30 days.
There were no major differences in patient safety outcomes pre- and post-reform, according to the researchers. "Further study of the long-term impact of residency work-hour reforms is indicated to ensure improvement in patient safety," the researchers wrote.
A study last year published in JAMA Surgery found the duty-hour restrictions correlated with a 25.8 percent drop in operating case load, with the decrease reaching 31.8 percent for major cases and 46.3 percent for first assistant cases, FierceHealthcare previously reported. Under the mandate, first-year residents "are simply not finding enough time to practice," Samer Mattar, M.D., said. "You can't go to a pilot and tell them they can't use a flight simulator because it's time to go home."
"The 16-hour work limit for interns, implemented in July 2011, is associated with a significant decrease in categorical intern operative experience," the JAMA Surgery study's authors wrote. "If the 16-hour shift were to be extended to all postgraduate year levels, one can anticipate that additional years of training will be needed to maintain the same operative volume." |
Most present disk drives are based on magnetic recording technology. Magnetic recording technology may be described by two distinct processes: writing onto the magnetic storage media and reading from the magnetic storage media. The whole phenomena of writing on the surface of a magnetic storage media consists of changing the magnetic polarity from north to south or from south to north.
FIG. 1a illustrates a change in the orientation of the magnetic field 110. While writing on the magnetic surface, the magnetic storage media which is typically a disk, continues to rotate under the recording head. The change in magnetic polarity (also referred to as change in magnetization) creates a transition in the write data signal which is used to record data onto the magnetic storage media. Because it is impossible to instantaneously build up a current, the transition in the write data signal has a finite rise time. FIG. 1 illustrates the transition of the write data signal 120 as the magnetic field 110 changes magnetization.
In order to read back data from the magnetic storage media, the transitions are detected by the read head. The read head may be the same head as the recording head and is therefore referred to as the R/W head. The readback signal is typically a voltage signal representing the non-linear response of the write data signal. The readback 130 illustrates the readback signal for the transition in the write data signal 120 shown in FIG. 1a.
FIG. 1b illustrates a write data signal 140 having multiple transitions. The readback signal 160 illustrates the non-linear transform of the write data signal 140. According to FIG. 1b, the magnetic recording media and the R/W head creates the non-linear system 150.
All magnetic recorders produce unwanted signals in the form of noise, which impose limitations on the achievable performance of the magnetic recorder. Two of the major sources of noise is the medium noise and the head noise. The medium noise arises from the fact that no medium is magnetically homogeneous. In other words, the recording medium noise is due to the uncertainty or randomness of some property of the medium and any variation from point to point will produce medium noise. The major head noise arises from the fact that any head possess an impedance, and the real part of this impedance gives rise to noise of thermal origin. Other forms of head noise are associated with magnetic domain changes or magnetostriction effects such as the Barkhausen noise.
Noise renders the output signal an imperfect replica of the non-linear transform of the input signal. In other words, the noise causes the readback signals to deviate from an ideal readback signal. Therefore, one of the tasks of the recording system designer is reduce the noise to a tolerable level so that some predetermined criteria of performance are met. A common criteria for performance is the signal-to-noise ratio ("SNR").
Currently, several techniques are available for measuring the distortion of the readback signal caused by noise. The distortion in the readback signal is typically caused by multiple factors. Among these factors are: amplitude loss due to linear superposition of crowded transitions, pattern induced bit-shift, isolated pulse distortion, over-write of a previously written signal, partial erasure of data, and other forms of noise.
Dipulse Extraction using Pseudo-random Sequences proposed by IBM in 1987 is a well know method of measuring different nonlinear distortions in the readback signal. Alexander Taratorin, PRML: A Practical Approach, Guzik Technical Enterprises. The Dipulse Extraction is based on the "shift" and "add" properties of a pseudo-random sequence. A Pseudo-Random Sequence is generated by a polynomial (e.g., x.sup.7 +X.sup.3 +1) which possess "shift" and "add" properties. The shift and add properties means that the exclusive OR (a product of two NRZ bits) of the initial sequence is the same sequence shifted by some number of bits. If the pseudo-random sequence is written on the disk, different non-linear distortions create specific terms in the readback signal. More specifically, the readback signal is described by the main or "zero" term and one or several "copies" or "echoes" caused by non-linearities. The shift and add properties allow one to predict where the echoes will be found.
The method of dipulse extraction provides a method for selecting these echoes. The advantage of the dipulse extraction method is that it provides a separation of different non-linear effects into different echoes of pseudo-random sequence and some approximate estimates of these non-linearities. The amount of distortion can be determined by the size of the echo. The dipulse extraction method of testing requires the measurement of the dipulse shape or an idealized dipulse shape. However, this method is complicated and requires sophisticated hardware and software.
FIG. 1c illustrates an extracted dipulse with echoes which characterize non-linearities. The waveform 170 is the result of complex computations based on the pseudo-random sequence. According to FIG. 1c, there is a main pulse referred to as the main term 180 and four smaller pulses referred to as echoes 190a, 190b, 190c, and 190d. The echoes may correspond to various non-linearities such as an over-write of a previously written signal, a hard/easy transition shift or a nonlinear transistion shift.
Under certain circumstances, it may be useful to measure the distortion on an isolated pulse without measuring the other distortion variables. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a simple and accurate method of measuring the distortion of an isolated pulse without using the complex method of dipulse extraction. Furthermore, it is desirable to measure distortion of an isolated pulse without the interference between two adjacent pulses forming a dipulse. |
Antimicrobial resistance in anaerobes.
The development of antibiotic resistance in anaerobic bacteria has a tremendous impact on the selection of antimicrobial agents for empirical therapy. Susceptibility studies have documented the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and indicate distinct differences in resistance patterns related to individual hospitals, geographic regions, and antibiotic-prescribing regimens. Resistance to beta-lactam drugs, clindamycin, tetracyclines, and 5-nitroimidazoles (metronidazole) has been observed. The prime mechanism for resistance to beta-lactam agents is the production of beta-lactamases. Resistance to clindamycin is mediated by modification of the ribosome. Tetracycline resistance is mediated by both tetracycline efflux and ribosomal protection. 5-Nitroimidazole resistance appears to be caused by a combination of decreased antibiotic uptake and decreased nitroreductase activity. The level of chloramphenicol susceptibility remains quite high, whereas uniform resistance to aminoglycosides and quinolones is observed. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance is critical for both informed selection of antimicrobial therapy and the design of new antimicrobial agents. |
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man who led officers on a chase told them he fled so he could smoke his crack before going to jail.
Gainesville police said officers attempted to pull over a blue pickup truck Saturday because it had a headlight out, but the driver failed to stop and ran a red light while fleeing the pursuing vehicle, The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun reported Wednesday.
Cpl Angelina Valuri, police spokeswoman, said an Alachua County Sheriff's Office deputy joined the chase and the truck eventually stopped at a Kangaroo gas station on U.S. 441 in Micanopy.
The driver, Kenneth Stine, 53, told officers he stopped fleeing because he was out of gas. He told the officers he had refused to pull over because he had just purchased some crack and wanted to smoke it in his vehicle before going to jail.
Stine was arrested and charged with fleeing and attempting to elude, possession of drug paraphernalia and violating his felony drug probation from a 2010 case. |
Autosomal dominant external ophthalmoplegia and bipolar affective disorder associated with a mutation in the ANT1 gene.
The authors report on a family with dominantly inherited progressive external ophthalmoplegia and a diagnostic and statistical manual (fourth revised edition) diagnosis of bipolar psychiatric disorder in several members. Skeletal muscle biopsy from the proposita showed decreased cytochrome c oxidase staining, several ragged-red fibers, and multiple mtDNA deletions. The authors identified a missense mutation (leucine 98-->proline) in the adenine nucleotide translocator 1 gene. The presence of bipolar affective disorder expands the phenotype of adenine nucleotide translocator 1 allelic variants. |
Sock Monkey Who Apparently Hadn’t Read TSA Regulations Will Not Get To Keep His Toy Gun
This is not Rooster Monkburn, but he could play him on TV. (boldsheep)
America, we can all sleep more soundly in our beds now that a Transportation Safety Administration agent has successfully disarmed a passenger with a weapon in his bag. His name is Rooster Monkburn and he’s a toy sock monkey that no longer has a tiny toy pistol.
The monkey — who is named after the True Grit character Rooster Cogburn — was part of a collection a woman flying from St. Louis to Seattle had in her carry-on bag. She sells unique sock monkey dolls and had Rooster, other monkeys and sewing supplies with her, as well as the tiny pistol.
She’s says she’s “appalled and shocked and embarrassed all at the same time” about the incident, reports King5.com.
She and her husband were going through the airport security screening process when she realized one of her bags hadn’t come through.
“And the (TSA agent) held it up and said ‘whose is this?’” she said. “I realized oh, my God this is my bag.”
The agent went through the bag and found the two-inch long pistol, which was immediately questioned.
“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said the woman. “I said ‘no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.’”
“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” added the passenger.
The gun would have to be confiscated, said the agent, and really she was supposed to call the police as well. Be my guest, said Rooster Monkburn’s owner.
“I said well go ahead,” recalled the passenger. “And I said really? You’re kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.”
“She took my monkey’s gun,” she added, saying she hopes everyone she flew with rested easy because of that.
“Rooster Monkburn has been disarmed so I’m sure everyone on the plane was safe,” she said. “I understand she was doing her job but at some point doesn’t common sense prevail?”
The TSA issued a statement regarding the gunless Rooser, saying: “TSA officers are dedicated to keeping the nation’s transportation security systems safe and secure for the traveling public. Under longstanding aircraft security policy, and out of an abundance of caution, realistic replicas of firearms are prohibited in carry-on bags.” |
[Analysis of the National Quality Inspection for Medical Devices].
This paper analyses overall situation of the national quality inspection for medical devices in recent 13 years. The statistics cover the inspected varieties, sampling quantity and quality status. The achievements and suggestions are provided, which are helpful for future work. |
---
abstract: 'We are studying a relationship between isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with four distinct principal curvatures and the moment maps of certain Hamiltonian actions. In this paper, we consider the isoparametric hypersurfaces obtained from the isotropy representations of compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of rank two. We prove that the Cartan-Münzner polynomials of these hypersurfaces can be written as squared-norms of the moment maps for some Hamiltonian actions. The proof is based on the structure theory of symmetric spaces.'
address:
- 'General Education Division, Oshima College of Maritime Technology, 1091-1 Komatsu, SuouOshima-cho, Oshima-gun, Yamaguchi, 742-2193, JAPAN'
- 'Department of Mathematics, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8526, JAPAN'
author:
- Shinobu Fujii
- Hiroshi Tamaru
title: 'Moment maps and Isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres — Hermitian cases'
---
Introduction
============
A hypersurface $N$ in a Riemannian manifold $(M, {\left\langle \ ,\ \right\rangle})$ is called an *isoparametric hypersurface* if $N$ is a level set of an isoparametric function on $M$. Here, a smooth function $\varphi$ on $M$ is said to be *isoparametric* if there exist two smooth functions $A(t)$ and $B(t)$ on $\bR$ which satisfy $$\left\{\begin{tabular}{c}
${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}\varphi \right\rVert}^2 = {\left\langle \operatorname{grad}\varphi, \operatorname{grad}\varphi \right\rangle} = A\circ \varphi$,\\[5pt]
\hspace*{-22mm}$\Delta \varphi = B\circ \varphi$.
\end{tabular}\right.$$ We refer to Cecil [@Cecil], Thorbergsson [@Thorbergsson], and the references therein, for history and general theory of isoparametric hypersurfaces. Note that isoparametric hypersurfaces in the Euclidean spaces $\mathbb{R}^n$ and the hyperbolic spaces $\mathbb{H}^n$ have been classified completely.
In this paper, we consider isoparametric hypersurfaces in the spheres $S^n$. It is known that a hypersurface in $S^n$ is isoparametric if and only if it has constant principal curvatures. Hence, a homogeneous hypersurface in $S^n$ is isoparametric. Homogeneous hypersurfaces in spheres have been classified completely by Hsiang and Lawson [@Hsiang--Lawson], and can be characterized as principal orbits of the isotropy representations of symmetric spaces of rank two. Let $g$ denote the number of distinct principal curvatures of an isoparametric hypersurface in $S^n$. Then, it is known by Münzner [@Munzner2] that $$\begin{aligned}
g \in \{ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 \} . \end{aligned}$$ In the case of $g \neq 4$, isoparametric hypersurfaces in $S^n$ have been classified completely (for $g \leq 3$ case by E. Cartan, and for $g=6$ case by Dorfmeister and Neher [@DN], and Miyaoka [@Miyaoka6]). In fact, all of them are homogeneous for $g \neq 4$. In contrast, there exist infinitely many non-homogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces in the case of $g = 4$. Such examples have been constructed by Ozeki and Takeuchi [@Ozeki--Takeuchi1], and Ferus, Karcher and Münzner [@FKM]. On the classification problem of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with $g=4$, very big progress has recently been made by Cecil, Chi and Jensen [@CCJ], Immervoll [@Immervoll] and Chi [@Chi2008], [@Chi2011b], [@Chi2011a], but a complete classification seems to be still open.
In the study of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres, Cartan-Münzner polynomials play important roles. We here briefly recall some results by Münzner [@Munzner; @Munzner2]. Let $M$ be an isoparametric hypersurface in $S^n$ with $g$ distinct principal curvatures. We denote its principal curvatures by $\lambda_1 < \dots < \lambda_g$, and their multiplicities by $m_1,\dots, m_g$, respectively. Then, $M$ is a level set of $\varphi |_{S^n}$, where $\varphi : \bR^{n + 1} \to \bR$ is a homogeneous polynomial function of degree $g$ which satisfies $$\label{eq:Munzner}
\left\{\begin{tabular}{l}
${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}\varphi(P) \right\rVert}^2 = g^2{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^{2 g - 2}$, \\[5pt]
\hspace*{11.25mm}$\Delta \varphi(P) = \dfrac{m_2 - m_1}{2}g^2{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^{g - 2}$.
\end{tabular}\right.$$ A homogeneous polynomial satisfying is called a *Cartan-Münzner polynomial* of degree $g$. Conversely, if $\varphi : \bR^{n + 1} \to \bR$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree $g$, then every regular level set of $\varphi |_{S^n}$ is an isoparametric hypersurface in $S^n$ with $g$ distinct principal curvatures. Note that $m_1$ and $m_2$ determine all multiplicities, from the fact that $$m_i = m_{i + 2} \ \ \text{for $i \bmod g$} .$$
We are interested in isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with four distinct principal curvatures. Our expectation is that every such hypersurface is related to a moment map for a certain Hamiltonian action. More precisely, we expect that every Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree four can be described as a squared-norm of a moment map. This idea was first proposed by the first author [@Fujii]. If our expectation is true, then it will give a new view point for the study of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. Furthermore, it would potentially be useful for the (re)classification of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with $g=4$. We note that Miyaoka [@Miyaoka] recently showed that all known Cartan-Münzner polynomials of degree four can be expressed in terms of a moment map. Thus, her result supports our expectation, but the formulation is different from ours.
In this paper, we show that our expectation is true for “Hermitian case”, that is, the homogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces obtained from the isotropy representations of compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of rank two. To state our main result, we set up some notations. Let $G / K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space of arbitrary rank. We denote the Lie algebras of $G$ and $K$ by $\g$ and $\k$ respectively. Let $\g = \k \oplus \p$ be the Cartan decomposition of $\g$. The $K$-action on $\p$ by the adjoint action is called the isotropy representation of $G/K$. We define the $K$-invariant inner product ${\left\langle \ ,\ \right\rangle}$ on $\g$ by $$\label{eq:naiseki}
{\left\langle X, Y \right\rangle} := -B(X, Y)\ \ \text{for}\ \ X, Y \in \g,$$ where $B$ is the Killing form of $\g$. We also denote by ${\left\langle \ ,\ \right\rangle}$ its restriction to $\p$ and to $\k$ respectively. Since $G / K$ is irreducible and Hermitian, there exists the unique $Z$ (up to sign) in the center $C(\k)$ of $\k$ such that $$\label{eq:J}
J := \left. \operatorname{ad}_Z \right|_{\p}$$ gives a complex structure on $\p$. We can identify $T_P \p$ with $\p$ because $\p$ is a vector space. Thus, we can define a canonical symplectic form $\omega$ on $\p$ by $$\omega_P( X_P, Y_P) := {\left\langle J(X_P), Y_P \right\rangle}\ \ \text{for}\ \ X, Y \in \mathfrak{X}(\p)\ \ \text{and}\ \ P \in \p,$$ where $\mathfrak{X}(\p)$ is the set of all vector fields on $\p$. Then, $(\p, \omega)$ is a symplectic manifold. As we review in Section \[sect:Preliminarily\], the isotropy representation of $G / K$ is a Hamiltonian $K$-action on $(\p, \omega)$. We denote its moment map by $\mu : \p \to \k^\ast$. Our main result is the following:
Let $G / K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space of rank two, and $\mu$ be the moment map for the isotropy representation of $G / K$ as above. Then, there exists a $K$-invariant norm on $\k^\ast$ such that the squared-norm of $\mu$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree four.
Recall that homogeneous hypersurfaces in spheres with $g=4$ are precisely principal orbits of the isotropy representations of the following compact irreducible symmetric spaces:
1. $\operatorname{SO}(2 + n) / \operatorname{SO}(2) \times \operatorname{SO}(n)$,
2. $\operatorname{SU}(2 + n) / \mathrm{S}(\operatorname{U}(2) \times \operatorname{U}(n))$,
3. $\operatorname{SO}(10) / \operatorname{U}(5)$,
4. $\mathrm{E}_6 / \operatorname{U}(1) \times \operatorname{Spin}(10)$,
5. $\operatorname{Sp}(2 + n) / \operatorname{Sp}(2) \times \operatorname{Sp}(n)$,
6. $\operatorname{SO}(5) \times \operatorname{SO}(5) / \operatorname{SO}(5)$.
Among them, (1), (2), (3) and (4) are Hermitian. For classical ones (1), (2) and (3), our main theorem has already been proved by the first author [@Fujii]. Note that the proofs in [@Fujii] use matrices expressions, and the arguments are case-by-case. In this paper, we prove our main theorem in terms of the structure theory of symmetric spaces, and hence applicable to both classical cases (1), (2), (3) and exceptional one (4), simultaneously. Furthermore, our arguments do not depend on the classification of homogeneous hypersurfaces in spheres.
This article is organized as follows. In Section \[sect:Preliminarily\], we study the function $f_{a,b}$, which is the squared-norm of the moment map $\mu$ with respect to the $K$-invariant norm $|| \cdot ||_{a,b}$. In Section \[sect:arbitrary rank\], we give formulas for the squared-norm of the gradient and the Laplacian of $f_{a,b}$, where $G/K$ is of arbitrary rank. Section \[sect:rank two\] simplifies these formulas by assuming that $G/K$ is of rank two. In Section \[sect:Main Theorem\], we prove that there exist $a, b \in \bR$ such that $f_{a,b}$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree four, which concludes the main theorem.
Preliminarily {#sect:Preliminarily}
=============
Let $G/K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space. In this section, we define and study the functions $f_{a, b}(P)$, the squared-norms of the moment map $\mu$ with respect to certain invariant norms $|| \cdot ||_{a,b}$.
First of all, we recall the formula for the moment map $\mu$. Note that ${\left\langle \ ,\ \right\rangle}$ is the $K$-invariant inner product on $\k$ defined in , and $Z$ is an element in the center $C(\k)$ of $\k$ which defines a complex structure on $\p$.
\[Prop:2.1\] The isotropy representation of $G/K$ is a Hamiltonian $K$-action on $(\p, \omega)$. Under the identification $\k^\ast \cong \k$ by ${\left\langle \ ,\ \right\rangle}$, the moment map $\mu : \p \to \k$ is given by $$\mu(P) = \dfrac{1}{2}[P, [P, Z]] \ \ \ \text{for} \ \ P \in \p .$$
Next, we take $K$-invariant norms on $\k$ and the squared-norms of $\mu$. Let $|| \cdot ||$ be the canonical norm on $\g$, that is, $$|| X ||^2 := {\left\langle X,X \right\rangle} \ \ \ \text{for} \ \ X \in \g .$$ Its restriction to $\k$ is $K$-invariant, but we have more $K$-invariant norms on $\k$. Since $G / K$ is Hermitian, one has a decomposition $\k = \operatorname{\mathfrak{u}}(1) \oplus \k'$ as a Lie algebra, where $\operatorname{\mathfrak{u}}(1) = \bR Z$. Let $$\pi_1 : \k \to \operatorname{\mathfrak{u}}(1) , \quad \pi_2 : \k \to \k'$$ denote the canonical projections of $\k$ onto $\operatorname{\mathfrak{u}}(1)$ and $\k'$, respectively. Hence, for $a,b \in \bR$, we have a $K$-invariant norm ${\left\lVert \, \cdot \, \right\rVert}_{a,b}$ on $\k$ by $${\left\lVert X \right\rVert}_{a,b}^2 := a {\left\lVert \pi_1(X) \right\rVert}^2 + b {\left\lVert \pi_2(X) \right\rVert}^2
\ \ \text{for} \ \ X \in \k .$$
The *weighted squared-norm* $f_{a,b} : \p \to \bR$ of the moment map $\mu$ is defined by $$f_{a, b}(P) := {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}_{a,b}^2 \ \ \text{for} \ \ P \in \p .$$
Note that the weighted squared-norm $f_{a,b}$ has already been introduced by the first author [@Fujii]. Since $\mu$ is $K$-equivariant and ${\left\lVert \ \cdot\ \right\rVert}_{a,b}$ is $K$-invariant, one can easily see the following.
The weighted squared-norm $f_{a, b}$ is a $K$-invariant function on $\p$.
In the remaining of this section, we give a formula for $f_{a,b}(P)$. It was obtained in [@Fujii Sections 2 and 3] that $$\label{eq:2.5}
f_{a, b}(P) = b{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{a - b}{4{\left\lVert Z \right\rVert}^2}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4.$$ To rewrite this formula, we calculate ${\left\lVert Z \right\rVert}^2$. Denote by $N := \dim \p$.
\[Lem:3.1\] We have ${\left\lVert Z \right\rVert}^2 = N$.
By the definition of our inner product, we have $$\label{eq:3.1}
{\left\lVert Z \right\rVert}^2 = {\left\langle Z, Z \right\rangle} = - B(Z,Z) = - \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left( \operatorname{ad}_Z \right)^2 \right).$$ Since $(\operatorname{ad}_Z)^2$ preserves $\k$ and $\p$ respectively, one has $$- \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left( \operatorname{ad}_Z \right)^2 \right)
= - \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. (\operatorname{ad}_Z)^2 \right|_{\k} \right)
- \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. (\operatorname{ad}_Z)^2 \right|_{\p} \right) .$$ Because $Z \in C(\k)$, we find $(\operatorname{ad}_Z)^2 |_{\k} = 0$. On the other hand, since $\left.\operatorname{ad}_Z\right|_{\p}$ is a complex structure on $\p$, it follows that $(\operatorname{ad}_Z)^2 |_{\p} = -\operatorname{id}_\p$. We thus have $$\label{eq:3.2}
- \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left( \operatorname{ad}_Z \right)^2 \right)
= - \operatorname{Tr}\left( -\operatorname{id}_\p \right) = \dim \p = N .$$ This completes the proof.
\[Prop:f-ab\] We have $$\label{eq:3.3}
f_{a, b}(P) = b {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{a - b}{4 N}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4.$$
It follows easily from and Lemma \[Lem:3.1\].
Note that the results stated in this section are independent of the rank of $G / K$, but it is essential that $G/K$ is Hermitian.
The gradient and the Laplacian in the case of arbitrary rank {#sect:arbitrary rank}
============================================================
Let $f_{a, b}(P)$ be the weighted squared-norm of the moment map $\mu$. In this section, we compute the squared-norm of the gradient and the Laplacian of $f_{a, b}(P)$, where the rank of $G/K$ is arbitrary. Throughout this section, we denote by $r := \operatorname{rank}G/K$ and $N := \dim \p$. We fix an orthonormal basis $\{ P_i \}$ of $\p$.
The squared-norm of the gradient
--------------------------------
In this subsection, we compute the squared-norm of the gradient of $f_{a, b}(P)$. Recall that the gradient is given by $$\operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) = \sum \dfrac{\partial f_{a, b}}{\partial P_i} P_i .$$ Recall that $f_{a, b}(P)$ can be written as a linear combination of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$. Hence we start from calculating their partial differentials. We use the complex structure $J = \operatorname{ad}_Z |_{\p}$ on $\p$ defined in .
\[Lem:3.4\] Partial differentials of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ of order one satisfy
1. $(\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4) / (\partial P_i) = 4{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}$,
2. $(\partial {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2) / (\partial P_i) = 2{\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P_i \right\rangle}$.
Recall that, for each $P_i$, the partial differential of a function $f(P)$ of order one is given by $$\label{eq:3.18}
\dfrac{\partial f(P)}{\partial P_i} = \lim_{t \to 0} \dfrac{f(P + t P_i) - f(P)}{t} .$$
We show (1). First of all, it is easy to see that $$\label{eq:3.19}
\dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i} = \lim_{t \to 0} \dfrac{(P + t P_i) - P}{t} = P_i .$$ One can also see that $$\label{eq:3.20}
\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i}
= \dfrac{\partial {\left\langle P, P \right\rangle}}{\partial P_i}
= 2 {\left\langle P, \dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i} \right\rangle}
= 2 {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle} .$$ Therefore, we conclude (1) by $$\label{eq:3.21}
\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4}{\partial P_i}
= \dfrac{\partial ({\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2)^2}{\partial P_i}
= 2{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i}
= 4{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}.$$
Next, we prove (2). Since $\mu(P) = (1/2) [P,[P,Z]]$ by Proposition \[Prop:2.1\], we obtain $$\dfrac{\partial \mu(P)}{\partial P_i}
= \dfrac{1}{2} ([\dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i}, [P, Z]] + [P, [\dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i}, Z]])
= \dfrac{1}{2}
([P_i, [P, Z]] + [P, [P_i, Z]]) .$$ It follows from the Jacobi identity and $Z \in C(\k)$ that $$[P, [P_i, Z]]
= - [P_i, [Z, P]] - [Z , [P, P_i]]
= [P_i, [P, Z]]
= [J(P), P_i] .$$ This concludes $$\label{eq:3.23}
\dfrac{\partial \mu(P)}{\partial P_i}
= [J(P), P_i] .$$ Thus, we get $$\label{eq:3.25}
\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i}
= 2{\left\langle \mu(P), \dfrac{\partial \mu(P)}{\partial P_i} \right\rangle}
= 2{\left\langle \mu(P), [J(P), P_i] \right\rangle} .$$ Since $\operatorname{ad}_{J(P)}$ is skew-symmetric, this completes the proof of (2).
From the above calculations of differentials of order one, we can compute the gradients of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$.
\[lem:gradient\] We have
1. $\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4 = 4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 P$,
2. $\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 = 2 [\mu(P), J(P)]$.
The claim (1) follows easily from Lemma \[Lem:3.4\] (1), since $$\label{eq:3.29}
\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4
= \sum_{i = 1}^{N}\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4}{\partial P_i}P_i
= \sum_{i = 1}^{N}4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}P_i
= 4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 P .$$ We show (2). From Lemma \[Lem:3.4\] (2), it follows that $$\label{eq:3.28}
\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
= \sum_{i = 1}^{N} \dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i}P_i
= 2\sum_{i = 1}^{N} {\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P_i \right\rangle}P_i .$$ Note that $[\mu(P), J(P)] \in \p$, because $\mu(P) \in \k$ and $J(P) \in \p$. Hence, this concludes the proof of (2).
Although we computed $\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ directly, it is well-known in symplectic geometry (we refer to Kirwan [@Kirwan Lemma 6.6]).
Now it is easy to compute the gradient of $f_{a, b}(P)$.
\[Lem:3.5\] We have $$\label{eq:3.26}
\operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) = 2 b [\mu(P), J(P)] + \dfrac{(a - b){\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{N}P.$$
We use the expression of $f_{a, b}(P)$ given in Proposition \[Prop:f-ab\]. By linearity of $\operatorname{grad}$, we get $$\label{eq:3.27}
\operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) = b\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{a - b}{4 N}\operatorname{grad}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4.$$ Therefore, Lemma \[lem:gradient\] easily concludes the proof.
We are now in position to compute the squared-norm of the gradient of $f_{a, b}(P)$.
\[Prop:3.7\] We have $$\label{eq:3.30}
{\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2 = 4 b^2 {\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{8 b (a - b)}{N}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{(a - b)^2}{N^2}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6.$$
One knows $\operatorname{grad}f_{a,b}(P)$ from Lemma \[Lem:3.5\]. We thus get $$\label{eq:3.31}
\begin{split}
{\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2
&= 4 b^2 {\left\lVert [\mu(P), J(P)] \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{4 b (a - b){\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{N}{\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P \right\rangle}\\
&\hspace{4cm}+ \dfrac{(a - b)^2{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4}{N^2}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.
\end{split}$$ Therefore, we have only to calculate ${\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P \right\rangle}$. One can easily see that $$\label{eq:3.4}
[J(P), P] = [[Z, P], P] = [P, [P, Z]] = 2\mu(P).$$ This concludes that $$\label{eq:3.33}
{\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P \right\rangle}
= {\left\langle \mu(P), [J(P), P] \right\rangle}
= {\left\langle \mu(P), 2 \mu(P) \right\rangle} = 2 {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 ,$$ which completes the proof.
Preliminaries on root systems {#subsection:root}
-----------------------------
To calculate the Laplacian of $f_{a,b}(P)$, we need some properties of root systems. In this subsection, we recall the root systems of symmetric spaces of compact type $G/K$, not necessarily Hermitian. We refer to [@Helgason; @Loos] for details.
Let $\g = \k \oplus \p$ be the Cartan decomposition. Take a maximal abelian subspace $\a$ in $\p$. For $\alpha \in \a^\ast$, where $\a^\ast$ is the dual vector space of $\a$, let us define $$\g_{\alpha} := \{
X \in \g \mid (\operatorname{ad}_H)^2(X) = - \alpha(H)^2 X \ \ (\forall H \in \a)
\} .$$ Note that $\g_{\alpha} = \g_{-\alpha}$ by definition. We call $\alpha \in \a^\ast$ a *root* if it satisfies $\alpha \neq 0$ and $\g_{\alpha} \neq 0$. The set of roots, denoted by $\Delta$, is called the *root system*. For each $\alpha \in \Delta \cup \{ 0 \}$, put $$\k_{\alpha} := \k \cap \g_{\alpha} , \quad
\p_{\alpha} := \p \cap \g_{\alpha} .$$ These $\g_{\alpha}$, $\k_{\alpha}$ and $\p_{\alpha}$ are called the *root spaces*. The following properties of root spaces are well-known (we refer to [@Loos Chapter VI, Proposition 1.4], [@Helgason Chapter VII, Lemmas 11.3, 11.4]).
\[Prop:Loos\] The root spaces satisfy the following.
1. We have the following decompositions$:$ $$\label{eq:3.12}
\k = \k_0 \oplus \bigoplus_{\alpha} \k_{\alpha}, \quad
\p = \a \oplus \bigoplus_{\alpha} \p_{\alpha} .$$
2. For all $\alpha \in \Delta$, one has $\dim \k_{\alpha} = \dim \p_{\alpha}$.
3. For all $\alpha, \beta \in \Delta \cup \{ 0 \}$, one has $$\begin{split}
[\k_{\alpha} , \k_{\beta}] & \subset \k_{\alpha + \beta} + \k_{\alpha - \beta} , \\
[\k_{\alpha} , \p_{\beta}] & \subset \p_{\alpha + \beta} + \p_{\alpha - \beta} , \\
[\p_{\alpha} , \p_{\beta}] & \subset \k_{\alpha + \beta} + \k_{\alpha - \beta} .
\end{split}$$
The decompositions given in are called the *root space decompositions with respect to $\a$*. To be exact, the indices $\alpha$ run through $\Delta^+$, say a set of positive roots, since $\g_{\alpha} = \g_{- \alpha}$.
The *multiplicity* $m_\alpha$ of a root $\alpha$ is defined by $$m_{\alpha} := \dim \k_{\alpha} = \dim \p_{\alpha} .$$
By using the above properties of root spaces, one can get the following lemma. We use this to compute the Laplacian of $f_{a, b}(P)$, and also in the latter section.
\[Lem:3.3\] For all $P \in \p$, we have $$\label{eq:3.7}
{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 = -2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left.(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2\right|_\p \right) .$$
We fix an arbitrary $P \in \p$. Since $(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2$ preserves $\k$ and $\p$ respectively, we have $$\label{eq:3.10}
\begin{split}
{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 = -B(P, P) = -\operatorname{Tr}\left( (\operatorname{ad}_P)^2 \right)
= -\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left.(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2\right|_\k \right) - \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left.(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2\right|_\p \right).
\end{split}$$ Thus, it is sufficient to show $$\label{eq:3.11}
\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left.(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2\right|_\k \right) = \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left.(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2\right|_\p \right).$$ In order to prove , we take a maximal abelian subspace $\a$ in $\p$ containing $P$, and the root space decomposition with respect to $\a$. Note that, since $P \in \a = \p_0$, Proposition \[Prop:Loos\] (3) yields that $(\operatorname{ad}_P)^2$ preserves each root space. Hence we obtain $$\begin{aligned}
\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k} \right) &= \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_0} \right) + \sum_{\alpha} \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_\alpha} \right), \label{eq:2.13}\\
\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\p} \right) &= \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\a} \right) + \sum_{\alpha} \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\p_\alpha} \right). \label{eq:2.14}\end{aligned}$$ By definition of the root spaces, one has $$\begin{split}
&\left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_0} = 0,\qquad \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\a} = 0, \\
&\left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_\alpha} = -\alpha(P)^2 \operatorname{id}_{\k_\alpha},\qquad \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\p_\alpha} = -\alpha(P)^2 \operatorname{id}_{\p_\alpha}.
\end{split}$$ Therefore, it follows from Proposition \[Prop:Loos\] (2) that $$\label{eq:3.15}
\begin{split}
\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_0} \right)
&= \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\a} \right) = 0,\\
\operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\k_\alpha} \right)
&= -\alpha(P)^2 \dim \k_\alpha
= -\alpha(P)^2 \dim \p_\alpha
= \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_P \right)^2 \right|_{\p_\alpha} \right).
\end{split}$$ By substituting for and , we obtain . Thus we complete the proof.
The Laplacian
-------------
In this subsection, we compute the Laplacian of $f_{a, b}(P)$. Recall that the Laplacian is given by $$\Delta f_{a, b}(P) = \sum \dfrac{\partial^2 f_{a, b}(P)}{\partial {P_i}^2} .$$ Recall that $f_{a, b}(P)$ can be written as a linear combination of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$. Hence we start from calculating their partial differentials of order two.
\[Lem:3.8\] Partial differentials of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ of order two satisfy
1. $(\partial^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4) / (\partial {P_i}^2) = 8{\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}^2 + 4{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2$,
2. $(\partial^2 {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2) / (\partial {P_i}^2) = 2{\left\langle \operatorname{ad}_{\mu(P)}\circ\operatorname{ad}_Z(P_i), P_i \right\rangle} - 2{\left\langle \left( \operatorname{ad}_{J(P)} \right)^2 (P_i), P_i \right\rangle}$.
First, we prove (1). One knows the first differentials from Lemma \[Lem:3.4\] (1). Hence we have $$\label{eq:3.35}
\begin{split}
\dfrac{\partial^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4}{\partial {P_i}^2}
= \dfrac{\partial }{\partial P_i}4{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}
= 4\left( \left( \dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i} \right) {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle} + {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2\dfrac{\partial {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}}{\partial P_i} \right).
\end{split}$$ From and , one has $$\label{eq:3.36}
\dfrac{\partial {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2}{\partial P_i} = 2 {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle} , \quad
\dfrac{\partial {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}}{\partial P_i}
= {\left\langle \dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i} , P_i \right\rangle}
= {\left\langle P_i, P_i \right\rangle} = 1 .$$ Our first claim (1) has been shown by substituting for .
Next, we show (2). We use the first differentials calculated in Lemma \[Lem:3.4\] (2). By direct computations, one has $$\label{eq:3.38}
\begin{split}
\dfrac{\partial^2 {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2}{\partial {P_i}^2}
&= \dfrac{\partial }{\partial P_i}\left( 2{\left\langle [\mu(P), J(P)], P_i \right\rangle} \right) \\
&=
2{\left\langle [\mu(P), \dfrac{\partial J(P)}{\partial P_i}], P_i \right\rangle}
+ 2{\left\langle [\dfrac{\partial \mu(P)}{\partial P_i}, J(P)], P_i \right\rangle} .
\end{split}$$ It follows from that $$\label{eq:3.39}
\begin{split}
\dfrac{\partial J(P)}{\partial P_i}
= \dfrac{\partial [Z, P]}{\partial P_i}
= [Z, \dfrac{\partial P}{\partial P_i}]
= [Z, P_i] , \quad
\dfrac{\partial \mu(P)}{\partial P_i} = [J(P), P_i] .
\end{split}$$ By substituting for , one concludes the proof of (2).
From the above calculations of differentials of order two, we can compute the Laplacians of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4$ and ${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$.
\[lem:laplacian\] We have
1. $\Delta {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4 = 4(N + 2){\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2$,
2. $\Delta {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 = 2{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2$.
We prove (1). By Lemma \[Lem:3.8\] (1), we find $$\label{eq:3.51}
\Delta {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4
= \sum \dfrac{\partial^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4}{\partial {P_i}^2}
= 8\sum {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}^2 + 4 \sum {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.$$ The first term of satisfies $$\label{eq:3.52}
8\sum {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}^2 = 8\sum {\left\langle P, {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}P_i \right\rangle}
= 8{\left\langle P, \sum {\left\langle P, P_i \right\rangle}P_i \right\rangle} = 8 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.$$ The second term of satisfies $$\label{eq:3.53}
\textstyle
4 \sum {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 = 4 \sum_{i = 1}^{N} {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 = 4 N {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 .$$ We thus complete the proof of (1).
We prove (2). Lemma \[Lem:3.8\] (2) yields that $$\label{eq:3.45}
\begin{split}
\Delta {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
= \sum_{i = 1}^{N} \dfrac{\partial^2 {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2}{\partial {P_i}^2}
= 2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \operatorname{ad}_{\mu(P)} \circ \operatorname{ad}_Z \right|_\p \right)
-2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_{J(P)} \right)^2 \right|_\p \right) .
\end{split}$$ In order to calculate each term of , we need $$\begin{split}
{\left\lVert J(P) \right\rVert}^2
& = {\left\langle [Z, P], [Z, P] \right\rangle}
= -{\left\langle [Z, [Z, P]], P \right\rangle}
= -{\left\langle -P, P \right\rangle} = {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 , \\
{\left\lVert J(P) \right\rVert}^2
& = {\left\langle [Z, P], [Z, P] \right\rangle}
= - {\left\langle [P, [P, Z]], Z \right\rangle}
= -2 {\left\langle \mu(P), Z \right\rangle} .
\end{split}$$ Thus, since $\operatorname{ad}_Z |_\k = 0$, the first term of satisfies $$2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \operatorname{ad}_{\mu(P)} \circ \operatorname{ad}_Z \right|_\p \right)
= 2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \operatorname{ad}_{\mu(P)} \circ \operatorname{ad}_Z \right)
= 2 B(\mu(P) , Z)
= -2 {\left\langle \mu(p) , Z \right\rangle}
= {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 .$$ From Lemma \[Lem:3.3\], the second term of satisfies $$\label{eq:3.47}
-2 \operatorname{Tr}\left( \left. \left( \operatorname{ad}_{J(P)} \right)^2 \right|_\p \right)
= {\left\lVert J(P) \right\rVert}^2 = {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 .$$ This concludes the proof of (2).
The following proposition gives us a formula for the Laplacian of $f_{a, b}(P)$.
\[Prop:3.9\] We have $$\label{eq:3.41}
\Delta f_{a, b}(P) = \dfrac{(N + 2) a + (N - 2) b}{N} {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.$$
We use the formula of $f_{a,b}(P)$ given in Proposition \[Prop:f-ab\]. By linearity of Laplacian, we find $$\label{eq:3.42}
\Delta f_{a, b}(P) = b \Delta {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 + \dfrac{a - b}{4 N} \Delta {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^4.$$ Thus, the proof easily follows from Lemma \[lem:laplacian\].
The gradient and the Laplacian in the case of rank two {#sect:rank two}
======================================================
In this section, we compute the squared-norm of the gradient and the Laplacian of $f_{a, b}(P)$ in the case of $\operatorname{rank}G / K = 2$.
Preliminaries on root systems for Hermitian case {#subsection:root-hermitian}
------------------------------------------------
In this subsection, we relate the element $Z$ to the root space decomposition. In order to do this, we review some properties of the root systems of $G/K$, irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of rank $r$.
As in Subsection \[subsection:root\], we denote a maximal abelian subspace of $\p$ by $\a$, and consider the root system $\Delta$ with respect to $\a$. Recall that the root system of type $C_r$ or $BC_r$ can be represented as $$\begin{split}
\Delta(C_r) & =
\left\{ \pm(\varepsilon_i - \varepsilon_j), \pm(\varepsilon_i + \varepsilon_j) \bigm| 1\leq i < j \leq r \right\} \cup \left\{ \pm 2\varepsilon_i \bigm| 1\leq i \leq r\right\}, \\
\Delta(BC_r) & =
\left\{ \pm(\varepsilon_i - \varepsilon_j), \pm(\varepsilon_i + \varepsilon_j) \bigm| 1\leq i < j \leq r \right\} \cup \left\{ \pm\varepsilon_i, \pm 2\varepsilon_i \bigm| 1\leq i \leq r\right\}.
\end{split}$$ Note that $\left\{ \varepsilon_i \bigm| i = 1, 2,\dotsc, r \right\}$ is a basis of the dual space $\a^\ast$ of $\a$. The next proposition follows from the classification of compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces (see [@Helgason], or the table in [@Tamaru2]). A classification-free proof can be found in [@Nagano--Tanaka Theorem 4.1].
Let $G/K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space. Then we have
1. $\Delta$ is of type $C_r$ or $BC_r$,
2. the multiplicities satisfy $m_{2 \varepsilon_i} = 1$ for all $i \in \left\{ 1, 2,\dotsc, r \right\}$.
In the latter arguments, the root spaces $\k_{2 \varepsilon_i}$ play important roles. We here recall some of their properties.
\[Lem:k-epsilon\] Under the above settings, we have
1. $[\k_0 , \k_{2 \varepsilon_i}] = 0$ for all $i$,
2. $[\k_{2 \varepsilon_i} , \k_{2 \varepsilon_j}] = 0$ for all $i, j$,
3. $[\k_{2 \varepsilon_i} , \p_{2 \varepsilon_j}] = 0$ for all $i \neq j$.
The claim (1) follows from the skew-symmetry of the adjoint action of $\k_0$ on $\k_{2 \varepsilon_i}$ and $\dim \k_{2 \varepsilon_i} = 1$. We show (2). If $i=j$, then again $\dim \k_{2 \varepsilon_i} = 1$ completes the proof. If $i \neq j$, then the assertion follows from $$[\k_{2 \varepsilon_i} , \k_{2 \varepsilon_j}]
\subset
\k_{2 \varepsilon_i + 2 \varepsilon_j} + \k_{2 \varepsilon_i - 2 \varepsilon_j}
= 0 .$$ Note that the first inclusion follows from the property of root spaces (Proposition \[Prop:Loos\] (3)), and second equality follows from the fact that $2 \varepsilon_i \pm 2 \varepsilon_j$ are not roots. The claim (3) can be proved similarly.
From the above properties, one can determine a position of the element $Z$. The following proposition was given by Song ([@Song Lemma 2.2 (ii)]), and also can be found in the proof of [@Tamaru3 Proposition 4.4 ].
\[Prop:4.1\] We have $Z \in \k_0 \oplus \k_{2\varepsilon_1} \oplus\dots\oplus \k_{2\varepsilon_r}$.
We here describe a sketch of the proof. Let $\k'_0$ be a maximal abelian subalgebra in $\k_0$. Then $\k'_0 \oplus \a$ is abelian. Furthermore, a standard argument shows that $\k'_0 \oplus \a$ is maximal abelian in $\g$. Hence it is a Cartan subalgebra. This yields that $$\operatorname{rank}\g = \dim (\k'_0 \oplus \a) = \dim \k'_0 + r.$$ On the other hand, Lemma \[Lem:k-epsilon\] yields that $$\h' := \k'_0 \oplus \k_{2\varepsilon_1} \oplus \dotsb \oplus \k_{2\varepsilon_r}$$ is abelian. Recall that $\dim \k_{2\varepsilon_i} = 1$. Thus, from dimension reasons, $\h'$ is also a Cartan subalgebra of $\g$, and hence maximal abelian in $\k$. Since $Z \in C(\k)$, we conclude $Z \in \h'$, which completes the proof.
A decomposition of $Z$
----------------------
From Proposition \[Prop:4.1\], we have a decomposition $$\label{eq:4.4}
Z = Z_0 + Z_{2\varepsilon_1} +\dots+ Z_{2\varepsilon_r},$$ where $Z_0 \in \k_0$ and $Z_{2\varepsilon_i} \in \k_{2\varepsilon_i}$. In this subsection, we compute the length of each factor $Z_{2\varepsilon_i}$. Assume that $\operatorname{rank}G / K = r$ and keep the notations in the previous subsection.
First of all, we recall root vectors. A vector $H_{\alpha} \in \a$ is called the *root vector corresponding to a root $\alpha$* if it holds that $${\left\langle H_{\alpha}, H \right\rangle} = \alpha(H) \quad (\forall H \in \a).$$ We here mention well-known properties of root vectors of the root system of type $C_r$ or $BC_r$. We refer to an explicit description of each root system, for example, in [@Helgason; @Humphreys; @Loos].
\[Lem:root-vector\] Let $G/K$ be a compact irreducible symmetric space with root system of type $C_r$ or $BC_r$. Then we have
1. ${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 = \cdots = {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_r} \right\rVert}^2$,
2. ${\left\langle H_{\varepsilon_i} , H_{\varepsilon_j} \right\rangle} = 0$ if $i \neq j$.
We now study each factor $Z_{2\varepsilon_i}$ of $Z$. In particular, we express the lengths of $Z_{2 \varepsilon_i}$ in terms of the lengths of root vectors.
\[Prop:4.3\] For all $i \in \left\{ 1, 2,\dotsc, r \right\}$, we have
1. $( \operatorname{ad}_{Z_{2\varepsilon_i}})^2\left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right) = -H_{\varepsilon_i}$,
2. $4{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert Z_{2\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2 = 1$.
We show (1). By definition of $Z$, one has $$- H_{\varepsilon_i} = (\operatorname{ad}_{Z})^2\left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right).$$ Lemma \[Lem:root-vector\] yields that $2 \varepsilon_i (H_{\varepsilon_j}) = 0$ if $i \neq j$. We thus have $$\operatorname{ad}_{Z} \left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right)
= \left[ Z_0 + Z_{2 \varepsilon_1} + \cdots + Z_{2 \varepsilon_r} , H_{\varepsilon_i} \right]
= \left[ Z_{2 \varepsilon_i} , H_{\varepsilon_i} \right]
\in \p_{2 \varepsilon_i}.$$ By Lemma \[Lem:k-epsilon\], one knows $[\k_{2 \varepsilon_i} , \p_{2 \varepsilon_j}] = 0$ for $i \neq j$. Therefore, we have $$(\operatorname{ad}_{Z})^2 \left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right)
= \left[ Z_0 + Z_{2 \varepsilon_1} + \cdots + Z_{2 \varepsilon_r} ,
\left[ Z_{2 \varepsilon_i} , H_{\varepsilon_i} \right] \right]
= (\operatorname{ad}_{Z_{2\varepsilon_i}})^2 \left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right) ,$$ which concludes the proof of (1).
We show (2). It follows from (1) that $$\label{eq:4.6}
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2
= -{\left\langle \left( \operatorname{ad}_{Z_{2\varepsilon_i}} \right)^2\left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right), H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rangle}
= -{\left\langle Z_{2\varepsilon_i}, \left[ H_{\varepsilon_i}, \left[ H_{\varepsilon_i}, Z_{2\varepsilon_i}\right] \right] \right\rangle} .$$ By definition of roots, one has $$\label{eq:4.8}
\left[ H_{\varepsilon_i}, \left[ H_{\varepsilon_i}, Z_{2\varepsilon_i}\right] \right]
= -\left( 2\varepsilon_i \left( H_{\varepsilon_i} \right) \right)^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_i}
= -4 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^4 Z_{2\varepsilon_i} .$$ By substituting for , we get $${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2
= 4 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^4 {\left\lVert Z_{2\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2 .$$ Since $H_{\varepsilon_i} \neq 0$, our assertion is proved.
Preliminaries on root systems for rank two Hermitian case {#Sec:rank 2}
---------------------------------------------------------
Hereafter, let $G / K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space of rank two. In this subsection, we give formulas for $N := \dim \p$ and ${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_i} \right\rVert}^2$ in terms of the roots and the multiplicities.
Recall that the root system $\Delta$ of $G / K$ is of type $BC_2$ or $C_2$. For the case of type $BC_2$, as mentioned in Subsection \[subsection:root-hermitian\], $\Delta$ is given by $$\Delta = \Delta(BC_2)
= \pm\left\{ \varepsilon_1,\ \varepsilon_2,\ 2\varepsilon_1,\ 2\varepsilon_2,\ \varepsilon_1 + \varepsilon_2,\ \varepsilon_1 - \varepsilon_2 \right\} .$$ Since an element $\sigma$ of the Weyl group induces a linear isomorphism from $\k_{\alpha}$ onto $\k_{\sigma(\alpha)}$, the multiplicities $m_{\alpha}$ of roots are invariant under the action of the Weyl group. Hence we have $$m_{\varepsilon_1 + \varepsilon_2} = m_{\varepsilon_1 - \varepsilon_2}, \quad
m_{\varepsilon_1} = m_{\varepsilon_2} , \quad
m_{2\varepsilon_1} = m_{2\varepsilon_2} = 1 .$$ We regard $\Delta(C_2)$ as $\Delta(BC_2)$ with $m_{\varepsilon_1} = m_{\varepsilon_2} = 0$. We thus consider $\Delta(BC_2)$ only. To make the latter convenient, we put $$\label{eq:multiplicities}
m_1 := m_{\varepsilon_1 + \varepsilon_2} , \quad
m_2 := m_{\varepsilon_1} + m_{2 \varepsilon_1} = m_{\varepsilon_1} + 1 .$$ Note that $m_1$ and $m_2$ will be the multiplicities of the principal curvatures of the isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres obtained from the isotropy representations of $G/K$.
We first give a formula for $N = \dim \p$, which follows easily.
\[Lem:length-N\] We have $N = 2 m_{1} + 2 m_{2} + 2$.
This is a direct consequence of the root space decomposition of $\p$.
We next compute the length of the root vectors $H_{\varepsilon_1}$ and $H_{\varepsilon_2}$.
\[Lem:4.4\] We have $1 / {{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2} = 1 / {{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_2} \right\rVert}^2}
= 2(2m_{1} + m_{2} + 3)$.
One knows ${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 = {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_2} \right\rVert}^2$ from Lemma \[Lem:root-vector\]. Thus it is sufficient to compute ${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2$.
First of all, we derive a general formula of ${\left\lVert H \right\rVert}^2$ for $H \in \a$. By Lemma \[Lem:3.3\], we have $${\left\lVert H \right\rVert}^2 = -2 \operatorname{Tr}\left(\left. ( \operatorname{ad}_{H} )^2 \right|_\p \right)
= -2 \sum_{j} {\left\langle \left( \operatorname{ad}_{H} \right)^2(P_j), P_j \right\rangle} ,$$ where $\{ P_j \}$ is an orthonormal basis of $\p$. Since the representation of the right-hand side is independent of the choice of an orthonormal basis of $\p$, we can assume each $P_j$ is a unit vector in $\a$ or some root space $\p_{\alpha}$. For a unit vector $P_\alpha \in \p_\alpha$, we have $${\left\langle \left( \operatorname{ad}_{ H } \right)^2 (P_\alpha), P_\alpha \right\rangle}
= {\left\langle - \alpha( H )^2 P_\alpha , P_\alpha \right\rangle} = - \alpha( H )^2 .$$ Hence, it follows that $${\left\lVert H \right\rVert}^2
= -2 \sum_{i} {\left\langle \left( \operatorname{ad}_{H} \right)^2(P_i), P_i \right\rangle}
= 2\sum_{\alpha} m_{\alpha} \alpha(H)^2.$$ Note that this formula is true for every symmetric space.
We use a notation ${\left\langle \alpha , \beta \right\rangle} := \alpha(H_{\beta})$. Then, since the root system is of $BC_2$-type, it follows $$\begin{split}
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 &= 2\left( m_{\varepsilon_1 - \varepsilon_2}{\left\langle \varepsilon_1 - \varepsilon_2, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 + m_{\varepsilon_2}{\left\langle \varepsilon_2, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 + m_{2\varepsilon_2}{\left\langle 2\varepsilon_2, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 \right.\\
&\hspace{30pt}\left. m_{\varepsilon_1}{\left\langle \varepsilon_1, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 + m_{\varepsilon_1 + \varepsilon_2}{\left\langle \varepsilon_1 + \varepsilon_2, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 + m_{2\varepsilon_1}{\left\langle 2\varepsilon_1, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2 \right)\\
&= 2\left(
m_1 + (m_2 - 1) + m_1 + 4
\right) {\left\langle \varepsilon_1, \varepsilon_1 \right\rangle}^2\\
&= 2\left(
2 m_1 + m_2 + 3
\right) {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 .
\end{split}$$ Since $H_{\varepsilon_1} \neq 0$, this completes the proof.
The squared-norm of the gradient
--------------------------------
According to Proposition \[Prop:3.7\], the squared-norm ${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2$ of the gradient can be written as a linear combination of ${\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2$, ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ and ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6$. In this subsection, we simplify this presentation in the case of $\operatorname{rank}G / K = 2$.
We need formulas for ${\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2$, ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ and ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6$ when $P \in \a$. First of all, we give a formula for ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6$.
\[Lem:P6\] For $P = a_1 H_{\varepsilon_1} + a_2 H_{\varepsilon_2} \in \a$, we have
1. ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 = ({a_1}^2 + {a_2}^2) {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2$,
2. ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6 = ( {a_1}^6 + 3 {a_1}^4 {a_2}^2 + 3 {a_1}^2 {a_2}^4 + {a_2}^6 )
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^6$.
The first claim follows from ${\left\langle H_{\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_2} \right\rangle} = 0$ and ${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 = {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_2} \right\rVert}^2$ (see Lemma \[Lem:root-vector\]). The second claim follows easily from the first one.
Next we give a formula for ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$.
\[Lem:P2mu2\] For $P = a_1 H_{\varepsilon_1} + a_2 H_{\varepsilon_2} \in \a$, we have
1. $\mu(P) = -2 ({a_1}^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_1} + {a_2}^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_2})
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4$,
2. ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2 {\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
= ({a_1}^6 + {a_1}^4 {a_2}^2 + {a_1}^2 {a_2}^4 + {a_2}^6)
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^8$.
We show (1). By the decomposition $Z = Z_0 + Z_{2\varepsilon_1} + Z_{2\varepsilon_2}$, it follows that $$\label{eq:4.23}
2 \mu(P)
= [P, [P, Z]]
= [P, [P, Z_0]] + [P, [P, Z_{2\varepsilon_1}]] + [P, [P, Z_{2\varepsilon_2}]] .$$ Since $P \in \a$, the definition of roots yields that $$\label{eq:4.24}
\begin{split}
[P, [P, Z_0]] & = 0 , \\
[P, [P, Z_{2\varepsilon_1}]]
& = - \left( 2\varepsilon_1(P) \right)^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_1}
= -4 {a_1}^2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , \\
[P, [P, Z_{2\varepsilon_2}]]
& = - \left( 2\varepsilon_2(P) \right)^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_2}
= -4 {a_2}^2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 Z_{2\varepsilon_2} .
\end{split}$$ By substituting for , we conclude the proof of (1).
We show (2). Recall that different root spaces are orthogonal to each other (cf. [@Helgason Chapter III, Theorem 4.2]). This yields that $${\left\langle Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , Z_{2\varepsilon_2} \right\rangle} = 0 .$$ Then, it follows from (1) and Proposition \[Prop:4.3\] that $${\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
= 4 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^8 \left(
{a_1}^4 {\left\lVert Z_{2\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 + {a_2}^4 {\left\lVert Z_{2\varepsilon_2} \right\rVert}^2
\right) = ({a_1}^4 + {a_2}^4) {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^6 .$$ This and Lemma \[Lem:P6\] (1) conclude the proof of (2).
We then give a formula for ${\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2$.
\[Lem:Jmu\] For $P = a_1 H_{\varepsilon_1} + a_2 H_{\varepsilon_2} \in \a$, we have $${\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2
= 4 \left( {a_1}^6 + {a_2}^6 \right) {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^{10} .$$
Recall that $[\k_0 , \a] = 0$ and ${\left\langle H_{\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_2} \right\rangle} = 0$ (see Lemma \[Lem:root-vector\]). Then we have $$\label{eq:4.29}
J(P)
= [ Z_0 + Z_{2\varepsilon_1} + Z_{2\varepsilon_2} ,
a_1 H_{\varepsilon_1} + a_2 H_{\varepsilon_2} ]
= a_1 [Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_1} ]
+ a_2 [Z_{2\varepsilon_2} , H_{\varepsilon_2} ] .$$ Lemma \[Lem:P2mu2\] (1) yields that $$[J(P), \mu(P)]
= \left[ a_1 [Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_1} ]
+ a_2 [Z_{2\varepsilon_2} , H_{\varepsilon_2} ] , \
- 2 ({a_1}^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_1} + 2{a_2}^2 Z_{2\varepsilon_2})
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 \right] .$$ From Lemma \[Lem:k-epsilon\], one has $$[[Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_1} ] , Z_{2\varepsilon_2} ]
= [[Z_{2\varepsilon_2} , H_{\varepsilon_2} ] , Z_{2\varepsilon_1} ]
= 0 .$$ Therefore, Proposition \[Prop:4.3\] (1) yields that $$\label{eq:4.30}
\begin{split}
[J(P), \mu(P)]
& =
- 2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 \left(
{a_1}^3 [[Z_{2\varepsilon_1} , H_{\varepsilon_1}], Z_{2\varepsilon_1}]
+ {a_2}^3 [[Z_{2\varepsilon_2} , H_{\varepsilon_2}], Z_{2\varepsilon_2}]
\right) \\
& =
-2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 \left(
{a_1}^3 H_{\varepsilon_1} + {a_2}^3 H_{\varepsilon_2}
\right) .
\end{split}$$ By taking the squared-norms, Lemma \[Lem:P6\] (1) concludes the proof.
By using these lemmas, ${\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2$ can be written as a linear combination of ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2$ and ${\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6$.
\[Lem:4.7\] For all $P \in \p$, we have $$\label{eq:4.27}
{\left\lVert \left[ J(P), \mu(P) \right] \right\rVert}^2
= - 2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6
+ 6 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 .$$
In general, if $f, g : \p \to \bR$ are $K$-invariant functions and satisfy $f |_{\a} = g |_{\a}$, then $f=g$ holds. Since the both sides of are $K$-invariant, we have only to prove that they coincide on $\a$. To show this, take any $P \in \a$, and write $P = a_1 H_{\varepsilon_1} + a_2 H_{\varepsilon_2}$. From Lemmas \[Lem:P6\] and \[Lem:P2mu2\], one has $$\begin{split}
- 2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6
& =
-2 ( {a_1}^6 + 3 {a_1}^4 {a_2}^2 + 3 {a_1}^2 {a_2}^4 + {a_2}^6 )
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^{10} , \\
6 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
& =
6 ({a_1}^6 + {a_1}^4 {a_2}^2 + {a_1}^2 {a_2}^4 + {a_2}^6)
{\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^{10} .
\end{split}$$ Therefore, the right-side hand of satisfies $$- 2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6
+ 6 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
= 4 \left( {a_1}^6 + {a_2}^6 \right) {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^{10} .$$ By Lemma \[Lem:Jmu\], this coincides with the left-hand side of . This completes the proof.
The following gives us a representation of the squared-norm of the gradient of $f_{a, b}$ in the case of rank two.
\[Prop:4.8\] For every $P \in \p$, we have $$\label{eq:4.35}
\begin{split}
{\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2 &= \left( -\dfrac{2 b^2}{(2 m_{1} + m_{2} + 3)^2} + \dfrac{(a - b)^2}{4(m_{1} + m_{2} + 1)^2} \right) {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6\\
&\hspace{1cm}+ \left( \dfrac{12 b^2}{2 m_{1} + m_{2} + 3} + \dfrac{4 b (a - b)}{m_{1} + m_{2} + 1} \right) {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2.
\end{split}$$
From Proposition \[Prop:3.7\], one knows $${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2
= 4 b^2 {\left\lVert [J(P), \mu(P)] \right\rVert}^2
+ \dfrac{8 b (a - b)}{N}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2
+ \dfrac{(a - b)^2}{N^2}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6 .$$ By using Lemma \[Lem:4.7\], we have $${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2 = A {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6 + B {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2{\left\lVert \mu(P) \right\rVert}^2 ,$$ where $$\label{AB}
A = -2 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^4 \cdot 4 b^2 + \dfrac{(a - b)^2}{N^2} , \quad
B = 6 {\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 \cdot 4 b^2 + \dfrac{8 b (a - b)}{N} .$$ From Lemmas \[Lem:length-N\] and \[Lem:4.4\], one knows $${\left\lVert H_{\varepsilon_1} \right\rVert}^2 = 1 / (2 (2 m_1 + m_2 + 3)) , \quad
N = 2 m_1 + 2 m_2 + 2 .$$ By substituting these for , we conclude the proof.
The Laplacian
-------------
Next, we give a representation of $\Delta f_{a, b}(P)$.
\[Prop:4.9\] For all $P \in \p$, we have $$\label{eq:4.38}
\Delta f_{a, b}(P) = \dfrac{(m_{1} + m_{2} + 2)a + (m_{1} + m_{2})b}{m_{1} + m_{2} + 1}{\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.$$
From Proposition \[Prop:3.9\], one knows $$\Delta f_{a, b}(P) = \dfrac{(N + 2) a + (N - 2) b}{N} {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2.$$ By substituting $N = 2 m_{1} + 2 m_{2} + 2$ (see Lemma \[Lem:length-N\]) for the above, we complete the proof easily.
Main Theorem {#sect:Main Theorem}
============
Recall that $f_{a,b}$ is the weighted squared-norm of the moment map $\mu$. In this section, we give a proof of our main theorem, that is, $f_{a,b}$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial for some $a$ and $b$. We need $(m_1, m_2)$ defined in (\[eq:multiplicities\]).
Let $G/K$ be a compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric space of rank two. If $a = -8(m_{1} + 2 m_{2})$ and $b = 8(2 m_{1} + m_{2} + 3)$, then $f_{a, b}(P)$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree four. In particular, this Cartan-Münzner polynomial defines homogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces in the sphere with four distinct principal curvatures with multiplicities $(m_1, m_2)$.
In order to prove that $f_{a, b}(P)$ is a Cartan-Münzner polynomial of degree four, from , we have only to show that $$\begin{aligned}
{\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2 &= 16 {\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^6,\label{eq:5.A} \\
\Delta f_{a, b}(P) &= 8(m_{1} - m_{2}){\left\lVert P \right\rVert}^2\label{eq:5.B}. \end{aligned}$$ We know the formulas for ${\left\lVert \operatorname{grad}f_{a, b}(P) \right\rVert}^2$ and $\Delta f_{a, b}(P)$ from Propositions \[Prop:4.8\] and \[Prop:4.9\]. Let us consider their coefficients, and substitute our $a$, $b$ and $$\label{eq:6.1}
a - b = - 24 (m_{1} + m_{2} + 1)$$ into them. We then obtain $$\begin{aligned}
-\dfrac{2 b^2}{(2 m_{1} + m_{2} + 3)^2} + \dfrac{(a - b)^2}{4(m_{1} + m_{2} + 1)^2}
&= - 128 + 144 =
16 \label{eq:A},\\[5pt]
\dfrac{12 b^2}{2 m_{1} + m_{2} + 3} + \dfrac{4 b (a - b)}{m_{1} + m_{2} + 1}
&= 4b (24-24) =
0\label{eq:B},\\[5pt]
\dfrac{(m_{1} + m_{2} + 2)a + (m_{1} + m_{2})b}{m_{1} + m_{2} + 1}
&= \dfrac{8 (m_{1}^2 - m_{2}^2 + m_{1} - m_{2})}{m_{1} + m_{2} + 1} =
8 (m_{1} - m_{2}) \label{eq:C}. \end{aligned}$$ This completes the proof of the theorem.
We here list $(m_1 , m_2)$ of compact irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of rank two. One can see that $(m_1 , m_2)$ are compatible with the multiplicities of the corresponding homogeneous hypersurfaces in spheres.
$G / K$ Type $(m_1, m_2)$
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- ----------------
$\operatorname{SO}(2 + n) / \operatorname{SO}(2) \times \operatorname{SO}(n)$ $C_2$ $(1, n - 2)$
$\operatorname{SU}(2 + n) / \mathrm{S}(\operatorname{U}(2) \times \operatorname{U}(n))$ $BC_2$ $(2, 2 n - 3)$
$\operatorname{SO}(10) / \operatorname{U}(5)$ $BC_2$ $(4, 5)$
$\mathrm{E}_6 / \operatorname{U}(1) \times \operatorname{Spin}(10)$ $BC_2$ $(6, 9)$
Acknowledgements {#acknowledgements .unnumbered}
================
The authors are grateful to Yoshio Agaoka, Osamu Ikawa, Reiko Miyaoka and Yoshihiro Ohnita for valuable discussions and comments. The authors would like to thank also, Kazuhiro Shibuya, Takahiro Hashinaga and Akira Kubo for their warm encouragements. The second author was supported in part by KAKENHI (20740040 and 24654012).
[99]{} T. E. Cecil, *Lie Sphere Geometry*. With applications to submanifolds. Second edition. Universitext. Springer, New York, 2008. T. E. Cecil, Q.-S. Chi, G. R. Jensen, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces with four principal curvatures*. Ann. of Math. (2) **165** (2007), 1–76.
Q.-S. Chi, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces with four principal curvatures revisited*. Nagoya Math. J. **193** (2009), 129–154.
, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces with four principal curvatures, II*. Nagoya Math. J. **204** (2011), 1–18.
, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces with four principal curvatures, III*. Preprint, arXiv:1104.3249v3 (2011).
J. Dorfmeister, E. Neher, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces, case $g=6$, $m=1$*. Comm. Algebra **13** (1985), 2299–2368. D. Ferus, H. Karcher, H. F. Münzner, *Cliffordalgebren und neue isoparametrische Hyperflächen*. Math. Z. **177** (1981), 479–502. S. Fujii, *Homogeneous isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres with four distinct principal curvatures and moment maps*. Tôhoku Math. J. **62** (2010), 191–213.
S. Helgason, *Differential geometry, Lie groups, and symmetric spaces*. Corrected reprint of the 1978 original. Graduate Studies in Mathematics, **34**. American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2001. J. E. Humphreys, *Introduction to Lie algebras and representation theory*. Second printing, revised. Graduate Texts in Mathematics, **9**. Springer-Verlag, New York-Berlin, 1978. W.-Y. Hsiang, H. B. Lawson, Jr., *Minimal submanifolds of low cohomogeneity*. J. Diff. Geom. **5** (1971), 1–38. F. C. Kirwan, *Cohomology of quotients in symplectic and algebraic geometry*. Mathematical Notes, **31**. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1984. S. Immervoll, *On the classification of isoparametric hypersurfaces with four distinct principal curvatures in spheres*. Ann. of Math. (2) **168** (2008), 1011–1024. O. Loos, *Symmetric spaces II: Compact spaces and classification*. W. A. Benjamin, Inc., New York-Amsterdam, 1969.
R. Miyaoka, *Moment maps of the spin action and the Cartan-Münzner polynomials of degree four*. Math. Ann., to appear.
, *Isoparametric hypersurfaces with $(g,m)=(6,2)$*. Ann. of Math. (2), to appear.
H. F. Münzner, *Isoparametrische Hyperflächen in Sphären*. Math. Ann. **251** (1980), 57–71. , *Isoparametrische Hyperflächen in Sphären. II. Über die Zerlegung der Sphäre in Ballbündel*. Math. Ann. **256** (1981), 215–232. T. Nagano, M. S. Tanaka, *The involutions of compact symmetric spaces. V*. Tokyo J. Math. **23** (2000), 403–416. Y. Nagatomo, M. Takahashi, *Vector bundles, isoparametric functions and Radon transformations on a symmetric space*. Preprint.
Y. Ohnita, *Moment maps and symmetric Lagrangian submanifolds*. In: Proceedings of the conference “SUBMANIFOLDS in Yuzawa 2004" (2005), 33–38.
H. Ozeki, M. Takeuchi, *On some types of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. I*. Tôhoku Math. J. (2) **27** (1975), 515–559. , *On some types of isoparametric hypersurfaces in spheres. II*. Tôhoku Math. J. (2) **28** (1976), 7–55. H. Song, *Some differential-geometric properties of $R$-spaces*. Tsukuba J. Math. **25** (2001), 279–298. H. Tamaru, *The local orbit types of symmetric spaces under the actions of the isotropy subgroups*. Differential Geom. Appl. **11** (1999), 29–38. , *Riemannian G.O. spaces fibered over irreducible symmetric spaces*. Osaka J. Math. **36** (1999), 835–851. G. Thorbergsson, *A survey on isoparametric hypersurfaces and their generalizations*. Handbook of Differential Geometry, Vol. I, 963–995, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 2000.
|
Q:
F# Button click event
I am a beginner in F#, but have programmed a little in C # earlier.
I am trying to figure out how to write a ButtonClicEvent that will AppendText from a button (Or somewhere else) to a existing text in a textbox..
This is from C#:
private void Btn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// if the eventhandler contains more than one button
var btn = (sender as Button);
textBox.AppendText(btn.Text);
}
Need to know how to do that in F#.
A:
btn.Click.Add(fun _ -> textBox.AppendText(btn.Text))
A:
There's a good site F# Snippets
A relevant example from that site:
open System
open System.Drawing
open System.Windows.Forms
// Create form, button and add button to form
let form = new Form(Text = "Hello world!")
let btn = new Button(Text = "Click here")
form.Controls.Add(btn)
// Register event handler for button click event
btn.Click.Add(fun _ ->
// Generate random color and set it as background
let rnd = new Random()
let r, g, b = rnd.Next(256), rnd.Next(256), rnd.Next(256)
form.BackColor <- Color.FromArgb(r, g, b) )
// Show the form (in F# Interactive)
form.Show()
// Run the application (in compiled application)
Application.Run(form)
|
Bill Maher is no conservative.
He can’t abide Donald Trump. He can’t abide even more the reality of President Donald Trump.
And safe to say, director Rob Reiner is there in spades. Christina Bellantoni? She’s the Assistant Managing Editor for Politics at the decidedly left-leaning and Trump-unfriendly Los Angeles Times.
Add MSNBC military analyst Colonel Jack Jacobs and Atlantic correspondent Graeme Wood — and me — to that mix and what do you get? But of course! A TV show!
This was my second appearance on Bill’s show Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO. And yes, I had a great time. Bill is as always the perfect host. But there is more here than simply having fun kibitzing with a couple of liberal Hollywood stars and a reporter for a staunchly liberal newspaper. A serious something more.
As some may, um, recall? In August there was this kind-of-a-dustup between myself and CNN. As described here in this space in a piece titled “CNN Fires Me.”
As time moved on there was no less than Bill Maher on CNN with my former CNN colleague Fareed Zakaria saying this, as headlined in Deadline Hollywood:
Bill Maher Backs Canned Pundit Jeffrey Lord; Says “This Has Got To Stop”
The article said, in part, this (bold print supplied by me):
Bill Maher, guesting this morning on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, defended the network’s recently ousted pundit Jeffrey Lord as a victim of political correctness. … “I don’t know how long I’m going to last, really,” Maher told Zakaria, bemoaning what he sees as today’s political correctness. “It’s worse every year. The things that they go after people for now. Your colleague — I don’t agree with him — Jeffrey Lord, CNN got rid of him because he said sieg heil on a tweet. It was a joke. “This has got to stop, this idea that people have to go away if they’ve offended me even for one moment. How about just move on, turn the page, go to the next thing in your life?”
Thank you Bill! Yes! Exactly! So I wasn’t surprised that Bill would discuss this in my appearance on his show. But I was amazed that no less than Rob Reiner would take the time to make clear he agreed with Bill. Said Rob, as reported in Deadline Hollywood:
“I think what (CNN) did to Jeff was wrong,” Reiner said, with Maher seeming to agree. “It was clearly a joke. I’m not on his side in terms of policy, but, I mean, that was a bad deal.”
Added Bill:
“This has to stop, this insane purity police nonsense that you have to go away because you made a little joke.”
Together the two made some news with their thoughts on my CNN firing. As here in Entertainment Weekly, here in Deadline Hollywood, and over here at Real Clear Politics, and on to the home front with Penn Live and Philly Voice. And that was only a handful of the places this story popped up.
But there’s infinitely more here than my being appreciative to Messrs. Maher and Reiner. The next day’s cross country plane trip return to Pennsylvania provided plenty of time to think about what I was really experiencing that night in Hollywood. And the answer was crystal clear. This wasn’t just a television show. It was freedom. As expressed in what could be called a “freedom zone” as seen through the lens of two prominent liberals who are respectively a comedian and a film director — both of which professions depend on freedom for their survival. Not to mention Christina — a professional journalist — depending on exactly the same freedom. Ditto for writer Wood. With Colonel Jacobs having spent a career defending that freedom.
Much cyber and print ink is spent on the conservative side of the aisle writing about freedom. Lately, as the climate on college campuses has become more and more toxic and un-accepting of hearing different points of view whether from classmates or conservative guest speakers, the supposedly long settled belief in the First Amendment has surged to the frontline of conversation. When Berkeley has to spend $600,000 to defend Ben Shapiro as he appears on campus for a speech and a riot erupts? When Ann Coulter is barred from speaking with threats to her physical safety? When one incident after another pops up in the news illustrating an iron-fisted intolerance for dissent, it is more than safe to say that freedom — free speech specifically — is under attack.
No one is more aware of this than Bill Maher. As reported here in 2014 in the Huffington Post, Bill himself was targeted for a shutdown at… drumroll please… Berkeley. The headline:
Bill Maher Responds To UC Berkeley Controversy
The piece said this:
Bill Maher responded to the effort by some students at the University of California-Berkeley to disinvite the HBO TV star from speaking at a school commencement ceremony, taking a dig at the college kids for not adhering to their liberal free speech roots. Students began collecting signatures online to get UC Berkeley to cancel Maher’s appearance at the December commencement due to his comments about Islam. Maher declined to comment to multiple media outlets, instead choosing to respond to the flare up during his show on Friday.
And so he did, noting that this blow-up over free speech came on the 50th anniversary of the Berkeley “Free Speech” movement. “I guess they don’t teach irony in college anymore,” Bill said.
He also noted that one of his fiercest critics on the issue of dealing with Islam is the religious scholar and educator Reza Aslan, who I believe is a Shia Muslim. “Bill Maher’s not a bigot. I know him,” Aslan had said. To which Bill responded: “He and I disagree on stuff but he’s always welcome on the show. That’s how it’s done, kids!” Alas, Reza, whom I have debated on Don Lemon’s show, got the same kind of treatment I did from CNN — getting the boot for a tweet, in his case an anti-Trump tweet.
Read that line from Bill Maher again to the Berkeley protesters as he discussed his conversations with Reza:
“He and I disagree on stuff but he’s always welcome on the show. That’s how it’s done, kids!”
Bingo. That is exactly how freedom and free speech is done. And in 21st century America that means giving speeches on college campuses, hosting Real Time With Bill Maher, hosting talk radio shows like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, and countless others around the country. Not to mention TV shows like those hosted by Hannity, Laura, Tucker Carlson on Fox or Fareed Zakaria, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, Brooke Baldwin, Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, Don Lemon and others at CNN — plus the gang at MSNBC and more. It means the broadcast networks and every newspaper, magazine and book one can imagine any and everywhere in the country. Not to mention all those websites. Each and all in their own way are operating in a freedom zone.
It is astounding in 21st century America that this freedom is under assault — and serious assault — from some Americans. What got me in trouble at CNN was my response to those I referred to as the fascists of Media Matters. Why? Because this far-left group of extremists’ entire reason for existing is getting conservatives removed from television and radio. And doing so under the guise of “boycotts” that in reality are, as described by one of the advertisers (who happened to be Jewish) as an “organized terror campaign.” That advertiser found himself on the receiving end of a campaign that ran the gamut from threatening his physical safety to harassing his female employees. There was nothing in that campaign of organized terror that remotely resembled freedom.
All of which makes Bill Maher’s show something that perhaps even Bill didn’t think of when he started it: a freedom zone. A place where liberals and conservatives can safely gather around a Hollywood-style camp fire and talk through the issues of the day with all of the attendant pros and cons that come with that.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s election as president. There will be more angst from the anti-Trumpers and the Never Trumpers, and more raised glasses from the pro-Trumpers. But well beyond the back-and-forth over the last election there should be some serious remembering that we have elections in the first place because we are a free country. And that in that free country everybody has a right to their own thoughts and the free expression of those thoughts.
And most particularly perhaps we all need reminding that when you see Bill Maher running debates on television or doing stand-up comedy somewhere (as on November 11th when he will be at Madison Square Garden) or you settle into a movie theater to watch a Rob Reiner film (as with his newest LBJ — which he discusses with star Woody Harrelson and Jake Tapper here) or you read a story in the Los Angeles Times by Christina Bellantoni ( @ cbellantoni ) or in the Atlantic by Graeme Wood or a piece of analysis on MSNBC by Colonel Jack Jacobs, what you are really seeing is freedom at work.
It is not for nothing that Sean Hannity — no Bill Maher fan — makes a point of defending his liberal opposite’s right to free speech often enough. It would perhaps be helpful for more liberals to stand up as well not just for Bill Maher but for free speech — period.
Because without doubt, if free speech gets lost in this country — it will be lost for everybody. And it will be too late to appreciate what is really being seen in action when turning on Real Time With Bill Maher: a freedom zone. |
Q:
How can i get logs/debugging for an error 500?
I'm working on a .NET Core 2.0 web application. I got a mocked database where application works good. Today i created a clean database and got this error 500 both on IIS Express and on regular IIS.
The thing is: i couldn't debug why is throwing the error 500. The application just run.
I've currently tried:
Check IIS logs by activating stdoutLogEnabled="true" and the only log created was:
Hosting environment: Production Content root path:
C:\Users\pistolon\Downloads\peto Now listening on:
http://localhost:13361 Application started. Press Ctrl+C to shut down.
Debugging from start the startup.cs file.
When I switch back to the mocked db it works without error.
Do you any of you could point me on where could i get an exception or log for this?
A:
You can use Event Viewer or Visual Studio Remote Debugging to debug your deployed applications.
Also, you can use a logging framework like Serilog and use one of it sinks like file sink and create a middleware which catches and logs your exceptions and write their StackTrace, Message, Source to a log file that you can read them.
Here is ErrorHandlingMiddleware implementation :
public class ErrorHandlingMiddleware
{
readonly RequestDelegate _next;
static ILogger<ErrorHandlingMiddleware> _logger;
public ErrorHandlingMiddleware(RequestDelegate next,
ILogger<ErrorHandlingMiddleware> logger)
{
_next = next;
_logger = logger;
}
public async Task Invoke(HttpContext context)
{
try
{
await _next(context);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
await HandleExceptionAsync(context, ex);
}
}
static async Task HandleExceptionAsync(
HttpContext context,
Exception exception)
{
string error = "An internal server error has occured.";
_logger.LogError($"{exception.Source} - {exception.Message} - {exception.StackTrace} - {exception.TargetSite.Name}");
context.Response.StatusCode = (int)HttpStatusCode.InternalServerError;
context.Response.ContentType = "application/json";
await context.Response.WriteAsync(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new
{
error
}));
}
}
Usage :
app.UseMiddleware<ErrorHandlingMiddleware>();
A:
I don't believe this is enough information to go off of, however if you're seeing that 500 error when using the real database and the mock database is working appropriately, I would bet that your issue is with the connection string. You can also check to ensure that you're in the development environment as well.
Update: You can also try to use app.UseDeveloperExceptionPage();
|
Princeton NJ Commercial Carpet
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Another advantage of commercial carpet is that it is resistant to stains and rips. This makes it an ideal choice for warehouses, busy office buildings, and any other high-traffic space in Princeton NJ. Commercial carpet can withstand heavy use and still look great. In addition, the sound absorbing fibers of commercial carpet means quieter spaces, making it an excellent choice for a corporate environment. For commercial spaces in Princeton NJ, commercial carpet is also a very economical choice. Both the installation and maintenance costs of commercial carpet can be far less than other commercial flooring options.
We at Floor Coverings International understand that the look of your commercial space is very important. If you want a new, fresh look for your commercial space in Princeton NJ, commercial carpet is the perfect choice because it comes in many different colors, styles, and textures. Let one of our knowledgeable design associates help you choose a commercial carpet that has both form and function.
When you are selecting new flooring for your commercial space, it is also important to think about the amount of care the flooring will require. For whatever kind of commercial space you have in Princeton NJ, commercial carpet will always be a great choice because it is very easy to care for. Regular vacuuming will remove any dirt and debris, and periodic shampooing will help keep it looking new. |
export const componentName: string = 'lineargauge';
export const sampleName: string = 'tooltip';
export const diModules: string = null;
export const packageName: string = '@syncfusion/ej2-angular-lineargauge';
export const libModules: string = 'LinearGaugeModule';
|
/*******************************************************************************
* Copyright 2014 See AUTHORS file.
*
* 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.badlogic.gdx.ai.btree;
import com.badlogic.gdx.ai.btree.annotation.TaskConstraint;
/** A {@code LeafTask} is a terminal task of a behavior tree, contains action or condition logic, can not have any child.
*
* @param <E> type of the blackboard object that tasks use to read or modify game state
*
* @author implicit-invocation
* @author davebaol */
@TaskConstraint(minChildren = 0, maxChildren = 0)
public abstract class LeafTask<E> extends Task<E> {
/** Creates a leaf task. */
public LeafTask () {
}
/** This method contains the update logic of this leaf task. The actual implementation MUST return one of {@link Status#RUNNING}
* , {@link Status#SUCCEEDED} or {@link Status#FAILED}. Other return values will cause an {@code IllegalStateException}.
* @return the status of this leaf task */
public abstract Status execute ();
/** This method contains the update logic of this task. The implementation delegates the {@link #execute()} method. */
@Override
public final void run () {
Status result = execute();
if (result == null) throw new IllegalStateException("Invalid status 'null' returned by the execute method");
switch (result) {
case SUCCEEDED:
success();
return;
case FAILED:
fail();
return;
case RUNNING:
running();
return;
default:
throw new IllegalStateException("Invalid status '" + result.name() + "' returned by the execute method");
}
}
/** Always throws {@code IllegalStateException} because a leaf task cannot have any children. */
@Override
protected int addChildToTask (Task<E> child) {
throw new IllegalStateException("A leaf task cannot have any children");
}
@Override
public int getChildCount () {
return 0;
}
@Override
public Task<E> getChild (int i) {
throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException("A leaf task can not have any child");
}
@Override
public final void childRunning (Task<E> runningTask, Task<E> reporter) {
}
@Override
public final void childFail (Task<E> runningTask) {
}
@Override
public final void childSuccess (Task<E> runningTask) {
}
}
|
Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) uses optical remote
sensing technology that can measure the distance of a target by illuminating the
target using pulses from a laser.
Aerial 3D Lidar data is available to NHDOT staff. The Lidar
files (.LAS) are stored in N:\Aerials\2010\LIDAR\.
To see which files are available in your project area, attach N:\cadd\cadd\GIS_To_MicrostationV8\lidar-index.dgn as a
reference file. This can be done in MX v8i or in MicroStation.
Be sure to select the Coincident-World orientation
when attaching the file.
If files are available for the desired area, a rectangle
with the file name will be displayed. The text contains the name of the
file. For example: 0900002250.las refers to the file N:\Aerials\2010\LIDAR\0900002250.LAS, just simply write down the file names displayed on this reference file.
3. From the Open file panel, navigate to N:\Aerials\2010 LIDAR\ and
open the desired file. The Lidar LAS panel shown below
allows control of data filtering prior to loading into Data Acquisition.
4. There are multiple data classifications offered in a Lidar file. In the Selected Features section of the
Lidar LAS dialog, choose the
classifications you wish to import (such as Ground). Next, select the
Filter settings to be used for
this
import.
For one or two sections use the Tile Filter with Z Tolerance set to
0.2.
If you are intending to import multiple files use the Tin Filter
set to Fine.
The Filter button will give an estimate of the percent
Reduction, however it is not a necessary step for this process. Click
the Accept button to import the Lidar file. Note that it might take some time
to process and if you are importing
several files it may crash your session.
From the Data Acquisition panel, expand the Surfaces
branch to see the imported Lidar files. To display a file, check the box next to
file entry. Consider that his takes time and memory. Repeat
steps 3 and 4 for each Lidar file desired.
5. After importing each surface, they should be clipped
down to the project's extent. Draw a Closed Element around the project and select it with the Element Selection
tool. Right-click on the imported surface and select Clip by Polygon...
> External. Clip all imported surfaces.
6. Next the surfaces need to be combined. Right-click
Surfaces
> Create Surfaces > Empty Surface to create an empty
(receiving) surface for combining the individual surfaces. Right-Click
this new surface (Surface X) and use Append From...>
to combine each surface into
it.
8. The receiving surface can be renamed by using the Data Acquisitions Details
box. Highlight the name and key in a new one (such as TRIANGLESLIDAR). The
name will update in the Data Acquisition panel. To create MX
triangle strings, the combined
surface must be exported to the MX Model file. Right-click on the renamed
surface and select Export to... > MX modelfile, then select the
project's model file and click Save.
Close the Data Acquisition
tools and continue with your design. Your Lidar surface is now an MX triangle model.
Set the Model Defaults to MFW
Triangulation.pts & MFW Triangulation.fns. Consider Trimming
these triangles to eliminate triangles from spanning void regions. From
the Analysis menu, select Triangle > Trim Triangulation...
Refer
to MX Triangulation for details on Triangle
Trimming.
For additional information on the Data Acquisition tool open
the help file C:\Program Files\Bentley\MX V8i\Documentation\Civilmaster.chm |
India boasts many of the world's top IT companies, tech entrepreneurs and digital startups. Yet, it's also home to nearly 900 million people who do not have access to the internet.
In 2015, only 22% of adults in India had access to the Internet, according to the Pew Research Center. That ranks India far behind other large, developing countries like China and Brazil, where adult internet access rates are at 65% and 60% respectively.
To find out why so many Indians lack an Internet connection, the Centre for Communication and Development Studies (CCDS) recently conducted a study in Pune, a manufacturing and IT hub that is home to more than 3 million people.
Here are four problems identified by the researchers:
Infrastructure
India simply lacks the routers, fiber optic links and servers needed to expand access. Few public Wi-Fi spots exist, and broadband connections with faster speeds require infrastructure that is rarely found in urban low-income areas, much less rural ones.
Mobile Internet connections aren't much better.
"Across India, the connections are patchy," said Nilotpal Chakravarti, a spokesman for Internet and Mobile Association of India. "3G normally works at the speed of 2G."
Related: India's big move into solar is already paying off
Users often find gaps in network coverage depending on their location.
Those who live in slums, for example, "often have to trek down the hill [and] come down to the main road to access the network," said Hutokshi Doctor, director of the CCDS.
Gender
There is a large gender gap among India's internet users. While 27% of India's men use the internet, only 17% of India's women do, according to Pew.
The CCDS researchers found a wide range of gender issues related to Internet access. Many women are expected to stay at home, and do not have control over their own finances. When women are able to use the Internet, they are often closely monitored by male family members.
One woman interviewed as part of the CCDS study said that people in her neighborhood don't like to see girls using mobile phones because it "does not look good."
"People in our settlement have certain views about girls and the community thinks that if girls are on the mobile, they are not conforming to community culture."
Related: How jewelry is keeping women in India safe
As a result, many women rely on male relatives who have smartphones for access.
"There's this conception that the internet is an unsafe space for women, simply because they will be led astray and exploited," Doctor said.
Affordability
Being able to afford an Internet-connected device can be tough in a country where 75% of the population earns less than 5000 rupees ($74 dollars) per month.
Some users get around this barrier by purchasing secondhand smartphones, which are generally cheaper, Doctor said. However, less expensive devices come with less memory and comprehensive data plans are still difficult for many people to afford.
"They're 18 rupee-packages, 5-rupees packages," she said. "You can imagine the kind of data transfer that's available."
At these lower levels, it's hard to stream videos or audio.
Awareness
Surveys suggest many Indians lack a basic understanding of the Internet.
According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India, about a fifth of respondents who lived in urban areas and three quarters of rural residents said they didn't know about the internet and therefore did not use it.
Doctor says that Internet usage and access is related to education. "You learn how to use the Internet from your peers," she said. "If your friends are only accessing Facebook, YouTube and Whatsapp, then that's where you'll stay." |
Introduction {#sec1}
============
Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are spherical entities with a diameter in the range 1--100 μm, which have attracted a growing interest for a large variety of biological and chemical applications.^[@ref1]−[@ref3]^ GUVs made of lipids can be used as biomimetic cell-sized reactors^[@ref4]−[@ref7]^ or model membrane systems.^[@ref8]−[@ref12]^ In the latter case, multicomponent lipid membranes are particularly interesting for their similarity with biological membranes.^[@ref13]−[@ref19]^ Since GUVs are large enough to allow direct microscopic observation of the membrane behavior, investigations have been carried out on morphological dynamics in response to various stimuli, such as temperature,^[@ref20]^ chemical reaction,^[@ref21]^ osmotic stress,^[@ref22]−[@ref25]^ addition of detergent,^[@ref23],[@ref26]^ and magnetic field.^[@ref27]^ Light represents another particularly interesting stimulus as it offers high spatiotemporal resolution, excitation tunability, and contactless perturbation. The response of vesicles to light stimulation in the presence of various kinds of photosensitive molecules has been studied in the past few years, but it has been mainly limited to nonlipidic vesicles. For instance, in the case of catanionic small unilamellar vesicles (SUV), light has been used to trigger the disruption and the reformation of SUVs using a cationic^[@ref28]−[@ref30]^ or an anionic^[@ref31]^ photosensitive surfactant. The light-induced disruption of GUVs containing a cationic photosensitive gemini surfactant^[@ref32],[@ref33]^ as well as of polymerosomes made of photosensitive diblock copolymers has also been reported.^[@ref34],[@ref35]^ In contrast, few studies have been devoted to the interaction between light and vesicles with a lipid membrane. In the case of SUVs, wavelength-dependent structures using photoisomerizable lipids^[@ref36]−[@ref39]^ and light-induced permeation using photosentive surfactants^[@ref40],[@ref41]^ or a photoreticulable lipid^[@ref42]^ have been demonstrated. In the case of GUVs made of phospholipids, light-induced shape transitions in the presence of pyrene,^[@ref43]^ deformations,^[@ref44]−[@ref46]^ and membrane phase separation^[@ref47]^ in vesicles containing a high concentration (≈40 mol %) of a photosensitive bolaphile in the membrane or permeability variations in the presence of a photosensitive amphiphilic polymer^[@ref48]^ have been reported. In this article, we report for the first time the effect of light applied on GUVs solely composed of natural lipids \[dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol (Chol)\] in the presence of a photosensitive azobenzene surfactant (AzoTAB) added to the outer medium of vesicles. We found that a short UV stimulation (365 nm for 1 s) induces immediate bursting of GUVs. We studied the effect of cholesterol content, wavelength of illumination, and AzoTAB concentration on the yield of bursting. We also applied local light stimulation for selective destruction of target individual GUVs among others.
Results {#sec2}
=======
Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"} shows our experimental system. We used an azobenzene trimethylammonium bromide surfactant (AzoTAB) as a photosensitive surfactant. Under dark conditions, AzoTAB is mainly in the trans configuration, which has a linear and apolar hydrophobic tail. Upon UV illumination (365 nm) *trans*-AzoTAB photoisomerizes into cis configuration, which has a bent and more polar tail. *cis*-AzoTAB is stable and can be kept under dark conditions for several hours.^[@ref49]^ The system is reversible, and *cis*-AzoTAB isomerizes back to trans configuration upon blue light (475 nm) illumination (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}A). AzoTAB has been mainly used for the photocontrol of surface tension,^[@ref50],[@ref51]^ DNA conformation,^[@ref49],[@ref52],[@ref53]^ and gene expression systems.^[@ref54]−[@ref56]^ Here, we investigated how light affected the behavior of lipid GUVs in the presence of AzoTAB. For all experiments the GUV membrane was composed of an equimolar mixture of DOPC and DPPC and different fractions of Chol, which is a standard composition for a multicomponent model membrane system.^[@ref16]^ At room temperature, in the absence of cholesterol, DPPC is in the gel phase and forms solid domains, as shown in Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}B (left), where rhodamine-DPPE (red) and perylene (blue) are both excluded from the noncircular, solid domains. In the presence of cholesterol (\[Chol\] ≥ 10 mol %), the membrane separates into two phases: a DPPC- and Chol-rich liquid-ordered (L~o~) phase and a DOPC-rich liquid-disordered (L~d~) phase, as shown in Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}B (right), where rhodamine-DPPE (red) and perylene (blue) are localized in L~d~ and L~o~ phases, respectively.^[@ref15]^ GUVs were prepared by electroformation in a 0.1 M sucrose solution. After electroformation, GUVs were mixed with an AzoTAB solution in glucose having the same osmolarity as that of the sucrose solution. After 2 h of sedimentation due to weight density difference between sucrose and glucose, most of vesicles were collected at the bottom of a chamber and observed by phase contrast microscopy, before and after illumination by UV (365 nm) or blue (475 nm) light for 1 s (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}C).
![Light stimulation of multicomponent giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) in the presence of AzoTAB photosensitive surfactant. (A) Molecular structure and photoisomerization of AzoTAB. Upon UV illumination at λ = 365 nm, AzoTAB isomerizes to cis configuration, resulting in a more polar and bent tail. The process is reversible upon visible light illumination at λ = 475 nm, resulting in the isomerization into trans configuration. (B) Confocal microscopy images of GUVs made of 1:1 DOPC/DPPC with \[Chol\] = 0 and 10 mol % (left and right, respectively). Domains in liquid-disordered (L~d~) and liquid-ordered (L~o~) phase are labeled in red using rhodamine-DPPE (2 mol %) and blue using perylene (0.5 mol %), respectively. Dark regions in the left picture indicate a solid phase where both dyes are fully excluded. Scale bars are 10 μm. (C) A suspension of GUVs in sucrose is mixed with an AzoTAB solution in glucose having the same osmolarity. After 2 h of sedimentation, GUVs are observed and illuminated by UV (365 nm) or blue (475 nm) light for 1 s using an inverted microscope.](ja-2011-11664f_0009){#fig1}
We first observed that the application of UV on GUVs in the presence of AzoTAB resulted in the bursting of a significant fraction of GUVs (Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}A and movie S1, [Supporting Information](#notes-1)). Time lapse observations of individual bursting events showed that bursting typically occurs within a few hundreds of milliseconds (Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}B). To our knowledge, this is the first time that UV-induced bursting of GUVs solely composed of lipids is reported.
{#fig2}
We then systematically measured the bursting rate, *Y*~burst~, defined as the percentage of GUVs that were destroyed by UV illumination (365 nm for 1 s). Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows *Y*~burst~ as function of cholesterol fraction in the membrane (\[Chol\]) and AzoTAB concentration in the outer medium of vesicles (\[AzoTAB\]). Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows that regardless of cholesterol content, AzoTAB has a strong influence on the yield of bursting. Without AzoTAB, most of vesicles remain intact after UV illumination (*Y*~burst~ ≤ 3%). In contrast, in the presence of AzoTAB, a significant fraction of vesicles burst upon UV illumination, and *Y*~burst~ increases with an increase in \[AzoTAB\]. This shows that under our experimental conditions, AzoTAB is needed for UV-induced bursting. Notably, Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows also a non-monotonous behavior as a function of cholesterol content. Regardless of \[AzoTAB\] ≥ 0.25 mM, *Y*~burst~ shows a marked drop when \[Chol\] increases from 0 to 10 mol % and then increases when \[Chol\] increases from 10 to 40 mol %. All these results show that the presence of both AzoTAB and membrane composition have a role in the extent of bursting upon UV illumination. The maximum bursting rate is 53%, which is obtained for \[AzoTAB\] = 1 mM and \[Chol\] = 40 mol %.
{#fig3}
Discussion {#sec3}
==========
We showed that AzoTAB had a critical role in both occurrence and extent of UV-induced bursting. To correlate this effect with the isomerization properties of AzoTAB, we studied the effect of AzoTAB configuration (cis or trans) and isomerization (cis--trans or trans--cis) on illumination-induced bursting under conditions where maximal bursting rate was observed (\[AzoTAB\] 1 mM, \[Chol\] = 40 mol %). First, AzoTAB solution was exposed to UV to get *cis*-AzoTAB in solution prior to addition to GUVs in the dark. When UV (365 nm for 1 s) was applied, AzoTAB remained in the cis configuration, and no bursting was observed (Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}A, left and middle). This shows that UV illumination by itself does not induce GUV bursting. When blue light (475 nm for 1 s) was applied on the same sample, *cis*-AzoTAB isomerized to trans configuration, and no bursting was observed (Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}A, middle and right). This shows that cis--trans isomerization is not responsible of bursting. We then added *trans*-AzoTAB solution to a new GUV solution. When blue light was applied, AzoTAB remained in trans configuration, and no bursting was observed (Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}B, left and middle). This shows that illumination-induced bursting in the presence of AzoTAB is dependent on wavelength illumination and is not due to a thermal effect. When UV was applied on this sample, *trans*-AzoTAB isomerized to cis configuration, and the usual UV-induced bursting was observed (Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}B, middle and right). All these results show that both the presence of *trans*-AzoTAB in the initial solution and UV-induced trans--cis isomerization are necessary to observe UV-induced bursting.
![Effect of UV and blue light illumination in the presence of *cis*- or *trans*-AzoTAB. Phase contrast microscopy images of GUVs before and after UV (365 nm for 1 s) or blue (475 nm for 1 s) illumination initially in the presence of (A) *cis*-AzoTAB or (B) *trans*-AzoTAB. GUVs are made of 1:1 DOPC/DPPC and 40 mol % cholesterol, with \[AzoTAB\] = 1 mM. Scale bars are 200 μm.](ja-2011-11664f_0002){#fig4}
The role of the configuration of AzoTAB (trans or cis) might be attributed to different affinities for the GUV membrane between trans and cis isomers. To assess the insertion of AzoTAB in GUV membrane and compare the affinities between trans and cis isomers, we performed UV--vis spectroscopy measurements on GUVs prepared under the conditions of maximal bursting (\[AzoTAB\] = 1 mM and \[Chol\] = 40 mol %). GUVs were first incubated with AzoTAB (1 mM), then concentrated by centrifugation, washed with glucose to remove most of AzoTAB from the bulk solution, and concentrated again by centrifugation (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}A). Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}B,C shows the UV--vis spectra for *trans*- and *cis*-AzoTAB, respectively. Both isomers have spectra similar to those measured in pure water^[@ref53]^ with a characteristic maximum at 354 nm for trans and 319 and 430 nm for cis. The absorbance values for the lower phase in the absence of GUVs and for the upper phase are very similar and approximately correspond to the remaining amount of AzoTAB in the outer medium of GUVs after washing. Interestingly, in the case of *trans*-AzoTAB (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}B), the lower phase in the presence of GUVs shows a significantly higher absorption, which shows that GUV membranes have accumulated *trans*-AzoTAB during incubation. Moreover, UV application on this sample induces the isomerization from trans to cis isomer (Figure S1, [Supporting Information](#notes-1)), which shows that, under our experimental conditions, UV-induced isomerization occurs in the membrane. A very different situation is observed with *cis*-AzoTAB (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}C), where the absorption of the lower phase in the presence of GUVs is very similar to the control experiments (lower phase in the absence of GUV and upper phase with GUVs). This shows that we could not detect any significant accumulation of *cis*-AzoTAB in GUV membranes. The different affinities for membranes between *trans*- and *cis*-AzoTAB can be explained as follows. The tail of *trans*-AzoTAB is apolar and more hydrophobic than that of *cis*-AzoTAB (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}A), which is confirmed by critical micellar concentrations (CMC) measurements (CMC = 12.6 and 14.6 mM for trans and cis isomers, respectively).^[@ref53]^ Moreover, *trans*-AzoTAB has a linear tail, while *cis*-AzoTAB has a bent configuration. As a result, *trans*-AzoTAB is more prone to insert in the hydrophobic bilayered membrane of GUVs. If *cis*-AzoTAB has no or few interaction with the GUV membrane, UV or visible light illumination has almost no effect on GUVs initially in the presence of *cis*-AzoTAB (Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}A). In contrast, *trans*-AzoTAB is hydrophobic enough to insert in GUV membrane without disrupting it. Consequently, blue light has no effect (no isomerization), but UV induces a trans to cis isomerization of all AzoTAB molecules, including those inserted in the membrane (Figure S1, [Supporting Information](#notes-1)). The isomerization of AzoTAB inside GUV membrane may disturb the organization of phospholipid to an extent that is sufficient to induce membrane rupture and vesicle bursting (Figures [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"},[3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"},[4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}B).
{#fig5}
Since the perturbation of the phospholipid organization seems to be responsible for the GUV bursting, it is interesting to see how this effect is affected by the membrane composition. In our experiments, we kept an equimolar ratio of DOPC/DPPC and varied the fraction of cholesterol from 0 to 40 mol %. Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows that cholesterol fraction has a dramatic effect on the bursting rate. In the absence of cholesterol, DPPC is in the gel phase and forms solid domains (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}B, left). In contrast, in the presence of a small fraction of cholesterol (\[Chol\] = 10 mol %), there is no solid domain anymore, and the GUV membrane shows two coexisting liquid phases: a DPPC- and Chol-rich L~o~ phase that is shown in blue, and a DOPC-rich L~d~ phase that is shown in red (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}B, right), which is in agreement with previous reports on DOPC/DPPC/Chol systems.^[@ref14],[@ref16],[@ref57]^ Interestingly, this transition in DPPC-rich phase from gel phase to L~o~ phase is accompanied by a sharp drop in bursting rate (Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}). For instance, when \[Chol\] increases from 0 to 10 mol %, *Y*~burst~ drops from 30% and 45% to 11% and 21% for \[AzoTAB\] = 0.5 mM and 1 mM, respectively. Saturated lipids, such as DPPC, in gel phase are known to have a high area compressibility modulus (*K*~A~ ≈ 800 mN·m^--1^),^[@ref58]^ while for DOPC in a liquid phase *K*~A~ ≈ 250 mN·m^--1^.^[@ref59]^ The presence of a small amount of cholesterol disrupts the long-range lateral order of DPPC lipids in solid domains, which fluidizes the membrane and induces a decrease in *K*~A~ (*K*~A~ ≈ 400 mN·m^--1^ for DPPC vesicles with \[Chol\] ≤ 15 mol %).^[@ref60]^ We can thus suggest that, in response to AzoTAB isomerization, phospholipids present in a liquid-state membrane, that is, in the presence of a small amount of cholesterol, reorganize more easily than when solid domains exist. As a result, GUVs are more prone to UV-induced bursting when the membrane does not contain cholesterol, that is, when solid domains exist. In the presence of cholesterol, the opposite trend is observed. The bursting rate increases with an increase in cholesterol content (Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}). To better understand this effect, we observed a large number of GUVs by confocal microscopy (Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}A) and estimated the area fraction of L~o~ phase (Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}B) as a function of \[Chol\]. Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}A,B shows that the area fraction of L~o~ phase increases from 38 ± 6% to 57 ± 2% when \[Chol\] increases from 10 to 40 mol %, which is in agreement with former reports.^[@ref14],[@ref16],[@ref57]^ It is thus interesting to correlate the bursting yield with the fraction of L~o~ phase. Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}C shows that almost no bursting occurs in the absence of AzoTAB, which confirms that AzoTAB is needed for bursting to occur. For a given fraction in L~o~ phase, *Y*~burst~ increases with an increase in AzoTAB concentration. Phospholipids have to reorganize in response to the UV-induced isomerization of AzoTAB, and the increase in *Y*~burst~ with \[AzoTAB\] can be attributed to a higher perturbation when AzoTAB concentration increases. Interestingly, Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}C also shows that in the presence of AzoTAB, the bursting yield increases with an increase in fraction of L~o~ phase, regardless of AzoTAB concentration. This effect can be attributed to the lower fluidity of the L~o~ phase (*K*~A~ ≈ 1100--1300 mN·m^--1^ for DPPC vesicles with \[Chol\] = 20--40 mol %)^[@ref60]^ compared to the L~d~ phase (*K*~A~ ≈ 250 mN·m^--1^ for pure DOPC).^[@ref59]^ Phospholipids reorganization in response to the UV-induced isomerization of AzoTAB is probably facilitated when the membrane is more fluid, that is, in the presence of a low fraction of L~o~ phase. This could explain the increase in *Y*~burst~ with an increase in area fraction of L~o~ phase.
{#fig6}
Figure [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"} summarizes the possible mechanism explaining UV-induced bursting in the presence of *trans*-AzoTAB and its dependence on cholesterol fraction; *cis*-AzoTAB, which is less hydrophobic than *trans*-AzoTAB, does not insert in the GUV membrane, and blue light illumination does not induce any bursting (Figure [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}A). In contrast, *trans*-AzoTAB is hydrophobic enough to insert in the membrane. When UV light is applied, trans--cis isomerization disturbs the lipid organization, which results in GUV bursting when the membrane is not fluid enough to reorganize, that is, in the presence of solid domains (\[Chol\] = 0) or when a high fraction of L~o~ phase is present in the membrane (high cholesterol concentration) (Figure [7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}B).
{#fig7}
Since UV-induced bursting is related to the local isomerization of AzoTAB in the GUV membrane, we studied the response to the selective illumination of individual target GUVs among others. To this end, UV illumination was performed through a high-magnification objective lens (100× ) to get an illumination area of about 300 μm in diameter. The illumination was applied on a highly diluted suspension of GUVs (10× more diluted than in former experiments) so that the illumination area affects no more than one target GUV. Figure [8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"} shows typical observations for GUVs composed of 40 mol % of cholesterol, which are the most sensitive to UV illumination, according to Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}, exposed one by one to a single UV illumination pulse (365 nm for 1 s). The first UV pulse was applied to GUV "number 1", which resulted in the specific bursting of the target GUV while other GUVs in the observation field remained intact. The same operation was repeated successively to GUV "numbers 2 and 3" and resulted each time in the selective bursting of the target vesicle. To our knowledge, this is the first time that controlled bursting of target individual GUVs among others is reported. Our light stimulation thus enables both a fast response and a good spatial resolution.
{#fig8}
Conclusion {#sec4}
==========
We have reported for the first time the use of UV light to induce the bursting of multicomponent GUVs. This was achieved with GUVs composed of 1:1 DOPC/DPPC and various fractions of cholesterol in the presence of AzoTAB photosensitive surfactant. We found that bursting was particularly efficient in the absence of cholesterol or with high cholesterol concentration. This non-monotonous cholesterol effect was attributed to the role of membrane fluidity, which modulates the ability of phospholipids to reorganize in response to AzoTAB isomerization after the UV light stimulus. The UV-induced response was demonstrated to be fast (less than 1 s) and spatially resolved, which allowed us to control for the first time the bursting of individual target GUVs among others. In the future, these results could be applied to locally probe biomembrane fluidity using light. It can also be useful for the light-triggered release of solutes from artificial cell systems.
Materials and methods, Figure S1, movie S1, and movie legend. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at <http://pubs.acs.org>.
Supplementary Material
======================
######
ja211664f_si_001.pdf
######
ja211664f_si_002.mpg
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007 2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 258782 and from Institut Universitaire de France.
|
164 P.3d 353 (2007)
2007 UT 39
Robert E. WILCOX, Utah Insurance Commissioner, as Liquidator of Southern American Insurance Company, Plaintiff and Appellee,
v.
ANCHOR WATE CO., Permanent Concrete, Inc., and Lafarge Corporation, Defendants and Appellants.
No. 20050324.
Supreme Court of Utah.
May 11, 2007.
Rehearing Denied May 9, 2007.
*355 Craig Carlile, Brent D. Wride, Elaine A. Monson, Salt Lake City, for plaintiff.
Cass C. Butler, Mark L. Callister, Salt Lake City, for defendants.
AMENDED OPINION
PARRISH, Justice:
¶ 1 Plaintiff Robert Wilcox ("Liquidator"), as liquidator for the Utah Insurance Department, brought this action against defendants Anchor Wate Company and its related companies ("Anchor Wate" or the "insured"), alleging that $3.5 million in payments that Anchor Wate had received from Southern American Insurance Company ("SAIC" or the "insurer") constitute voidable preferences under the Utah Insurers Rehabilitation and Liquidation Act (the "Act").[1] Anchor Wate received the payments pursuant to an insurance policy it purchased from SAIC, and various reinsurers indemnified SAIC for the payments.
¶ 2 The district court granted the Liquidator's motion for summary judgment, ordering Anchor Wate to return the payments to the estate and awarding prejudgment interest at a rate of 10% per annum. On appeal, Anchor Wate contends that the district court erred in concluding that the payments made to Anchor Wate were voidable preferences. Anchor Wate further contends that the district court erred in awarding prejudgment interest at the 10% rate specified in Utah *356 Code section 15-5-1 (2001). We affirm the district court's conclusion that SAIC's payments to Anchor Wate constituted voidable preferences, but reverse its ruling regarding the applicable prejudgment interest rate.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
¶ 3 In 1985, Anchor Wate purchased a $5 million commercial liability insurance policy from SAIC. Several years prior to issuing the Anchor Wate policy, SAIC had purchased three separate reinsurance policies requiring the reinsurers to reimburse SAIC for losses covered by the respective policies.[2]
¶ 4 In September 1989, All American Pipeline Company ("All American") filed a lawsuit against Anchor Wate. Anchor Wate tendered the defense of the suit to SAIC, and SAIC notified the reinsurers. In July 1991, Anchor Wate filed suit against SAIC, seeking damages for SAIC's alleged bad faith refusal to defend and settle the All American lawsuit. SAIC supervisor Rex Hess notified the reinsurers of this action and provided them with a legal analysis prepared by SAIC's outside counsel advising that SAIC tender the policy limits to Anchor Wate. There is some evidence that the reinsurers, particularly Skandia, approved of this tender.
¶ 5 SAIC indicated its intent to tender its $5 million policy limits to Anchor Wate on July 31, 1991, and faxed the proposed tender letter to its reinsurers six days later. On October 30, 1991, SAIC faxed cash calls to its reinsurers indicating that the purpose of the request was to fund the All American claim. The next day, reinsurer Skandia issued SAIC two checks totaling approximately $4.5 million. The checks listed Anchor Wate and Permanent Concrete as "ceding compan[ies]" and referred to All American claim No. 900147. Reinsurer National issued a check in the approximate amount of $122,000 on November 7, 1991, which similarly indicated that it was for the "Permanent Concrete & Anchor Clm # 900147."
¶ 6 SAIC deposited these funds into its general operating account at Zion's Bank. Pursuant to standard practice, all but $15,000 was swept out of this account and into another SAIC account. On December 9, 1991, SAIC delivered a $3 million check to Anchor Wate. Approximately a week later, SAIC and Anchor Wate executed a "Release and Indemnity Agreement" ("Release"), memorializing their prior agreement that SAIC would pay Anchor Wate its $5 million policy limit in return for a release of claims against SAIC and any connected third parties, including SAIC's reinsurers. SAIC and Anchor Wate subsequently modified their agreement to allow SAIC to pay the remaining $2 million in four equal installments of $500,000 each. On March 12, 1992, SAIC wired the first $500,000 installment to Anchor Wate from an account at Valley Bank.
¶ 7 On March 26, 1992, the Utah Insurance Department placed SAIC into involuntary liquidation, and Anchor Wate filed a proof of claim for the $1.5 million it was owed under the settlement agreement. In November 1992, Anchor Wate forwarded to All American the $3.5 million that it had received from SAIC. Some sixteen months later, the Liquidator filed a preference action against Anchor Wate, seeking to recover as a voidable preference the $3.5 million that Anchor Wate had received from SAIC.
¶ 8 Following written discovery, Anchor Wate moved for summary judgment, arguing that the $3.5 million it had received from SAIC did not constitute a voidable preference under section 31A-27-321 of the Liquidation Act. The Liquidator filed a cross-motion for summary judgment, contending that the payments did constitute a preference and that he was entitled to interest.
¶ 9 On April 17, 2003, the district court denied Anchor Wate's motion for summary judgment and granted the Liquidator's. It thereafter entered judgment against Anchor Wate in the amount of $3.5 million, plus prejudgment interest at 10% and postjudgment *357 interest at 3.41%. Anchor Wate sought to amend the judgment pursuant to rule 59 of the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure, arguing that the prejudgment interest rate applied by the district court was erroneously high and that its accrual should be tolled due to the Liquidator's delay. The district court rejected Anchor Wate's challenge to the interest rate, but granted a trial on the question of accrual. The parties subsequently entered into a stipulated agreement resolving the accrual issue. Anchor Wate timely appealed, and we have jurisdiction pursuant to Utah Code section 78-2-2(3)(j) (2002).
ANALYSIS
¶ 10 We review the district court's entry of summary judgment for correctness.[3] We recognize that "[s]ummary judgment is appropriate only when there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law."[4] Having set forth the applicable standard of review, we proceed to the substantive issues. We begin by examining whether the district court erred in determining that the Liquidator had established the elements of a voidable preference, enabling it to recover the $3.5 million that Anchor Wate had received from SAIC. Concluding that the district court appropriately granted summary judgment in favor of the Liquidator, we then consider whether the district court applied the correct rate of prejudgment interest. We hold that it did not and therefore remand for application of the appropriate rate.
I. UTAH CODE SECTION 31A-27-321
¶ 11 We begin by considering whether SAIC's payments to Anchor Wate constitute voidable preferences under the Liquidation Act.[5] When interpreting the voidable preference provisions of the Liquidation Act, we previously have stated that Utah courts may look for guidance to federal bankruptcy law and its interpreting precedent.[6] This is so because federal bankruptcy law and the voidable preference provisions of the Liquidation Act share the common purpose of effectuating "proportionate distribution of the debtor's assets among its creditors," thereby preventing "a transfer to one creditor that would diminish the estate of the debtor that otherwise would be available for distribution to all."[7]
¶ 12 To establish a voidable preference under the Liquidation Act, there must be
a transfer of any of the property of an insurer to or for the benefit of a creditor, for or on account of an antecedent debt, made or allowed by the insurer within one year before the filing of a successful petition for rehabilitation or liquidation . . ., the effect of which transfer may enable the creditor to obtain a greater percentage of his debt than another creditor of the same class would receive.[8]
¶ 13 The only two of these elements in dispute are whether there was a transfer of SAIC's property and whether this transfer enabled Anchor Wate to receive a greater percentage of its debt than other SAIC creditors of the same class. We therefore confine our analysis to these issues.
A. Transfer of the Insurer's Property
¶ 14 Courts generally construe the transfer of property requirement broadly so that "all legal or equitable interests" are considered property of the debtor's estate.[9] Accordingly, funds paid by SAIC to Anchor Wate would be considered property of SAIC's estate unless Anchor Wate had a direct interest in the proceeds at the time SAIC received them from the reinsurers. *358 For the reasons detailed below, we find that neither the reinsurance agreements nor any theory Anchor Wate advances establishes such an interest; therefore, the district court correctly determined that the reinsurance proceeds were part of SAIC's estate.
¶ 15 As a general matter, an insured has no legal interest in reinsurance proceeds.[10] Such a rule is consistent with the purpose of reinsurance contracts, which is to indemnify the insurer for any loss the insurer experiences, not to protect the insured.[11] Indeed, "if the insurer chooses to purchase reinsurance protection, it does so for its benefit alone."[12] The reinsurance contract is not tied to the contract between the insurer and its insured; it is a completely separate and unrelated transaction. In fact, the original insured is seldom aware of the existence of the reinsurer.[13]
¶ 16 This general rule does not apply when a reinsurer has agreed to give an original insured a direct claim to the proceeds of a reinsurance policy.[14] But any such agreement must explicitly give the insured such an interest. Such agreements may state that the reinsurer itself "takes charge of and manages the defense of suits against the original insured" or in some other way provide that the original insured directly benefits from the reinsurance contract.[15] Absent such a provision, a reinsurer has no liability to the original insured.[16]
¶ 17 In this case, there is no agreement giving Anchor Wate any direct claim to the reinsurance proceeds or any cause of action against the reinsurers. The only parties to the reinsurance agreements are the reinsurers and SAIC, and those agreements clearly describe their purpose as indemnifying SAIC. Indeed, they explicitly specify that SAIC's insureds have no rights under these agreements.
¶ 18 Both the Net Retained Lines Reinsurance Agreement and the Quota Share and Excess of Loss Reinsurance Agreement provide that "[t]his Agreement is to indemnify the Reinsured." The Casualty Agreement similarly provides that "[t]his Agreement is solely between the Company [SAIC] and the Reinsurer. . . . In no instance shall any insured of [SAIC], or any claimant against an insured of [SAIC], have any rights under this Agreement."
¶ 19 The Net Retained Lines Reinsurance Agreement also specifically addresses the potential insolvency of SAIC. It states, "Nor shall anything in this insolvency clause in any manner create any obligations or establish any rights against the Reinsurer in favor of any third parties or any persons not parties to this Agreement." Rather, in the event of insolvency, any money owed under the agreement shall be paid "directly to the Reinsured or its liquidator." Language such as this is the basis on which other courts have concluded that a third-party original insured has no interest in the proceeds from a reinsurance policy.[17] Such provisions, bolstered by the fact that SAIC entered into the reinsurance agreements years prior to insuring Anchor *359 Wate, demonstrate that the reinsurance proceeds were the property of SAIC and therefore subject to the preference statute.
¶ 20 Despite this contractual language, Anchor Wate argues that the proceeds never became part of SAIC's estate because SAIC did not have the "right to disburse funds to whomever it wished."[18] To support this assertion, Anchor Wate points to correspondence between SAIC and its reinsurers suggesting that the reinsurance payments would go toward paying the Anchor Wate claim. It further contends that it was in the reinsurers' best interests to tender the policy amounts because, under at least one of the reinsurance agreements, the reinsurers' liability to SAIC "include[d] any judgment rendered against an original insured which is in excess of the limits provided by the Reinsured's policy and for which the Reinsured is held liable as a result of alleged or actual bad faith . . . in the duty to defend." Anchor Wate also relies on the release it signed in which it released not only SAIC, but also its "reinsurers." Because the reinsurers believed that SAIC would use the reinsurance proceeds to pay Anchor Wate, Anchor Wate argues that the proceeds were never the property of SAIC and were therefore not subject to the Liquidator's preference action.
¶ 21 Even assuming a belief on the part of the reinsurers that the reinsurance proceeds would go toward the Anchor Wate claim, there is still no evidence suggesting that Anchor Wate had a direct claim to the reinsurance proceeds. Indeed, Anchor Wate concedes that it "did not have the right to demand payment directly from the reinsurers." The reinsurers' only responsibility was to indemnify SAIC for its losses. Once they fulfilled this responsibility, they were not required to ensure that SAIC distributed the funds to Anchor Wate and were not subject to bad faith exposure if SAIC failed to do so. And the Release purporting to absolve the reinsurers from any liability to Anchor Wate, to which the reinsurers were not party, does not establish that Anchor Wate ever had any basis for asserting a claim against the reinsurers in the first place. Because Anchor Wate has not established any facts indicating that Anchor Wate had any direct claim against the reinsurers, the district court properly concluded that the reinsurance proceeds were the property of SAIC.
¶ 22 Anchor Wate urges us to avoid this conclusion by adopting any one of three theories pursuant to which courts have declined to apply voidable preference statutes. We examine and reject each of these theories, concluding that the absence of any agreement giving Anchor Wate a direct claim to the reinsurance proceeds is dispositive.
1. In re Edgeworth
¶ 23 Relying on In re Edgeworth,[19] a Fifth Circuit case involving the proceeds of a malpractice liability insurance policy, Anchor Wate argues that the proceeds of the reinsurance contracts never became the property of SAIC. Because the proceeds of many liability policies are "payable only for the benefit of those harmed by the debtor under the terms of the insurance contract," the Edgeworth court reasoned that the debtor does not have "a cognizable interest in the proceeds" and, therefore, the proceeds do not become part of the debtor's estate.[20]
¶ 24 We decline to apply Edgeworth's rationale here because we disagree with its premise. Rather, we align ourselves with those courts holding that the proceeds of insurance policies are part of the property of the debtor's estate.[21] Indeed, subsequent cases from the Fifth Circuit have characterized Edgeworth as an outlier to this general line of jurisprudence.[22]
¶ 25 Moreover, were we inclined to agree with Edgeworth's reasoning, it simply does not apply here. In concluding that the insurance proceeds at issue never became part of the debtor's estate, the Edgeworth court relied on the fact that the policy at issue was a *360 liability policy. In Edgeworth, the proceeds were "made payable" to a third party; the debtor was not a beneficiary of the policy and had no "cognizable interest" in it.[23] Neither of these facts is present in this case, which involves an indemnity policy that does give the debtor an interest in the proceeds and, in fact, specifically disclaims any interest in the original insured.
2. The Earmarking Doctrine
¶ 26 Anchor Wate also urges us to hold that the reinsurance proceeds did not become part of SAIC's estate because the funds were "earmarked" for Anchor Wate. "Earmarking is a judicially-created doctrine said to apply when a new creditor pays a debtor's existing debt to an old creditor."[24] Funds are "earmarked" and therefore not part of the debtor's estate where there is
(1) the existence of an agreement between the new lender and the debtor that the funds will be used to pay a specified antecedent debt [to a specific creditor],
(2) performance of the agreement according to its terms, and
(3) the transaction viewed as a whole (including the transfer in of the new funds and the transfer out to the old creditor) does not result in any diminution of the estate.[25]
Some courts also examine the amount of control the debtor exercised over the funds or whether "the estate was diminished by the transfer."[26]
¶ 27 We decline to apply the earmarking doctrine here because it was never intended to apply to reinsurance cases. And in any event, we conclude that Anchor Wate cannot establish the elements of an earmarking claim.
¶ 28 Application of the earmarking doctrine in recent decisions has generally been restricted to loan cases where "a third party lends money to the debtor for the specific purpose of paying a selected creditor."[27] Historically, the doctrine's use was even more limited; courts used it when a "new creditor, who was obligated on an existing debt as a guarantor or surety, provided the debtor with funds to pay the creditor."[28] The doctrine is restrictive because it was created for the very limited purpose of protecting the guarantor or codebtor who "would be subject to double liability" should its transfer to the debtor be considered a voidable preference.[29]
¶ 29 The earmarking doctrine was later expanded to cover situations where "the new creditor is not a guarantor but merely loans funds to the debtor for the purpose of enabling the debtor to pay the old creditor."[30] But such an expansion was justified because a third-party loan does not diminish the estateit merely substitutes creditors.[31] This same rationale does not apply in reinsurance situations. Expanding the earmarking doctrine to such situations would not only divorce this doctrine from the historical policies justifying its existence, it would create a situation where the debtor's payment to its original insured would directly diminish the amount of the debtor's estate available for *361 other creditors.[32] At least one court has warned that "`[e]xtension of the earmarking doctrine beyond the guarantor situation is both unwise and unwarranted, and would inevitably result in an inequitable treatment of creditors.'"[33]
¶ 30 The purpose of the Liquidation Act is to equitably distribute funds among creditors. We conclude that it would be inconsistent with both this statutory purpose and the broad scope of the statutory language to expand the scope of the earmarking doctrine.[34]
¶ 31 Policy arguments aside, we also decline to apply the earmarking doctrine here because Anchor Wate cannot establish the required elements. As has been previously explained, the reinsurers and SAIC did not specifically agree that the reinsurance proceeds would be targeted to pay only the Anchor Wate claim. Rather, the reinsurance agreements provided that third parties, such as Anchor Wate, would have no right under them. And because there was no agreement giving Anchor Wate any claim to the reinsurance proceeds, there could have been no performance of such an agreement. Finally, as discussed below, Anchor Wate cannot establish that the transfer would not result in a diminution of the debtor's estate because the money that SAIC received would have otherwise been available for distribution to all of its creditors.
¶ 32 Anchor Wate similarly cannot establish an earmarking claim under the control test. Under the control test, funds can be earmarked only if the debtor has exercised no control over them.[35] In determining whether a debtor or an insurer has control of funds, "courts typically consider whether the new creditor restricted the use of the funds, whether the debtor had physical control over the funds, and whether the debtor had the ability to direct to whom the funds should be paid."[36] Although physical possession alone may not necessarily demonstrate the right to control,[37] at least one court has found that a debtor did control funds where they were deposited into the debtor's general checking account and not put into an identifiable, segregated trust account.[38]
¶ 33 In this case, SAIC deposited the reinsurance funds into its general account where, in the ordinary course of business, they were swept into another account and commingled with other funds. This demonstrates that SAIC "had the right to disburse the funds to whomever it wished."[39] And even though there is evidence that the reinsurers expected the funds to be used to pay the Anchor Wate claim, there is no evidence suggesting that the reinsurers advanced these funds only "on the condition" that Anchor Wate be paid.[40] Rather, Anchor Wate had no rights under the reinsurance contracts because they provided that any funds disbursed thereunder were intended to indemnify SAIC. SAIC therefore had complete control over the funds, preventing application of the earmarking doctrine.
3. Constructive Trust
¶ 34 Anchor Wate next asserts that the reinsurance proceeds were never the property of SAIC because SAIC was merely holding them in constructive trust for Anchor *362 Wate. Courts recognize a constructive trust as a matter of equity where there has been (1) a wrongful act, (2) unjust enrichment, and (3) specific property that can be traced to the wrongful behavior.[41] Such trusts are usually imposed where injustice would result if a party were able to keep money or property that rightfully belonged to another.[42] In bankruptcy, where a debtor holds funds in constructive trust, those funds are not subject to preference claims.[43] But we decline to impose a constructive trust here because Anchor Wate has failed to establish the requisite elements.
¶ 35 First, Anchor Wate has failed to show the existence of any wrongful act. To establish a wrongful act under Utah law, an entity must have obviously received funds by mistake or participated in active or egregious misconduct.[44] In this case, no wrongful act has been perpetrated by SAIC against Anchor Wate. The reinsurance agreements expressly state that third parties, like Anchor Wate, have no interest in any reinsurance proceeds. SAIC legally received the reinsurance proceeds and deposited them into its own bank account. Although Anchor Wate suggests that it should have been paid before SAIC made cash calls on the reinsurers, the reinsurance agreements specifically state that SAIC has a right to receive an advance of funds on claims over $100,000. And even assuming some fraud was perpetrated by SAIC in the receipt of these funds, the fraud was perpetrated against the reinsurers, not Anchor Wate. In short, Anchor Wate cannot show illegal or egregious conduct directed against its interests.
¶ 36 Anchor Wate likewise cannot show that SAIC was unjustly enriched. Under its contract with the reinsurers, SAIC was entitled to indemnification for amounts paid on Anchor Wate's claims. Although SAIC's liquidation allowed it to avoid paying off Anchor Wate's claim in full, such a circumstance does not constitute unjust enrichment. The same rationale applies here as in the bankruptcy context, where the federal courts have recognized that
[w]henever a debtor retains a benefit afforded it by a creditor without paying that creditor in full, the estate is arguably "unjustly enriched." Yet this situation is a result of a congressional policy choice incorporated into the Bankruptcy Code, and born of the reality that an insolvent debtor, by definition, is unable to satisfy in full the debts owed to its creditors. In light of this congressional policy choice and the reality that other similarly situated creditors are also receiving less than full payment of their claims, the estate's retention of the Disputed Funds subject to pro-rata distribution is not "unjust" under the circumstances.[45]
¶ 37 We accordingly hold that SAIC was not unjustly enriched in the manner contemplated by the unjust enrichment prong of the constructive trust test when it retained the reinsurance proceeds. Having determined that Anchor Wate can establish neither a wrongful act nor unjust enrichment, we conclude that Anchor Wate did not establish the elements required for the imposition of a constructive trust. We therefore need not address the third requirement for imposition of a constructive trust the tracing requirement.
¶ 38 In summary, Anchor Wate cannot establish the elements of a constructive trust or any other theory that would provide it with a direct claim to the reinsurance proceeds. We therefore hold that the reinsurance proceeds were property of SAIC's estate and that this property was transferred when it was passed to Anchor Wate.
*363 B. The Transfer Enabled Anchor Wate to Receive a Greater Percentage of Its Debt Than Other Creditors of the Same Class
¶ 39 Having determined that the reinsurance proceeds were part of SAIC's estate, we now address whether SAIC's transfer of the $3.5 million to Anchor Wate enabled Anchor Wate to receive a greater percentage of its debt than creditors of the same class, thus allowing the Liquidator to establish a voidable preference under the Liquidation Act.
¶ 40 As a general matter, a transfer enables a creditor to receive more than another similarly situated creditor when the transfer "diminish[es] the fund to which other creditors can legally resort for the payment of their debts, thus making it impossible for other creditors of the same class to obtain as great a percentage as the favored one."[46] Concerns about equity necessitate the well-recognized policy that "a debtor should not be able to make transfers on the eve of liquidation that deplete the debtor's assets to the detriment of the other creditors."[47] In determining whether there was such a voidable transfer, "[t]he focus of the court must be on the effect of the payment."[48]
¶ 41 In this case, the effect of SAIC's payment to Anchor Wate was to directly deplete SAIC's estate. The $3.5 million that would have been available for division among all of SAIC's creditors went solely to Anchor Wate. We therefore hold that the entire $3.5 million must be brought back into SAIC's estate to be distributed pro rata among all creditors of the same class.
II. THE INTEREST RATE SPECIFIED IN UTAH CODE SECTION 15-1-1 DOES NOT APPLY TO PREFERENCE ACTIONS UNDER THE LIQUIDATION ACT
¶ 42 Having upheld the district court's judgment on the preference issue, we consider whether the district court applied the appropriate rate of prejudgment interest. The Liquidation Act does not specify the rate of prejudgment interest applicable to judgments obtained under its voidable preference provisions. The district court therefore applied the 10% per annum rate specified by Utah Code section 15-1-1(2).[49]
¶ 43 Title 15 of the Utah Code is entitled "Contracts and Obligations in General." The interest rate applied by the district court is that specified in chapter 1 of title 15. Chapter 1 provides in relevant part:
15-1-1. Interest rates Contracted rate Legal rate.
(1) The parties to a lawful contract may agree upon any rate of interest for the loan or forbearance of any money, goods, or chose in action that is the subject of their contract.
(2) Unless parties to a lawful contract specify a different rate of interest, the legal rate of interest for the loan or forbearance of any money, goods, or chose in action shall be 10% per annum.[50]
The question presented by Anchor Wate's challenge to the interest rate is whether the 10% default rate specified by section 15-1-1(2) is applicable to the Liquidator's judgment obtained pursuant to the voidable preference provisions of the Liquidation Act.[51] We conclude that it is not.
¶ 44 The theoretical underpinning behind section 15-1-1 is that the parties to a lawful contract may agree upon any rate of interest for the loan or forbearance of money, goods, or causes of action that are the subject of their contract. Only when the parties to a contract fail to specify a rate of interest does the default rate specified in section 15-1-1(2) apply. But this case is not a contract action. There was no contract between Anchor Wate *364 and the Liquidator and therefore no opportunity for the parties to agree upon an applicable rate of interest. The Liquidator's judgment is not grounded on any voluntary undertaking by Anchor Wate. Rather, it is the result of the statutory power given the Liquidator as he attempts to fulfill his statutory mandate of achieving an equitable distribution of SAIC's estate. And there is nothing to suggest that the default interest rate specified in section 15-1-1(2) is consistent with this statutory mandate.
¶ 45 This court has previously expressed the view that the interest rate specified in section 15-1-1(2) does not necessarily even apply in all contract cases. In Consolidation Coal Co. v. Utah Division of State Lands & Forestry,[52] we suggested, albeit in dicta, that we had "serious reservations about . . . [cases] that purport[ ] to tie prejudgment interest rates in all contract cases to the section 15-1-1 rate" because this section was meant to apply only to loans or forebearances in contract actions.[53]
¶ 46 Just as the default rate specified in section 15-1-1(2) does not automatically extend to all judgments obtained in contract cases, it does not automatically apply to all judgments based on statute where the legislature has failed to specify the applicable rate. And in this case, we conclude that the more appropriate prejudgment interest rate is the one applicable to preference claims under federal bankruptcy law.
¶ 47 As we have already discussed, when filling in gaps or interpreting ambiguous provisions of the Liquidation Act, we look to the preference provisions of federal bankruptcy law, which have the same purpose as the preference provisions of the Liquidation Act.[54] Therefore, when calculating the prejudgment interest on remand, the district court should use the rate applied by the majority of federal courts to judgments obtained in federal preference actions, which is the federal postjudgment interest rate.[55]*365 The federal courts have not been unanimous in their selection of the relevant date for the purpose of setting the interest rate.[56] Various courts have set the interest rate from the date of demand,[57] the date of filing,[58] or the date of judgment.[59] While setting the interest rate from one particular day is advantageous in its simplicity, it could arbitrarily create a windfall for either party during the pendency of the action. Consequently, we hold that the most accurate measure of prejudgment interest for judgments obtained pursuant to the voidable preference provisions of the Liquidation Act is the average federal postjudgment interest rate in effect from the date of filing to the date of judgment.[60] Parties can easily calculate the appropriate prejudgment interest rate by adding together the weekly postjudgment interest rates from the date of filing to the date of judgment, which are available at the Federal Reserve's website,[61] and then dividing the total by the number of weeks the action has been pending. Consistent with federal law, the determination of whether the prejudgment interest should be compounded annually lies within the sound discretion of the trial court.
¶ 48 Application of the federal rate will adequately compensate the estates of insolvent insurers for the time value of money without creating an incentive for insurance liquidators to delay prosecution of voidable preference claims in order to obtain returns greater than they could have reasonably expected to earn in the market.[62] It will also more adequately take into account the practical reality of defendants in preference actions that, like Anchor Wate, dispose of the proceeds obtained from the estate of the insolvent insurer in the ordinary course of business prior to the liquidation of the insurer or the initiation of a preference claim by the Liquidator. Such defendants lack the ability to invest the proceeds at all. Under such circumstances, application of the default rate specified in section 15-1-1(2) could be entirely punitive and, in fact, may unjustly enrich other creditors at the expense of the preference defendant. In the event that the Utah legislature prefers a rate of interest different from the federal rate, it may amend *366 the Liquidation Act to specify the applicable rate.
CONCLUSION
¶ 49 There was no agreement between the reinsurers and SAIC giving Anchor Wate any direct claim to the reinsurance proceeds, and the lack of such an agreement is fatal to all of Anchor Wate's legal theories. We therefore affirm the district court's decision that the Liquidator is entitled to recover the $3.5 million paid to Anchor Wate under the voidable preference provision of the Liquidation Act. We reverse the district court's decision to apply a prejudgment interest rate of 10% per annum to the voidable preference. Rather, the appropriate rate is the one applicable in federal preference actions. We therefore affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for further proceedings in accordance herewith.
¶ 50 Chief Justice Durham, Justice Durrant, Justice Nehring, and Judge Backlund concur in Justice Parrish's opinion.
¶ 51 Having disqualified himself, Associate Chief Justice Wilkins does not participate herein; District Judge John C. Backlund sat.
NOTES
[1] Utah Code Ann. § 31A-27-321 (2002).
[2] These policies consist of (1) a Net Retained Lines Quota Share Reinsurance Agreement from Planet Insurance Company ("Planet") and Reliance Insurance Company ("Reliance"), (2) a Combined Casualty Quota Share and Excess of Loss Reinsurance Agreement from National Reinsurance Company ("National") and Skandia American Reinsurance Corporation ("Skandia"), and (3) a Casualty Facultative Treaty Reinsurance Agreement from Skandia.
[3] Springville Citizens for a Better Cmty. v. City of Springville, 1999 UT 25, ¶ 22, 979 P.2d 332; Higgins v. Salt Lake County, 855 P.2d 231, 235 (Utah 1993).
[4] Norman v. Arnold, 2002 UT 81, ¶ 15, 57 P.3d 997; see also Utah R. Civ. P. 56(c).
[5] Utah Code Ann. § 31A-27-321(1)(a) (2005).
[6] Wilcox v. CSX Corp., 2003 UT 21, ¶¶ 1, 9, 70 P.3d 85.
[7] Id. ¶ 9 (internal quotation marks omitted).
[8] Utah Code Ann. § 31A-27-321(1)(a).
[9] In re Edgeworth, 993 F.2d 51, 55 (5th Cir. 1993); accord In re Moses, 256 B.R. 641, 645 (10th Cir.2000).
[10] See United States v. Fed. Surety Co., 72 F.2d 964, 967 (4th Cir.1934); Safeway Trails, Inc. v. Stuyvesant Ins. Co., 211 F.Supp. 227, 233 (M.D.N.C.1962); Venetsanos v. Zucker, 271 N.J.Super. 459, 638 A.2d 1333, 1339 (1994); Spencer L. Kimball, Cases and Materials on Insurance Law 592 (1992) ("Except in unusual situations there is no legal relationship between the reinsurer and the original insured.").
[11] See Fed. Surety Co., 72 F.2d at 967; Safeway Trails, 211 F.Supp. at 233; Venetsanos, 638 A.2d at 1339.
[12] Donaldson v. United Cmty. Ins. Co., 741 So.2d 676, 679 (La.Ct.App.1999).
[13] Id.
[14] See Fed. Surety Co., 72 F.2d at 967-68; Gen. Reinsurance Corp. v. Mo. Gen. Ins. Co., 458 F.Supp. 1, 4-5 (W.D.Mo.1977); Venetsanos, 638 A.2d at 1339-40.
[15] Venetsanos, 638 A.2d at 1339; see also Fed. Surety Co., 72 F.2d at 967; Donaldson, 741 So.2d at 682.
[16] See Safeway Trails, 211 F.Supp. at 233 (indicating that in the typical reinsurance contract, "no action will lie between an original policyholder of insurance and the company reinsuring that policy on behalf of the company issuing [that policy]"); Donaldson, 741 So.2d at 679 ("[R]einsurers and policies of reinsurance are not susceptible to suit by third parties.").
[17] See, e.g., Safeway Trails, 211 F.Supp. at 233-34; Donaldson, 741 So.2d at 682.
[18] In re Superior Stamp & Coin Co., 223 F.3d 1004, 1009 (9th Cir.2000).
[19] 993 F.2d 51, 55 (5th Cir.1993).
[20] Id. at 55-56.
[21] In re Vitek, Inc., 51 F.3d 530, 534 & n. 17 (5th Cir.1995).
[22] See id. at 534 n. 17.
[23] Edgeworth, 993 F.2d at 56.
[24] In re Moses, 256 B.R. 641, 645 (10th Cir. 2000).
[25] Id. at 649 (internal quotation marks omitted).
[26] Id. at 650; see also In re Superior Stamp & Coin Co., 223 F.3d 1004, 1005 (9th Cir.2000).
[27] In re Francis, 252 B.R. 143, 145 (Bankr. E.D.Ark.2000).
[28] Moses, 256 B.R. at 645.
[29] Id. at 646.
[30] Id.; see also Collier on Bankruptcy § 547.03[2] (15th rev. ed. 2006) ("When a third person makes a loan to a debtor specifically to enable that debtor to satisfy the claim of a designated creditor, the proceeds never become part of the debtor's assets, and therefore no preference is created." (emphasis added)).
[31] Collier on Bankruptcy, supra note 30, § 547.03[2] ("`If all that occurs in a "transfer" is the substitution of one creditor for another, no preference is created because the debtor has not transferred property of his estate; he still owes the same sum to a creditor, only the identity of the creditor has changed.'" (quoting Coral Petroleum, Inc. v. Banque Paribas-London, 797 F.2d 1351, 1356 (5th Cir.1986))).
[32] See id.
[33] Moses, 256 B.R. at 647 (quoting In re Int'l Club Enters., 109 B.R. 562, 567 (Bankr.D.R.I. 1990)).
[34] See id. at 648. But see Margot Wickman-Bennett, Note, Earmarking in the Eighth Circuit, 79 Iowa L.Rev. 965, 976 (1994) (arguing that it would be appropriate to expand the earmarking doctrine to include nonguarantors).
[35] Moses, 256 B.R. at 650; In re Pioneer Commercial Funding Corp., 140 B.R. 951, 955-56 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1992).
[36] Moses, 256 B.R. at 650.
[37] See In re Superior Stamp, 223 F.3d 1004, 1008 (9th Cir.2000).
[38] Pioneer, 140 B.R. at 956; see also Collier on Bankruptcy, supra note 30, § 547.03 (15th ed. rev.2006) ("`[W]e note that in a situation where a debtor never physically controls or owns the disputed funds, a preference is much less likely to arise.'" (quoting Coral Petroleum, Inc. v. Banque Paribas-London, 797 F.2d 1351, 1361-62 (5th Cir.1986))).
[39] Superior Stamp, 223 F.3d at 1009.
[40] Id. at 1010.
[41] In re Capital Mtg. Loan Corp., 60 B.R. 915, 918 (Bankr.D.Utah 1986), aff'd, 99 B.R. 462 (D.Utah 1987), aff'd, 917 F.2d 424 (10th Cir. 1990).
[42] Parks v. Zions First Nat'l Bank, 673 P.2d 590, 599 (Utah 1983).
[43] See In Re Unicom Computer Corp., 13 F.3d 321, 324 (9th Cir.1994).
[44] See, e.g., id. at 322 (involving a case where a creditor mistakenly transferred money to a debtor); Corp. of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints v. Jolley, 24 Utah 2d 187, 467 P.2d 984, 984 (1970) (involving a constructive trust that was placed on a third person after she was given a stolen automobile).
[45] First Sec. Bank of Utah v. Gillman, 158 B.R. 498, 507-08 (D.Utah 1993).
[46] Collier on Bankruptcy, supra note 30, § 547.03.
[47] Wilcox v. CSX Corp., 2003 UT 21, ¶ 26, 70 P.3d 85 (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted).
[48] 9B Am.Jur.2d Bankruptcy § 1916 (1999).
[49] Utah Code Ann. § 15-1-1(2) (2005).
[50] Id. § 15-1-1.
[51] Id. § 31A-27-321 (2002).
[52] 886 P.2d 514, 525 n. 13 (Utah 1994).
[53] Id. (suggesting that the plain language of section 15-1-1 indicates that the section was intended to apply only to a "`loan or forbearance'" of "'money, goods or chose in action'" (quoting Utah Code Ann. § 15-1-1)).
[54] Wilcox v. CSX Corp., 2003 UT 21, ¶¶ 1, 9, 70 P.3d 85; see also Norman J. Singer, Statutes and Statutory Construction § 52.01 (6th ed.2002) (indicating that it is appropriate to use similar statutes from other jurisdictions to aid in interpretation).
[55] See, e.g., Milchem v. Fredman (In re Nucorp Energy, Inc.), 902 F.2d 729, 734 (9th Cir.1990) (applying the rate set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1961(a)); Napolitano v. Vibra-Conn, Inc. (In re R.J. Patton Co.), 348 B.R. 618, 627 (Bankr. D.Conn.2006) (same); Great Point Intermodal, LLC v. Norfolk S. Corp. (In re Great Point Intermodal, L.L.C.), 334 B.R. 359, 363-64 (Bankr. E.D.Pa.2005) (same); Gouveia v. RDI Group, Inc. (In re Globe Bldg. Materials, Inc.), 325 B.R. 253, 263-64 (Bankr.N.D.Ind.2005) (same); Official Comm. of Unsecured Creditors of Cyberrebate.com, Inc. v. Gold Force Int'l, Ltd. (In re Cyberrebate.com), 296 B.R. 639, 645 (Bankr.E.D.N.Y. 2003) (same); Kelley v. Chevy Chase Bank (In re Smith), 236 B.R. 91, 104 (Bankr.M.D.Ga.1999) (same); Sucre v. MIC Leasing Corp. (In re Sucre), 226 B.R. 340, 350 (Bankr.S.D.N.Y.1998) (same); Floyd v. Dunson (In re Rodriguez), 209 B.R. 424, 434 (Bankr.S.D.Texas 1997) (same); Dicello v. Jenkins (In re Int'l Loan Network), 160 B.R. 1, 20 (Bankr.D.D.C.1993) (same); White v. Bradford (In re Tax Reduction Inst.), 138 B.R. 325, 326 (Bankr.D.D.C.1991) (same); Turner v. Davis, Gillenwater & Lynch (In re Inv. Bankers), 135 B.R. 659, 669 (Bankr.D.Colo.1991) (same); Rieser v. Landis & Gyr Powers, Inc. (In re Bownic Insulation Contractors, Inc.), 134 B.R. 261, 267 (Bankr. S.D.Ohio 1991) (same); Bash v. Schwartz (In re B. Schwartz Furniture Co.), 131 B.R. 623, 626 (Bankr.N.D.Ohio 1991) (same); Yoder v. T.E.L. Leasing (In re Suburban Motor Freight, Inc.), 124 B.R. 984, 1006 & n. 21 (Bankr.S.D.Ohio 1990) (same); Ellenberg v. Mercer (In re Home Co.), 108 B.R. 357, 360 (Bankr.N.D.Ga.1989) (same); Parmelee v. Bank of Greensburg (In re L & T Steel Fab., Inc.), 102 B.R. 511, 520-21 n. 9 (Bankr. M.D.La.1989) ("28 U.S.C. § 1961 provides the most appropriate standard for fixing the rate of prejudgment interest upon federal claims. . . ."); Gilbert v. Suburban Athletic Club (In re Dayton Cir. Cts. No. 2), 80 B.R. 434, 440 (Bankr. S.D.Ohio 1987) (same); Wilson v. First Nat'l Bank (In re Missionary Baptist Found. of Am.), 69 B.R. 536, 539 (Bankr.N.D.Tex.1987) ("In the absence of a specific statutory directive . . . the Bankruptcy Court should apply the interest provided for in 28 U.S.C. § 1961 both pre- and post-judgment."); Schwarz v. Equitable Bank (In re Express Litig.), 65 B.R. 952, 962 (Bankr.D.Md. 1986) (applying the rate set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1961); Crampton v. Dominion Bank of Bristol (In re H.P. King Co.), 64 B.R. 487, 491-92 (Bankr.E.D.N.C.1986) (same); Prod. Steel, Inc. v. Sumitomo Corp. (In re Prod. Steel), 60 B.R. 4, 5 (Bankr.M.D.Tenn.1986) (same).
[56] Key v. Liquid Energy Corp., 906 F.2d 500, 506 (10th Cir.1990) (awarding the plaintiff prejudgment interest using two different rates); Milchem, 902 F.2d at 734 (remanding the case to the trial court for consideration of the appropriate prejudgment rate); Critchlow v. First UNUM Life Ins. Co., 377 F.Supp.2d 337, 347-49 (W.D.N.Y. 2005) (awarding prejudgment interest to a judgment for the denial of an insurance claim at the average federal postjudgment interest rate in effect over the period from the initial denial of the plaintiff's claim through the date of entry of judgment); Prod. Steel, Inc. v. Sumitomo Corp. (In re Prod. Steel, Inc.), 60 B.R. 4, 4 (Bankr. M.D.Tenn.1986) (awarding interest at the prevailing rate at the time the action was commenced).
[57] See, e.g., Ellenberg, 108 B.R. at 361 (basing the prejudgment interest rate on the "coupon issue yield equivalent" for the week prior to the date of demand); Crampton, 64 B.R. at 492 (setting the interest rate on the date immediately prior to "the date of demand for payment"); Prod. Steel, Inc., 60 B.R. at 4 (citing the district's rule that "the rate of prejudgment interest is equal to the coupon issue yield equivalent . . . of the average accepted auction price for the last auction of 52 week U.S. Treasury Bills settled immediately prior to the date of demand.").
[58] See, e.g., Great Point Intermodal, LLC, 334 B.R. at 364 (setting the prejudgment interest rate from the filing date, pursuant to § 1961); Covey v. Northwest Cmty. Bank (In re Helen Gallagher Enters., Inc.), 126 B.R. 997, 1005 (Bankr.C.D.Ill. 1991) (setting the interest rate for the "coupon issue yield equivalent" from the "auction of 54-week [sic] United States Treasury bills" for the period prior to the date of filing); Wilson, 69 B.R. at 538-39 (basing the interest rate on the § 1961 auction rate on the date of filing).
[59] See Yoder, 124 B.R. at 1006 ("Such pre-judgment interest shall be computed in accordance with the provisions of § 1961. Pursuant to this provision, the post-judgment interest rate is calculated at a rate equal to the coupon issue yield of a 52-week Treasury Bill set immediately prior to entry of the order.").
[60] Critchlow, 377 F.Supp.2d at 348 (determining the prejudgment interest rate by averaging the weekly § 1961 interest rate from the initial insurance claim denial to the date of judgment).
[61] Selected Interest Rates (Weekly), Federal Reserve Statistical Release (Federal Reserve website), http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/.
[62] In re F.A.S.I., Inc., 48 B.R. 147, 148 (Bankr. D.Conn.1985) (rejecting the application of the state statutory rate of interest in favor of the calculation under federal law "based on prevailing market rate for the time value of money").
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Last year, I wrote an article rounding up the top tech to learn in 2017. This year there are some surprises.
We set out to answer “which learning topics will give you the highest chance of a return on the time you invest learning them?”
JavaScript has the most packages, by a landslide.
First, software ate the world, the web ate software, and JavaScript ate the web. In 2018, React is eating JavaScript.
2018: The Year of React
React won the popularity battle in 2017.
There are still lots of developers working on Angular code bases, which shows up in Google trends:
But as React continues to win customer satisfaction surveys, React growth has left Angular (and everything else) in the dust.
What About Vue.js? I Heard it’s Hot
Everybody loves paying lip service to alternatives like Vue.js. Here’s what I said about it last year:
Vue.js has a ton of GitHub stars and downloads. If things continue the way they are going, it will do very well in 2017, but I don’t think it will unseat either React or Angular (both of which are also growing fast) in the next year or so. Learn this after you have learned React or Angular.
Vue.js did do very well in 2017. It got a lot of headlines and a lot of people got interested. As I predicted, it did not come close to unseating React, and I’m confident to predict it won’t unseat React in 2018, either. That said, it could overtake Angular in 2018:
Vue.js downloads/month
As you can see, Vue.js is gaining on Angular downloads:
angular/core downloads/month
But React has a strong lead and a strong growth rate to match:
React downloads/month
Vue.js is still growing faster than React. Why should it be any different than React vs Angular in 2017?
At the end of 2016, the JavaScript world was ready for a new framework. Angular users were very unsatisfied, React users were very satisfied, lots of people wanted to learn React, and very few wanted to learn Angular. At the end of 2017, Angular 2+ user satisfaction is still less than half, at 49%.
The story is very different for React vs Vue.js. React is beating Vue.js in user satisfaction (93% to 90%). The big incentive to switch from React in early 2017 was because of confusion over the React license. Facebook heard the users and switched the license.
At this stage, I simply don’t see compelling evidence that the market is motivated to switch from React to anything else. Vue.js is going to have a much harder time stealing users from React than they are having stealing users from jQuery and Angular.
There’s plenty of room for Vue.js to pick up a lot of Angular and jQuery users at a fast clip, but they will likely hit a brick wall when they have to start stealing users from React to continue the growth streak.
I predict strong Vue.js growth for another year or two, followed by a much harder battle with React in the top spot and Vue.js relegated to second fiddle unless something big changes to upset the balance.
Jobs
jQuery has fallen.
In the job listings, React completely took off and blew right past jQuery — the first library to pass jQuery in job popularity in a decade.¹ What we’re witnessing here is the end of an era.
React Rising — the first library to unseat jQuery this decade (source: Indeed.com)
Compare to last year’s chart:
jQuery is so 2016
What’s really interesting in these charts is that other libraries grew a lot more than jQuery fell. The total open jobs mentioning a front-end framework are up by more than ~10k over last year.
With the job growth, we have also seen a boost in average salaries, too: $110k compared to $93k at the end of 2016. The inflation rate for the same period stayed below 2%, accounting for only a small percentage of the salary boost.
Clearly, it’s still a candidate’s market in 2018.
1. Methodology: Job searches were conducted on Indeed.com. To weed out false positives, I paired searches with the keyword “software” to strengthen the chance of relevance, and then multiplied by ~1.5 (roughly the difference between programming job listings that use the word “software” and those that don’t.) All SERPS were sorted by date and spot checked for relevance. The resulting figures aren’t 100% accurate, but they’re good enough for the relative approximations used in this article.
Framework Recommendations
After looking at this year’s numbers, I’m prepared to strongly recommend React for most general app development use cases, including mobile apps (PWAs, React Native), web applications, most office productivity applications, and desktop media content production apps (see Electron).
Notable category exceptions where something else may serve you better: Featherweight marketing landing pages (skip the framework entirely), 3D games, AR/VR. For 3D content, check out Unity, Unreal, or PlayCanvas. That said, React is being used for 3D content UIs, too.
I’m rating all other front-end frameworks strictly optional this year. This doesn’t mean they’re not cool, just not serious contenders to React in the job market. Remember, this list is about learning ROI, not which tech is the “best”.
Why so Much Interest in React?
Browsing through the React job listings, I noticed an interesting trend — a lot of them were for things that we don’t think of as front-end web work:
React Native (for perspective, there are more of these openings than the total number of Vue.js openings)
React for IoT
React for AR/VR (with Oculus Rift leading the hiring charge)
React for obscure computing thing you’ve never heard of
React has broken free of its web roots.
Versatility is one of the big selling points of React. Unlike many other frameworks, buying into React doesn’t entail buying into some baked in data model, or even the browser or DOM itself. In fact, I found quite a few React job listings that didn’t even mention JavaScript.
React also offers a rich, vibrant ecosystem piggybacking on React’s de-facto standards — something the JavaScript world hasn’t seen since jQuery plugins ruled the web.
The question is no longer “which framework?”
The question is “which tech pairs best with React?”
Nothing is going to unseat React in 2018 (maybe even 2019). You’re safe. JavaScript fatigue seems to be settling down. We have a great framework to build apps on now, and there’s a great ecosystem settling in around React.
Which Topics Should You Study?
Like last year, you can’t go wrong focusing on the essentials, but you should place more emphasis on functional programming for React apps.
React is great for two primary reasons:
Deterministic view renders
Abstracting the view layer away from direct DOM manipulation
Determinism is best served by building applications using pure functions, which is essentially the definition of functional programming.
With that in mind, here are some topics you should study:
Libraries & Tools
These are the libraries and tools I’m finding most useful:
React
Redux
Redux-Saga to manage async I/O and isolate side-effects
to manage async I/O and isolate side-effects Next.js — SSR with Node & Express, automatic bundle splitting, styled-jsx
— SSR with Node & Express, automatic bundle splitting, styled-jsx Material UI
Storybook
Cheerio for unit testing React components (I prefer this over Enzyme)
for unit testing React components (I prefer this over Enzyme) Lodash (I prefer utilities from lodash/fp ). Import just the utilities you need to avoid blowing up your bundle size.
(I prefer utilities from ). Import just the utilities you need to avoid blowing up your bundle size. Babel : Used to compile ES6 to work on older browsers.
Used to compile ES6 to work on older browsers. Webpack : The most popular bundler for standard JavaScript look for simple starter kit/boilerplate config examples to get things running fast)
The most popular bundler for standard JavaScript look for simple starter kit/boilerplate config examples to get things running fast) ESLint: Catch syntax errors and style issues early. After code review and TDD, the third best thing you can do to reduce bugs in your code.
Catch syntax errors and style issues early. After code review and TDD, the third best thing you can do to reduce bugs in your code. Ramda — mostly for lenses and transducers.
— mostly for lenses and transducers. Node & Express
RxJS: Observables for JavaScript. I’ve been using transducers more, lately. Remember to use pipeable operators to avoid blowing up your bundle size.
TypeScript did well in 2017, but I’ve seen it get in the way and complicate apps more than it helped. It’s primary shortcomings are over reliance on annotations as opposed to inference, and an inability to properly type higher-order functions without indescribable contortions. I gave it a full-time daily trial for a while, but these still apply: “The Shocking Secret About Static Types” &“You Might Not Need TypeScript”. Flow shares the same problems and the developer tools are not as good as TypeScript’s.
Tech to Watch in 2018
All of these areas of R&D are creating real jobs in 2018:
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Blockchain & fintech
Medical technology
AR/VR — Hololens, Meta, and ODG are shipping today. ODG R-9 was scheduled to ship in 2017 but will likely ship in 2018 instead. MagicLeap has promised to ship in 2018. AR will transform the human experience more than the cell phone did.
3D printing
AI
Drones
Quantum computing is also poised to transform the world, but it may be 2019 or later before the disruption really starts. There are working quantum computers online, but they can’t do much yet. It’s still too early for most developers to even begin to experiment productively. Microsoft recently announced its Q# programming language for quantum computing. Meanwhile, IBM and Google also continue to invest heavily to own the embryonic cloud quantum computing market.
If you want to be prepared to learn quantum computing, you’ll want to study up on linear algebra. There are also functional explorations of quantum computing based on lambda calculus.
It’s likely that, as we’ve seen with AI, cloud APIs will be developed that will let people with less math background take advantage of some of the capabilities of quantum computing. |
Víctor Rangel
Víctor Rangel Ayala (born 11 March 1957) is a retired Mexican footballer, currently manager of Atlético Mexiquense of the Mexican Primera Division A.
Career
Born in Mexico City, Rangel played club football for Club Deportivo Guadalajara, Club León, Atlético Potosino and Ángeles de Puebla. He won a gold medal in football at the 1975 Pan American Games. He scored 3 goals at the 1976 Olympic Games and he scored 1 goal for the Mexico national football team in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He played as a forward.
After he retired from playing, Rangel became a football manager. He led Club Tijuana until December 2007. He was appointed manager of Primera "A" club Atlético Mexiquense in June 2008.
References
External links
Category:1957 births
Category:Living people
Category:Mexican footballers
Category:Mexico international footballers
Category:Mexican football managers
Category:Association football forwards
Category:Olympic footballers of Mexico
Category:Footballers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Category:Footballers from Mexico City
Category:1978 FIFA World Cup players
Category:C.D. Guadalajara footballers
Category:Club León footballers
Category:Club Tijuana managers
Category:CONCACAF Championship-winning players
Category:Liga MX players
Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Mexico
Category:Pan American Games medalists in football
Category:Footballers at the 1975 Pan American Games |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display panel and a method of fabricating the same capable of preventing a gravity defect of the liquid crystal display panel to improve a picture quality.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device controls the light transmittance of liquid crystal cells using electric field to thereby display a picture.
To this end, the LCD device includes a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal cells arranged in an active matrix, and driving circuits for driving the liquid crystal panel.
The liquid crystal display panel is provided with pixel electrodes and a reference electrode, i.e., a common electrode, to supply the electric field to each of the liquid crystal cells.
Usually, each of the pixel electrodes is formed for each liquid crystal cell on a lower glass, while the common electrode is formed as an integrated whole on the entire surface of an upper glass. Each pixel electrode is connected to a thin film transistor (TFT) that is used as a switching element.
The pixel electrode together with the common electrode drives the liquid crystal cell in response to data signals supplied via the TFT.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a related art liquid crystal display panel.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a liquid crystal display panel in accordance with the related art, which includes upper and lower array substrates 10 and 20 combined together, and a liquid crystal material 8 between the upper and the lower array substrates 10 and 20.
The liquid crystal material 8 rotates, in response to an electric field supplied thereto, to thereby adjust the transmittance of incident light via the lower array substrate 20.
The upper array substrate 10 includes a color filter 4, a common electrode 6 and an upper alignment film (not shown), formed on a rear surface of the upper glass 1.
The color filter 4 includes color filters of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) and makes it possible to display colors by passing light having a specific wavelength band. A black matrix 2 is placed between the color filters 4 adjacent each other and prevents the degradation of the contrast ratio by absorbing the light incident from the adjacent cells.
The lower array substrate 20 includes: a data line 18 and a gate line 12, which cross each other and are insulated each other by a gate insulating layer located therebetween, formed on the entire surface of the lower glass 21; and further a TFT 16 at the crossing of the data line 18 and the gate line 12.
The TFT 16 includes: a gate electrode connected to the gate line 12; a source electrode connected to the data line 18; and a drain electrode facing the source electrode with a channel portion including an active layer and an ohmic contact layer therebetween. The TFT 16 is connected to the pixel electrode 14 via a contact hole passing through a passivation film.
In response to gate signals from the gate line 12, the TFT 16 selectively supplies data signals from the data line 18 to the pixel electrode 14.
The pixel electrode 14 is made from a transparent conductive material having a high light transmittance and is in a cell region formed by the data line 18 and gate line 12.
The pixel electrode 14 generates a potential difference along with a common electrode 6 by data signals supplied via the drain electrode. Under the influence of the potential difference, the liquid crystal material 8 between the upper and lower substrates 1 and 21 rotates due to the dielectric anisotropy thereof. Hence, the light supplied via the pixel electrode 14 from the light source passes toward the upper substrate 1.
Spacers maintain the cell gap between the upper and the lower array substrates 10 and 20. A sealant 55 is applied in a rectangular form as shown in FIG. 2 to the upper array substrate 10 or the lower array substrate 20. Thereafter, the upper array substrate 10 is combined with the lower array substrate 20. And then, the liquid crystal material 8 is injected through a liquid crystal injection hole 55a in an inner space provided by the spacer 22.
According to the related art liquid crystal display panel formed by above-mentioned method, if the liquid crystal material 8 injected between the upper array substrate 10 and the lower array substrate 20 is exposed to a high temperature, a defect due to gravity (hereinafter, referred to as a gravity defect) occurs. The gravity defect occurs because the liquid crystal material flows in the direction of gravity to thereby deteriorate the picture quality.
More specifically, after the liquid crystal material 8 is injected into the inner space provided by the spacer 22, a voltage is supplied to the common electrode 6 formed on the upper glass 1 and to the pixel electrode 15 formed on the lower glass 21 in order to operate the liquid crystal display panel. The supplied voltage raises the temperature of the inner space provided by the spacer 22. As a result, a volume of the liquid crystal material 8 in the inner space expands. As shown in FIG. 3A, the cell gap thus becomes large due to the expanded liquid crystal material, so that the spacer 22 is separated from the upper glass 1 or the lower glass 21 and the expanded liquid crystal material 8 flows in the gravity direction, to thereby cause the gravity defect and distort at least one of the upper glass 1 and the lower glass 21. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3B, a stain 65 appears in a region where the liquid crystal material is over-filled, which results in deterioration of the picture quality. |
Ventura Freeway
FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT VENTURA FREEWAY
Mark R. Madler The City Council will receive on Tuesday more details on what a developer plans to build to complete the years-long Burbank Media Center. The public hearing on a development agreement for the $150-million mixed-use project will be reopened at that evening's council meeting for additional comments from the public on what was approved by the council in December. "The council wants to make sure that interested individuals who weighed in the first time can do so again with the proposed modifications," Community Development Director Sue Georgino said.
Will Rogers I'm an idiot! Really, don't argue, and stop trying to tell me otherwise. This time there's evidence! On Wednesday, I wrote about the draft environmental impact report on a project proposed for the Media District, and as part of that described the site as being next to a freeway exit ramp for Hollywood Way. I stand by the column, and my description of the site and its relation to the exit. Trouble is, for reasons known only to those who understand misfires that take place between our brain cells, I wrote that the exit is found heading east on the Ventura Freeway.
UNIVERSAL CITY - A 30-year-old man wanted on attempted murder charges in Indiana led police on a multi-county pursuit that ended shortly after Burbank police officers opened fire in a busy intersection, shattering the driver's side window, later striking the man and sending him to a local hospital, authorities said. Beginning near the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, Steven S. Satterly led California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase on the westbound Foothill (210)
VENTURA (134) FREEWAY AGREEMENT WHAT HAPPENED The council voted to update a 1957 agreement between the city of Burbank and state of California regarding ramps, overpasses and underpasses connecting the Ventura (134) Freeway to city streets. WHAT IT MEANS The California Department of Transportation can build a new onramp from Hollywood Way to the freeway. VOTE The council voted 5-0 in favor of updating the agreement. INVESTMENT POLICY WHAT HAPPENED The council voted to approve the 2004 Investment Policy, with council members directing city officials to gather information from various management firms for the council's review.
Regarding the Leader article about congestion at the intersection of the Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways ("Burbank, Glendale to study freeway interchange," Aug. 25), all I can say is, it's about time. Unfortunately, the real solution to fix the surface street congestion, as discussed in the article, would be to construct actual freeway connector lanes. Sadly, this cannot be done. While a study is being made of the intersection of the Golden State and Ventura freeways, I would like to suggest that the study be expanded to include the intersection of the Ventura and Hollywood (101)
Good morning, readers. Today is Monday, September 17. Teachers in Burbank learned that bullying is more than just “kids being kids.” The California Teachers Assn. hosted the first district-wide, anti-bullying training for Burbank Unified School District teachers . Around 700 teachers from kindergarten to high school participated in the training. Burbank Leader An accident involving a motorcycle snarled traffic along the 101 Ventura Freeway near the Reseda Blvd. exit on Saturday . The accident caused the temporary closure of all lanes.
Mark R. Madler and Fred Ortega City officials met this week to lay the groundwork for a new bus or rail service through Glendale and Burbank to connect the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Gold Line trains in Pasadena with the Red Line trains stopping in North Hollywood. Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena city officials began discussions Tuesday with the goal of improving public transit. The three cities agreed Tuesday to jointly fund a $90,000 feasibility study.
Construction set for rest of week As part of the $47-million Caltrans project, road crews are tearing down the former Hollywood Way-Alameda Avenue bridge abutment and support wall along the Ventura (134) Freeway. Overnight construction is planned for 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. through the end of the week. Construction on the three-year project is expected to end next summer, with a series of detours planned to assist pedestrians and drivers. The California Department of Transportation last week opened the Hollywood Way-Alameda Avenue bridge and closed the Pass Avenue bridge as part of the next phase of construction. |
Recently, the appearance of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have perplexed the astronomers. This astrophysical discovery represents the origination of short radio waves entering our galaxy form neighboring galaxy that are as far as billions of light-years. Astronomers can’t figure out their origination and are definitely in search of any clue in order to investigate the properly. The FRSs has occurred almost 60 times, and only one of the observed FRBs were repetitive from single source.
Astronoers from Okanagan Valley, British Columbia detected the second repetitive FRB using Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope and reported this incidence on January 9, 2019 in collaboration with McGill University. The findings were discussed in Seattle on American Astronomical Society panel and were published two peer-reviewed papers– Nature.
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Over a timespan of three weeks, 13 FRB were counted during summer 2018 and more were recorded in later weeks.
The repetitive FRB from single source are thought to be more exciting than FRB recorded from general source only once. In 2015, the FRB was recorded using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. in 2015. Ingrid Stairs, CHIME team member and also an astrophysicist at the University of British Columbia (UBC) stated that:
Until now, there was only one known repeating FRB. Knowing that there is another suggests that there could be more out there. And with more repeaters and more sources available for study, we may be able to understand these cosmic puzzles – where they’re from and what causes them.
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CHIME results obtained from 13 outburts of 2015 were found to be in frequency lower than 400 MHz. However, before them the most FRBs found were close to before 1400 megahertz (MHz), while the telescopeic range at that times were from 400-800 MHz. Thereby, the newly observed FRB are lowest frequencies recorded by CHIME and astronomers believe even lesser frequency FRBs could be found.
Does the new observed FRBs really matter?
The cause and source of these FRBs are unknown and needed to be figured out. But somehow astronomers believe the appearance of the Fast Radio Bursts certainly involve neutron stars or black holes or could be aliens sending signals from other galaxies. According to Arun Naidu from McGill University:
Whatever the source of these radio waves is, it’s interesting to see how wide a range of frequencies it can produce. There are some models where intrinsically the source can’t produce anything below a certain frequency.
In 2007 Duncan Lorimer Discocerved the first FRB using FRB 121102 when his students were looking forward to discover any archival pulsar survey data.
To this Tom Landecker, member of CHIME team from the National Research Council of Canada, stated:
[We now know] the sources can produce low-frequency radio waves and those low-frequency waves can escape their environment, and are not too scattered to be detected by the time they reach the Earth. That tells us something about the environments and the sources. We haven’t solved the problem, but it’s several more pieces in the puzzle.
Further Kendrick Smith, a cosmologist from Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario added to these statement as:
FRBs were an unexpected mystery. There aren’t so many qualitative mysteries in astrophysics. So explaining their nature has become one of the biggest unsolved problems in astrophysics in the last few years.
CHIME as an exclusively designed radio telescope and is built by Canadian astronomers, Smith explained that:
CHIME reconstructs the image of the overhead sky by processing the radio signals recorded by thousands of antennas with a large signal processing system. CHIME’s signal processing system is the largest of any telescope on Earth, allowing it to search huge regions of the sky simultaneously.
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Most astronomers believe that there must be any natural source behind the appearance of these FRBs, while the source is difficult to discover. Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, stated that the difficult to find out its source is too high as these FRBs appear to come from all over the sky, such as galaxies that are billions of light-years apart.
But you can safely bet that aliens are not the cause of FRBs. Why? The bursters are seen all over the sky, that’s why. The same sort of signal is coming from galaxies that are generally separated by billions of light-years. So how could aliens organize so much of the universe to engage in broadcasting the same sort of signal? There’s hardly been enough time since the Big Bang to coordinate such widespread teamwork, even if you can think of a reason for it!
There could be aliens involved in sending these FRBs as signal. Occam’s razor a scientist, suggested that FRBs are definite natural origin, however, the cause is needed to be discovered.
Bottom line: FRBs till now were considered as mysterious phenomenon, however the invention of telescopes like CHIME, has helped scientists to figure out more new and exotic FRBs, regardless of their unidentified source.
Source: Observations of fast radio bursts at frequencies down to 400 megahertz |
Hilton to manage top Jordan convention centre
Dead Sea (Jordan), September 1, 2010
Jordan-based King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, one of the largest convention centres in the region, has been relaunched under the management of Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand.
The convention centre is adjacent to the 285-room Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa that is currently under development and which is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2014, said a company statement.
With almost 5,000 sq m of meeting space and 23,000 sq m of build-up area spread over 25 conference and meeting rooms and three floors, the convention centre is one of the largest in the region. It can accommodate approximately 5000 guests.
Hilton Worldwide manages the Convention Centre through an agreement with Dead Sea Resorts PSC Company, said a top official.
“This partnership will leverage the Hilton brand’s global expertise and innovative leadership in meetings and large scale events for the benefit of the region as Jordan continues its growth in this segment. Hilton is the leader in global hospitality and we are excited to expand our portfolio in this market,” remarked Dave Horton, global head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand.
As part of Jordan’s strategy to capture MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) business, the convention centre has hosted and will host international conferences such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2007, 2009 and May 2011, the International Monetary Fund, as well as local and regional conferences, workshops and exhibitions.
With fully-equipped conference and meeting halls that vary in size and capacity, the centre is able to accommodate numerous events with different capacity requirements simultaneously.
“Jordan is a key development market for us in our regional development strategy. As an upscale resort and therapeutic area, the Dead Sea is an ideal location to increase our presence in the Jordanian Kingdom where modernization meets with a rich history," said Jean-Paul Herzog, president of Hilton Worldwide, MEA.
The convention centre will further strengthen the Hilton portfolio in Jordan, becoming the first project managed by the Hilton brand in the Kingdom, as one of five other new developments for Hilton Worldwide in the country.
It will join three new Hilton brand hotels in Aqaba, Amman and Dead Sea areas as well as the first Doubletree by Hilton hotel in Aqaba, he added.
“As we face a surge in business travel across Jordan, Hilton Worldwide’s established credentials and well- positioned brands will help us manage demand and meet conference and incentive travellers’ high expectations for this new conversion,” said Said Darwazah, chairman of Dead Sea Resorts.-TradeArabia News Service |
Q:
MySQL table modified timestamp
I have a test server that uses data from a test database. When I'm done testing, it gets moved to the live database.
The problem is, I have other projects that rely on the data now in production, so I have to run a script that grabs the data from the tables I need, deletes the data in the test DB and inserts the data from the live DB.
I have been trying to figure out a way to improve this model. The problem isn't so much in the migration, since the data only gets updated once or twice a week (without any action on my part). The problem is having the migration take place only when it needs to. I would like to have my migration script include a quick check against the live tables and the test tables and, if need be, make the move. If there haven't been updates, the script quits.
This way, I can include the update script in my other scripts and not have to worry if the data is in sync.
I can't use time stamps. For one, I have no control over the tables on the live side once it goes live, and also because it seems a bit silly to bulk up the tables more for conviencience.
I tried doing a "SHOW TABLE STATUS FROM livedb" but because the tables are all InnoDB, there is no "Update Time", plus, it appears that the "Create Time" was this morning, leading me to believe that the database is backed up and re-created daily.
Is there any other property in the table that would show which of the two is newer? A "Newest Row Date" perhaps?
A:
In short: Make the development-live updating first-class in your application. Instead of depending on the database engine to supply you with the necessary information to enable you to make a decision (to update or not to update ... that is the question), just implement it as part of your application. Otherwise, you're trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
Without knowing what your data model is, and without understanding at all what your synchronization model is, you have a few options:
Match primary keys against live database vs. the test database. When test > live IDs, do an update.
Use timestamps in a table to determine if it needs to be updated
Use the md5 hash of a database table and modification date (UTC) to determine if a table has changed.
Long story short: Database synchronization is very hard. Implement a solution which is specific to your application. There is no "generic" solution which will work ideally.
|
Hydrogen bonding behaviors of binary systems containing the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate and water/methanol.
The hydrogen-bonding properties of binary systems consisting of a representative Brønsted acidic hydrophilic ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoroacetate ([Bmim][CF(3)CO(2)]) and a cosolvent, water or methanol, over the entire concentration range have been investigated by methods of attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations. It has been found that the hydrogen-bonding interactions between the anion [CF(3)CO(2)](-), rather than the cation, and the cosolvent molecules are dominant at low concentration of cosolvent. The H-bond interaction site between the IL anion and water/methanol is the O atom in the -COO group, while the -CF(3) group makes a positive contribution by donating electron to the carboxylic group, forming a cooperative hydrogen-bonding system. For the cation [Bmim](+), although the C2-H is the favorable proton donor in H-bonding interactions, the water/methanol molecules form H-bonds with the alkyl C-H at low water/methanol concentration due to the stronger interaction between C2-H and [CF(3)CO(2)](-). Interestingly, we found that the interaction between methanol and the IL is stronger than that between water and the IL because the methyl group in methanol has a positive contribution to the formation of H-bonds. The following sequential order of interaction strength is established: [Bmim](+)-methanol-[CF(3)CO(2)](-) > [Bmim](+)-water-[CF(3)CO(2)](-) > [Bmim](+)-[CF(3)CO(2)](-) > [CF(3)CO(2)](-)-methanol > [CF(3)CO(2)] (-)-water > [Bmim](+)-methanol > [Bmim] (+)-water. |
Ticket resellers such as Viagogo, StubHub and GetMeIn! were found to be in the top two results in 94 per cent of Google searches for tickets.
FanFair Alliance investigated ticket sales for 100 upcoming UK tours, by artists ranging from Metallica to Cliff Richard and Lulu to Run the Jewels.
The group’s research found that a secondary ticketing website has paid to top Google rankings on 77 per cent of occasions.
Yesterday (Monday), Ed Sheeran’s promoter scolded Google for not doing more to prevent touts from profiting from the singer’s gigs.
Stuart Galbraith said: “Google needs to bow to pressure and stop taking money for tickets which are sold on the secondary market.”
Tickets for Sheeran’s ‘Divide’ tour began appearing on Viagogo within minutes of them being released, the BBC reports.
“Ed and I have a strong aversion to secondary ticketing,” Galbraith told BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours programme.
“We put up lots of measures to try and stop the secondary ticketing market when his tour tickets came out on Saturday. The vast majority of secondary sites adhered to our threats of prosecution but Viagogo did not.”
FanFair discovered that, despite resale dominance, only six out of the 100 tours were actually sold out. The majority still had face value tickets available from authorised primary sellers.
Adam Webb, FanFair campaign manager, said: “This is a real problem for UK audiences. If you’re looking to attend a gig or festival, you’d probably expect a search engine to act as a trusted guide and direct you to the legitimate ticket seller.
“However, we consistently see secondary ticketing platforms, led by Viagogo, using paid search to dominate search rankings and even masquerade as “official” sellers – causing considerable confusion in the process. FanFair is contacted on a daily basis by consumers who have been duped by this kind of advertising and led straight into the arms of a ticket tout.
“The reason that Viagogo and other secondary sites can manipulate Google search in this way is simple – it’s because they can afford to.
“Their business model is practically risk free and their service fees are typically set at around 20 to 30 per cent of the resale price. As a result, when purchasing AdWords they can outbid authorised ticket sellers whose charges are significantly less.
“FanFair has brought these practices to the attention of regulators and Google itself, but until action is taken we strongly recommend that would-be ticket buyers give search engines a swerve and check first with the artist or festival website.”
Viagogo was also found to be prominently placing artists’ names in its URLs, as well as the appearance of bogus price comparison websites that frequently defaulted to Viagogo.
Sheeran’s promoter Galbraith said: “If we can identify that those tickets have been bought on the secondary market then there’s every chance their admission will be refused.”
While the reselling of live music tickets for profit is not illegal in the UK, Google said it does not allow fraudulent or misrepresentative ads and takes action when policies are broken.
While the firm is a primary ticketing marketplace where fans can go to buy their tickets when they first go on sale, Ticketmaster also owns resale sites GetMeIn and Seatwave. These secondary platforms typically take up to 25 per cent on ticket sales and have become a profitable market for touts.
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In the United States Court of Federal Claims
No. 19-1308C
(Filed Under Seal: April 1, 2020)
(Reissued for Publication: April 22, 2020) *
*************************************
HVF WEST, LLC, *
*
Plaintiff, *
*
v. * Postaward Bid Protest; Motion for Stay of
* Judgment; RCFC 62(d)
THE UNITED STATES, *
*
Defendant, *
*
and *
*
LAMB DEPOLLUTION, INC., *
*
Defendant-Intervenor. *
*************************************
E. Sanderson Hoe, Washington, DC, for plaintiff.
Steven M. Mager, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC, for defendant.
Shar Bahmani, Scottsdale, AZ, for defendant-intervenor.
OPINION AND ORDER
SWEENEY, Chief Judge
Defendant-intervenor Lamb Depollution, Inc. (“Lamb”) moves, pursuant to Rule 62(d) of
the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (“RCFC”), for a stay of the execution of
the judgment entered by this court on November 26, 2019, pending its appeal. That judgment
encompassed an injunction of Lamb’s “continuing performance on the contract awarded to Lamb
pursuant to the solicitation at issue [in this postaward bid protest],” and also directed that the
*
The court issued this Opinion and Order under seal on April 1, 2020, and directed the
parties to submit proposed redactions. The parties filed a status report on April 21, 2020, in
which they indicate that no material contained in the court’s decision requires
redaction.
government “cancel the contract awarded to Lamb.” J. of Nov. 26, 2019. Plaintiff HVF West,
LLC (“HVF”) opposes Lamb’s motion. 1
The court has before it Lamb’s motion, HVF’s response brief, and Lamb’s reply brief.
As explained below, Lamb has not demonstrated that a stay pending appeal is warranted by the
circumstances of this litigation. For this reason, Lamb’s motion must be denied.
I. BACKGROUND
On February 27, 2019, the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services (“DLA”)
issued solicitation A0007598—an invitation for bids for a contract to purchase and destroy
United States military property in the Tucson area. 2 In the solicitation, the DLA stated that the
award would “be based on the highest priced, responsive, responsible bidder, and other factors,
whose bid is the most advantageous to the [United States] Government.” The DLA further
explained that the Sales Contracting Officer (“SCO”), when making the award decision, would
consider various elements, including, as relevant here, a bidder’s (1) financial responsibility and
(2) its treatment, storage, and disposal facility (“TSDF”) plan.
After reviewing the bids received in response to the solicitation, the SCO notified Lamb
that it was the apparent highest bidder. The SCO subsequently issued a Notice of Award to
Lamb. However, on August 28, 2019, HVF filed its protest in this court alleging various errors
in the SCO’s evaluation of bids.
As explained in this court’s opinion denying Lamb’s motion for reconsideration, the
court sustained HVF’s protest on the grounds that the SCO failed to follow the evaluation
process with respect to the financial responsibility and the TSDF plan criteria. See Recons. Op.
2. Regarding financial responsibility, the court held that “[u]nder the solicitation, a bidder was
required to submit its cost projections to be eligible for an award. Because Lamb did not submit
its cost projections, the SCO failed to follow the terms of the [s]olicitation.” Id. (quoting Op. 21-
22). The court also addressed the TSDF plan requirement and noted:
To receive an award, a bidder needed to submit a TSDF plan detailing, among
other things, its temporary storage facility meeting the requirements of 40 C.F.R.
§ 761.65, its procedures for dealing with polychlorinated biphenyls, and the EPA
1
The government also appealed the judgment but has taken no position on Lamb’s
request for a stay of the execution of the court’s judgment pending appeal.
2
The facts recited here are largely taken from the court’s opinion denying Lamb’s
motion for reconsideration which issued on January 8, 2020 (“Recons. Op.”). Citations to
underlying documents on the docket have been omitted here but are found in that prior opinion.
See Recons. Op.; see also HVF W., LLC v. United States, 146 Fed. Cl. 451 (2020) (“HVF II”).
Additional background facts are provided in the court’s opinion resolving the parties’ cross-
motions for judgment on the administrative record which issued on November 22, 2019 (“Op.”).
See Op.; see also HVF W., LLC v. United States, 146 Fed. Cl. 314 (2019) (“HVF I”), appeals
docketed, Nos. 2020-1414, 2020-1583 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 30, 2020, Mar. 18, 2020).
-2-
identification number for its facility. Lamb did not submit such a plan. Because
Lamb failed to submit the materials necessary to receive a contract, the SCO
failed to follow the terms of the solicitation when he awarded Lamb a contract.
Id. (quoting Op. 22). After concluding that the aforementioned errors were prejudicial,
the court enjoined the DLA
from continuing performance on the contract awarded to Lamb pursuant to the
solicitation at issue in this protest, [and] directed the SCO to cancel the contract
awarded to Lamb, and further direct[ed] the SCO to either (1) select a new
awardee from among the existing bidders in accordance with the terms of
solicitation A0007598 or (2) issue a new solicitation.
Id. at 3 (quoting Op. 27). In response to the court’s directives, the DLA issued a stop work order
for performance under Lamb’s contract and issued a bridge contract solicitation, A0008025.
Both HVF and Lamb submitted bids for the bridge contract, which had not been awarded as of
the time Lamb’s reply brief was filed.
Both Lamb and the United States have appealed the court’s rulings in this matter. See
supra nn.1-2. The court observes that Lamb has not moved swiftly when it has brought its
objections to the injunction to the court’s attention. HVF I issued under seal on November 22,
2019, then judgment issued on November 26, 2019, but it was not until December 24, 2019, that
Lamb filed its motion for reconsideration. HVF II issued under seal on January 8, 2020. Lamb
did not file its notice of appeal until January 24, 2020, over two weeks later. After an additional
delay of over one month, Lamb filed its motion for a stay of the execution of the judgment
pending appeal on February 27, 2020. Lamb’s motion is fully briefed and ripe for decision.
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
“Unless a court issues a stay, a trial court’s judgment . . . normally takes effect despite a
pending appeal.” Coleman v. Tollefson, 135 S. Ct. 1759, 1764 (2015). A stay of execution of a
judgment pending appeal “‘is an intrusion into the ordinary processes of administration and
judicial review,’ and accordingly ‘is not a matter of right, even if irreparable injury might
otherwise result to the appellant.’” Nken v. Holder, 556 U.S. 418, 427 (2009) (quoting Virginian
R. Co. v. United States, 272 U.S. 658, 672 (1926); Virginia Petroleum Jobbers Assn. v. FPC, 259
F.2d 921, 925 (C.A.D.C. 1958) (per curiam)). Therefore, courts should not “reflexively hold[] a
final order in abeyance pending review.” Id. Nevertheless, it is well settled that the power to
stay execution of a judgment pending appeal is “part of [a court’s] traditional equipment for the
administration of justice.” Scripps-Howard Radio v. FCC, 316 U.S. 4, 9-10 (1942).
Pursuant to Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, a motion to stay
execution of the trial court’s judgment pending appeal ordinarily must be filed in the trial court
first. See Fed. R. App. P. 8(a)(1)(A); see also Wolfchild v. United States, 108 Fed. Cl. 578, 583
(2013) (“Notwithstanding the pendency of an appeal, a motion for stay should first be filed in the
trial court.”). A stay pending appeal has been described as an extraordinary remedy and is not
often granted. E.g., Lawson Envtl. Servs., LLC v. United States, 128 Fed. Cl. 14, 17 (2016);
-3-
Turner Constr. Co. v. United States, 94 Fed. Cl. 586, 589 (2010). If the trial court denies the
motion, the applicant may seek the same relief in the appellate court. Fed. R. App. P.
8(a)(2)(A)(2).
In entertaining a motion under RCFC 62(d), the court considers four factors: (1) whether
the moving party has made a strong showing that it is likely to succeed on the merits; (2) whether
the moving party will be irreparably injured absent the requested relief; (3) whether the requested
relief will substantially injure the other parties interested in the proceeding; and (4) the public
interest. Hilton v. Braunskill, 481 U.S. 770, 776 (1987); Standard Havens Prods., Inc. v. Gencor
Indus., Inc., 897 F.2d 511, 512 (Fed. Cir. 1990); Alaska Cent. Express, Inc. v. United States, 51
Fed. Cl. 227, 229 (2001). The court need not assign each factor equal weight. Standard Havens,
897 F.2d at 512.
Consequently, relief is appropriate where the moving party “‘establishes that it has a
strong likelihood of success on appeal, or where, failing that, it can nonetheless demonstrate a
substantial case on the merits,’ provided the other factors militate in [its] favor.” Id. at 513
(quoting Hilton, 481 U.S. at 778). When the equitable factors weigh decidedly in the moving
party’s favor, “it will ordinarily be enough that the [moving party] has raised questions going to
the merits so serious, substantial, difficult and doubtful, as to make them a fair ground for
litigation.” Id. (quoting Hamilton Watch Co. v. Benrus Watch Co., 206 F.2d 738, 740 (2d Cir.
1953)); accord Alaska Cent., 51 Fed. Cl. at 230 (“[I]f the equities weigh heavily in favor of
maintaining the status quo, this court may grant an injunction under RCFC 62([d]) where the
question raised is novel or close, especially when the case will be returned to the trial court
should the movant succeed.”).
III. ANALYSIS
A. Likelihood of Success on the Merits
The court first considers whether Lamb is likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal or
has, at least, a substantial case on the merits. Regarding its appeal, Lamb argues that it need only
prevail on one of its three arguments contesting this court’s resolution of HVF’s protest, which
are as follows: (1) the DLA’s contract award to Lamb did not fall within this court’s bid protest
jurisdiction; (2) HVF lacked standing to bring this protest; and (3) the SCO’s evaluation of
Lamb’s bid was rational. Generally, Lamb contends that it has made a strong showing of likely
success on appeal or, at least, a substantial case on the merits.
While the court would agree that any one of Lamb’s principal arguments, if successful,
would be sufficient to invalidate the court’s reasons for entering the injunction in favor of HVF
in November 2019, the court cannot agree that Lamb has made a strong showing of likelihood of
success, or even a substantial case on the merits, for its appeal to the United States Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“Federal Circuit”). Thus, as explained below, the first factor to
be weighed regarding the issuance of a stay pending appeal in this matter weighs against Lamb.
The court addresses each of Lamb’s arguments against the court’s injunction of performance
under Lamb’s contract in turn.
-4-
1. Jurisdiction
HVF’s protest of the DLA’s contract award to Lamb was within this court’s jurisdiction
“because the resulting contract from the [A0007598] solicitation at issue was for a mixed
transaction—the awardee would be buying property from the government while also providing a
non-de minimis [removal and destruction of military equipment] service to the government.”
Op. 12. Lamb raises three principal arguments which, in its view, invalidate the jurisdictional
ruling of this court. 3
First, Lamb argues that a close reading of the solicitation shows that Lamb’s contract
primarily involved the sale to Lamb of scrap military equipment, with only a de minimis service
of demilitarization and/or mutilation. This court analyzed the A0007598 solicitation, however,
and applied the mixed transaction test described in NASA-Reconsideration, B-408823.2, 2014
CPD ¶ 147 (Comp. Gen. May 8, 2014). The court remains convinced that the mixed transaction
test is valid and that under this test, the DLA contract with Lamb was a mixed transaction that
brings HVF’s protest within this court’s jurisdiction over protests of procurement contracts.
Indeed, nothing in Lamb’s motion or its reply brief presents a more persuasive analysis of the
nature of the A0007598 solicitation. 4
Second, Lamb argues that this court’s application of the mixed transaction test in NASA-
Reconsideration presents a matter of first impression that warrants a stay pending appeal so that
the Federal Circuit can resolve Lamb’s “substantial case on the merits.” Mot. 8. But as Lamb
notes, the mixed transaction test is buttressed by Government Accountability Office (“GAO”)
decisions dating from 1987 through 2014, which hardly makes the instant case a matter of first
impression. Nothing in Lamb’s motion or reply brief justifies the rejection of the GAO’s mixed
transaction test or a stay founded on Lamb’s arguments against this court’s jurisdictional
holding. 5
Third, Lamb cites a variety of decisions by the GAO and this court in an attempt to
3
The court has considered all of Lamb’s arguments. To the extent that a cursory
argument is not addressed in this opinion it was deemed to be unpersuasive.
4
Lamb’s reliance on language in the A0008025 solicitation, which was created by DLA
as a replacement contracting vehicle once the court enjoined Lamb’s performance under the
A0007598 solicitation, is unhelpful. As Lamb points out in its reply brief, contract requirements
that were the focus of the court’s rejection of the award of the contract to Lamb were modified or
eliminated in the bridge contract solicitation. See Reply 15 n.10.
5
Lamb’s reliance on PDS Consultants, Inc. v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 810 (2017)
(“PDS II”), is misplaced. The underlying bid protest opinion in that matter, PDS Consultants,
Inc. v. United States, 132 Fed. Cl. 117 (2017), aff’d, 907 F.3d 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2018), resolved a
conflict between different statutory preference schemes applicable in government contracting.
All parties in that case agreed that a stay pending appeal was warranted to ensure that the Federal
Circuit could provide guidance on a matter of first impression. PDS II, 133 Fed. Cl. at 817. PDS
II addressed a rare circumstance that bears no resemblance to the request for a stay currently
before the court.
-5-
undermine the court’s reliance on and application of the mixed transaction test described in
NASA-Reconsideration. The court disagrees with Lamb’s conclusion that the cited decisions are
more persuasive in this matter than NASA-Reconsideration. The court agrees, instead, with
HVF’s contention that some of this precedent was considered, and rightly rejected, in HVF I, and
that most of the new decisions cited by Lamb are inapposite. The court will briefly address two
decisions upon which Lamb places the most emphasis.
Lamb attempts to show, by citing various excerpts of Resource Recovery International
Group, Inc., B-265880, 95-2 CPD ¶ 277 (Comp. Gen. Dec. 19, 1995) (“RRIG”), that the GAO
has already decided that contracts such as Lamb’s contract with the DLA have only a de minimis
demilitarization component and thus are not mixed transactions. But as this court previously
noted, the mixed transaction test is not mentioned in RRIG, and the fundamental jurisdictional
question in this bid protest was not an issue in RRIG. Op. 12 & n.10. The court observes that
the GAO explicitly noted in RRIG that its review of DLA sales contracts was established not by
any jurisdictional test but by consent provided by DLA in a letter dated January 13, 1987. RRIG,
95-2 CPD ¶ 277 n.1. RRIG does not contradict or undermine the jurisdictional analysis
conducted by this court in HVF I.
Lamb also relies on a GAO decision regarding a protest brought by a disappointed bidder
for a scrap metal sales contract with the United States Department of the Army, Army Materiel
Command, Santa Rita, LLC, B-411467.2, 2015 CPD ¶ 222 (July 20, 2015). Santa Rita does not
help Lamb. First, in Santa Rita the GAO employed the mixed transaction test, which is further
authority for the use of the test in this bid protest. Second, as HVF points out, the scrap metal
sales contract in Santa Rita was very different in character, and much less demanding as to the
awardee’s responsibilities, than was the case in Lamb’s contract with the DLA. These
differences distinguish Santa Rita, where the GAO declined jurisdiction over the protest because
the scrap sales contract in that competition was not a mixed transaction. Having considered
RRIG and Santa Rita, and the other authorities relied upon by Lamb, the court is not persuaded
that Lamb has a substantial case on appeal to argue that this court lacked jurisdiction over HVF’s
bid protest.
2. HVF’s Standing
Lamb’s second challenge relates to HVF’s standing to protest. In the context of a
postaward bid protest, the plaintiff must establish that there was a substantial chance it would
have received the contract but for the procuring agency’s errors. Info. Tech. & Applications
Corp. v. United States, 316 F.3d 1312, 1319 (Fed. Cir. 2003) (“ITAC”) (citing Alfa Laval
Separation, Inc. v. United States, 175 F.3d 1365, 1367 (Fed. Cir. 1999)). In other words, a
protestor has standing if, but for the agency’s errors, it could compete for the award. Impresa
Construzioni Geom. Domenico Garufi v. United States, 238 F.3d 1324, 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2001)
(citing Alfa Laval, 175 F.3d at 1367). Here, the court found that HVF had standing because it
was a strong competitor for award of the contract with the DLA if the award to Lamb was set
aside. Op. 14.
Lamb raises two arguments challenging the court’s holding on standing. First, Lamb
argues that the only appropriate test for standing in the circumstances of this contract award is
-6-
the test used in United States v. International Business Machines Corp., 892 F.2d 1006 (Fed. Cir.
1989) (“IBM”), and that under the IBM test, HVF did not possess standing to bring its bid
protest. Second, Lamb argues that even if IBM does not provide the appropriate test for
standing, HVF’s fourth-place ranking on price shows that HVF did not possess standing to bring
its suit. The court addresses each argument in turn.
In its opinion resolving the parties’ cross-motions for judgment on the administrative
record, the court thoroughly considered IBM and concluded that the standing test therein (for
sealed bid competitions where bids differ only as to price) was not applicable in this mixed
transaction sales contract competition because nonprice factors would be evaluated by the DLA
along with price when making an award under the A0007598 solicitation. Op. 13-14. In the
background section of the opinion, the court examined the instructions to bidders in the
solicitation, which was not a model of clarity, and noted several instances where nonprice factors
would be considered by the DLA. Id. at 3-6. Based on these elements of the solicitation, and its
consideration of IBM and other relevant precedent, the court determined that this competition
was not governed by the standing test in IBM. Nothing in Lamb’s motion or reply brief
convinces the court that the solicitation, which governed the mixed transaction competition in
this protest, should be read to establish a competition that falls within the IBM line of precedent. 6
Lamb also contends that HVF fails the test for standing provided by precedent binding on
this court, even if IBM is determined not to be applicable. According to Lamb, HVF’s ranking
on price was too far below that of Lamb. Lamb concludes that HVF did not have a direct
economic interest in the competition, i.e., did not have a substantial chance of receiving the
contract award, and thus lacked standing to bring its bid protest.
The court disagrees. HVF met the appropriate test for standing because it was in a
position to compete for the award if the award to Lamb was found to be erroneous. A protestor
need not be next in line for award if the allegations in the complaint point to a substantial chance
that the awardee and other competitors were incorrectly ranked as superior to the protestor. E.g.,
Raymond Express Int’l, LLC v. United States, 124 Fed. Cl. 79, 87 (2015) (citing ITAC, 316 F.3d
at 1319). The court concludes that Lamb does not have a substantial case on appeal supporting
its position that HVF lacked standing to bring its bid protest.
3. Evaluation of Lamb’s Proposal
Lamb’s third challenge relates to the merits of HVF’s protest. When the court reached
the merits of HVF’s protest, it found two aspects of the evaluation of Lamb’s bid, regarding
Lamb’s financial responsibility and its TSDF plan, to be inconsistent with the solicitation and
irrational. Op. 21-23. These findings of irrationality are now contested by Lamb. Further,
Lamb argues that these protest grounds were waived by HVF because they were not raised in
HVF’s earlier protests before the agency and the GAO. The court will address the waiver issue
6
The court held, in addition, that even if the IBM test for standing were applied to
HVF’s protest, the test was satisfied because in its complaint HVF adequately challenged all of
the bidders with a higher bid price. Op. 14 n.11 (citing IBM, 892 F.2d at 1010-11).
-7-
before turning to the specific topics of Lamb’s financial responsibility and its TSDF plan. First,
however, the court considers whether Lamb is correct when its asserts that it had no obligation to
submit required information in writing in support of its showing of financial responsibility and
an adequate TSDF plan.
Both the financial responsibility and TSDF plan criteria are found in the “Criteria used
for Award” section of the solicitation. Administrative R. (“AR”) 188-89. There is no indication
in the solicitation that these criteria could be satisfied by informal, undocumented telephone
conversations or the assumptions of the SCO based on a bidder’s track record with the agency.
Instead, this section of the solicitation is replete with references to information that would be
provided by the bidder in written form.
The following excerpts are typical of this solicitation section, and show that written
documentation was the norm for satisfying these evaluation criteria: (1) “Identification and
description of at least one temporary storage facility . . . .”; (2) “The procedures for
identification, removal, treatment and temporary storage of regulated [polychlorinated biphenyl]
items.”; (3) “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identification number of the facility
where demilitarization, mutilation and remediation is to be accomplished.”; (4) “Evidence of an
established working relationship with the transporters and disposal facilities identified. If an
existing relationship does not exist, the bidder should provide written evidence of the
transporters or disposal facility willingness to provide subcontracting services under this
Auction.”; (5) “Provide evidence of availability of [processing] facilities for the duration of the
period of performance, either by ownership and existing lease or by letter from the facility
owners . . . .”; (6) “Provide a cost projection with regard to each contract operation, i.e.,
transporting, storage, [Demilitarization/]Mutilation, sales, and hazardous material and waste
disposal. The cost projections must be itemized.”; (7) “[P]rovide evidence that the capital is
available to cover projected costs. This may be in the form of a letter of intent from a financial
institution or an itemized certified financial statement.”; and (8) “Documentation on the bidder’s
training program sufficient to demonstrate compliance with [various laws and regulatory
requirements].” Id. at 188. A successful bidder, in view of these directives in the solicitation,
was required to provide, in writing, documents that would satisfy the financial responsibility and
TSDF plan evaluation criteria.
Lamb argues, nonetheless, that nothing in the solicitation required it to respond to the
financial responsibility and TSDF plan evaluation criteria in writing. That reading is not a
logical interpretation of the solicitation sections that address a bidder’s financial responsibility
and TSDF plan, which are discussed in more detail below. Nor does Lamb’s proposition
comport with the solicitation, when that document is considered as a whole, because the types of
information to be submitted to and considered by the DLA were, almost exclusively, written
materials. See, e.g., Magnus Pac. Corp. v. United States, 133 Fed. Cl. 640, 681 (2017) (“It is a
well-established principle of government contract law that solicitation terms must be considered
as a whole to discern their meaning.” (citing Merando, Inc. v. United States, 475 F.2d 603, 605
(Ct. Cl. 1973))). The court concludes that Lamb was not excused from providing to the DLA, in
writing, materials substantiating its financial responsibility and its TSDF plan.
-8-
a. Waiver
Turning now to the waiver issue, Lamb argues, as it has before, that HVF waived all
protest grounds that were not raised in earlier protests. Lamb cites no statutory or regulatory
authority for its waiver argument. Further, only one of the decisions cited by Lamb is from a bid
protest, and that case involved not an agency-level protest or a GAO protest, but a proceeding
before the Office of Hearing and Appeals (“OHA”) of the Small Business Administration
(“SBA”). In that quite different set of circumstances, this court found waiver based on both the
“unique expertise of the SBA” and Federal Circuit precedent that requires protestors to first
exhaust certain administrative remedies at the OHA before seeking relief in this court. See Team
Waste Gulf Coast, LLC v. United States, 135 Fed. Cl. 683, 688-89 (2018) (citing Palladian
Partners, Inc. v. United States, 783 F.3d 1243, 1257-61 (Fed. Cir. 2015)).
The court finds that Lamb’s waiver argument is entirely unsupported by relevant
authority. For the reasons stated in this court’s prior ruling, the fact that HVF did not pursue the
same arguments in earlier protests before the agency and the GAO as it does here does not
constitute waiver of those protest grounds. See Op. 22 (citing Sotera Defense Solutions, Inc. v.
United States, 118 Fed. Cl. 237, 255 n.8 (2014), for the rule that new protest grounds may be
raised in this court after an unsuccessful GAO protest); HVF Resp. 8 n.5 (citing additional
authority for this rule). Lamb has not presented a substantial case in support of its waiver
argument.
b. Financial Responsibility
With respect to Lamb’s contentions regarding the financial responsibility criteria, the
court begins its discussion with a review of the evolution of Lamb’s arguments on this topic
during this protest. In its motion for judgment on the administrative record filed on October 16,
2019, Lamb relied solely on the administrative record to contend that the written documents it
submitted to the DLA were sufficient to show financial responsibility pursuant to the evaluation
criteria stated in the solicitation, and that the DLA’s relaxation of the requirement for the
submission of cost projections was, at most, a de minimis procurement error unworthy of judicial
relief. Over two months later, in its motion for reconsideration filed on December 24, 2019, it
went beyond the administrative record and attached a declaration from Greg S. Lamb, president
and owner of the company. In his declaration, Mr. Lamb stated that “it would have taken Lamb
approximately 2-3 hours to draft and finalize a cost projection summarizing anticipated
operations in connection with the Tucson [DLA contract].” Lamb Dec. 23, 2019 Decl. ¶ 20. Mr.
Lamb also stated that Lamb had significant experience on another DLA contract in Texarkana,
and that Lamb had communicated to the SCO its intention to perform the Tucson DLA contract
in the same manner as the Texarkana DLA contract. Id. ¶¶ 5, 7-11. Largely based on Mr.
Lamb’s declaration, Lamb argued that the SCO reasonably concluded that Lamb was financially
responsible.
The court concluded that reconsideration was not warranted on the basis of evidence that
Lamb could have provided earlier, but did not. Recons. Op. 4. The court also held that nothing
in this new evidence showed that the SCO’s evaluation and award conformed to solicitation
requirements, which explicitly required cost projections from the successful bidder. Id. Thus,
-9-
the court affirmed its holding that Lamb had not met the financial responsibility requirements
and that the award of the contract to Lamb was irrational.
Since December 24, 2019, Lamb’s arguments regarding financial responsibility have
remained the same, with Lamb relying on an updated version of Mr. Lamb’s declaration. See
Lamb Feb. 21, 2020 Decl. ¶¶ 5, 7-11, 20. In its motion for a stay pending appeal filed on
February 27, 2020, which might be described as Lamb’s third bite at the apple on the issue of
financial responsibility, Lamb reasserts its argument that the SCO reasonably concluded that
Lamb was financially responsible. The court observes, however, that notwithstanding the
evidence presented by Lamb more than four months after Lamb’s motion for judgment on the
administrative record was due, “the SCO could only award a contract to a bidder who submitted
cost projections, which Lamb did not do.” Recons. Op. 4. The award of the contract to Lamb
was contrary to the solicitation and irrational, and was properly enjoined by this court. Lamb has
not made a substantial case on the financial responsibility issue currently on appeal to the
Federal Circuit.
c. TSDF Plan
The evolution of Lamb’s arguments regarding the sufficiency of its TSDF plan
submissions to the DLA bear many similarities to Lamb’s evolving position on the issue of
financial responsibility. In its motion for judgment on the administrative record filed on October
16, 2019, Lamb relied on four pages of the administrative record, AR 70, 148, 188, 253, to
contend that the written documents it submitted were sufficient to satisfy the TSDF plan
requirement. In Lamb’s motion for reconsideration filed on December 24, 2019, Lamb went
beyond the administrative record and attached three declarations—from the president, vice
president and general manager of the company. These declarations, and the narrative in Lamb’s
motion for reconsideration, attempt to show that through email messages, telephone
conversations, and site visits, the DLA obtained sufficient information to satisfy Lamb’s TSDF
plan requirement.
The court concluded that reconsideration was not warranted on the basis of evidence that
Lamb could have provided earlier, but did not. Recons. Op. 4. The court also held that nothing
in this new evidence showed that the SCO’s evaluation and award conformed to solicitation
requirements “because, pursuant to the terms of the solicitation, a bidder could only be an
awardee if it identified a [TSDF] meeting the requirements set forth in” 40 C.F.R. § 761.65. Id.
Thus, the court affirmed its holding that Lamb had not met the TSDF plan requirement and that
the award of the contract to Lamb was irrational.
Since December 24, 2019, Lamb’s arguments regarding the TSDF plan have remained
the same, with Lamb relying on an updated version of Mr. Lamb’s declaration, as well as the
same December 2019 declarations proffered from the vice president and general manager of
Lamb. In its motion for a stay pending appeal filed on February 27, 2020, Lamb reasserts its
argument that the SCO reasonably concluded that Lamb satisfied the TSDF plan requirement.
The court observes, however, that notwithstanding the evidence presented by Lamb at this late
date, Lamb’s submission of information regarding its TSDF plan fell short of the solicitation’s
requirements. The award of the contract to Lamb was contrary to the solicitation and irrational,
-10-
and was properly enjoined by this court. Lamb has not made a substantial case regarding the
sufficiency of its TSDF plan submission for its appeal to the Federal Circuit.
B. Irreparable Harm
Having found that Lamb is not likely to succeed in its appeal, and that Lamb does not
have a substantial case for its appeal, the court now considers whether Lamb will suffer
irreparable harm absent a stay of the execution of the court’s judgment. Irreparable harm is only
present if the stay applicant “will be denied any meaningful relief if its motion is denied and it
should ultimately prevail.” Minor Metals, Inc. v. United States, 38 Fed. Cl. 379, 381 (1997).
This court has stated that “[o]nly economic loss that threatens the survival of a movant’s
business constitutes irreparable harm.” Sierra Military Health Servs., Inc. v. United States, 58
Fed. Cl. 573, 582 (2003) (quoting Found. Health Fed. Servs. v. United States, No. 93-1717, 1993
WL 738426, at *3 (D.D.C. Sept. 23, 1993)). In a patent infringement case, the Federal Circuit in
Standard Havens equated “employee layoffs, immediate insolvency, and, possibly, extinction”
with irreparable harm. 897 F.2d at 515. In its motion, Lamb describes the financial impacts of
the court’s November 2019 injunction on its business in exactly these terms.
It is important to note, however, that Lamb is responsible, in part, for the imposition of
the injunction. None of the financial distress faced by Lamb, were the court to rule in favor of
HVF’s request for an injunction, was discussed by Lamb in its motion for judgment on the
administrative record. Recons. Op. 4 & n.2. The court weighed the factors for granting
injunctive relief in the absence of input from Lamb on this topic. Lamb’s irreparable injury, as
alleged, is partly of its own making.
The court notes, too, that Lamb states in its reply brief that it is actively being considered
for the award of the bridge contract; indeed, Lamb indicates that it is now the putative awardee
pending verification of its responsibility. Although Lamb suggests that its bridge contract bid
price is far less advantageous to Lamb, and that there is uncertainty as to whether Lamb will
actually receive the award, the prospects of receipt of the financial benefits of the bridge contract
mitigate the impact of the court’s injunction on Lamb’s financial health and survival as a
business entity. 7 The court concludes, nonetheless, that Lamb has identified at least some
irreparable financial injury that weighs in favor of its request for a stay of judgment pending
appeal.
C. Substantial Injury to Other Parties
The third factor that the court must consider in determining whether to stay the execution
of its judgment pending appeal is whether such a stay would substantially injure the other parties.
Because the United States has not filed a brief responding to Lamb’s motion, there is no
identified injury to the DLA should a stay issue, although both Lamb and HVF speculate as to
the advantages and disadvantages that a stay might provide the government. As for HVF, its
7
The third exhibit attached to Lamb’s reply brief states that it is Lamb Fuels, Inc., not
Lamb Depollution, Inc., that has bid on the bridge contract. In its brief, Lamb treats these
entities as the same business concern.
-11-
prospects for award of the bridge contract appear slim, if Lamb’s reply brief presents an accurate
picture of the status of that competition. Given the nature of the information currently before the
court, no substantial injury to the other parties has been identified in the event that the court
should stay its judgment pending appeal. This factor, too, weighs in favor of Lamb’s request.
D. Public Interest
The fourth and final factor concerns the public interest. Here, HVF has the stronger
argument. The court issued the injunction because the DLA did not follow the terms of the
solicitation in its award to Lamb. The injunction in this case thus serves to preserve the fairness
of competition for government contracts. This is not of minor import; indeed, this is the function
of the court’s bid protest jurisdiction. See, e.g., Red River Holdings, LLC v. United States, 91
Fed. Cl. 621, 628 (2010) (stating that “the public interest is best served when procurement errors
are rectified and the award is made to the correct contractor in accord with the contract
solicitations and the award criteria”). The fourth factor weighs against the issuance of a stay of
the execution of this court’s judgment pending appeal.
E. Weighing of the Factors
Having considered each of the factors applicable to a stay of the execution of its
judgment pending appeal, the court must weigh the factors against one another. Standard
Havens, 897 F.2d at 513. The court must “weigh[] the equities as they affect the parties and the
public.” E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. v. Phillips Petroleum Co., 835 F.2d 277, 278 (Fed. Cir.
1987). When the movant fails to demonstrate a strong likelihood of success on appeal, a stay
pending appeal is appropriate when the applicant presents a substantial case and the balance of
hardships tips in its favor. Standard Havens, 897 F.2d at 512-13; Alaska Cent., 51 Fed. Cl. at
230. Here, however, Lamb does not present even a substantial case on the merits, nor do the
other factors, when considered together, tip the balance in Lamb’s favor.
The court notes, for example, that the degree of irreparable monetary injury to Lamb is
somewhat uncertain, given Lamb’s status as putative awardee of the bridge contract. The court
notes, too, that Lamb’s own actions have contributed to both the imposition of the injunction, see
supra Section III.B, and to the urgency of its request for a stay pending appeal, because Lamb
repeatedly delayed the filing of its motions to obtain relief from the injunction. By Lamb’s own
count, it waited seven weeks to seek a stay pending appeal. These actions, along with the public
interest factor, tip the balance of the equities against Lamb. See Lawson Envtl., 128 Fed. Cl. at
19 (discounting an assertion of irreparable harm where the movant delayed the filing of its
motion seeking a stay pending appeal).
Even if the court were to conclude that the irreparable injury to Lamb tips the balance of
the second, third, and fourth factors in Lamb’s favor, a conclusion not endorsed by the court
here, there would not be sufficient justification for a stay pending appeal. Finding that the
balance of harms weighs in the applicant’s favor, standing alone, is insufficient to support a stay
pending appeal. When, for the purpose of its analysis, a court finds that the balance of harms is
favorable to a stay applicant, the movant’s substantial case on the merits may permit the court to
enter a stay. Standard Havens, 897 F.2d at 512-13. In other words, the first factor—likelihood
-12-
of success or, at a minimum, substantial case—is essential. Id. Unfortunately for Lamb, it has
not demonstrated even a substantial case on the merits. Since more than a possibility of relief on
appeal is required, Nken, 556 U.S. at 434, the first factor, alone, prevents Lamb from obtaining a
stay pending appeal in this matter.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the reasons discussed above, the court DENIES Lamb’s motion for a stay of the
execution of the court’s judgment pending appeal.
The court has filed this ruling under seal. The parties shall confer to determine proposed
redactions to which all the parties agree. Then, by no later than Friday, April 17, 2020, the
parties shall file a joint status report indicating their agreement with the proposed redactions,
attaching a copy of those pages of the court’s ruling containing proposed redactions, with
all proposed redactions clearly indicated. The parties also shall, by the same date, file any
redacted versions of documents they filed under seal in this case to the extent such redacted
versions have not already been filed.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
s/ Margaret M. Sweeney
MARGARET M. SWEENEY
Chief Judge
-13-
|
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Q:
"The request channel timed out while waiting for a reply" in WCF service
I'm running a WCF service hosted by a windows service (calling from a asp.net site).
When I get a timeout (because the sendTimeout attribute has been exceeded) while calling through a "BasicHttp" endpoint, I get expected error message:
"The request channel timed out while waiting for a reply after 00:01:00. ...."
but when calling through a NetTcp endpoint (with Transport security) I get the more general error:
"The communication object, System.ServiceModel.Channels.ServiceChannel, cannot be used for communication because it is in the Faulted state."
Does anybody know why that is? Am I missing something in the configuration?
My client-side configuration is:
<netTcpBinding>
<binding name="netTcpBindingConfig" closeTimeout="00:01:00"
openTimeout="00:01:00" receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:00:10"
transactionFlow="false" transferMode="Buffered" transactionProtocol="OleTransactions"
hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard" listenBacklog="10"
maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxBufferSize="655360" maxConnections="10"
maxReceivedMessageSize="65536000">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="65536000" maxArrayLength="16384"
maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
<reliableSession ordered="true" inactivityTimeout="00:10:00"
enabled="false" />
<security mode="Transport">
<transport clientCredentialType="Windows" protectionLevel="EncryptAndSign" />
<message clientCredentialType="Windows" />
</security>
</binding>
</netTcpBinding>
<basicHttpBinding>
<binding name="basicHttpBindingConfig" closeTimeout="00:01:00"
openTimeout="00:01:00" receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:00:00.500"
bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="65536000"
messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" useDefaultWebProxy="true"
allowCookies="false">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="65536000" maxArrayLength="16384"
maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
Service config:
<basicHttpBinding>
<binding name="basicHttpBinding_config" maxReceivedMessageSize="5000000">
<readerQuotas maxDepth="9000000" maxStringContentLength="9000000"
maxArrayLength="9000000" maxBytesPerRead="9000000" maxNameTableCharCount="9000000" />
</binding>
</basicHttpBinding>
<netTcpBinding>
<binding name="tcpBinding_config" maxReceivedMessageSize="5000000" maxBufferSize="5000000" maxBufferPoolSize="5000000" >
<readerQuotas maxDepth="9000000" maxStringContentLength="9000000"
maxArrayLength="9000000" maxBytesPerRead="9000000" maxNameTableCharCount="9000000" />
</binding>
</netTcpBinding>
Any help is much appreciated!
Thanks!
Jon
A:
The timeout exception is causing your proxy to go into a faulted state.
The reason why you do not get this exception with the BasicHttpBinding is because this binding does not use sessions. If there is an exception with a binding that uses sessions then the channel will become faulted and the session will get destroyed.
This tends to hide the real cause of the problem. One way to investigate the original exception is to use WCF Tracing.
WCF can be configured to output traces for process milestones across all components of the applications, such as operation calls, code exceptions, warnings and other significant processing events.
The following is a .config example to enable tracing.
<configuration>
<system.diagnostics>
<sources>
<source name="System.ServiceModel" switchValue="Warning" propagateActivity="true" >
<listeners>
<add name="xml"/>
</listeners>
</source>
<source name="myUserTraceSource" switchValue="Warning, ActivityTracing">
<listeners>
<add name="xml"/>
</listeners>
</source>
</sources>
<sharedListeners>
<add name="xml"
type="System.Diagnostics.XmlWriterTraceListener"
initializeData="C:\logs\TraceLog.svclog" />
</sharedListeners>
</system.diagnostics>
</configuration>
Make sure the path defined in initializeData is writable by your service. You can read more about WCF Tracing from MSDN: Configuring Tracing.
Microsoft provides a Service Trace Viewer Tool to read .svclog files.
|
// For now OpenGL is considered at GLES2 level
#define UNITY_UV_STARTS_AT_TOP 0
#define UNITY_REVERSED_Z 0
#define UNITY_GATHER_SUPPORTED 0
#define TEXTURE2D_SAMPLER2D(textureName, samplerName) sampler2D textureName
#define TEXTURE3D_SAMPLER3D(textureName, samplerName) sampler3D textureName
#define TEXTURE2D(textureName) sampler2D textureName
#define SAMPLER2D(samplerName)
#define TEXTURE3D(textureName) sampler3D textureName
#define SAMPLER3D(samplerName)
#define TEXTURE2D_ARGS(textureName, samplerName) sampler2D textureName
#define TEXTURE2D_PARAM(textureName, samplerName) textureName
#define TEXTURE3D_ARGS(textureName, samplerName) sampler3D textureName
#define TEXTURE3D_PARAM(textureName, samplerName) textureName
#define SAMPLE_TEXTURE2D(textureName, samplerName, coord2) tex2D(textureName, coord2)
#define SAMPLE_TEXTURE2D_LOD(textureName, samplerName, coord2, lod) tex2Dlod(textureName, float4(coord2, 0.0, lod))
#define SAMPLE_TEXTURE3D(textureName, samplerName, coord3) tex3D(textureName, coord3)
#define LOAD_TEXTURE2D(textureName, texelSize, icoord2) tex2D(textureName, icoord2 / texelSize)
#define LOAD_TEXTURE2D_LOD(textureName, texelSize, icoord2) tex2Dlod(textureName, float4(icoord2 / texelSize, 0.0, lod))
#define SAMPLE_DEPTH_TEXTURE(textureName, samplerName, coord2) SAMPLE_TEXTURE2D(textureName, samplerName, coord2).r
#define SAMPLE_DEPTH_TEXTURE_LOD(textureName, samplerName, coord2, lod) SAMPLE_TEXTURE2D_LOD(textureName, samplerName, coord2, lod).r
#define UNITY_BRANCH
#define UNITY_FLATTEN
#define UNITY_UNROLL
#define UNITY_LOOP
#define UNITY_FASTOPT
#define CBUFFER_START(name)
#define CBUFFER_END
#define FXAA_HLSL_3 1
#define SMAA_HLSL_3 1
|
Q:
Communicate with Telegram - iOS 8 (In-App Communication)
I would like to make sure that I can't communicate with Telegram on iOS 8. My goal would be open Telegram from my app after touching an UIButton, passing my phone number in this process as parameter being it the sender, and that Telegram could handle a new text messaging to some particular phone number.
If Telegram doesn't has an own custom 'URL Scheme', I can't do that, right? Even on iOS 8.
Thanks
A:
The iOS Telegram version 2.8 supports URL Schema tg and telegram with this parameters:
//msg?
to
text
//download-language?
//resolve?
Example for sending a message with the text "Foo" to +391234567 :
tg://msg?text=Foo&to=+393331234657
More info in the official doc:
Telegram URI Scheme; you can also see the implementation in the TGAppDelegate.mm class
|
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump attacked another prominent African American lawmaker on Saturday, tweeting that his Baltimore district is a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess."
Trump's morning tirade against Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is the latest verbal assault against a minority member of Congress who is a frequent critic of the President. Two weekends ago, Trump -- in racist language that was later condemned by a House resolution -- told four progressive Democratic congresswomen of color to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Three of the four were born in the US, and the fourth is a naturalized US citizen.
Trump attacked Cummings, 68, who is originally from Baltimore and represents Maryland's 7th Congressional District, for erupting at acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan over border conditions during a congressional hearing on July 18. Cummings' committee has also launched a number of investigations into the Trump administration related to Trump's finances and White House practices, including security clearances and Hatch Act violations
The President's attacks, which went on to mention the Oversight investigation and another Democrat-represented district, continued into Sunday.
The President on Saturday suggested that conditions in Cummings' district, which is majority black and includes parts of Baltimore, are "FAR WORSE and more dangerous" than those at the US-Mexico border.
"If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place," Trump wrote, arguing that Cummings' "district is considered the Worst in the USA" and "no human being would want to live there."
In Cummings' district, about 52% of the population is black, while nearly 36% is white, according to US census estimates
The President gave no indication of the basis of the claim but the tweets followed a segment that aired an hour earlier on Fox News, in which a Republican strategist said conditions in Cummings' district were worse than those at the southern border.
"Mr. President, I go home to my district daily," Cummings wrote on Twitter Saturday in response. "Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents."
Cummings told ABC News recently that Trump's "go back" remarks aimed at the four congresswomen brought back memories of the racism he faced as a boy growing up in Baltimore in the 1960s, echoing the same "very painful" racist insults he had heard during childhood.
Trump has used similar language before to criticize Democratic Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon, and the Georgia district Lewis represents, which includes most of Atlanta.
President's tweets condemned as racist
Reaction to Trump's tirade was swift with Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young tweeting that it was "completely unacceptable for the political leader of our country to denigrate a vibrant American City like Baltimore, and to viciously attack U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings a patriot and a hero."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- whose father represented the city in Congress , and, along with her brother, served as its mayor -- echoed those sentiments, condemning Trump's tweets as racist.
".@RepCummings is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. #ElijahCummingsIsAPatriot," Pelosi, who was born in Baltimore, tweeted
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, two of the four Democratic congresswomen who Trump previously attacked and members of the House Oversight Committee, defended Cummings.
"Yo Trump, Hands off #ourchairman @RepCummings who is centered in American values that you will never understand. He is a fighter for the people & a leader you will never be," Tlaib of Michigan said. "While you go on vacations & tweet, @RepCummings held a hearing on high costs of medicine just yesterday."
Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, tweeted of Cummings: "He makes the country better. You want to be on his team."
Other Democrats came to Baltimore's defense on Saturday, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, whose national 2020 campaign headquarters is located there.
"Baltimore has become home to my team and it's disgraceful the president has chosen to start his morning disparaging this great American city," Harris wrote on Twitter.
Fellow 2020 candidate Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey tweeted in part that "this is a moral, defining moment in America," adding, "Silence is toxic complicity."
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told CNN that Trump sending the tweets is "beyond insulting, it is disgusting."
The Maryland chapter of the NAACP dubbed Trump's tweets racist and called for launching impeachment proceedings into the President.
"These latest tweets reaffirm the NAACP Maryland State Conference's position echoing the call of the National NAACP that this president must be impeached," NAACP MSC President Gerald Stansbury said in a statement. "A nation is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and we are ashamed of his rhetoric. America deserves a president who lifts our cities up, not one who heaps trash talk on them."
The NAACP's delegates voted unanimously at the group's annual convention in Detroit on Tuesday to call on the House to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, saying in a statement, "This President has led one of the most racist and xenophobic administrations since the Jim Crow era." The move placed the nation's oldest civil rights group alongside more than 100 congressional lawmakers in calling on the House to take the first step in a lengthy impeachment process.
Last week, 95 members of the House voted to keep alive Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green's effort to impeach the President, though it was ultimately killed by the chamber.
Trump expands his attack
Trump attacked Cummings on Twitter again Saturday afternoon, saying the congressman, "spends all of his time trying to hurt innocent people through 'Oversight.' "
"He does NOTHING for his very poor, very dangerous and very badly run district!" he wrote, concluding the tweet with the hashtag #BlacksForTrump2020 and retweeted a video purported to be of West Baltimore.
The President expanded his criticism later Saturday and into Sunday, retweeting Fox News segments on former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and probes into the President, an edited video of Democratic leadership and additional videos that Twitter users claimed to be of Baltimore.
Taking aim at Pelosi on Sunday, Trump asked that someone explain to the House speaker "that there is nothing wrong with bringing out the very obvious fact that Congressman Elijah Cummings has done a very poor job for his district and the City of Baltimore." He continued, saying that "Democrats always play the Race Card" and declaring: "Elijah Cummings has failed badly!
The President, in the string of Sunday morning tweets, also said Pelosi's San Francisco district "is not even recognizeable (sic) lately." Trump did not provide any evidence of the claim.
"Something must be done before it is too late," he wrote. "The Dems should stop wasting time on the Witch Hunt Hoax and start focusing on our Country!"
On "Fox News Sunday," acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney defended Trump's attacks on Cummings' district.
Mulvaney said the President was going after Cummings over the Democrat's statements about the situation at the southern border. "It has absolutely zero to do with race," he said.
This story has been updated. |
Q:
Typescript generics, unknown nested function param
i have som problem with generic function which has function with unknown param as param.
export const inject = <I,V>(fn:<U>(input?:U) => V, resolveWithPayload: boolean, resolveArgs?: I) => <R>(payload:R):R => {
resolveWithPayload ? fn(payload) : resolveArgs ? fn(resolveArgs) : fn();
return payload;
};
const fn = (value:number):number => {
propertyToMutate = value;
return propertyToMutate;
}
const res =_fish.inject(fn,false,60)(50);
but calling it ends with :
Argument of type '(value: number) => number' is not assignable to
parameter of type '(input?: U) => number'. Types of parameters
'value' and 'input' are incompatible. Type 'U' is not assignable
to type 'number'.
if i change code this way:
export const inject = <I,V,U>(fn:(input?:U) => V, resolveWithPayload: boolean, resolveArgs?: I) => <R>(payload:R):R => {
resolveWithPayload ? fn(payload) : resolveArgs ? fn(resolveArgs) : fn();
return payload;
};
it ends by type definition error in inject itself like:
TS2345: Argument of type 'R' is not assignable to parameter of type
'U'.
TS2345: Argument of type 'I' is not assignable to parameter of type
'U'.
So what can i do, if i dont know type of input of "fn" ?
thanks
A:
The first error is caused because inject expects a function with signature <U>(input?: U) => V, but the one you provided has signature (value: number) => number. In other words, inject expects that fn is a generic function over the type U that accepts a parameter of type U | undefined, but the fn that you pass to it accepts a parameter of type number.
It's hard to know what exactly you're trying to accomplish with all of these generics, but perhaps you're looking for something like this:
export const inject = <U>(fn:(input?:U) => U, resolveWithPayload: boolean, resolveArgs?: U) => (payload:U):U => {
resolveWithPayload ? fn(payload) : resolveArgs ? fn(resolveArgs) : fn();
return payload;
};
const fn = (value:number = 0):number => {
propertyToMutate = value;
return propertyToMutate;
}
Notice that number is the only required type parameter
|
Hans-Dieter Betz
Hans-Dieter Betz (born 29 September 1940) is a German professor emeritus of experimental physics.
Fields of research
Beside atomic physics Betz searched on Sferics, where he leads a science-group on the Munich Ludwig-Maximilians-University.
Betz also investigates Radiesthesia and Dowsing, ten years in Order by the German Government. For example the extensive Munich Scheunenexperimenten.
References
External links
Homepage of the Sferics-science-group led by Hans-Dieter Betz
In der Sache Wünschelrute, Interview with Hans-Dieter Betz, ARTE 2005
Hans-Dieter Betz: Unconventional Water Detection. In: Journal of Scientific Exploration 9 (1995)
Category:Experimental physicists
Category:German physicists
Category:Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich faculty
Category:1940 births
Category:Living people |
The selection of paraprofessional telephone counselors using the California Psychological Inventory.
Comparing groups of 36 veteran telephone counselors with 36 matched age and sex control subjects on the CPI revealed substantial differences on a number of scales. Subsequent development of weighted formulae via regression analysis led to very accurate predictions as to which individuals were telephone counselors or controls. Various cutoff scores and their uses are discussed. |
# Change Log
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
See [Conventional Commits](https://conventionalcommits.org) for commit guidelines.
<a name="1.0.1"></a>
## 1.0.1 (2018-08-13)
### Bug Fixes
* **dev:** merge 'assets' and 'output' paths ([36d8157](https://github.com/magento/pwa-studio/commit/36d8157))
|
During a press conference this past weekend with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, President Trump boasted about a supposed U.S. delivery of “F-52” warplanes to the Norwegian government. As it turns out, F-52s only exist in the video came Call of Duty.
“In November we started delivering the first F-52s and F-35 fighter jets,” Trump said during the press conference. “We have a total of 52 and they’ve delivered a number of them already a little ahead of schedule.”
As the Call of Duty Wiki page points out, the F-52 is “an advanced fighter aircraft in service of the United States of America and the Sentinel Task Force” that “is equipped with afterburners for greater speed to outrun aircraft, as well as air brakes, which provide the fighter with additional maneuverability in tight corners or for avoiding enemy fire.”
So … according to Trump, apparently America is selling Norway a bunch of F-52s? The F-52 being a fictional airplane from Call of Duty. I'm hip. Can't wait to see how much money we can make by selling Wakka Blitzballs and Portal Guns to Israel. — Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) January 11, 2018
From The Washington Post:
Trump lauded the sale of the fictional planes alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the White House on Wednesday, remarking on the very real and growing defense relationship with America’s Northern Europe ally. … Trump was reading from a statement, and it appears he combined the figure of 52 planes with the “F” designation assigned to fighter jets in the U.S. inventory, such as the F-35 Lightning II.
Trump just said we are selling F-52s to Norway. Here's an exclusive look at this new exciting aircraft. #f52 #stablegenius pic.twitter.com/OsN6kXNyar — Super fair and marginally balanced (@unfairunbalancd) January 10, 2018
Once again you made an utter fool of yourself on the World Stage. There is no such thing as an F-52 aircraft!! — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 10, 2018
Selling F52’s to Norway. Now they can dominate Call of Duty. — Mike Matson (@matson9999) January 10, 2018
The F-52's capabilities look really impressive pic.twitter.com/WI2DzIaQwt — Alexander Clarkson (@APHClarkson) January 10, 2018
Watch The Washington Post’s report on the story below:
Featured image via callofduty.wikia.com |
Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Gettu Images Berlusconi-led center-right scores upset wins in Italian elections Resurgence of Forza Italia and Northern League is a setback for former prime minister Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party.
ROME — Center-right parties scored a resounding victory in mayoral elections across Italy on Sunday, dealing a blow to the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PD) led by Matteo Renzi.
In one of the most closely-watched races, in the left-wing stronghold of Genoa, the mayoral candidate for the center-right — led by former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League, Matteo Salvini — won with more than 55 percent of the votes. That marked the first victory for the center-right in left-wing stronghold of Genoa in the last 50 years.
Center-right candidates also prevailed in another leftish bastion, La Spezia, in L’Aquila, the capital of the central Abruzzo region, and in many of the cities up for grabs in the northern Lombardy region.
Sunday’s runoffs of Italy’s municipal elections, in which more than four million people were eligible to vote to elect mayors in 110 municipalities, were the last key electoral test ahead of the next general elections, due by the spring of 2018.
The strong performance of the center-right marks a comeback for Berlusconi, who campaigned strongly on television in the weeks before the vote, while Salvini hit most of the Italian towns called to the polls in his electoral tour.
Renzi tried to downplay the significance of Sunday’s vote, but acknowledged it was disappointing.
Sunday’s result will be interpreted as a call for unity for the center-right parties, weakened by divisions and a lack of leadership since Berlusconi was ousted from the Italian parliament after a tax fraud conviction in 2013.
At the local level his party has an agreement with the Northern League to field joint candidates, but they campaign separately at national level.
The 80-year-old Berlusconi — who’s trying to appeal to older voters with a softer new image — still leads Forza Italia, the third or fourth most popular in Italy with about 14 percent of the vote, according to the latest polls.
In recent years, Berlusconi has vied for control of the center-right with Salvini, who has transformed the Northern League from a small separatist force into a national populist party.
“Always more positive news from many cities. Go, go, go! Let’s go to govern,” Salvini wrote on Twitter on Sunday night, as the results of the runoffs started to become clear.
'Could have gone better'
Center-right leaders hailed it as a winning formula for the upcoming national elections, saying Forza Italia, the Northern League and smaller right-wing parties should join forces and overcome their differences.
“I think the center-right can stay together on a national level too," Liguria Governor Giovanni Toti of Forza Italia said on Sunday night, celebrating victory in the regional capital, Genoa.
Center-right parties also benefitted from the votes of disappointed supporters of the anti-establishment 5Star Movement, which performed poorly in the first round of the local elections on June 11, and was excluded from the runoffs in most of the largest cities.
The center-right resurgence dealt an unexpected setback to the center-left Democratic Party of Matteo Renzi, who regained the party leadership in late April, but still faces powerful internal dissent.
Renzi tried to downplay the significance of Sunday’s vote, but acknowledged it was disappointing. “In the total number of winning mayors, the PD is ahead, but it could have gone better,” Renzi wrote in a Facebook post late Sunday. “The overall result is not that good.”
Renzi has been trying to revitalize the center-left since he resigned as prime minister last December following a stinging defeat in a referendum on his flagship constitutional reforms. Since then, he has faced internal dissent and a painful schism from left-wing dissidents, who formed their own political movement.
At present, the PD is running neck-and-neck with the 5Stars in national polls at about 28 percent, with the two main center-right parties, Forza Italia and the Northern League, trailing behind at around 14 percent each.
Renzi’s successor as prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, faces growing dissatisfaction among Italian voters amid a timid economic recovery, an ongoing migration emergency and a banking crisis that forced the government to inject new public funds into the banking sector at the weekend, winding down two regional banks to shield depositors from losses.
With Italy heading to general elections next year with a mainly proportional electoral system, the risk is that none of the main parties will be able to clinch enough votes to win a stable parliamentary majority, raising the specter of a hung parliament.
That also means that Berlusconi' Forza Italia will be the power brokers, again.
“The lesson we can learn from this local election is that a resurgent center-right emerged as a powerful social block, still able to attract disappointed voters, even from the populist front,” said Franco Pavoncello, political science professor at Rome’s John Cabot University. “This means that Renzi and Berlusconi will have to sit at the same table after the next national vote and discuss a possible grand coalition. Right now, I don’t see any alternatives.” |
Forces in inhomogeneous open active-particle systems.
We study the force that noninteracting pointlike active particles apply to a symmetric inert object in the presence of a gradient of activity and particle sources and sinks. We consider two simple patterns of sources and sinks that are common in biological systems. We analytically solve a one-dimensional model designed to emulate higher-dimensional systems, and study a two-dimensional model by numerical simulations. We specify when the particle flux due to the creation and annihilation of particles can act to smooth the density profile that is induced by a gradient in the velocity of the active particles, and find the net resultant force due to both the gradient in activity and the particle flux. These results are compared qualitatively to observations of nuclear motion inside the oocyte, that is driven by a gradient in activity of actin-coated vesicles. |
Madison Township, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
Madison Township is a township in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 251 at the 2000 census.
Madison Township was organized in 1879, and named after Madison, Wisconsin.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.0 square miles (90.5 km²), of which 34.6 square miles (89.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (1.06%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 251 people, 93 households, and 71 families residing in the township. The population density was 7.3 people per square mile (2.8/km²). There were 95 housing units at an average density of 2.7/sq mi (1.1/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.60% White and 0.40% Asian.
There were 93 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.0% were married couples living together, 2.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the township the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 126.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $41,607. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,039. None of the families and 3.0% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 7.5% of those over 64.
References
Category:Townships in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
Category:Townships in Minnesota |
Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
Two armed robbers were caught in a doorbell video attempting to invade a home while wearing coronavirus medical masks and gloves - in an incident that left one of them dead and the other under arrest.
The Illinois homeowner gunned down one of the suspects and chased the other out of his house in Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb under a coronavirus lockdown.
Police made the video available Thursday to the Arlington Daily Herald; the incident happened Saturday.
TEXAS MAN ACCUSED OF STABBING ASIAN FAMILY OVER CORONAVIRUS COULD FACE FBI HATE CRIME CHARGE
Police said the video showed Bradley Finnan, 39, of Chattanooga, Tenn., and Larry Brodacz, 58, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., forcing their way into the home.
The homeowner is captured chasing Finnan out of the house and pummeling him. Finnan then can be seen running off.
Back inside the house, police said the homeowner fatally shot Brodacz during a struggle.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
“Fearing for his life and the lives of his wife and children, the homeowner discharged a round from the family handgun, striking Mr. Brodacz in the abdomen,” police said, WGN-TV reported.
The homeowner later told investigators he opened the door to the two strangers, expecting landscapers.
Finnan told investigators after his arrest that Brodacz claimed he saw $200,000 cash in boxes in the home 20 years ago and believed the money was still there, the paper reported.
Finnan also said he knew Brodacz from a car dealership where they both worked.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Prosecutors charged him with felony murder, participating in a crime that leads to another's death. |
Nicholas Daniel Murphy
Nicholas Daniel Murphy (1811–1890) was an Irish politician from Cork. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1865 to 1880.
Standing as a Liberal, he was elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom at a by-election on 14 February 1865 for Cork City, after the resignation from the House of Commons of the Liberal MP Francis Lyons. He was re-elected unopposed at the general election in July 1865, and held the seat against Irish Conservative Party candidates at the 1868 general election. In 1874, having joined the new Home Rule League (founded in 1873), he was returned to the House of Commons for a fourth time, defeating both Conservative candidates and an independent nationalist.
However, at the 1880 general election, he stood once again as a Liberal, but lost his seat.
References
External links
Category:1811 births
Category:1890 deaths
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cork City
Category:UK MPs 1859–1865
Category:UK MPs 1865–1868
Category:UK MPs 1868–1874
Category:UK MPs 1874–1880
Category:Irish Liberal Party MPs
Category:Home Rule League MPs |
[[hazelcast-list-component]]
= Hazelcast List Component
//THIS FILE IS COPIED: EDIT THE SOURCE FILE:
:page-source: components/camel-hazelcast/src/main/docs/hazelcast-list-component.adoc
:docTitle: Hazelcast List
:artifactId: camel-hazelcast
:description: Perform operations on Hazelcast distributed list.
:since: 2.7
:supportLevel: Stable
:component-header: Both producer and consumer are supported
include::{cq-version}@camel-quarkus:ROOT:partial$reference/components/hazelcast-list.adoc[]
//Manually maintained attributes
:group: Hazelcast
*Since Camel {since}*
*{component-header}*
The http://www.hazelcast.com/[Hazelcast] List component is one of Camel Hazelcast Components which allows you to access Hazelcast distributed list.
== Options
// component options: START
The Hazelcast List component supports 5 options, which are listed below.
[width="100%",cols="2,5,^1,2",options="header"]
|===
| Name | Description | Default | Type
| *bridgeErrorHandler* (consumer) | Allows for bridging the consumer to the Camel routing Error Handler, which mean any exceptions occurred while the consumer is trying to pickup incoming messages, or the likes, will now be processed as a message and handled by the routing Error Handler. By default the consumer will use the org.apache.camel.spi.ExceptionHandler to deal with exceptions, that will be logged at WARN or ERROR level and ignored. | false | boolean
| *lazyStartProducer* (producer) | Whether the producer should be started lazy (on the first message). By starting lazy you can use this to allow CamelContext and routes to startup in situations where a producer may otherwise fail during starting and cause the route to fail being started. By deferring this startup to be lazy then the startup failure can be handled during routing messages via Camel's routing error handlers. Beware that when the first message is processed then creating and starting the producer may take a little time and prolong the total processing time of the processing. | false | boolean
| *basicPropertyBinding* (advanced) | *Deprecated* Whether the component should use basic property binding (Camel 2.x) or the newer property binding with additional capabilities | false | boolean
| *hazelcastInstance* (advanced) | The hazelcast instance reference which can be used for hazelcast endpoint. If you don't specify the instance reference, camel use the default hazelcast instance from the camel-hazelcast instance. | | HazelcastInstance
| *hazelcastMode* (advanced) | The hazelcast mode reference which kind of instance should be used. If you don't specify the mode, then the node mode will be the default. | node | String
|===
// component options: END
// endpoint options: START
The Hazelcast List endpoint is configured using URI syntax:
----
hazelcast-list:cacheName
----
with the following path and query parameters:
=== Path Parameters (1 parameters):
[width="100%",cols="2,5,^1,2",options="header"]
|===
| Name | Description | Default | Type
| *cacheName* | *Required* The name of the cache | | String
|===
=== Query Parameters (9 parameters):
[width="100%",cols="2,5,^1,2",options="header"]
|===
| Name | Description | Default | Type
| *defaultOperation* (common) | To specify a default operation to use, if no operation header has been provided. There are 36 enums and the value can be one of: put, delete, get, update, query, getAll, clear, putIfAbsent, allAll, removeAll, retainAll, evict, evictAll, valueCount, containsKey, containsValue, keySet, removevalue, increment, decrement, setvalue, destroy, compareAndSet, getAndAdd, add, offer, peek, poll, remainingCapacity, drainTo, removeIf, take, publish, readOnceHeal, readOnceTail, capacity | | HazelcastOperation
| *hazelcastInstance* (common) | The hazelcast instance reference which can be used for hazelcast endpoint. | | HazelcastInstance
| *hazelcastInstanceName* (common) | The hazelcast instance reference name which can be used for hazelcast endpoint. If you don't specify the instance reference, camel use the default hazelcast instance from the camel-hazelcast instance. | | String
| *bridgeErrorHandler* (consumer) | Allows for bridging the consumer to the Camel routing Error Handler, which mean any exceptions occurred while the consumer is trying to pickup incoming messages, or the likes, will now be processed as a message and handled by the routing Error Handler. By default the consumer will use the org.apache.camel.spi.ExceptionHandler to deal with exceptions, that will be logged at WARN or ERROR level and ignored. | false | boolean
| *exceptionHandler* (consumer) | To let the consumer use a custom ExceptionHandler. Notice if the option bridgeErrorHandler is enabled then this option is not in use. By default the consumer will deal with exceptions, that will be logged at WARN or ERROR level and ignored. | | ExceptionHandler
| *exchangePattern* (consumer) | Sets the exchange pattern when the consumer creates an exchange. There are 3 enums and the value can be one of: InOnly, InOut, InOptionalOut | | ExchangePattern
| *lazyStartProducer* (producer) | Whether the producer should be started lazy (on the first message). By starting lazy you can use this to allow CamelContext and routes to startup in situations where a producer may otherwise fail during starting and cause the route to fail being started. By deferring this startup to be lazy then the startup failure can be handled during routing messages via Camel's routing error handlers. Beware that when the first message is processed then creating and starting the producer may take a little time and prolong the total processing time of the processing. | false | boolean
| *basicPropertyBinding* (advanced) | Whether the endpoint should use basic property binding (Camel 2.x) or the newer property binding with additional capabilities | false | boolean
| *synchronous* (advanced) | Sets whether synchronous processing should be strictly used, or Camel is allowed to use asynchronous processing (if supported). | false | boolean
|===
// endpoint options: END
== List producer – to(“hazelcast-list:foo”)
The list producer provides 7 operations:
* add
* addAll
* set
* get
* removevalue
* removeAll
* clear
=== Sample for *add*:
[source,java]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from("direct:add")
.setHeader(HazelcastConstants.OPERATION, constant(HazelcastOperation.ADD))
.toF("hazelcast-%sbar", HazelcastConstants.LIST_PREFIX);
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=== Sample for *get*:
[source,java]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from("direct:get")
.setHeader(HazelcastConstants.OPERATION, constant(HazelcastOperation.GET))
.toF("hazelcast-%sbar", HazelcastConstants.LIST_PREFIX)
.to("seda:out");
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=== Sample for *setvalue*:
[source,java]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from("direct:set")
.setHeader(HazelcastConstants.OPERATION, constant(HazelcastOperation.SET_VALUE))
.toF("hazelcast-%sbar", HazelcastConstants.LIST_PREFIX);
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=== Sample for *removevalue*:
[source,java]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from("direct:removevalue")
.setHeader(HazelcastConstants.OPERATION, constant(HazelcastOperation.REMOVE_VALUE))
.toF("hazelcast-%sbar", HazelcastConstants.LIST_PREFIX);
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note that *CamelHazelcastObjectIndex* header is used for indexing
purpose.
== List consumer – from(“hazelcast-list:foo”)
The list consumer provides 2 operations:
* add
* remove
[source,java]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fromF("hazelcast-%smm", HazelcastConstants.LIST_PREFIX)
.log("object...")
.choice()
.when(header(HazelcastConstants.LISTENER_ACTION).isEqualTo(HazelcastConstants.ADDED))
.log("...added")
.to("mock:added")
.when(header(HazelcastConstants.LISTENER_ACTION).isEqualTo(HazelcastConstants.REMOVED))
.log("...removed")
.to("mock:removed")
.otherwise()
.log("fail!");
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
include::camel-spring-boot::page$hazelcast-starter.adoc[]
|
1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present disclosure relates to the field of fabrication of integrated circuits, and, more particularly, to semiconductor devices having metal-silicide portions on semiconductor regions to reduce the resistance of the semiconductor regions.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern ultra-high density integrated circuits, device features are steadily decreased to enhance device performance and functionality. One important circuit element in complex integrated circuits is a field effect transistor, which represents a component having a channel region, whose conductivity may be controlled by an electric field that is generated by applying a control voltage to a gate electrode formed near the channel region and separated therefrom by a gate insulation layer. The channel region is generally defined by respective PN junctions formed by an interface of highly doped drain and source regions and an inversely doped region located between the drain and source regions. Important characteristics for the performance of an integrated circuit are, among others, the switching speed of the individual transistor elements and the drive current capability. Thus, one important aspect for obtaining a high transistor performance is the reduction of the overall resistance of the current path defined by the channel region, the resistance of the drain and source regions and the respective contacts that connect the transistor with peripheral devices, such as other transistors, capacitors and the like. The reduction of the channel length thus provides reduced resistance of the channel region and also offers the potential to increase the packing density of the integrated circuit. Upon reducing the transistor dimension, the transistor width is also typically reduced in view of packing density and switching speed, which may, however, reduce the drive current capability. It is, therefore, of great importance to reduce the series resistance of a transistor for given design dimensions as much as possible so as to combine moderately high drive current capability with increased switching speed for sophisticated logic circuits.
Hence, it becomes an important design goal to increase the conductivity of lines and contact regions, such as drain and source regions, gate electrodes, polysilicon interconnect lines and the like, since the cross-sectional area of these lines and regions is also reduced as the general transistor dimensions are decreased. The cross-sectional area, however, determines, in combination with the characteristics of the material comprising the conductive lines and contact regions, the resistance of the respective line or contact region. As a result, in highly scaled semiconductor devices, the conductive lines and contact regions may exhibit a higher resistance unless the reduced cross-section is compensated for by improving the electrical characteristics of the material forming the lines and contact regions, such as the gate electrode, and the drain and source contact regions.
It is thus of particular importance to improve the characteristics of conductive regions that are substantially comprised of semiconductor material such as silicon. For instance, in modern integrated circuits, the individual semiconductor devices, such as field effect transistors, capacitors and the like, are primarily based on silicon, wherein the individual devices are connected by silicon lines and metal lines. While the resistivity of the metal lines may be improved by replacing the commonly used aluminum by, for example, copper and copper alloys, process engineers are confronted with a challenging task when an improvement in the electrical characteristics of silicon-containing semiconductor lines and semiconductor contact regions is required.
With reference to FIGS. 1a-1b, an exemplary process for manufacturing an integrated circuit containing, for example, a plurality of MOS transistors, will now be described in order to illustrate the problems involved in improving the electrical characteristics of silicon-containing semiconductor regions in more detail.
FIG. 1a schematically illustrates a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure 100 that includes a substrate 101, for example, a silicon substrate above which is formed a field effect transistor 110 of a specified conductivity type, such as an N-channel transistor or a P-channel transistor. The semiconductor structure 100 comprises an isolation structure 113 formed of an insulating material, such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and the like, which defines an active region 112 in the substrate 101. In advanced semiconductor devices, the isolation structure 113 may be provided in the form of a shallow trench isolation (STI), filled, at least partially, with one or more appropriate insulating materials, for instance as specified above. A gate electrode 115 having a gate length 115L is formed over a gate insulation layer 118 that separates the gate electrode 115 from the active region 112. Spacer elements 116 made of, for example, silicon dioxide or silicon nitride, are located at the sidewalls of the gate electrode 115. In the active region 112, source and drain regions 114, including respective extensions 114a, are formed and exhibit an appropriate lateral dopant profile required to connect to a channel region 111, in which a conductive channel builds up between the drain and the source regions 114 upon application of an appropriate control voltage on the gate electrode 115. Moreover, metal silicide regions 117 are formed within the drain and source regions 114 and on the gate electrode 115. The metal silicide regions 117 may be comprised of any appropriate metal silicide, based on an appropriate refractory metal, such as titanium, cobalt, nickel, platinum, tungsten or combinations thereof.
FIG. 1b schematically illustrates a top view of the semiconductor structure 100. As shown, the gate electrode 115 extends in the transistor width direction, indicated as W, beyond the active region 112 (the area within the isolation structure 113) into the insulated portion of the substrate 101 defined by the shallow trench isolation structure 113. Depending on the circuit layout, the gate electrode 115 may connect to an adjacent transistor or to a respective contact region (not shown). As previously discussed, the gate length 115L of the transistor element 110 substantially determines the channel length of the transistor 110 and, therefore, as previously pointed out, significantly affects the electrical characteristics of the transistor element 110. The transistor width is defined by the dimension of the active area 112 along the width direction W and is therefore determined by the trench isolation structure 113. For a given gate length 115L determining the resistance per unit length in the direction of current flow and the switching speed, the transistor width also affects the drive current capability. However, as previously explained, in view of packing density and reduced overall switching speed, the transistor width may not be arbitrarily increased.
A typical process flow for forming the semiconductor structure 100 as depicted in FIGS. 1a-1b may comprise the following processes. After the formation of the trench isolation structure 113 by well-known photolithography, etch, deposition and planarization techniques, implantation steps may be performed to create a vertical dopant profile in the active region 112 according to device requirements. Subsequently, the gate insulation layer 118 is formed according to design requirements, after cleaning the exposed surface of the active area 112. Thereafter, the gate electrode 115 may be formed by patterning, for instance, a polysilicon layer by means of sophisticated photolithography and etch techniques. Then, a further implantation step for forming the source and drain extensions 114a within the source and drain regions 114 may be performed, for instance, on the basis of appropriate offset spacers (not shown) and then the spacer elements 116 may be formed by deposition and anisotropic etch techniques. The spacer element 116 may be used as an implantation mask for a subsequent implantation process in which a dopant is implanted into the active region 112 to form the source and drain regions 114, thereby creating the required high dopant concentrations in these regions. Typically, appropriate anneal processes are performed to activate the dopants and to reduce implantation-induced lattice defects. Thereafter, the metal silicide regions 117 may be formed by well-established techniques including, for example, the deposition of a suitable refractory metal and performing a heat treatment in order to initiate a silicidation process. A suitable low ohmic phase may be obtained by a further heat treatment in accordance with established techniques. It should be appreciated that the resulting sheet resistance of the metal silicide regions 117 is significantly less compared to the resistance of the semiconductor materials of the drain and source regions 114 and the gate electrode 115, although these areas are heavily doped. Consequently, by providing the metal silicide regions 117, the reduced cross-sectional area of the contact regions, i.e., the silicided portions of the drain and source regions 114, and polysilicon lines, such as the gate electrode 115, may be compensated for to reduce the parasitic resistance despite the overall reduced transistor dimensions.
In view of a further reduction of the series resistance between the channel region 111 in its conducting state and the surface areas of the metal silicide regions 117, at which respective metal plugs may contact the transistor 110, it would be desirable to increase, for a given transistor configuration, the amount of metal silicide within the drain and source regions 114, wherein, however, for advanced applications, the depth of the metal silicide regions 117, although highly desirable in the gate electrode 115, may not be significantly increased without a high risk for shorting the drain and source regions 114 with the active area 112, thereby causing a device failure. Due to the limited depth of the metal silicide region 117 in the drain and source regions 114, it is thus important to provide a high quality metal silicide within the entire area of the drain and source regions 114. In conventional approaches, however, the metal silicide at the interface between the drain and source regions 114 and the trench isolation structure 114, indicated as 113A, may have a reduced thickness, thereby reducing the efficiency of the metal silicide, since, in total, a moderately large area (see FIG. 1b) may suffer from a reduced metal silicide thickness.
The present disclosure is directed to various methods and systems that may solve, or at least reduce, some or all of the aforementioned problems. |
The concept of a virtual universe (also called a virtual world or a metaverse) is rapidly becoming a popular part of today's culture. In general, a virtual universe (VU) is a digital world (e.g., a three-dimensional computer-generated landscape) in which a user controls an avatar (e.g., a graphical representation of the user in the VU) to interact with objects and other avatars within the VU. Examples of popular VUs include SECOND LIFE® (a registered trademark of Linden Research, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both) and ACTIVEWORLDS® (a registered trademark of Activeworlds, Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both).
Generally, a host computing system stores data regarding the landscape, objects, and users of the VU. A client software program runs on each user computer. The client program communicates (e.g., through a network connection) with the host system, and provides a visual (and, sometimes, audible) representation of the VU on the user computer. As the user moves his or her avatar throughout the VU, the visual representation displayed on the user computer changes according to the avatar location in the VU. In this manner, a user may cause his or her avatar to approach other avatars and interact with the other avatars. For example, one avatar may approach and communicate with another avatar via VOIP (voice over IP) and/or text-based communication through the network.
Moreover, in some VUs, users may possess virtual money that is purchased with real money. For example, a user may allow a VU host to debit his or her credit card in exchange for virtual money. The user can then exchange this virtual money with other users of the virtual world for a wide range of items and/or services, such as, for example, objects (e.g., clothing for an avatar), access to private areas of the VU, etc.
Additionally, in some VUs, users may even own virtual real estate. For example, a user may pay the VU host, or another third party, real money for an area of virtual real estate in the VU. The user may then create objects on that real estate, such as a night club where music plays and other avatars are invited to congregate to socialize (e.g., chat, dance, etc.).
Moreover, real estate within a VU has a cost, both in terms of dollars and computing resources. Currently all real estate locations within a VU are built on a static grid. Once a location is created, it exists at all times, whether it is being used or not. The use of such static locations for advertising is both inefficient and costly. |
Light Magic
Light Magic is a type of magic featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It is one of the most powerful types of magic, able to overcome dark magic and render practitioners of darkness defenseless. Generally, only Saviors can use light magic, although there have been exceptions with other magic users. |
Prolonged intermittent hydrotherapy and early tangential excision in the treatment of an extensive strong alkali burn.
It is well known that the first step in the treatment of cutaneous strong alkali burn is very early and persistent washing of the site of injury with large volumes of water. However, ideal duration and the technique of hydrotherapy has not yet been established. Besides hydrotherapy, tangential excision of the injured skin might prevent further tissue damage if it is performed early enough. We report the treatment of a 36-year-old male who sustained 53% body surface area (BSA) cutaneous burn due to caustic soda (NaOH). Prolonged intermittent hydrotherapy, early tangential excision and autografting of the injured skin are the keys for the proper management of extensive strong alkali burn. |
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It all marked the opening of pre-season which quickly turned into the Asia Tour for 24 members of the squad. The line-up for the games in Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan is a mix of key veterans and youngsters hoping to make an impact. There were a few noticeable absentees. Thomas Vermaelen picked up a back injury and was left behind, as was Gervinho due to sickness.
The stop in the world's fourth most populous country culminates with a friendly against the Indonesian Dream Team on Sunday. After that, the squad moves on to Vietnam where they will be the first ever Premier League team to visit that country.Our guys take on the Vietnam team on Wednesday July 17. Be sure to stay tuned to Arsenal.com for all of the tour updates.
Back at the home base, plenty has been going over the past several weeks. Starting from the top, Arsenal have a new chairman after the resignation of Peter Hill-Wood. The former chairman had been at the helm since 1982 and a director for 51 years. He was the third member of the Hill-Wood family to serve in that role. Sir Chips Keswick, who will now take a seat in the really big five-legged chair, is a lifelong fan and has been a director since 2005.
In the other direction, Arsenal officially announced the signing of up-and-coming French striker Yaya Sanogo. He won’t meet up with his new teammates until after the tour as he is currently on international duty for U20 World Cup in Turkey. The 20-yer-old's early career has been plagued by injuries, but in his last season at Auxerre, he managed 10 goals in just 13 appearances. He has been given the No. 22 shirt.
Finally, the 2013/14 fixture list was also released, and Arsenal were handed an opening day home match against Aston Villa on Saturday August 17. Key dates to focus on (as of now anyway… we know how these things can change) the first leg of Champions League Playoff will be held on either August 20 or 21 with the second leg one week later. Domestically, the big games kick off early with the home version of the north London derby on Sunday September 1. March looks to be the toughest month on paper with trips up the Seven Sisters Road and to Chelsea, before a home clash against Manchester City.
Looking ahead, Arsenal have the aforementioned games in Indonesia and Vietnam plus two games in Japan the following week. After that, it's a return to London for Emirates Cup before a final warm-up match against Man City in Helsinki.
Get ready, Gooners -- the season will be here before you know it!
Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the sourceKevin Mooney12 Jul 2013
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Q:
can I make functions with unresolved dependency in C?
what is the SHORTEST or Easiest way to solve the following dependency problem. Given, I have to keep xx in a separate file.
file1.h
static inline void xx(){
yy();//yy is not defined in this file but defined in file2.c;
}
file2.c
#include "file1.h"
void yy(){
printf("Hello");
}
void main(){
xx();
}
Compiler error in file1 yy not defined.
A:
A declaration is required but not a definition:
// file1.h
static inline void xx() {
void yy(); // Just a declaration
yy();
}
// file2.c
#include "file1.h"
void yy() {
printf("Hello");
}
int main() { // void main is not legal C
xx(); // Works fine.
}
|
Effects of fluoroquinolones on the locomotor activity in rats.
During therapy with fluoroquinolones adverse CNS reactions such as dizziness, light-headedness, insomnia or sleepiness are observed in up to 20% of patients. Using a device developed at our institute for the simultaneous registration of the activity of rats housed in single cages, we have investigated the effects of trovafloxacin, fleroxacin or ofloxacin on the locomotor activity of juvenile and adult rats (11 per group) after oral administration of 600 mg/kg for 5 consecutive days. The effects were most pronounced after fleroxacin, which induced a reduction in activity to 36 +/- 9% (mean +/- SD) of the values measured in juvenile rats before treatment and to 60 +/- 21% (mean +/- SD) in adult rats. HPLC analysis of the plasma concentrations in juvenile rats showed that the concentrations of trovafloxacin were considerably lower than those of the other fluoroquinolones that had been studied previously in our laboratory: the peak concentration of trovafloxacin was 14 +/- 2.9 mg/l (mean +/- SD) after a single dose of 600 mg/kg in juvenile rats. Overall, we showed that the locomotor activities of juvenile and adult rats were significantly depressed during treatment with fluoroquinolones. The effects were more pronounced in juveniles. Monitoring of the locomotor activity of rats is a suitable approach to study CNS effects of fluoroquinolones in animals, but pharmacokinetics have to be taken into account. |
Diastereomerically Differentiated Excited State Behavior in Ruthenium(II) Hexafluoroacetylacetonate Complexes of Diphenyl Thioindigo Diimine.
Mono- and diruthenium hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac) complexes of the thioindigo-N,N'-diphenyldiimine chelating ligand 3 have been prepared. The thioindigo diimine ligand binds to ruthenium in a bidentate fashion in the mononuclear compound 2 and serves as a bidentate chelating bridging ligand in the diruthenium complexes 1a and 1b. Compound 2 was isolated as a racemic mixture while the diruthenium complexes were isolated as the meso (ΔΛ) 1a and rac (ΔΔ and ΛΛ) 1b diastereomers. In-depth structural characterization of the compounds was performed, including X-ray crystallography, 1H, 13C, and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and 2D NMR correlation experiments. Electrochemical properties were evaluated utilizing cyclic voltammetry. Ground state optical properties of the complexes were examined using UV-visible spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemistry. The excited state dynamics of the series were investigated by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. Variable temperature NMR experiments demonstrated that the rac diruthenium compound 1b undergoes conformational exchange with a rate constant of 8700 s-1 at 298 K, a behavior that is not observed in the meso diastereomer 1a. The series of complexes possess metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) absorption bands in the near-infrared (λmax 689-783 nm). The compounds do not display photoluminescence in room temperature solution-phase experiments or in experiments at 77 K. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements revealed excited states with picosecond lifetimes for 1a, 1b, and 2, and spectroelectrochemical experiments confirmed assignment of the transient species as arising from MLCT transitions. Unexpectedly, the transient absorption measurements revealed disparate time constants for the excited state decay of diastereomers 1a and 1b. |
Q:
Converting files to UTF-8 without BOM in ANT
I have some js files that are in UTF-8 BOM encoding. I want to convert these files to UTF-8 encoding using ant. I used copy task of ant for this
<copy todir="./custom_plugins" overwrite="true" outputencoding="UTF-8">
<fileset dir="../plugins" />
</copy>
Now when I open a file that was in UTF-8 BOM in notepad++ it shows its encoding in ANSI format but this also appends the  character at the beginning of the file.
Even i tried this, but not working.
How can I solve this?
A:
After encoding these files to UTF-8 I used replaceregexp ant task to remove/replace BOM character \xEF\xBB\xBF with empty string.
<replaceregexp match="\xEF\xBB\xBF" replace="" byline="true" encoding="UTF-8">
<fileset dir="./custom_plugins">
<include name="**/*.js"/>
</fileset>
</replaceregexp>
|
/* (c) 2018 Open Source Geospatial Foundation - all rights reserved
* This code is licensed under the GPL 2.0 license, available at the root
* application directory.
*/
package org.geoserver.importer.rest;
import org.geoserver.catalog.LayerInfo;
/**
* Wrapper for {@link org.geoserver.catalog.LayerInfo} to be used when converting the importer JSON
* representation to a Layer
*/
public class ImportLayer {
LayerInfo layer;
public ImportLayer(LayerInfo layer) {
this.layer = layer;
}
public LayerInfo getLayer() {
return layer;
}
}
|
Bennett Cohen
Bennett Cohen (August 28, 1890 – June 10, 1964) was an American screenwriter and director. He wrote for 187 films between 1915 and 1953. He also directed 17 films between 1925 and 1934. He was born in Trinidad, Colorado and died in Los Angeles, California.
Selected filmography
Guilty (1916)
Mind Over Motor (1923)
Dangerous Traffic (1926)
The Grey Devil (1926)
Midnight Faces (1926)
The Grey Devil (1926)
Thunderbolt's Tracks (1927)
The Avenging Shadow (1928)
Laddie Be Good (1928)
Cheyenne (1929)
West of Cheyenne (1931)
Come on Danger! (1932)
Mystery Mountain (1934)
The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935)
The Border Patrolman (1936)
The Fighting Deputy (1937)
Raw Timber (1937)
South of Arizona (1938)
Red River Robin Hood (1942)
The Cherokee Flash (1945)
Robin Hood of Monterey (1947)
King of the Bandits (1947)
References
External links
Category:1890 births
Category:1964 deaths
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:People from Trinidad, Colorado
Category:Film directors from Colorado
Category:Screenwriters from Colorado |
Napoli have had an €18million (£15.5m) offer for Brazilian international Leandro Damiao rejected.
The Internacional striker is a wanted man, with Tottenham and Southampton also keen on his services, but the Brazilian club have reiterated that he is not for sale.
Internacional’s sporting director Luis Cesar Souto seemed unimpressed with Napoli’s bid after he revealed that the approach had been turned down.
‘We had a verbal offer presented by Napoli of €18million,’ Souto said. ‘We do not accept that this is Leandro’s true value. What Napoli have offered is very far from what we expected the bid to be.’
Top of the wishlist: Spurs appear to have turned their attentions to Christian Benteke (Picture: Getty)
Damiao was thought to be on the verge of a move to Spurs in the previous transfer window, but the move broke down before a deal could be reached due to the complicated nature of the player’s third-party ownership. |
The House Judiciary Committee on Saturday released a report laying out what they believe are the impeachable offenses against President Donald Trump before the committee’s hearing on Monday.
“The Framers worst nightmare is what we are facing in this very moment. President Trump abused his power, betrayed our national security, and corrupted our elections, all for personal gain. The Constitution details only one remedy for this misconduct: impeachment,” House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement as the report was released.
READ THE FULL REPORT HERE:
House Judiciary Committee Releases Report Defining Impeachable Offenses on Scribd
The report comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will be asking Nadler to move forward with articles of impeachment against President Trump.
“The president’s actions have seriously violated the Constitution,” Pelosi said at a press conference. “The president abused his power for his own personal benefit. We will proceed in a manner worthy of our oath of office.”
The White House told House Democrats on Sunday that it will not take part in the House Judiciary Committee’s first impeachment hearing, after being invited by Nadler.
Nadler asked Trump on Friday if he would be sending his lawyers to the impeachment hearing scheduled for Dec. 4. Nadler also asked Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee what witnesses they want to subpoena for the hearings, expressed in letters sent to Trump, the Associated Press reported.
“The president leaves us no choice but to act,” Pelosi said at the press conference Thursday. “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with Articles of Impeachment.”
Despite Pelosi’s early reluctance to push for impeachment, there are currently 228 Democrats who have voiced support for impeachment or an impeachment inquiry. Pelosi has said she believes Trump is “goading” Democrats to impeach him because he thinks it will help him fire up his base.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) raised approximately $1 million dollars the day after Pelosi explicitly came out in favor of the impeachment of Trump for the first time. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: We Asked Every GOP Senator About Impeachment. Seven Ruled It Out.)
Democrats have continued to send congressional subpoenas to those close to Trump for documents related to the ongoing scandal regarding the president’s phone call with the president of Ukraine — specifically whether Trump asked him to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden in exchange for U.S. military aid. The House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight committees are all investigating Trump, his cabinet members, and closest allies.
Many of Pelosi’s Democratic colleagues previously pushed for impeaching Trump, including Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green, who broke with Pelosi when he vowed to force a vote to impeach Trump in late March. Green, who previously had several bills to impeach Trump overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Representatives, called for a third impeachment vote. Pelosi said impeachment was “just not worth it” in a March interview. (RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Comes Out In Favor Of Impeachment)
Pelosi previously said she would not hold a full vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry, which Trump has continued to call for. |
The human GM2 activator protein. A substrate specific cofactor of beta-hexosaminidase A.
Ganglioside GD1a-GalNAc was isolated from Tay-Sachs brain, tritium-labeled in its sphingosine moiety, and its enzymic degradation studied in vitro and in cultured fibroblasts. When offered as micelles, GD1a-GalNAc was almost not hydrolyzed by Hex A or Hex B, while after incorporation of the ganglioside into the outer leaflet of liposomes, the terminal GalNAc residue was rapidly split off by Hex a. In striking contrast to ganglioside GM2, the major glycolipid substrate of Hex A, the enzymic hydrolysis of GD1a-GalNAc was not promoted by the GM2 activator protein, although the activator protein did bind GD1a-GalNAc to form a water-soluble complex. Pathobiochemical studies corroborate these results. After incorporation of [3H]GD1a-GalNAc into cultured skin fibroblasts from healthy subjects and from patients with different variants of GM2 gangliosidosis, its degradation was found to be strongly attenuated in mutant cells with Hex A deficiencies such as variant B (Tay-Sachs disease), variant B1 and variant 0 (Sandhoff disease), while in cells with variant AB (GM2 activator deficiency), its catabolism was blocked only at the level of GM2. In line with these metabolic studies, a normal content of GD1a-GalNAc was found in brains of patients who had succumbed to variant AB of GM2 gangliosidosis whereas in brains from variants B, B1, and 0, its concentration was considerably elevated (up to 19-fold). Together with studies on the enzymic degradation of GM2 derivatives with modifications in the ceramide portion, these results indicate that mainly steric hindrance by adjacent lipid molecules impedes the access of Hex A to membrane-bound GM2 (whose degradation therefore depends on solubilization by the GM2 activator) and in addition that the interaction between the GM2. GM2 activator complex and the enzyme must be highly specific. |
Over 1 million US unemployed set to lose benefits after Christmas
Democratic, Republican negotiators reach agreement on austerity budget
By Andre Damon
11 December 2013
US House and Senate negotiators reached agreement Tuesday on a budget that will leave in place over a trillion dollars in sequester spending cuts over 10 years, while slashing the retirement benefits of federal workers and military retirees and imposing regressive consumption taxes.
The brutal character of the bipartisan agreement is underscored by the fact that it makes no provision for the extension of federal extended jobless benefits, threatening over a million unemployed people with the loss of their only cash income the week after Christmas.
According to a Washington Post report published Tuesday, “[S]enior Democrats acknowledged that checks are likely to be cut off at the end of the month for more than a million people who are out of work.”
By the White House’s own figures, failure to extend the unemployment benefits will end cash assistance for 1.3 million people immediately after the holidays and impact an additional 3.6 million people in the first half of 2014.
President Barack Obama endorsed the deal, calling it “a good first step” and urging “members of Congress from both parties” to pass a budget “based on this agreement.”
Obama added that “this agreement replaces a portion of the across-the-board spending cuts known as ‘the sequester’ that have harmed students, seniors, and middle class families.”
In fact, the proposed two-year budget restores only a small fraction of the more than $1 trillion in cuts scheduled over the next ten years, and the reduced level of cuts is more than offset by regressive consumption taxes in the form of “user fees,” increased pension costs for federal civilian workers, cuts in retirement benefits for military employees and further reductions in Medicare spending.
Above all, the deal leaves intact the mechanism of automatic across-the-board cuts in domestic discretionary spending known as sequestration, which took effect last March and has already resulted in $85 billion in cuts, in part through unpaid furloughs affecting hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Sequestration, which was initially proposed by Obama and the Democrats during the US debt ceiling crisis in 2011, mandates cuts that in their totality will devastate a wide range of social programs and reduce discretionary social spending as a percentage of the US gross domestic product to its lowest level since the 1950s.
The deal exposes the cynicism of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party, which publicly denounced sequestration, even though they played the key role in its enactment, and pledged to end it. As financier Steven Rattner, the Obama administration’s lead adviser in the restructuring of the auto industry, boasted in the New York Times Tuesday: “Over the past two years, outlays on domestic programs have fallen from $514 billion to $469 billion, a hefty 8.8 percent reduction—and that’s before adjusting for inflation.”
Under the proposed budget agreed to on Tuesday, $63 billion in government spending is scheduled to be cut back in 2014 and 2015, or about one third of the total in sequester cuts slated for those years, will be restored. The biggest chunk of restored funds will go to the Pentagon.
This modest rollback in sequester cuts will be more than offset by an additional $85 billion in deficit reduction over the next ten years. One of the largest cuts, amounting to $12 billion over a decade, will be to retirement benefits for federal civilian workers and military employees.
Beginning January 1st, new federal civilian employees will increase their contributions to their pensions by 1.3 percent, slashing spending by $6 billion. This will come on top of a three-year pay freeze for federal workers and the loss of as much as 15 percent of their income as a result of sequester-related unpaid furloughs.
Military retirees between the ages of 40 and 62 will see their cost-of-living adjustments slashed, adding another $6 billion in deficit reduction.
The budget proposal also adds another $22 billion to the existing sequester cuts by extending cuts to Medicare providers through 2022 and 2023.
The budget will raise $12.6 billion by increasing security fees for airline passengers and another $8 billion by charging higher fees for insuring private-sector pensions.
The budget agreement is only the latest in a series of recent attacks on the working class led by the Obama administration. Earlier this month, a federal judge approved the Detroit bankruptcy, with the support of the White House, setting the stage for massive cuts in Detroit city workers’ pensions and similar attacks on public employee pensions across the country.
In November, food stamp benefits were slashed nationwide for the first time in US history, eliminating the equivalent of two days of food every month for 47.7 million people. Congress is scheduled to vote on a farm bill that is expected to slash billions more from the food stamp program over the coming decade.
Every day brings new revelations that expose the Affordable Care Act, which Obama and his political allies have sought to present as a democratic and egalitarian measure, as nothing more than a scheme to cut medical care and increase out-of-pocket costs for working people.
This week’s budget agreement comes just a week after Obama gave a speech in which he called income inequality the “defining challenge of our time” and declared that “over the course of the next year, and for the rest of my presidency” his administration would “focus all our efforts” on narrowing the gap between rich and poor. Obama’s support for Tuesday’s austerity budget thoroughly exposes these claims.
The bipartisan budget deal is one more demonstration that behind the much hyped partisan wrangling there is complete unanimity between the two big business parties on intensifying the assault on the working class and funneling ever more of the nation’s wealth into the hands of the corporate-financial elite.
Behind all the talk of “partisan gridlock,” which took the form in October of a partial shutdown of the federal government, is a bipartisan conspiracy, spearheaded by the Obama White House, to impoverish ever-wider sections of the working class.
Democratic Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray, who co-chaired the budget conference committee, made light of the supposedly unbridgeable differences between the two parties at a press conference Tuesday and stressed the underlying agreement of the Democratic Party with the Republicans.
Speaking of her Republican co-chair Paul Ryan—the House Budget Committee chairman, Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, and author of budget plans that would dismantle Medicare—she said, “We cheer for a different football team. We catch different fish. We have some differences on policy, but we agree that our country needs some certainty and we need to show that we can work together.”
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